Advertisement

Season schedule includes plenty of challenges for La Cañada football

La Cañada High football coach Jason Sarceda has a schedule with a few changes in what will be his first season as head coach.
(Raul Roa/Staff Photographer)
Share

When six-year assistant coach Jason Sarceda assumed the head coaching duties at La Cañada High in June after the resignation of Ryan Zerbel, the former defensive coordinator didn’t just inherit a young squad.

Sarceda was also handed a schedule that appears to be deceptively challenging.

La Cañada’s 10 opponents combined for a 44-50-1 record last season.

Yet, those numbers mask a slate that consists of six upper-division opponents and seven playoff squads for a Spartans team that finished 5-4 last season, tied for second in the Rio Hondo League, but missed the playoffs.

“You have South Hills, Kaiser – those are some tough teams – and then we have [Crescenta Valley], who’s another great team,” Sarceda said. “We have a really good preseason and then league is always tough.”

The Spartans have six home games this season and every contest is on Friday at 7 p.m. except for the finale, which will be played on Thursday.

La Cañada will host a scrimmage Aug. 18 against nearby Eagle Rock at 6 p.m. before opening the season Aug. 25 at home against Division XII intradivisional foe Hawthorne (3-7).

Last season, the Spartans won their fourth straight season opener, 35-21, in Hawthorne.

Following that game, the Spartans continue their home stint against Division VII West Covina South Hills (5-6) on Sept. 1.

The Spartans dropped a heartbreaker last season, 12-9, after racing to a 9-0 lead against South Hills, which finished third in the Palomares League.

La Cañada’s longest road trip of the season follows on Sept. 8 when the Spartans travel to Fontana to face Division VIII Kaiser (3-7-1), a third-place finisher out of the Sunkist League.

Kaiser represents the only change to the Spartans’ schedule, though a big one, as La Cañada will not take on area rival Glendale for the first time this century.

“We contacted them, but it didn’t work out,” Sarceda said. “Maybe we’ll pick it up next year.”

While that tradition takes a hiatus, the Spartans will renew another as they’ll host freeway rival Crescenta Valley (9-2) on Sept. 15 in the Gordy Warnock Memorial Game.

It’s been a decade of dominance for the Division VI Falcons, the reigning Pacific League champions. Crescenta Valley won last year’s game in a 51-12 rout and has claimed the last 10 contests by an average margin of 22.7 points per game.

After Crescenta Valley, La Cañada closes out the nonleague schedule with a Sept. 22 tilt at Division XIII Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep (6-4), the Prep League runner-up.

The Spartans hold a 2-1 series edge that includes last year’s 20-0 victory in La Cañada.

With the conclusion of the Rio Hondo Prep game, La Cañada will enjoy a bye week.

The Spartans then return to action and kick off the Rio Hondo League season with a showdown at San Marino (6-4) on Oct. 6.

“We’re going to be young this year, so we’re going to fight in league and get better,” Sarceda said. “We know it’s a tough league, but we’re confident we’re going to be competitive.”

Perhaps La Cañada enjoyed its biggest victory of the season in last year’s finale when the Spartans stunned the visiting Rio Hondo League champion Titans, 28-13.

The win forced a three-way tie for second place in league, but due to tie-breakers, South Pasadena and San Marino earned playoff berths and La Cañada didn’t.

The path doesn’t get any easier for La Cañada, which then hosts league rival Monrovia (5-5) on Oct. 13 in the school’s homecoming.

La Cañada nearly pulled off an upset before falling, 13-8, last year.

After Monrovia, the Spartans travel for the final time in the regular season to battle South Pasadena (6-4), which thwarted La Cañada, 31-6, last season.

The Spartans likely finish with their two easiest games of the year, first hosting Temple City (1-8) on Oct. 27. La Cañada pitched its second shutout of the season, 14-0, over the Rams.

La Cañada is then slated to conclude the regular season on Thursday, Nov. 2 against Blair (0-3). Last season, the short-handed Vikings forfeited the league season.

andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter: @campadresports

Advertisement