Alvarado Receives Ego Boost in Win

GRANADA HILLS — Steve Alvarado’s nearly spotless white uniform was an easy visual aid to illustrate why Taft High’s junior quarterback had his most prolific game of the season.

Alvarado was hardly pressured and rarely knocked down as he threw for four touchdowns in the Toreadors’ 41-21 victory over Kennedy in a Northwest Valley Conference game Friday night.

But Alvarado’s rise in confidence--growing from week to week--is a more subtle sign in his development as a quarterback.

“The first couple weeks I didn’t know what the hell I was doing,” said Alvarado, who backed up Nick DiPadova last season. “It was all brand new.”

Alvarado got plenty of help from his receivers. Two minutes into the game Ronald Andrews turned a middle screen into a 64-yard touchdown pass. In the second quarter, Dominic Early turned the same play into an 11-yard score.

In the fourth quarter, as Kennedy pulled to within 27-21, Alvarado got to show off his arm strength. He hit Lawrence Wallace on a fly pattern that became a 37-yard touchdown, then connected with Wallace on a 16-yard scoring pass.

Alvarado completed eight of 14 passes for 211 yards. Five of the completions went for at least 23 yards.

Kennedy got in a hole early. After the score by Andrews, Kennedy tailback Jason Jones bobbled a pitch that Taft defensive lineman Larry Jones picked up and raced 36 yards with for a 14-0 lead.

The Golden Cougars (4-3, 2-2) battled back, putting together a 17-play drive that ended in a one-yard run by Jason Jones.

A five-yard touchdown pass from Ray Rodriguez to David Burney and a six-yard scoring run by Rodriguez helped keep Kennedy close until the fourth quarter.