Cypress football rolls over Kennedy to clinch share of Empire title

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ANAHEIM >> Cypress football started fast and showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, and Tomas Ramirez ran for 141 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-6 win over Kennedy in an Empire League game Thursday night at Western High.

The No. 14 Centurions (7-2, 4-0) clinched a share of the league championship with the victory and can secure an outright title with a win over Valencia next week in the league finale.

Cypress coach Rick Feldman was pleased with the team’s effort, especially in the second half after building a 21-0 lead at the break.

“We challenged our O-line, specifically (in the second half),” Feldman said. “We’re going to come out in our double-tight set, and we came out and were real effective and dominated the second half. That was huge, I don’t think we threw a pass in the second half.”

Ramirez touched the ball on all four plays — covering 70 yards — on the team’s opening drive of the second half. The drive ended with the senior scoring on an 11-yard run.

After Trevor Monteleone intercepted Kennedy quarterback Alex Herrera on the next possession, Ramirez scored on a 37-yard run to make it 34-0 with 4:46 remaining in the third quarter.

Kennedy (4-4, 1-3) was without star wide receiver Hunter Benton, who missed the game due to concussion protocol.

The Centurions defense held the Fighting Irish in check all night, recording four sacks and two turnovers, which included a fumble recovery by Muhammad Hassoneh. Carson St. Amand and Ayden Gomez combined for three of the four sacks.

“They’re great, two undersized, 180-pound guys, with motors that don’t stop, they play real fast,” Feldman said of St. Amand and Gomez.

Herrera and Niko Brown connected for Kennedy’s only touchdown late in the third quarter, which was a 76-yard completion.

Cypress quarterback Matthew Morrell was efficient in throwing for 145 yards all in the first half, which included a 55-yard strike to Ramirez for the game’s first score and a screen pass to Devin Cobb who turned that into a 42-yard touchdown and a 21-0 advantage.

Sophomore Jesse Mauldin added a 2-yard touchdown run for the Centurions in the third quarter.

Feldman said Cypress will not look past the Tigers next week.

“They’re a real physical team that runs the ball real well,” Feldman said. “They’re going to be prepared and they’re going to play hard, so we have to play like we did in the second half today, and be able to match their physicality. If we can do that, I think we have a chance.”