It is not every day that a mis-hit kickoff turns into a touchdown for the opposing team.
Luckily for Leland, that is exactly what happened at Piedmont Hills in the fourth quarter when Charger running back Noor Kathem recovered a faulty onside kick and made a mad dash of 28 yards into the Piedmont Hills end zone.
The climactic play that lasted five seconds put the punctuation mark on a 48-28 Leland victory in a Mount Hamilton Division opening triumph.
“This has definitely been one of our best games so far, and Noor’s run was a great way to close it out,” Leland tight end Jhony Zavaleta said.
Leland (2-2, 1-0) was led by the running back tandem of Kenny Portera and Jack Pizzo who combined for more than 300 yards rushing and five touchdowns.
“They’re definitely learning how to work, and they deserve to enjoy their win,” Charger assistant coach Tim Leong said.
Portera especially stood out, rushing for more than 200 yards and scoring three times.
Piedmont Hills (1-3, 0-1) had its moments, with quarterback Anthony McBride and running back AZ Dyer making plays until McBride left the game with an injury. McBride had three touchdown passes, two of which went to receiver James Munoz. He also had a scoring toss to Dyer.
But Pirate coach Matt Kiesle was not satisfied.
"We really need to work hard from now on," Kiesle said.
