La Cañada football loses, but still heads to postseason (updated)
LA CAÑADA — All week, La Cañada High first-year coach Ramsey Lambert and his staff had not been shy about calling the Spartans’ regular season Rio Hondo League finale against South Pasadena a playoff game, because for all intents and purposes it was.
In Friday night’s game against the visiting Tigers, the winner would finish alone in third place in league to claim the final Rio Hondo League automatic playoff slot in the upcoming CIF Southern Section Central Division playoffs. It was South Pasadena that defeated the Spartans, 21-3, to apparently claim that honor, but then things changed.
“Guess what?” first-year coach Ramsey Lambert asked his team after the defeat. “It’s not ideal, but you have another chance to show what you are made of.”
The game had been played under protest as a result of someone associated with the Tigers allegedly filming a portion of Spartans practice in violation of CIF Southern Section Blue Book Rule 512.
“Yesterday, we became aware that our school was accused of a violation of CIF regulations,” South Pasadena Principal Janet Anderson and school athletic director Greg Luna wrote in a letter to parents Friday night. “We are continuing our investigation.”
The letter further added, “With us winning the game, the Rio Hondo League leadership determined that SPHS would forfeit the game and La Cañada would take the third-place spot.”
The Tigers played the game without the presence of their fourth-year coach, Marty Konrad, who was absent from the game due to the violation still under investigation. Even so, South Pasadena still pulled out the win on the field with offensive line coach Marc Shettleroe leading the ship.
The visiting South Pasadena crowd chanted “CIF” after the game, but it was not to be. Luna, who was on the sidelines during the game, broke the news to the Tigers in the locker room.
Konrad, a St. Francis High alumnus and former CIF Southern Section championship coach at Flintridge Prep, addressed the allegations in his own letter released Tuesday.
“Yes, my brother was at [La Cañada High], but it was not mentioned that he has not coached at [South Pasadena High] for [two] years,” Konrad wrote. “It was also not mentioned that he has a son that plays football at [St. Francis] and he frequently attends his [son’s] practice.
“He did not film their practice. At no time did I or the other coaches ask for or receive video from him. My coaching staff and I would never consent to this type of activity that is alleged of taking place.”
Yet, Rio Hondo League president Mary Jo King, principal at Temple City, reaffirmed both the league’s decision and the accusations made against the Tigers coaching staff in a statement Wednesday.
“The evidence was clear and conclusive that a CIF violation took place prior to the game between South Pasadena and La Cañada High Schools,” King wrote. “Specifically, a violation of CIF rule 512 occurred.
“Based on the evidence, the league concluded that the brother of the South Pasadena head football coach, over a period of two days, observed and filmed the practice of La Cañada’s varsity football team.”
Due to the CIF violation, there had been a vote by the league that forced South Pasadena (6-4, 2-3) to forfeit Friday’s win. Thus, the Spartans (7-3, 3-2), despite their fourth-place finish on the field, by default are the third-place team headed to the postseason from the Rio Hondo League.
“The league made a decision,” Lambert said. “We get a second chance. It never happens in this game, but hopefully we can take advantage of that.”
Even before Friday’s forfeit victory, the Spartans had posted their first winning record since 2006 in their first season with Lambert in charge, and La Cañada is headed to the postseason for the second straight season.
La Cañada recorded its only points of the contest and the only points of the third quarter on a 38-yard field goal by Mikey Selsor.
South Pasadena was on the cusp of a backbreaking touchdown late in the quarter, but Tiger Ernesto Jauregui fumbled the ball a yard out and Spartan Andrew Sarceda pounced on it in the end zone to keep the game in sight at 14-3 entering the final quarter.
“I feel undeserving [of the postseason berth] because we did lose, but we get another chance, and for these seniors out here it means a lot to them,” Sarceda, a junior, said.
However, the Spartans offense, which struggled to do much of anything, could not find any more points in the fourth. Tiger Christian Carter ran in his second touchdown of the game on the first play of the quarter to set the final margin following the successful conversion kick.
“It was tough. We couldn’t get our offense going today,” Lambert said.
The first quarter was a nightmare for La Cañada, as it trailed, 14-0.
The Spartans’ opening play of the game was a run that went for negative-one yard.
Quarterback Kevin McGowin’s first pass was intercepted and the home team did not record a completion or a first down in the opening quarter. McGowin finished 12 of 21 for 81 yards and the one pick. The Spartans’ leading receiver was Trent Bauer with five catches for 58 yards.
The Tigers’ leader on the ground was Jauregui, who tallied 127 yards on nine carries with one fumble lost. The second half of the Tigers attack was Carter, who had five carries covering 59 yards.
For La Cañada, the “defeat” means the Spartans finish the regular season on a three-game slide on the field, but regardless they have a one-game win streak on paper. All told, they have posted their most victories since a nine-win campaign in 2005 and will be playing at least one more game.