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Jun 26, 2023

Redondo football dominates Long Beach Wilson in season opener

REDONDO BEACH — Redondo’s second season under Coach Keith Ellison started much like the first, with a one-sided romp over Long Beach Wilson that offered plenty of evidence that the Sea Hawks might be

REDONDO BEACH — Redondo’s second season under Coach Keith Ellison started much like the first, with a one-sided romp over Long Beach Wilson that offered plenty of evidence that the Sea Hawks might be growing into something special.

Their 35-0 home blowout Friday night was driven by an overwhelming defensive performance and a punishing running game that kept Wilson, also playing its opener, on its heels all night.

Redondo limited the Bruins to just 55 yards – minus-33 on the ground – and forced four turnovers, and Roman Broughton ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 28-0 lead just 30 seconds into the second half and a running clock for most of the fourth quarter.

“It was a good start for us,” said Ellison, a former Sea Hawks star and Buffalo Bills linebacker whose first season began with a 33-0 rout at Wilson and ended in the CIF Southern Section Division 8 quarterfinals. “Our defense played outstanding today. Very happy with the way we were able to run the ball. That was a big emphasis all offseason, especially coming into this game, because we were not very good last year, to be honest. And they did an outstanding job today.”

Redondo rolled up 223 yards on the ground, all but 19 of that in the first three quarters, as the Sea Hawks scored on three successive first-half drives to take command.

They delivered a crushing blow when Zeke Johnson stripped the ball from Bruins receiver Andrew Bond at the Wilson 12-yard line on the third play of the second half and took it at the 4, with Broughton finding the end zone on the next play.

Cadence Turner, Easton Allison and Lincoln Esparza had interceptions, Turner’s coming deep in Wilson territory to set up the first score – a 5-yard Broughton run. Turner’s interception came two plays after the Sea Hawks turned the ball over on downs when long snapper Marc Maden was forced to the sidelines because he wasn’t wearing knee pads, thwarting a 33-yard Nicholas McGee field-goal attempt.

Redondo, missing tight end Charlie Stober and cornerback Carter Burns to knee injuries, marched 95 yards on 12 plays on its next possession, with Colin Kelly running the last 4. Quarterback Nicholas London scored from 1 yard out on the next drive after long runs by Ethan Maleman and Turner. Maleman added the last touchdown 49 seconds into the fourth quarter, following a 30-yard Broughton gain and his own 12-yard sprint to the 2.

Wilson had virtually no offense without star running back Christian Chapman, who rushed for 1,206 yards and 10 touchdowns last year but hasn’t trained in pads because of a back injury. The Bruins gained yardage on just two of 14 rushing attempts, and quarterback Mack Cooper was effective only on a third-quarter drive that ended with Esparza’s interception.

“I’ll chalk it up to our physicality,” linebacker Milo Youker said. “We were flying around the field, getting to the ball. I mean, every time there was a tackle, there were, like, three-plus people at the ball.”

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