RESEDA — On Sept. 19, Birmingham gave up touchdowns on six straight possessions against Calabasas. On Friday, Oct. 10, the Patriots scored on their first six drives in a win over Cleveland.
It’s clear the Patriots not only learned from their mistakes but also adopted a philosophy of perfection, as they remained undefeated in West Valley League play with a 49-21 win over the Cavaliers.
It’s still early in league play, but the Patriots’ emphatic win sparks confidence for things to come. However, Patriots coach Jim Rose said there are always areas for improvement, even in a blowout win.
“I feel irritated by the lack of stopping the (Cavaliers) run game,” Rose said. “I thought we played poor defense, and we will not play that way next week. Offense had a good week of practice, and the defense didn’t, and it showed in this game. It’s about how you practice, and we have to keep getting better. The defense is not going to have a fun practice this week.”
The Cavaliers’ offense was able to produce thanks to Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi scoring on a 70-yard run in the first quarter and providing 130 yards of first-half offense.
Odebunmi’s play helped set up both first-half scoring drives, the second coming off a one-yard run from Joseph Hurtado.
On five possessions in the first half, the Patriots scored five touchdowns and converted one two-point conversion. Kevin Hawkins threw three touchdowns; one each to Jimmy Renteria, Dallas Jones, and Matthias Quin.
Braylen Morgan ran in two touchdowns of his own and also converted the Patriots’ only two-point conversion.
“They showed heart and belief,” Cavaliers coach Mario Guzman said. “I didn’t ask them to play perfectly; I just wanted them to play Cleveland football. I pride myself on the o-line. They were able to get the ball going on the ground. We lost, but it doesn’t feel like a bad loss. We can definitely build off this next week and hopefully build a run heading into Thanksgiving weekend.”
The Patriots scored their sixth touchdown on their first drive out of halftime. Hawkins ran it in from 13 yards out for his fourth total touchdown.
The Cavaliers managed to force a turnover on downs, marking the first time they stopped the Patriots from scoring a touchdown.
They converted on a huge 10-yard fourth down and scored their final touchdown of the game with a rush from Julio Avalos. Paul Turner forced an interception and then scored a touchdown from 35 yards out on the ensuing drive.
“I’m feeling accomplished,” Turner said. “Our offense did what we needed to do, our defense was a bit slacking, but towards the end we started punishing, and we got the win. We put a lot of trust in our coach, our quarterback, Kevin, our o-line is tough, and all our receivers get busy, and that’s what it’s about. We need to stay disciplined from now on and get rid of the bad habits.”