HS: Alemany gives its best shot in loss to Oaks Christian

Alemany High of Mission Hills did not come through with a giant football upset over mighty Oaks Christian of Westlake Village in the season opener Friday, but the host Warriors sure earned some respect.

The little team that could gave Oaks Christian all it could handle in a 28-17 loss that was a lot closer than everyone thought it would be.

"Oh, Alemany definitely earned our respect. They're hard workers, and they fought until the very end no matter how tired they got," Oaks Christian defensive lineman Cassius Marsh said. "They're a good team. They're not just talented, they work hard, too."

Marsh is among several national prospects on Oaks Christian's roster. On paper, this was supposed to be a rout, but that's not the way it turned out.

Oaks Christian's heralded running back Malcolm Jones rushed for 275 yards, but he had to work for it with 37 carries. He scored on runs of 23, 1 and 17 yards, and his longest run was just 26 yards -- a long night's work considering he has 72 career touchdowns and is considered perhaps the No. 1 prep running back in the nation.

In his first varsity start, Alemany junior quarterback Vernon Adams was asked to slay a dragon, and to his credit he did not appear to be intimidated. He completed 8 of 13 for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

"We played hard, and they played hard. We did try our hardest," Adams said. "I think we're going to win a lot of games this year."

Oaks Christian's Nick Montana, son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, was constantly pressured, completing 12 of 27 for 142 yards and one touchdown.

Oaks Christian (1-0), which has won a Southern Section-record six consecutive section championships, entered as the USA Today No. 7 team in the nation.

At first, it looked like the early rout everyone expected. Alemany (0-1) fumbled away the football on its first possession on its 40-yard line, and Oaks responded three plays later on Jones' 23-yard touchdown run for a quick 7-0 lead.

But two possessions later, Alemany's Malcolm Marable intercepted Montana and returned it 28 yards to the Oaks Christian 45, soon followed by a 23-yard touchdown pass from Adams to Kevin Lenik for a 7-7 tie.

Oaks Christian answered by going 80 yards in 12 plays, scoring on Jones' 1-yard run. Jones carried seven times for 45 yards on the drive.

Again, Alemany did not break. On Oaks Christian's next possession, Saladin McCullough recovered a Jones fumble on the Oaks 20, and Alemany cashed in on a Martin Meza 22-yard field goal cut the deficit to 14-10.

Oaks Christian produced another 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, culminating with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Montana to Blair Holiday to make it 21-10 at halftime.

Jones added a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter, then Alemany scored on a 5-yard pass from Adams to Chike Mbanefo.

Marable, who scored 26 touchdowns last year, rushed for 50 yards on 17 carries and had three receptions for 59 yards. He did not score but had an interception.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

BOX SCORE:

Oaks Christian 7-14-7-0-28
Alemany 7-3-7-0-17

OC-Jones 23 run (Davis kick)
A-Lenik 23 pass from Adams (Meza kick)
OC-Jones 1 run (Davis kick)
A-FG Meza 22
OC-Holiday 12 pass from Montana (Davis kick)
OC-Jones 17 run (Davis kick)
A-Mbanefo 5 pass from Adams (Meza kick)

STATS
RUSHING:
OC: Jones 37-275
A: Marable 17-50
PASSING:
OC: Montana 12-27-142
A: Adams 8-13-173
RECEIVING:
OC: Payton 4-52
A: Marable 3-59