After going unbeaten in the Valley Mission League, the 9-2 Kennedy Cougars continued their seven-game winning streak into postseason play. Senior dual-threat quarterback Diego Montes scored 7 total touchdowns for the Cougars in a 48-28 home win against  Roosevelt in the opening round of the CIF L.A. City Section Division I Playoffs. Their opponent in the quarterfinals were the Westchester Comets, who squeaked out a close 44-40 win over Huntington Park last week. In a highly-anticipated matchup between teams with identical records on the season, Kennedy overwhelmed Westchester with a balanced offensive attack led by their quarterback. Montes put together a brilliant performance as he finished with 433 total yards and 4 total touchdowns to lead the Cougars in the 49-21 victory. 

The Cougars defense faced the task of containing Westchester sophomore running back Justen Key, who carried the ball 30 times for 153 yards and four rushing touchdowns a week earlier. They got off to a great start with a three-and-out, as Kennedy took over at their own 35-yard line. Cougars junior running back Josue Sandoval moved the chains through the ground game before Montes took it to the house for 27 yards on a QB Keeper to take a 7-0 lead. 

Kennedy continued to remain relentless on the defensive side of the ball, as the Comets were unable to attain a first down until the latter two minutes of the first quarter. Meanwhile, Montes converted a first down on a 4th & 11 using his legs to advance the ball. Sandoval plowed his way through the defense on a 23-yard touchdown run to put the Cougars up 14-0.

On the second play of their following drive, Montes responded to a Westchester sack with a 97-yard completion to senior wideout Amare Rhodes, who was stopped one yard short of the goal line. Sandoval scored his second rushing touchdown of the first quarter with a 1-yard score to give Kennedy a commanding 21-0 advantage. 

The next offensive possession for Westchester took the game into the second quarter, when the Cougars defense turned the ball over on downs courtesy of a stop on fourth down. Montes continued to pick apart the Comets defense in the passing game before ripping off a 31-yard touchdown run  for his second of the night. After the defense forced their fourth punt of the evening, Kennedy kept their foot on the gas as Rhodes hauled in a 47-yard catch to put them in striking distance. 

Montes put the Cougars in goal-to-go territory with an 18-yard run before executing a 1-yard touchdown pass to Rhodes to take an insurmountable 35-0 advantage. Kennedy made one final curtain call defensively to close an outstanding first half with an interception from sophomore free safety Jacob Andrade. 

Westchester cut the deficit to 35-7 when senior Jordan Rogers recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown on the Cougars’ opening second half drive. The Cougars offense regained their groove on their next drive putting the ball in the hands of their playmakers. Following a big play reception from Rhodes, Sandoval reached the end zone for a third time after running it in for a 28-yard score. 

Leading 42-7, Kennedy gave Westchester a taste of their own medicine with a blocked punt of their own. Montes made his only error of the night by throwing an interception midway through the third quarter. The Comets took advantage of favorable field position courtesy of penalties from Kennedy as Key punched in a 5-yard touchdown run for their first offensive touchdown of the game. 

The Cougars took their 42-14 lead into the fourth quarter, when the two-way player Rhodes made a play on the defensive end with an interception. Kennedy head coach Troy Cassidy substituted the reserves into the contest, who contributed to the scoreboard when senior Giovanni Nelson took a pass 54 yards to the house to make the score 49-14. Continued penalties from the Cougars put the Comets in favorable field position to set up a 28-yard touchdown catch from junior Dawan Scott. 

Montes finished the night with 330 yards through the air and 103 yards from the ground in the 49-21 win. Sandoval finished the game with 12 carries for 106 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Rhodes hauled in five catches for 206 yards receiving and a touchdown score. The Cougars will advance to the CIF Division I Semifinals this Friday at 7:00 pm when they host King-Drew for a berth in the City Section championship game.