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Kennedy’s football program caught the attention of opposing teams by winning its division of a 4 Vertical 7-on-7 passing competition early in the offseason. The trend continued during a summer camp hosted by the Los Angeles Chargers. And now, it’s happening when the scores count the most.

The Fighting Irish posted one of the surprising results of Week 1 in a 35-21 victory against Northwood, a CIF-SS champion the past two seasons and a reigning SoCal Regional champion.

Last season, Northwood beat Kennedy 37-6.

“We’ve been surprising a lot of people,” Fighting Irish coach Dan Urbanos said. “We felt real confident.”

In his fourth season coaching his alma mater, Urbanos has Kennedy off to its first 2-0 start since 2010 when it opened 6-0.

The team’s confidence, Urbanos said, comes from maturity and the rise of several players at the skill positions.

Last season, the Fighting Irish started only three seniors en route to a 2-8 record. Several younger players are now a year older, and it’s showing, especially at the skill positions.

Junior quarterback Devin Almazan completed 29 of 42 passes for 356 yards and three touchdowns in the victory against Northwood.

Almazan not only completed almost 70 percent of his passes, but also excelled moving in the pocket against Northwood’s blitz.

“He was never rattled by our pressure,” Northwood coach JC Clarke said of Almazan, who started a few games as a freshman.

Junior wide receiver Drew Deese delivered what Urbanos called a “breakout game” against Northwood with 10 receptions for 162 yards and two TDs.

Deese had touchdown receptions of 28 and 75 yards in Kennedy’s 21-point fourth quarter.

Senior wide receiver Devin Bell, a first-team all-Empire League selection last season, added seven catches for 85 yards while sophomore Rocco Street caught a touchdown.

Street’s brother, running back Rider Street, rushed for 121 yards and two scores on 21 carries. At one point, the junior had nine consecutive carries to help Kennedy seal the victory.

Rider Street, the team MVP last season, also plays outside linebacker.

Kennedy also features wide receivers to watch in John Bivens and Izaiah Murphy. At cornerback, Bevins also marked Northwood standout wide out Joseph Harper.

“We’ve got some pretty talented skill players,” Urbanos said. “We’ve kind of turned the corner this year.”

On defense, Kennedy is anchored by senior Nathan Rios, whom Urbanos believes could be the best middle linebacker in school history.

“He’s unblockable,” Urbanos said of the 6-foot, 230-pound Rios, a first-team all-league selection last season.

Sonora will certainly try to block Rios and the Fighting Irish on Saturday when it meets Kennedy at Western High in a clash of 2-0 teams. The Raiders will also have to contend with an offense averaging 41.5 points.

“This Kennedy team is good,” Clarke said. “Their coaches improved them at every position since last year.”

CENTURY HUNGRY FOR MORE

Century’s players were mostly steady after snapping a 22-game losing streak with a 35-2 victory against Saddleback last week, first-year Centurions coach Lance Neal said.

“There was a lot of people who were excited,” Neal said, “but everyone understands that we want to win more than one game this year.”

Neal arrived from Loara in January and took the reins of a program that finished 0-10 last season, 0-9 in 2021 and dropped its final three games of the coronavirus-shortened spring season.

Senior running back Jonathan Rodriguez led Century (1-0) by rushing for 171 yards and two TDs. The Centurions also received strong play from two-way linemen Gerardo Segovia and Alexis Ayala, who are being guided by veteran line coach Steve Howard.

Neal said he is emphasizing the traits of successful football players — strong practice habits, weight training, proper nutrition and hydration — as he attempts to lead a turnaround.

“We’ve got a ways to catch up,” he said. “We would love to make the playoffs.”

NOTES

Mater Dei sophomore defensive back Therman “Boogie” Williams returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown and an interception 85 yards for a score in a 48-14 victory at Bingham of Utah on Saturday. Quarterback Elijah Brown added three TD passes. …

Corona del Mar coach Kevin Hettig and Newport Harbor coach Peter Lofthouse both said the schools will continue their rivalry even if they aren’t placed in the same league next fall in the county’s new competitive equity model. “The Battle of the Bay will always happen,” Lofthouse said. “It is definitely one of the best rivalries in Orange County.”

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