Redondo’s defense kept top-ranked West in check for the first half in its non-league game Friday, but the visiting Warriors outscored the Sea Hawks 24-6 in the second half top pull away with a 34-16 win.
West (3-0) is ranked No. 1 in the CIF-SS Western Division and moved from the Bay to the Pioneer League this season. Warrior head coach Greg Holt said he looks forward to playing Redondo and hopes to keep the tradition alive for many years to come.
“We enjoy playing Redondo. It’s good competition and all the kids know each other,” Holt said. “It’s a little different now, though. Usually when were playing Redondo there’s a playoff spot on the line. The guys got up for the game because it’s kind of a cross town thing with the schools being to close together.
“I thought we did a good job of competing tonight. I thought the top ranking was a little inflated at the beginning of the year. We were young and very inexperienced but we’re getting better. We have to stay healthy because our depth is not that good and if we can stop the run like we did tonight, we’ll do well. Our offensive line keeps improving, we’ve got some skilled guys and our quarterback is getting better so we’re rolling right now.”
West opened the scoring when Scott McGraw kicked a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Redondo (1-3) held its only lead of the game after quarterback Jordan Lacey hit Marcel Myers for a 23-yard touchdown to put the Sea Hawks ahead 7-3 in the second quarter.
West running back Brett Ojiyi broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run to put the Warriors ahead 10-7 before Redondo’s Dominik Eberle booted a 44-yard field goal with 1:05 left in the first half to tie the score at 10.
“We knew this would be the most disciplined team we played so far,” said Ojiyi, who rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns. “This was a sweet victory. We practiced hard and took them on like we would any other opponent.”
West took a lead it would not relinquish when quarterback Trevor Mallett hit Zac McGraw on a 10-yard fade pass to the corner of the end zone. Mallett passed for 180 yards and one touchdown.
Ojiyi’s 2-yard touchdown run with six seconds left in the third quarter gave West a 24-10 lead.
Forced to punt on its first possession of the fourth quarter, Redondo received a break when Coltrane Dilley recovered a free ball after the punt bounced off the back of a member of West’s receiving team. Dallas Branch capped off the 42-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to pull Redondo to within 24-16.
West added to its lead with a 23-yard Scott McGraw field goal and Jackson Farrentinos closed out the scoring with an interception return for a touchdown.
West will host Mira Costa (1-2) Friday in a 7 p.m. contest. Mira Costa is coming off a 31-3 loss at Trabuco Hills, the No. 6 team in the Southwest Division.
Redondo concludes its non-league schedule when it travels to Mission Viejo (2-2), the sixth-ranked team in the West Valley Division. The Diablos are coming off a 49-21 win at Norco.
