La Cañada High football scores 17 unanswered for wild 26-19 win over Rio Hondo Prep

LA CAÑADA — Unable to force a stop or generate a turnover for much of the night, the La Cañada High football team did both at the most critical of junctures.

The Spartans scored the final 17 points of Thursday’s nonleague home game versus small-school powerhouse Rio Hondo Prep thanks in part to a key fumble recovery and three-and-out, which led to a come-from-behind 26-19 victory.

With the win, the Spartans improved to 4-1 this season and concluded the nonleague schedule with a winning record for the first time since 2006.

“It’s definitely about perseverance with this team,” said Spartans first-year Coach Ramsey Lambert, whose squad heads into a bye before its Rio Hondo League opener Oct. 10 at Temple City. “We’re used to passing teams, so tonight was different and a lot of the success is owed to [defensive coordinator Jason] Sarceda.”

The contest appeared it would end tied in regulation after Rio Hondo Prep held the Spartans on third and 10 on the Kares’ 17 for a four-yard gain with under two minutes left and the visitors ahead, 19-16. Spartans junior kicker Mikey Selsor then delivered a 30-yard field goal that knotted the score at 19 with 1:30 remaining.

On the ensuing kickoff, La Cañada created the turnover it had been looking for when linebacker Ryan Breneman stripped junior kick returner Domenico Chico at the 25.

The ball was recovered by Spartans junior Josh Moulin at the 26 with 1:22 remaining.

“Ryan had a great strip and I was just there to pick it up,” Moulin said. “We hadn’t been able to get a turnover and we finally did.”

Breneman, also a running back, then took the very next handoff 26 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:18 remaining, as the Spartans took their first lead, 26-19.

“We wanted it more and we fought until the last second to win this,” said Breneman, who carried 12 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns. “We conditioned and we trained hard all summer and that’s what that was for, to be able to make plays late.”

While the Kares received the ball at their 29 with 1:14 left, the run-heavy squad was unable to reach midfield before turning the ball over on downs at its 43 with 15.8 seconds left.

“We want to be the team that finishes,” Lambert said. “This is the type of win that’s great for a program.”

In the Kares’ first six drives of the game, they picked up at least one first down and held the ball for at least two minutes, not including a brief eight-second possession right before the half.

Yet, trailing, 19-16, the Spartans forced their first three-and-out of the contest aided by a pass play that netted minus-14 yards and forced a punt with 4:40 remaining in the fourth.

On the next drive, the Spartans gained 69 yards, including on a 30-yard pass play from quarterback Kevin McGowin to Jace Harrick (three catches for 56 yards) on a fourth and 17, before settling for a Selsor field goal.

La Cañada started the second half with a 19-yard touchdown run from Breneman with 2:44 remaining in the third to close within 12-9 of Rio Hondo Prep after the extra-point attempt was botched.

Even though the Kares countered with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that culminated on a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown by offensive lineman Joshua Hernandez to push the score to 19-9, La Cañada rallied again.

Spartans running back Anthony Connell punched in a six-yard touchdown run with 6:16 left that brought the home team within 19-16.

It was nearly a lost first half for the Spartans, who trailed Rio Hondo Prep, 12-3, at the break.

La Cañada had five possessions in the first half, but produced no first downs and 16 total yards on offense through the first four drives.

It wasn’t until the Spartans’ final drive that the home team drove 48 yards on eight plays with completions from McGowin (six for 11 for 77 yards) of 12 and 13 yards to receivers Harrick and Sam Brown, respectively.

La Cañada reached the Rio Hondo Prep 25 before settling on a 45-yard field goal from Selsor that just cleared the crossbar with 16.2 seconds left in the first half.

Previous to that, the Kares had scored the game’s first 12 points with touchdown runs of three and 18 yards from Chico, who finished with 78 yards on 19 carries.