Photos by Alan Gibby/Zone57
By Zach Cavanagh
Dana Hills came out hard and fast to open the Tony Henney era of Dolphins football on Friday, Aug. 27.
Dana Hills scored 14 points in the first quarter and 21 points in the second quarter and outgained Laguna Beach by nearly 300 yards on offense to win its season opener, 35-7, at Dana Hills High School.
“It was super fun,” Dana Hills head coach Tony Henney said. “Student body brought such great emotion. It really got us rocking. A lot of the early start I think attributes to them. I think our kids were super prepared.”
Friday was Henney’s first game as head coach of Dana Hills (1-0) after 12 seasons as a high school football coach at Nordhoff of Ojai, Trabuco Hills, Westlake and St. Bonaventure of Ventura.
Henney’s Dolphins next host Trabuco Hills on Friday, Sept. 3. Henney won one of his three CIF-SS titles in his one season at Trabuco Hills in 2014. Look for live coverage of that game on Twitter @SouthOCSports with full coverage at danapointtimes.com.
Against Laguna Beach (1-1), the Dana Hills offense picked up where it left off in the spring with an explosive air game.
Senior quarterback Bo Kelly completed 14 of 23 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns. Senior James Alleman made an electric debut at tight end with five catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Senior receiver Omarjaye Black caught two passes, both touchdowns, for 28 yards, and senior Owen Chambers caught two passes for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Junior running back Christian Guarascio ran the ball nine times for 52 yards and a touchdown.
More impressive might have been the defensive performance by Dana Hills.
Laguna Beach had won its opener over Costa Mesa, 54-13, and quarterback Will Bingham threw for 341 yards and five touchdowns. However, against Dana Hills, the Breakers hit a wall.
Dana Hills outgained Laguna Beach, 391 yards to 98 yards, and the Dolphins held the Breakers off the scoreboard until Bingham ran in a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Bingham completed 13 of 21 passes for only 72 yards.
Junior Ethan Brougham led the Dana Hills defense with nine total tackles, including seven solo tackles and four tackles for loss. Senior Jagger Wiesen made six total tackles, including three solo tackles.
Seniors Sergio Trujillo and Jaden Kessi each collected a sack. Senior Hayden Dendiu covered plenty of ground with three solo tackles, a tackle for loss and two pass defenses.
Zach Cavanagh
Zach Cavanagh is the sports editor for Picket Fence Media. Zach is a multiple California Journalism Award winner and has covered sports in Orange County since 2013. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @ZachCav and follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SouthOCSports. Email at zcavanagh@picketfencemedia.com.
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