Gunn rushes to a big 41-7 football victory in opener

The Gunn football team is on a two-game winning streak, its first since 2003, following a big 41-7 thumping of visiting Lynbrook in a SCVAL El Camino Division opener on Friday night. The Titans are off to a 3-1 start with plenty of momentum for the rest of the season.

While reality could settle in next Friday when rival Palo Alto (3-1) comes visiting for a nonleague game, the Titans are clearly focused on doing well in the El Camino Division. Moreoever, they’ve already surpassed last season’s two-win campaign.

The win marked the first time since the Titans defeated Lynbrook, 34-9, in 2003 that Gunn has won two in a row.

Gunn pretty much stuck to the ground while gaining a season-high 255 yards against Lynbrook.

“We’re fortunate that we have a lot of different players we can get into the mix,” Gunn coach Bob Sykes told gunntitans.com. “We have more than one guy we can call on.”

Maceo Parks rushed for 89 yards on nine carries and Casey Jackson added 87 yards on four hauls to pace the Titans’ offensive attack. Parks scored on a 14-yard run and returned a punt 37 yards for another score in the first quarter. Jon Zeglin also fell on a blocked punt by Henry Ayala in the end zone for yet another tally as Gunn grabbed a 20-0 first-quarter lead, thanks to its special teams’ play.

“I’m really pleased out we got after it early,” said Sykes. “Last week (in a 25-20 win over Hillsdale) special teams hurt us, this week they helped us with those two scores.”

Before those two scores, Gunn’s offense got into the act with a 55 yard drive in six plays with all the distance coming on five runs mixed by Jonathan Godoy, Josh Jackson and Parks. Parks gained 14 yards for the first score to put Gunn up 7-0.

Gunn’s next drive was halted on an interception deep in Lynbrook’s territory, but on the next possession Gunn marched back down the field and scored on a 17-yard reverse around the left side by DeVaughn Campbell with 3:57 remaining in the second quarter as Paul Blanchette’s extra point made it 27-0.

Lynbrook’s next possession was halted when Ayala tipped a pass in the air and Elias Baker intercepted it at Gunn’s 32 and the Titans took over with a little over two minutes left.

Facing third-and-eight at its 34, Gunn’s Anthony Cannon found Tyler Ziebelman for a 16-yard gain and then on the next play hit Zelgin in stride at the 25 and Zeglin took it to the eight-yard line.

A six-yard run by Casey Jackson set up a two- yard run by Josh Jackson with 30 seconds left as Gunn went into half with a 34-0 lead.

The second half didn’t have too many times that Sykes could call on anybody as the referees liberally let the clock run as the only Titan score came midway in the fourth quarter as Casey Jackson broke around the right side for a 54 yards and scored his first ever varsity touchdown.

— Tom Jacoubowsky contributed.

— Tom Jacoubowsky contributed.

— Tom Jacoubowsky contributed.