High school football: Cole Leinart throws three touchdown passes in debut at new school

By Aaron Williams Sep 27, 2024, 10:15pm

Son of Heisman Trophy winner leads Redondo Union to 37-7 win.

Cole Leinart made a splash in his debut at a new school Friday, throwing three touchdown passes to lead Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) to a 37-7 win over Banning.

The son of Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart missed the first five games of the season in the mandated sit-out period following a transfer. He was at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), his father's alma mater, and Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.) last season.

The 6-foot-4 three-star junior was ruled eligible by the CIF Southern Section for Friday's game and benefited from some trickery on his first scoring strike.

On the first play from scrimmage, the Sea Hawks ran a double-reverse flea flicker for a 57-yard touchdown from Leinart to Cadence Turner.

The pair hooked up a second time toward the end of the quarter on a 15-yard fade to the end zone that put Redondo Union up 20-0.

Leinart's third touchdown pass went for eight yards to Bo Ausmus, putting the Sea Hawks up 32-7.



After starring at Mater Dei, Matt Leinart went to USC where he won the 2004 Heisman Trophy after leading the Trojans to the BCS National Championship. He was drafted 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2006 and played seven seasons in the NFL.