The Sunset League race began to take shape Thursday night, as Los Alamitos dealt the first blow among the presumptive top three in the league.

Damien Henderson rushed for 252 yards and four touchdowns, as the Griffins pulled away from host Corona del Mar in the fourth quarter for a 49-14 win in a game played at Davidson Field.

For the second time during the contest, the Sea Kings had narrowed their deficit to a single score entering the final period.

Malachi Nelson, a USC commit and the star quarterback of Los Alamitos (5-2, 2-0), had also left the game with an apparent cramp in his right leg.

With the Griffins backed up in a third-and-7 from their own 36, Henderson took two carries and moved the chains on a fourth down, part of five consecutive touches for the senior running back. He ended the drive with a 10-yard rushing touchdown on a fourth-and-1 play to begin the fourth quarter.

“I [knew] the team got to rely on me,” Henderson said. “Our two star players are hurt, so I just got to step up to the plate.”

Before Corona del Mar (5-2, 1-1) could answer, the ball was quickly back in the hands of the Griffins, as an errant snap on the first play of the Sea Kings’ ensuing possession ended up in the arms of Ryder Trujillo for the fumble recovery.

Los Alamitos cashed in three plays and 55 seconds later on Henderson’s fourth touchdown. The Colorado State commit was the only one to touch the ball as the Griffins took advantage of the short field.

Gavin Porch, who caught a touchdown on a jump ball in the back of the end zone from Nelson in the first half, then returned a Kaleb Annett interception for a score. Anthony League capped the scoring with a 44-yard dash to the goal line.

Another key defensive play saw senior defensive end Sinn Brennan get to CdM quarterback David Rasor for a sack. The ball came loose, and junior defensive tackle TA Cunningham made the recovery at midfield, denying the Sea Kings a chance to tie the score going into halftime.

“The last four games, we’ve had offensive dominance,” Los Alamitos coach Ray Fenton said. “When we needed the defense to show up, especially that defensive line showed up for us tonight and took control of the ball game.”

Los Alamitos, which has already gone through reigning CIF Southern Section Division 6 champion Newport Harbor (4-2, 0-1) and CdM, will take on Edison (6-0, 1-0), in its next game on Thursday at Huntington Beach High. The contest certainly has league title implications.

Edison and Newport Harbor were set to play each other on Friday at Davidson Field. The result of the game did not come in prior to press deadline.

Rasor threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns — a goal-line strike to sophomore tight end Zach Giuliano in the second quarter and a rare deep shot that went for a 45-yard touchdown to Cooper Hoch in the third quarter.

The Sea Kings’ starting quarterback recently returned from an ankle sprain that he suffered late in a win at Los Gatos on Aug. 26. Corona del Mar has been plagued by injuries, including to a backfield that saw only Colin Pene take a carry until the Griffins were up four scores.

“They balled,” Rasor said of his teammates keeping CdM in the win column while he was out. “They did their best, and they played good. Obviously, I didn’t like watching on the sidelines because I wanted to be out there, but it was cool to step away and see how special we have it at CdM and how special our team really is.”

Kevin Hettig, an associate head coach and the offensive coordinator for CdM, lamented the slow start offensively for the Sea Kings, who did not pick up a first down until their fourth drive.

“Our defense played so well all night,” Hettig said. “We had a hard time getting going, and once we got that first first down, we rolled. It was just getting the sticks moving the first time.

“I’m really proud of the way our guys played. We just didn’t stay connected — offense, defense, special teams didn’t really play tight together. Our defense, they sold out, they played great. We’ve just got to do a better job executing.”

Junior wide receiver Russell Weir paced the Sea Kings with seven catches for 62 yards. Senior linebacker Kaulin Post had an interception, and senior defensive tackle Ryan Nielsen recorded a sack for CdM.

Los Alamitos 49, Corona del Mar 14

LA — Henderson 36 run (Dorsey kick), 8:10.

LA — Porch 4 pass from Nelson (Dorsey kick), 0:46.

CdM — Giuliano 5 pass from Rasor (Pene kick), 10:28.

LA — Henderson 1 run (Dorsey kick), 3:32.

CdM — Hoch 45 pass from Rasor (Pene kick), 4:17.

LA — Henderson 10 run (Dorsey kick), 11:56.

LA — Henderson 3 run (Dorsey kick), 10:48.

LA — Porch 36 interception return (Dorsey kick), 9:46.

LA — League 44 run (Dorsey kick), 1:29.

LA — Nelson, 15-28-1, 118, 1 TD.

CdM — Rasor, 15-24-0, 138, 2 TDs.

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Andrew Turner is a sports reporter for the Daily Pilot. Before joining the Pilot in October 2016, he covered prep sports as a freelancer for the Orange County Register for four years. His work also has been used by the Associated Press and California Rubber Hockey Magazine. While attending Long Beach State, he wrote for the college newspaper, The Daily 49er. He graduated with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and history. (714) 966-4611