Rare Rush Job: Los Alamitos Pounds Dolphins on Ground

Thursday night began badly for Dana Hills when the Dolphins’ equipment truck broke down, leaving them without their game balls and headsets until two minutes before the kickoff.

Then the Dolphins had to play their game against Los Alamitos, and things quickly went from bad to worse.

The top-ranked Griffins buried the visiting Dolphins with a 49-point first half, and went on to a 65-28 blowout before an estimated 3,000 at Cerritos Gahr High.

Running back Josiah Doby had five touchdowns and 178 yards rushing in the first half alone. He finished with 214 yards in 19 carries and a school-record six touchdowns before sitting down for good midway through the third quarter.

What made it even more discouraging for the Dolphin defense was Doby, who missed most of last season with a broken left forearm, did most of his running on straight draw plays.

“The coaches saw on film they [Dana Hills] rush a lot of people,” Doby said. “They thought draw plays would work, but no one thought they would work this well.”

Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes smiled when asked if the Griffins (2-0) were going to become a running team. When Doby plays like this, it keeps defenses from ganging up on quarterback Ryan Hanson (who passed for 183 yards) and his receivers.

“Last week we passed well and won, and this week we ran well and won,” Barnes said. “We still have a ways to go. But I thought our offensive line really improved from last week’s game, especially since Dana Hills is such a physical team.”

The Dolphins (1-1) were also a mistake-prone team. The Griffins recovered two fumbles, one of which cornerback Keenan Howry returned 31 yards for a touchdown. Linebacker Nick Fitzgerald intercepted a Joe Murray pass and returned it 55 yards for a score.

The Griffins also threw a defensive wrinkle at Dana Hills, having top flight defensive tackle Bernard Riley line up at middle linebacker for a couple of series. He had a key play, forcing a Dolphin fumble on their first possession.

The Dolphins did have some bright spots: an 84-yard kickoff return by Sean Myrill, three short touchdown passes by Murray (two of which went to tight end Jeff Bates) and a 53-yard punt return for a touchdown Michael Loconto.

But for the most part, it was a night Dana Hills--which faces another tough game next week against Santa Margarita--will quickly forget.