By Max Clark
For The Signal
Canyon High School remains winless after falling behind early against Kennedy High School in the Cowboys’ homecoming game on Friday night.
The Cougars (2-1) defeated the Cowboys (0-3), 29-21, after building an early two-score lead.
The Cowboys’ defense struggled to contain Kennedy’s tenacious run game, led by quarterback Diego Montes. Montes helped the Cougars march down the field and capped off the team’s first drive with a 22-yard touchdown run to the outside.
After a quick Canyon three-and-out, Montes connected with Max Zepeda for a 25-yard gain, though a holding penalty stalled the drive. A strong defensive stop by Canyon’s Ethan Nava forced a turnover on downs.
Canyon’s offense showed signs of life when running back Semaj Richardson powered through for a 15-yard run, but back-to-back false starts killed the drive. A sack on fourth down ended the Cowboys’ best early scoring opportunity.
The Cougars capitalized immediately. Starting at Canyon’s 47, they drove methodically, with Matthew Quintalla scoring untouched on a 14-yard rush. A successful 2-point conversion after a Cowboys offside made it 15-0.
Canyon responded quickly. On the first play of the next drive, running back Keyshawn Wooten broke free to the right and sprinted 71 yards untouched for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 15-7.
The running back duo of Richardson and Wooten were effective in keeping the Cowboys’ hope alive.
“[Wooten and Richardson] are two great football players,” Canyon head coach Ken Holsenbeck said. “We’re trying to get the ball in their hands as much as we can. Both of them can break one at any minute, but they also can get the hard yards as well.”
Kennedy answered right back with a 47-yard touchdown strike to receiver Jayden Carter to extend the lead, 23-7.
The Cowboys seemed to be on their back foot. The Cougars got the ball back and were marching down the field, until a forced fumble changed the momentum of the game.
A 70-yard gain by Richardson marched Canyon right down the field. Quarterback Carson Soria ran it in to cut the lead to 23-14 at the half.
“Turnovers are always huge,” Holsenbeck said. “[Turnovers] are great momentum builders, and we were able to take that into the start of the second half.”
Wooten opened the second half with a 50-yard run to put the Cowboys in the red zone. The Cougars held firm and forced a 4th-and-2, but Canyon elected to go for it. The gamble paid off as Richardson powered in for a 7-yard touchdown, making it a 2-point game, 23-21.
After strong defensive stands by both teams, Kennedy regained possession with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. Riding the legs of Quintanilla, the Cougars capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown run. However, the missed extra point kept it a one-possession game.
A strong kickoff return from Richardson placed the Cowboys at the 50-yard line. After an illegal forward pass on third down by Soria, Canyon faced 4th and very long. Soria scrambled, but could not connect with receiver Jeremiah Herreras for a first down.
With just over four minutes left in the game, the Cougars were in full control. Canyon was unable to stop Kennedy’s run, and the Cougars ran out the clock.
“Obviously, we are all disappointed, but we continue to dig ourselves into holes in the first half with mental mistakes that have cost us over the past two weeks,” Holsenbeck said. “We come out in the second half and we’re playing well, but we have to dig out of a hole that we can’t see out of.”
The Cowboys will seek their first win on Sept. 12, when they travel to face the Crespi Celts.
