Ball control offense, solid defense lifts Irvine to non-league road win over Kennedy

Irvine was led by (from left) Smith Spivey, Sina Saferzadeh and Kota Seshimo in the win. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).

Irvine High School quarterback Sina Saferzadeh, along with a stifling defense, dominated on both sides of the ball to help the Vaqueros defeat Kennedy 36-15 in a non-league game Thursday night at Western.

Irvine (4-1) won its third consecutive game, amassing 317 yards of offense and forced three turnovers.

Saferzadeh and running back Seamus Hoffman combined to rush for 165 yards and four touchdowns to help Irvine avenge a 2024 loss to Kennedy.    

“We were physical, executed and we drove the ball,” said Saferzadeh, who also completed 10 passes for 124 yards and a TD pass. “The key was that we ran the ball, used the clock, and kept our mistakes to a minimum.”

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Irvine rebounded from a clipping penalty on the opening kickoff that backed the ball up to its eight-yard line. However, the Vaqueros promptly marched 92 yards in 17 plays, taking nearly the entire first quarter, to take an early lead.

Saferzadeh capped the drive with a 4-yard TD pass to Cole Riedel. The pair connected on the two-point conversion, and the Vaqueros led 8-0 with 23 seconds to play in the opening quarter. 

Irvine linebacker Cameron Galatioto recovered a Kennedy fumble on the Fighting Irish’s first play on the ensuing drive. Two plays later, on the first play of the second quarter, Saferzadeh scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak and Irvine led 15-0.

“I think the fumble recovery set the tone for the game,” said Galatioto. “After the Portola game, we were hungry and look what we did tonight.” 

The Vaqueros’ offensive line won the battle of the trenches.

“The Oline looked good tonight,” said junior tackle Kota Seshimo.  “We did what we’re supposed to do.”

Midway through the second quarter, Kennedy (3-2) got on the board as Derek Almazan completed a short pass over the middle to Kane Makhlouf who outran the secondary en route to a 43-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 15-8 with 7:43 left in the half. 

But the Vaqueros countered with a six-play, 56-yard drive that Saferzadeh finished by racing into the end zone from 16 yards to up the Vaqueros lead to 22-8 with 5:19 left in the half.

The Fighting Irish drove to the Irvine nine-yard line late in the quarter, but cornerback Dylan Nguyen intercepted a Kennedy pass in the end zone with one second remaining in the half to foil the Fighting Irish’s scoring drive.

“I felt like we had to bounce back,” said Nguyen. “He caught the ball, but I got my arm in there and took it off him for the interception. That helped change the tide of the game and then we shifted into high gear and dominated.”

Almazan suffered an injury late in the first half and was replaced by reserved quarterback Gabriel Roman. Almazan did not return. 

Roman scored a touchdown on a one-yard TD run on the opening possession of the third quarter to trim the lead to 22-15, but the Vaqueros immediately countered with a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive that Saferzadeh capped off with a one-yard TD run, upping the lead to 29-15.  Hoffman added a fourth quarter touchdown to complete the Irvine scoring. 

“It’s the second game in a row we used a whole quarter and scored,” said Vaqueros Coach Tom Ricci. “We’ve had some linemen hurt, but the guys have stepped it up and were unstoppable tonight. Our goal is to not beat ourselves.”

Hoffman rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Time and time again he came up with key first down runs to keep the chains moving. Smith Spivey, Nicholas Hasegawa, and Galatioto led the Irvine defensive charge that forced three turnovers.

Kennedy, which came into the game averaging 38 points per game, continued to be hurt by the injury bug.

“We were dealt a major blow when we lost senior linebacker and leading tackler, Rocco Street and wide receiver Mahseiah Banks,” said Fighting Irish Coach Toa Siatunu’u.

“Street suffered an ACL/MCL injury in the Woodbridge game, and he will not return this season. Banks fractured his wrist and is expected to return to action in a few weeks. Those guys are the heart and soul of our team, and they are difficult to replace. However, the attitude and work ethic of the team remains high.”  

Senior running back Isaac Talamantes led Kennedy, rushing for 147 yards on 15 carries.

NOTES:

—Toa Siatunu’u is in his first as the Fighting Irish’s head coach. He has been serving as line coach since 2016. Commenting on his team’s earlier season loss, “We let that one against Garfield get away (Kennedy lost 42-38). We had the lead and lost it. It was a lesson learned for our team.”  Siatunu’u’s son, Nick, is Kennedy’s defensive line coach.

—Irvine Coach Tom Ricci said the Western High turf, “looks the best I’ve ever seen it.  I’ve coached a lot of games in this stadium over the last 25 years, and the turf hasn’t looked so good at times.”

—Both Irvine and Kennedy have byes next week.