By Aaron Coloma

The Kennedy Cougars took over first place in the Valley Mission league following a decisive 56-28 victory over the Sylmar Spartans Friday evening.

The Cougars benefitted from five Spartan turnovers in their fourth consecutive 50-point game as they maintained their unbeaten league record.

“It was a great team effort,” said Cougars Quarterback Diego Montes. “We started a little bit slow on the defensive side but they really picked it up in the second half. I’m really proud because those guys were undefeated, they were number one in league. We really put it together, coaches, players, everyone.”

Sylmar started the game with the ball, and jumped to a 7-0 lead through running back Daniel Hernandez’s 13-yard rush. Kennedy struck back on their next drive, however, as running back Josue Sandoval capped off an 80-yard drive by punching in a 1-yard touchdown rush to tie the game at seven with 2:11 remaining in the first quarter.

The Spartans left the ensuing kickoff untouched, allowing Kennedy’s Roberto De La Cruz to recover the ball for the Cougars on the Sylmar 29 yard line. Montes connected with Justyn Sears on a 22-yard pass two plays later to give Kennedy their second touchdown in less than a minute. A successful two-point conversion gave the Cougars a 15-7 lead.

“Not everything’s gonna work on a game plan,” said Cassidy. “The kids are buying into what the plan needs to be, then they’re going out and making plays on their own as well.”

Sylmar was able to bounce back from their error on the next drive, scoring early in the second quarter through a 1-yard rush from quarterback Jacob McDonald.

Montes responded in a big way for Kennedy, recording 56 rushing yards and a touchdown on the following drive to put his team up 23-14 with 8:37 left in the half. The Cougars would take that lead into halftime, as a red zone pick from Jesus Castillo prevented the Spartans from pulling within one score.

“We wanted to keep him inside the pocket, not let him get outside, and not really build the pressure on him,”  Spartans Head Coach Evander Williams. “Gameplan was there, just little errors. Fix those errors, it’s a different ballgame. Certainly not what the score looks like.”

Both teams scored following the break, Kennedy through a 13-yard catch from Francisco Ceja and Sylmar through a 27-yard catch from Hernandez. A great kickoff return from Amare Rhodes set the Cougars up in Spartan territory before Sandoval scored his second touchdown of the night, a 14-yard rush to bring the score to 36-21 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.

Kennedy defensive end Matthew Quintanilla played a crucial role on the defensive side of the next drive, sacking McDonald for a loss of eight yards before recovering a botched hook and ladder lateral on third and long to switch possession on the Sylmar 30 yard line. After a deep incompletion, Montes took the ball to the end zone himself with a 30-yard rush to make it a three possession game at the end of the third quarter.

“This game came down to errors,” said Williams. “You can’t make too many errors and expect to win the game. The muffed kick two times, interception down on our side, we ran a play on a third and thirty on a hook and ladder, try to get something special and they got the ball back. The second half, it got away from us.”

Touchdowns from Rhodes and Quintanilla added insult to injury for the Spartans, while a consolation touchdown with just a minute remaining was all that was left for the visitors.

“We focus on one week at a time in league,” said Cougars Head Coach Troy Cassidy. “It’s really important that we prepared. We knew they were playing very well in league, and it was a really tough battle. They played a really physical game against us, so I figured we had to bring it as well.”

A trip to Panorama awaits Kennedy Oct. 24 at 7:00 p.m. as they try to extend their winning streak to six. Sylmar will play their final Valley Mission League game at home against Van Nuys Oct. 24 at 7:00 p.m.