La Cañada High football runs over Glendale

LA CAÑADA — A day after star transfer running back Drake Beasley was declared ineligible for the season, the La Cañada High football team showed that it could still run the ball convincingly.

Nine Spartans combined to rush for 354 yards on 76 carries out of the team’s grinding Wing-T offense and La Cañada eventually wore down scrappy Glendale, 35-13, in nonleague play Friday night in the team’s first home game on its brand new turf.

“We’ve got a good football team and I’ve been telling you guys this since summertime before any of this Drake Beasley stuff came about,” said La Cañada Coach Ryan Zerbel, who walked around in a boot due to a stress fracture. “I think we’re actually better than what we played tonight.”

Beasley, who transferred from Loyola High to La Cañada in early August, had his transfer application denied by the CIF Southern Section office on Thursday.

Without the former All-Mission League first-team selection, the Spartans continued to spread the wealth.

La Cañada converted running back David Vardanian, who up until July had figured to be on the offensive line, rushed 18 times for 81 yards and two touchdowns and also intercepted a pass on defense.

“This running thing, for me anyway, came out of nowhere,” Vardanian said. “I was running a little bit in the offseason at 220 pounds, but then I figured they would need me on the O-line, so I went up to 260. So, being out there at this weight, I was about to throw up.”

La Cañada (2-1) won the second half, 14-0, and Vardanian put the finishing touches on the game with a one-yard touchdown run with 2:13 left that put La Cañada up, 35-13.

On defense, the Rio Hondo League wrestling champion then intercepted Glendale quarterback Tyler Artavia (seven for 20 for 93 yards and one interception) with 1:22 left to cement the game.

The only other score of the second half was a game-changer.

La Cañada fumbled twice on its second possession of the third quarter, but recovered both times.

The most aggravating of those near turnovers for Glendale (0-2) came when Spartans senior Tyler Rubendall busted through for a 15-yard run that should have ended in a touchdown. Glendale sophomore defensive back Cameron Hoffman, however, made a lunging tackle right before the goalline and punched the ball out of Rubendall’s grasp.

The spiraling football was recovered by hustling Spartans offensive lineman Raffi Hairapetian in the end zone for a touchdown at the nine-minute mark in the fourth and put the Spartans ahead, 28-13.

“La Cañada just leaned on us and in the end, they just made more plays than we did,” Glendale Coach George Maiale said. “That one drive where we could have gotten the ball twice and one fumble bounced right back into the running back’s hands and another was recovered in the end zone, boy, what can you do?”

Rubendall finished with 80 yards on 10 carries with two touchdowns, while senior Brandon Sharman also carried nine times for 83 yards.

Glendale’s biggest playmaker on offense was wide receiver Luis Alvarez, who hauled in three catches for 65 yards, but was a non-factor in the second half because of cramping.

For the majority of the first half, it seemed like La Cañada was going to run away with the game.

The Spartans took a 21-0 lead with less than three minutes remaining before Glendale made a surprising surge.

The Nitros had been held without a first down on their first three drives before Glendale finally broke through with a 20-yard reception from Artavia to Luis Alvarez.

The duo hooked up again for a 34-yard pass play that put the ball at the Spartans’ one-yard line before Artavia powered in a keeper with 1:36 remaining to bring Glendale within 21-6 after a missed extra point.

With an opportunity to run out the clock after Glendale’s score, La Cañada instead chose to throw. The plan backfired when quarterback Matt Bromley had a pass tipped, intercepted and returned 33 yards for a touchdown by Glendale’s Matthew Torres.

After a successful point-after attempt, Glendale suddenly pulled within 21-13 with 24.4 seconds left.

Prior to the Nitros’ flourish, it was all La Cañada.

The Spartans scored on three of their first four drives with Vardanian serving as his team’s fourth down bowling ball.

La Cañada went for it three times on fourth down and converted all three attempts, with Vardanian picking up two.

Vardanian scored from one yard to put the Spartans up, 7-0, with 7:22 left in the first quarter. The highlight of the scoring drive was a 38-yard run from Sharman.

La Cañada’s next two scores came from Rubendall, who followed up a first-quarter one-yard touchdown plunge with a 36-yard scoring scamper with 2:40 left in the first half that put La Cañada up, 21-0.