Los Alamitos falls to S.D. Cathedral in 1-AA

Los Alamitos underclassmen laid down their helmets, one by one, on the five-yard line.

Griffins junior working back Kamden Tillis was already overcome by emotion, the fact of a 42-21 defeat to San Diego Cathedral in the Division 1-AA regional remaining sinking into Los Alamitos as the gamers said goodbye.

“I hate this moment,” said Los Alamitos coach Ray Fenton, who led his program to a 12-3 file and a Southern Section Division 2 title.

Tillis, along with his teammates, embraced each senior on the aim line. Hug after hug. Words of brotherhood overpowering the sensations of a crushing defeat.

“I loved them to death,” Tillis said of the Griffins’ seniors.

Los Alamitos defensive end Jackson Renger, who recorded a sack Friday evening at Veterans Stadium and helped lead a defensive fury to defeat San Clemente a week in the past, pounded on the back of junior linebacker Koa Marasco as he told Renger of how a lot he meant to him.

“These are my best friends,” Renger said.

Belief is constructed into Los Alamitos’ gamers bones.

Losses to Mission Viejo and San Clemente threw a wrench in the route the Griffins took to get this far. On each step of its journey to the state semifinal, Fenton’s program rallied.

The Griffins held a 14-7 lead early in the sport Friday, utilizing touchdowns on a Colin Creason-to-Ashton Gogue 26-yard cross and a two-yard quarterback keeper to set a tone against the Dons.

But as the sport reached halftime, the brunt of Cathedral’s bigger offensive and defensive strains proved tough to overcome.

Tillis stormed to a 26-yard carry to deliver Los Alamitos to the nine-yard line with six seconds remaining in the first half.

Two makes an attempt to punch the ball in fell short on incomplete passes before a 26-yard field-goal attempt went large left. Instead of being up by three factors, the Griffins and Dons entered halftime tied at 14.

San Diego Cathedral working back Honor Fa’alave-Johnson jumps over a fallen blocker to cross the aim line against Los Alamitos on Friday evening.

(Craig Weston)

“We lost momentum,” Fenton said. “We had it going.”

Cathedral opened the half with two long landing passes from quarterback Brady Palmer to large receiver Isaac Cook, who completed with 183 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and iced the sport with their remaining connection, a nine-yard landing cross with 1:53 left on the clock. The Dons scored 28 unanswered factors.

Tillis never gave up, however, telling himself not to assume about the future, he said. Los Alamitos averted a second-half goose egg thanks to a 45-yard landing run from the 5-foot-11 tailback.

For Creason, in a season where, as Fenton put it, many believed Los Alamitos wouldn’t end with a profitable file, the Griffins exceeded their own expectations by making it to a regional remaining.

“We already got what we wanted to accomplish, but, I mean, this year has been magical,” the Griffins senior signal-caller said.

And for Fenton, he’s grateful for the trip Los Alamitos introduced him.

“When you don’t have those expectations and pressure on you to win every game, you get better every day,” Fenton said. “All of a sudden, I looked up and I go, ‘Oh my god, we’re in the finals.’ I honestly didn’t know we were in the finals. It was just another game for us to say we are in the finals.”