Cleveland football pounds Kennedy in City Section playoff opener
RESEDA — Cameron Green’s contribution was a microcosm of Cleveland’s offensive philosophy on Friday.
Green took his only carry of the first half around the right edge for an 84-yard touchdown — his success in that small sample size the product of a Cavaliers approach which established the run early, stuck to it, and wore down Kennedy’s defense.
Eighth seeded Cleveland (8-3) entered Friday’s first round LA City Section Division I matchup with a game-plan to run the football. It executed by earning a total of 467 yards in a 56-21 win over Kennedy that vaults the Cavaliers into a quarterfinals matchup with No. 1 seeded Banning.
Donovan Powell led the way with 16 carries for 188 yards and a touchdown.
Kory Hall fed off Powell’s short-area efficiency, gaining 164 yards on four carries. Hall accounted for a season-high five touchdowns, three of which came on the ground.
Even before the Cavaliers put their foot down, their pre-game, team-wide demeanor mirrored a pound-it-up-the-gut like playstyle The game began with Kennedy kicking off from the Cavaliers’ 45-yard line because of an act of taunting meant to intimidate the Golden Cougars.
And by the time ninth seeded Kennedy (8-3) ran its first offensive play, the Cavaliers had killed nine minutes and 12 seconds of game time, Powell carrying the ball 10 times for 71 yards on the opening drive.
“We really wanted to limit their opportunities on offense,” Cleveland head coach Peter Gunny said. “The way you do that is to deflate the clock and run the ball well, just keep moving the sticks.”
Gunny had observed the fast-paced manner in which Kennedy’s offense operated when the two teams met on Aug. 18. It was 49-27 Cavaliers’ win that featured a balanced attack, but one that started with a quick score by the Golden Cougars. He knew to avoid chasing them it meant keeping their offense on the sidelines.
On that nine-minute drive, the Cavaliers converted two fourth downs that helped lead to the touchdown.
Powell dominated for most of the first half.
On his first carry of the second drive, he took a counter around the right tackle, shifted his hips toward the sideline juking one defender and then stiff-armed another.
“I’m always looking to run through somebody,” Powell, a speedster by trade, said.
The Cavaliers tend to spread the wealth across three backs and Hall, leaning on whoever has the hot hand. Powell assumed that position, his hard-nosed start breaking open gaps for the others as the game progressed.
David Maciel finished off that second drive with a 1-yard touchdown.
Hall began to benefit from a tired Kennedy defense in the waning minutes of the first half. His first touch came with 3:28 remaining in the second quarter as he hauled in a tap pass from Domenik Fuentes and took it 68 yards for a touchdown.
He added another score 170 seconds later, taking a screen pass for a 41-yard touchdown and padded that with three more game-breaking touchdowns.
As Cleveland analyzed its 35-point drudgery in a post-game huddle, the offensive coordinator addressed the team, lauding them for carrying out the game-plan, seamlessly.
“Where has this team been all year?” he asked. “This is what you’re capable of.”
Then just before they broke, Hall echoed a sentiment that encapsulated the driving force behind Friday’s win, bellowing: “Shoutout to the big boys up front.