PHOTOS: Big second half lifts Los Alamitos past San Clemente in CIF Division 2 final

Los Alamitos players and coaches celebrate with the CIF Division 2 championship plaque and T-shirts after defeating San Clemente at Thalassa Stadium. (PHOTOS: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).

For the first time in 23 years, the Los Alamitos High Griffins are again CIF football champions.

The Griffins overcame a double-digit deficit to storm back and defeat San Clemente 33-20 to capture the CIF Division 2 championship Saturday night before a standing room only crowd at Thalassa Stadium.

Los Alamitos (12-2) avenged an earlier season loss to the Tritons (9-5) and will participate in a CIF Southern California regional bowl game next weekend against an opponent to be named on Sunday.

Los Alamitos’ last CIF championship was 2002 when the Griffins defeated Mater Dei. San Clemente’s last CIF championship was 2016 when the Tritons beat Murietta Valley.

Los Alamitos running backs Kamden Tillis and Lenny Ibarra combined to rush for 220 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Colin Creason completed 18 of 23 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown and the Griffins defense forced three second half turnovers that turned the tide of the game.

“We’ve been playing like this all season,” said Los Alamitos Coach Ray Fenton. “We committed two turnovers in the first half and then we scored twice, and the game was tied at the half, so at halftime I felt we were in a good spot. I will tell you that this team feeds off Lenny Ibarra and he was a spark in the second half.”

Ibarra rushed for 100 yards, caught four passes, had a fourth quarter interception, and booted a 65-yard punt in the final quarter that set San Clemente back on their heels.  

“It’s an amazing feeling to win a CIF title,” said Ibarra, who is headed to the West Point Academy next year. “We had each other’s back and it’s sweet to win it all with these guys, my brothers.”

With 6:26 to play in the half, the Tritons took a 17-3 lead following Colin Granite’s TD run.

However, the Griffins struck twice in the final minutes of the half to change the complexion of the game. Tillis rambled 31 yards up the middle for a touchdown and then Creason tossed a 26-yard TD pass to Beckham Hofland, who jumped high and hauled in the pass in the end zone over two defenders to tie the game at 17-17 just before intermission.    

In the third quarter, after San Clemente retook the lead 20-17, Los Alamitos quickly drove deep into Tritons territory. On a second-down play, Creason completed a short pass to Hofland who was tackled and fumbled the ball. Alertly, offensive guard Luke Wehner picked up the loose pigskin and rolled into the end zone from seven yards, giving the Griffins a 24-20 lead at the 5:43 mark of the quarter.

“It’s my first touchdown ever,” said Wehner. “I saw the ball in the air, and I grabbed it and ran towards the end zone. I think I made a lot of linemen happy today.”

Hunter Eligon further ignited the Griffins momentum when he picked off a San Clemente pass on the Tritons’ ensuing possession. Four plays later, Tillis blasted up the middle on a 22-yard TD run increasing Los Alamitos’ lead to 30-20.

“We’ve put a lot of hard work in since January and it has paid off,” said Tilles, who scored two touchdowns in the game. “We remained calm and poised when we were down and didn’t panic.” 

San Clemente attempted to rally but Ibarra and Koa Marasco picked off two more Tritons passes to foil any Tritons’ comeback hopes.

“The turnovers were the difference in the game,” said Tritons Coach Jaime Ortiz. “They did a good job pressuring our quarterback and we didn’t get the job done today.”

San Clemente took a 10-0 lead after the first quarter and upped it to 17-3 midway through the second quarter and appeared to be in command until the Griffins gained momentum and changed the tide of the game.  

Granite scored two touchdowns to lead the Tritons who had their five-game winning streak snapped. Hofland, Ashton Gogue, Ibarra and Tillis combined to catch 15 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown for Los Alamitos.    

NOTES:

—Los Alamitos had a challenging road to the finals as it defeated Yorba Linda by a touchdown, San Juan Hills by a 35-10 margin, and needed a come-from-behind victory over Murrieta Valley to reach the finals while San Clemente beat Beaumont, Vista Murrieta, and Leuzinger – all by double digits – in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

—San Clemente Coach Jaime Ortiz is in his 14^th year at the helm of the Tritons.

—Ray Fenton took over as head coach of Los Alamitos after John Barnes left after the 2016 season.

—San Clemente finished in second place and Los Alamitos in third place in the Alpha League, both behind league champion, Mission Viejo.        

—-Los Alamitos Coach Ray Fenton said that he had 250 sideline requests from alums for Saturday’s game. In addition, the team was given a police escort as it departed for the game this afternoon. “Our two schools are so much alike Fenton said. “We’re at opposite ends of the county but the schools, players, coaches, and communities are so much alike.”

—Fenton said he and Jaime Ortiz (San Clemente’s coach) are good friends and have been talking to each other all throughout the playoffs about each other’s opponents.   

—The game had a very festive holiday atmosphere before kickoff. Tritons fans were greeted by a large Santa Claus blow up figure as they entered the field. The field was filled with kids and coaches throwing the football around, kicking field goals, Christmas music was loudly playing, cheerleaders were dancing and the aroma from the concession stands filled the air.   

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