Strong Defensive Effort Leads Kennedy’s 30-6 Rout of Lincoln

Elijah Raphael stands on the Kennedy High sideline at times and marvels at the performance of his teammates on defense.

Or, to hear the senior running back tell it, he stands on the sidelines most of the time and marvels.

“It’s nothing new around here,” Raphael said.

Kennedy’s defense and a stiff crosswind shut down the run-and-shoot offense of Lincoln, limiting the Tigers to minus-24 yards in offense.

And though the Golden Cougar offense struggled at times Wednesday, Kennedy hammered Lincoln, 30-6, in a City Section 4-A Division quarterfinal at Kennedy.

Kennedy (11-1) will play host to Banning, a 34-14 winner over Carson, in the semifinals Dec. 6.

For the first quarter and a half, while Kennedy’s offense was getting its bearings, the defense was rolling along like a well-greased wheel.

Surprise, surprise.

“They’ve been consistent all year,” Raphael said. “When it comes down to it and it gets tough in there. we know we’re still in the game when the defense is in there.”

The Golden Cougar offense turned the ball over four times on fumbles, but it didn’t matter a lick. Kennedy’s defense, aided by a gusting wind that helped slow the Lincoln passing attack, was largely responsible for nine first-half points as the Golden Cougars jumped to a 23-0 lead.

Raphael and the offense warmed up soon enough, however. He rushed for 215 yards in 34 carries and scored four touchdowns.

“It was a tough win,” he said. “It was a hard night.”

But it has been a great month for Raphael, who has rushed for 819 yards and scored 16 touchdowns in the past four games. Sparked by its defense, Kennedy has outscored its opponents, 198-28, over the past five games.

Kennedy’s defense was so dominant in the first half that it took a whistle to stem the tide. With 2 minutes 47 seconds left in the half and Kennedy holding a 16-0 lead, Golden Cougar linebacker Alex Sawatzke intercepted a pass thrown by Gerardo Roman at the Lincoln 17.

Sawatzke rumbled into the end zone for an apparent touchdown, but the play was inadvertently blown dead by an official. It might have been force of habit, because Roman completed just one of 10 passes in the half for seven yards. He completed three of 17 in the game for 21 yards.

After the ball was spotted, Kennedy took possession at the 17, and four plays later, Raphael scored from one yard for a 23-0 halftime lead.

“Our offense struggled a little bit,” said Sawatzke, a senior. “The defense hung in there until the offense got it together.”

Kennedy’s defense continually held get-togethers in the Lincoln, backfield. If not for a bad Kennedy snap, the Golden Cougars might have posted their second consecutive playoff shutout. In the third quarter, a snap to Kennedy punter Jeremy Deach was high, and Deach was forced to dive on the ball at the Golden Cougars’ two.

On the first play, Roman hit fullback Javier Gudino on a swing pass to bring Lincoln within 23-y with 7:46 left in the third quarter.

For Lincoln (8-4), the show was essentially over Lincoln managed just three first downs in the game and rushed for minus-45 yards.