The 7-2 Los Alamitos Griffins hosted the 4-5 Fountain Valley Barons at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Long Beach. The game was Los Alamitos High School’s senior night, marking the end of an era for the Griffins.
Malachi Nelson and Makai Lemon are two of the most prolific offensive weapons to ever don a Griffins uniform. Not only is Nelson the career passing leader in Griffin’s history, but these two USC commits have led the Griffins to three straight undefeated seasons in the Sunset League, which has not been done since 1953.
When you consider the fact that Los Alamitos was the 4th ranked team in the state and Fountain Valley was the 217th, one might think the Barons were in for a long night. The Griffin’s defense has been improving every week and did not allow a single point in the game.
On offense, they started the game with a one-play pass for a touchdown, a blocked punt, a one-play quarterback run for a touchdown, and a two-play pass for a touchdown. Four offensive plays into the game and the score was already 21-0. The final score was 68-0 and the Griffins starters were out of the game early in the third quarter.
Sunday morning CIF – Southern Section released the ten-team playoff brackets. The Los Alamitos Griffins will be the 4th seed in Division 1 and will get a first-round bye. On Friday night November 11 at 7 PM, the Griffins will host a quarterfinal game against the 5th seed Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium.
The Los Alamitos Griffins star running back, Damien Henderson, is a transfer from Long Beach Poly High School. The Griffins hope that his desire to beat his old team will be the added motivation needed to propel the Griffins past the Jackrabbits and into the semi-final game.
The Los Alamitos Griffins won a CIF Championship in 1991 (Division 3), 1992 (Division 2), 1993 (Division 2), and 2002 (Division 1). It will not be an easy road for any team to take the Division 1 CIF-SS crown this year.
