Crescenta Valley football too powerful for La Cañada
LA CAÑADA — Going into the annual Gordy Warnock Memorial football game, the participants’ seasons were going in opposite directions, with Crescenta Valley High climbing up the rankings and host La Cañada struggling to find a win.
Those trends continued, as Crescenta Valley used a group effort to notch a 59-20 win over the Spartans at La Cañada High Friday night in a nonleague contest.
“We got a lot of our guys in. We are really proud of getting a lot of our guys in,” Crescenta Valley coach Paul Schilling said.
Crescenta Valley (3-0), which has risen to a No. 2 ranking in CIF Southern Section Division VI, has now won 11 straight matchups with La Cañada (0-4) and 11 straight regular season games.
The Falcons scored touchdowns on their first six drives and were only stopped on their seventh by the end of the half. The visitors led 21-7 after the first and expanded the advantage to 49-13 at the break. The second half was played with a running clock.
“Both teams, I think, were glad to get through the game,” Schilling said. “No injuries and I love that everybody got to play.”
Passing dominated the CV attack, with quarterback Cole Doyle throwing four touchdown passes in the first half. The junior capped the visitors’ opening drive with a two-yard toss to Tyler Lobianco. After a five-yard touchdown run by Falcon Joe Suh finished CV’s second drive, Cole tossed his second touchdown of the opening half, covering six yards and going to tight end Austin Novak in the right corner of the end zone. His third touchdown, a 28-yard scoring strike to Brian Erickson one play after a Angel Ochoa interception, was sandwiched in between two long touchdown runs by the Falcon quarterback. Both rushing touchdowns, covering 43 and 26 yards respectively, came when Doyle could not find an open receiver and pulled the ball down and sprinted past the Spartans defense.
Doyle finished 13 of 16 for 151 yards and the four touchdowns. The junior added 120 yards on five carries with the two scores. Doyle did not play the second half.
“We have such a good football team and we practice so hard that in games like these, it just becomes like practice,” Doyle said.
La Cañada finally got things going in its third drive, which started with a 10-yard run by Tobias Humphrey for the hosts’ first first down. It ended on the final play of the opening stanza when Humphrey hauled in a bomb from Eric Helbing as he streaked down the right sideline for a 51-yard score.
This success through the air continued, keyed by Humphrey’s play. The junior scored the last points of the first half on an extraordinary individual effort with 2:37 left. Humphrey caught a short pass over the middle and shook off a slew of Falcons defenders before streaking down the left side of the field for a 91-yard score. Helbing to Humphrey kept producing in the second half, when the receiver hauled in a 14-yard pass for the hosts’ final touchdown.
Humphrey finished with a game-high five catches and a game-high 174 yards with the three touchdowns. Helbing went 12 of 24 for 242 yards with the three scores and one interception. John Humphrey added three grabs for 60 yards for La Cañada.
“We’ve got to get better day by day. I feel glad our guys rose up and played. They are starting to figure things out,” Spartans coach Jason Sarceda said.
The only points of the third quarter came on a 29-yard field goal by Chris Wood. Falcon Chase Center played quarterback in second half. The sophomore ran the ball five times for 64 yards. His final carry was a 13-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth.