Kennedy’s Lewis Is at Heart of Victory Over Cypress

ANAHEIM —  Aaron Lewis spent last October undergoing heart surgery to repair an arrhythmia.

But for a guy who had never played football, he sure had a big part in Kennedy’s 14-7 victory over Cypress, its big Empire League rival.

Lewis punted, kicked, played safety and caught two touchdown passes, his first, as Kennedy improved to 4-3, 1-1 in league.

Cypress is 2-5, 0-2.

“It’s real exciting for me to play football,” said Lewis, a senior. “It meant a lot for me because the team depended on me to get some big catches.”

Kennedy’s game-winning 61-yard scoring drive in the third quarter was helped along by two pass interference penalties for 30 yards. They came on passes to Lewis, who admitted they were “questionable.”

But that didn’t prevent him from making Cypress pay. At 6 feet 2 and presenting matchup problems with the Centurion secondary, he grabbed Gabriel Roman’s pass on a slant pattern for a 14-yard score. His point-after made it 14-7 going into the fourth quarter and the Kennedy defense, which played well, did the rest.

Kennedy got three interceptions in the game, including two by Cliff Okada. Dane Smith and Steve Mao led the effort that held Cypress to 75 yards rushing in 23 carries.

Jordan Reed’s interception in the opening minute of the second quarter set up the first score for Kennedy. He intercepted Jeff Crooks’ pass and returned it 28 yards to the Cypress 20-yard line.

Seven plays later, Lewis leaped in the air to catch Roman’s 10-yard scoring pass. Lewis also kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead, and on his ensuing kickoff, he tackled Ernest Brooks after a 22-yard return to prevent a touchdown.

But Lewis’ touchdown-saving tackle meant little. On Cypress’ first play, Kelly Patterson scored on a 64-yard sweep that saw him get good downfield blocking and run from one sideline to the other.

“If we play with that intensity the rest of the year, it will make a difference,” said Kennedy Coach Mitch Olson, whose team lost three games by eight points. “We looked good in spots on offense, but we looked good on defense. It showed the kids what could happen.”