Crescenta Valley football clamps down on Burroughs
Crescenta Valley High’s defense knew where the ball was going.
The Burroughs football team was going to do what it had all season. It was going to the hand the ball off to San Diego State-bound running back Chance Bell in a crucial Pacific League matchup between the Indians and Falcons on Friday at Moyse Field.
The Falcons knew Bell’s talents, recognized that he had a strong offensive line and understood that to defeat the Indians, they had to limit the senior’s production.
Like it has throughout league play, Crescenta Valley’s defense stepped up.
Bell and Burroughs were held without a touchdown as the Falcons built an 18-point halftime lead en route to a 38-9 victory.
“The defense played great,” Crescenta Valley Coach Paul Schilling said. “It’s not hard to come up with a defensive plan when they have [Bell]. If you give him a tiny hole, he’s gone. He seemed like he was a step off. He was not himself.”
Crescenta Valley has had an imposing defense in league play and it proved it again on Friday. The Falcons (7-1, 5-0 in league) – who are ranked 10th in CIF Southern Section Division VI – have surrendered a total of 29 points in league play, including shutting out two opponents.
The Falcons’ defense has been the catalyst for the team’s undefeated start to league play. The defense will likely meet the toughest opponent of the regular season when Crescenta Valley meets Burbank – ranked eighth in Division VIII – which is also undefeated in league on Friday at 7 p.m. at Burroughs’ Memorial Field in battle for first place.
“Every game is a big game,” Schilling said.
Before looking ahead to the showdown against Burbank, the Falcons were quite thrilled to enjoy Friday’s victory against Burroughs.
Bell had tallied six touchdowns and more than 300 yards in a game twice this season, against Glendale and Hoover. He had also already broke the Indians’ career rushing record and totaled 25 touchdowns on the season.
He couldn’t add to his touchdown total against the Falcons, even though he rushed for 190 yards in 35 carries. The Indians (4-4, 3-2) had to settle for field goals in their trips to Crescenta Valley territory and, as a result, they saw their hopes of a second consecutive league title dashed.
“Stifling, suffocating,” were the words that Burroughs Coach Mike Reily used to describe the Falcons’ defense. “They did a nice job.”
The Falcons’ offense also shined.
The Falcons’ offense had the ball for just six minutes of the opening half, but scored each time, with Joe Suh opening the scoring on a 51-yard run and Will Rees hauling in a 14-yard strike from quarterback Cole Doyle to give the Falcons a 17-3 lead in the second quarter. Doyle finished with 64 yards rushing and 61 through the air. Suh had a team-best 162 yards rushing in 16 carries as the Falcons amassed 336 total yards in just under 15 minutes in time of possession.
Minutes after Rees scored, Crescenta Valley cornerback Grady Schilling perfectly read a short pass and intercepted Hayden Zepeda’s throw, returning it 43 yards for a score and a 24-3 Falcons lead.
“Our defense is legit,” Grady Schilling said. “We definitely have the best defense in the Pacific League.”
The second half was anticlimactic after Zepeda sprained his right knee near the end of the second quarter and had to be sidelined for the remainder of the game. The Falcons also lost linebacker Brian Erickson (broken right wrist) on the same play that Zepeda got hurt.
Doyle and Daniel Cho each had touchdown runs for the Falcons in the second half, who surrendered a total of three field goals to Jonathan Rivas.
“They’ve had a very capable offense throughout the season,” Reily said. “We had some guys who were in bad spots and CV took advantage of that.”