By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor When a local photographer counted the number of Maranatha football players suited up for Friday night’s Olympic League showdown with visiting Whittier Christian, he got to 18 before running out of bodies in a uniform. By the end of the night, the Minutemen were down to 17 thanks to a […]
By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor
When a local photographer counted the number of Maranatha football players suited up for Friday night’s Olympic League showdown with visiting Whittier Christian, he got to 18 before running out of bodies in a uniform.
By the end of the night, the Minutemen were down to 17 thanks to a Sumner Ortlund arm injury.
But Maranatha ran their way to victory.
James Smith had his breakout game with 200 yards rushing and four TD runs to lead the Minutemen to a 58-29 victory over the Heralds.
Smith scored on runs of 17, 23, 55 and 4 yards.
Maranatha (6-3, 1-1) earned its first Olympic League victory of the year and took a 35-0 lead into the half.
By all accounts, it should have been 42-0, but the offense and their clock management cost them one last chance at a first-half score.
Whittier Christian’s Quinn Commans didn’t disappoint when it came to backing up his pre-game reputation as a great passer.
Commans threw for 377 yards on 21 completions and he finished with 4 TD passes.
Commans had 317 of his 377 yards and all four scores in the second half when he picked apart the Maranatha defense.
He threw TD passes of 56, 3, 45 and 10 yards.
Noah Sanchez and Cole Muncie had two TD catches each for the Heralds.
Zack McClendon had a 47 and 3-yard touchdowns for Maranatha and for an offense that saw their star quarterback attempt just four passes on Friday night.
McClendon’s 47-yard score completed a 97-yard drive and he picked off a pass on defense.
Kwon Peterson, though, did dive in from 1 yard out for Maranatha’s first score of the game.
Awan Parker, the Minutemen big-play, dual-threat player, had a 60-yard TD run and had another called back.
Jacob Kefalas made a 31-yard field goal and all but one of his extra-point attempts.
If you’re a fan of just pure guts and courage, you’d just have to look for No’s 21 and 54 for Maranatha.
Vic Hoffman has a cast on, and is back a week early, because he loves the game, and he knows his teammates needed him.
A perfect example of this kid’s toughness came on a play he was limping, and his helmet was knocked off, but he got up and went after the Whittier Christian player.
Ironically, he was called for a 15-yard penalty for pursuing a play without a helmet on, but that’s just how Vic Hoffman rolls.
And then last, but certainly not least is Jacob Moreno.
The smallest guy out there, but a kid with an enormous heart.
Originally Maranatha coach Steve Bogan said Moreno would be out early in the week thanks to a serious ankle injury last week at Fillmore.
At game time, though, No. 21, all 140 pounds of him and all was out there for most of the game and making an impact, as always.
One thing Bogan will address, though, was three TD’s being called back and a few unnecessary 15-yard penalties resulting from stuff Maranatha doesn’t normally do or say on the field.
MHS will close out their regular season schedule next Friday in Northridge when they take on first-place Heritage Christian, and then the Minutemen will wait to see if they’ve earned a CIF-SS playoff berth.
The best moment(s) of the game were before and after when both the Maranatha and Whittier Christian players surrounded the father of 2016 Heralds’ player Ethan Hawks to show support.
Hawks tragically died in an accident on the 57 Freeway in 2016, and two Christian schools showed the very best of humanity by embracing a grieving family and program.
Quotable:
MHS coach Steve Bogan: “We felt we matched up the run game and it went better than we had planned. We didn’t want (WC quarterback Quinn Commans) to have a lot of time, so we ate up the clock. Our kids have tons of pride. James Smith had a great night. It was his coming out in the public and saying I can play.”
MHS QB Kwon Peterson: “It means everything (to win on Senior Night). I think all the guys recognized this was our night and they really stepped up, and I appreciate that. This was the best running game we’ve had in two years.”
MHS WR Awan Parker: “It was real big (to win on Senior Night) and we went there last year and they (Whittier Christian) won by a lot. We knew we had to come out physically and strong.
MHS RB James Smith: “I wasn’t surprised we ran the ball this much, but I give all the credit to the (offensive) line. I always knew I had something inside of me, I just knew I needed to bring it out.”
MHS RB Zack McClendon: “We just wanted to make a statement all year that we could run. I just wanted to run hard. I haven’t had the year I’ve wanted, so I was glad to run hard.
Box Score:
Wh Christian: 0-0-21-8-(29)
Maranatha: 14-21-9-14-(58)
Scoring:
M: Kwon Peterson 1 run (Jacob Kefalas kick)
M: James Smith 17 run (Jacob Kefalas kick)
M: Zack McClendon 3 run (Jacob Kefalas kick)
M: James Smith 23 run (Jacob Kefalas kick)
M: Zack McClendon 47 run (Jacob Kefalas kick)
WC: Noah Sanchez 56 pass from Quinn Commans (Aaron Rojas kick)
M: Jacob Kefalas 31 FG
WC: Noah Sancez 3 pass from Quinn Commans (Aaron Rojas kick)
M: James Smith 55 run (kick failed)
WC: Cole Muncie 45 pass from Quinn Commans (Aaron Rojas kick)
M: Awan Parker 60 run (Jacob Kefalas kick)
WC: Cole Muncie 10 pass from Quinn Commans (Commans Run)
M: James Smith 4 run (Jacob Kefalas kick)
Olympic League Standings:
Heritage Christian (7-0 overall, 1-0 in league)
Valley Christian (6-2, 1-0)
Maranatha (6-3, 1-1)
Whittier Christian (3-5, 0-2)
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