Lead, game slips away from La Cañada football
WHITTIER — Looking to piggyback off of a strong performance in its previous game, the La Cañada High football special teams forced a fumble on the first play of its nonleague game against Pioneer.
Instead of shaking things up, the Spartans woke up the sleeping Titans.
After battling in a close game early, Pioneer went on to score 41-unanswered points and defeated La Cañada, 47-13, on Thursday at Dick Torres Field in Whittier.
“We we’re competing,” La Cañada coach Jason Sarceda said. “It slipped away from us. It felt like we were in the battle and it slowly started to slip, but our guys are still resilient. Kept on fighting and I’m proud of them.”
After running back Jacob Hardy’s 46-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, the Spartans turned the ball over four times and punted four times until their last possession.
“Everyone did their job,” said Hardy on the offense’s early success. “Even if it was little — even if it seemed worthless like just making the blocks — everything counts. Just good cohesive teamwork.”
Hardy finished with 15 carries for 96 yards and the lone touchdown run.
The Spartans fell to 1-5, and with players out due to illness according to Sarceda, next week’s bye week will do his team a lot of good before Rio Hondo League play starts Oct. 5 at home versus San Marino.
“We have a lot of bumps and bruises, so it gives us an opportunity to get healthy and refocus,” said Sarceda, who brought up a few sophomores to buff up missing personnel. “We’ll look back at the last four games of our season in hopes that we can make a push.”
Pioneer running back Julian Vera picked up the ball on the initial kickoff return, but had the ball knocked out at the La Cañada 24 and the Spartans recovered the ball a minute into the game.
“They woke us up because they came to play,” Pioneer coach Chuck Willig said. “I think our guys had a little bit of that ‘they’re 1-4 and we’re 4-1’ [mentality], but I told them in the beginning — watching film on [La Cañada] — they come hard and they play hard.
“They play in a league where they’re used to hitting people, so they did exactly that to us.”
La Cañada settled for a 33-yard field goal after the muffed kickoff, which kicker Andy Kozanian drilled for a 3-0 lead.
The Spartans defense continued to unnerve the Titans in their next drive that ended in a punt.
Momentum stayed with La Cañada on its next drive, but quarterback Matt Bromley mistimed a slant pass and was intercepted at the La Cañada 35.
Titans quarterback Javier Macias then capped a three-play drive with a two-yard sneak to put Pioneer on the board with a 6-3 score with 3:20 left in the first.
La Cañada regained the lead, 10-6, with Hardy’s run with 1:32 left in the frame.
From there, things went awry for the Spartans.
A Pioneer fake punt early in the second quarter extended the Titans first drive of the frame. The Titans marched down the field and Macias threw a pass that tight end Adrian Hernandez juggled and caught it in the end zone for a 12-10 lead midway into the second quarter.
Bromley threw his second interception with 5:26 in the half, which Pioneer took full advantage of three plays later with a one-yard quarterback sneak to lead 19-10.
The Spartans went four-and-out in their next drive, and the Titans moved quickly down the field capped by Macias’ 18-yard touchdown to give Pioneer a 26-10 halftime lead.
La Cañada opened the second half with possession, but three running plays to Joe Travis ended up in a punt.
Seven plays later, Vera ran home a five-yard score and stretch the Titans’ lead, 33-10.
Another punt for La Cañada, and Pioneer paid back the Spartans with an eight-yard touchdown run courtesy of Andrew Franco to make it a 40-10.
The Spartans attempted to convert on fourth down early in the fourth quarter, but failed and the Titans responded the very next play with a 46-yard touchdown reception to lead, 47-10.
Hardy helped La Cañada get down the field to its 11, but Pioneer held off the Spartans on the 3-yard line.
Kozanian wrapped the game up with an 18-yard field goal with 14.8 left.
Twitter: @ReporterVince