La Cañada High football gives Monrovia all it can handle in Rio Hondo League loss
MONROVIA — Despite a stellar defensive effort by visiting La Cañada High, which did not give up an offensive touchdown until there was 5:17 left in the contest, Monrovia, the third-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Central Division, did just enough to come out ahead in a physical contest, 24-7, for the Wildcats’ 36th straight Rio Hondo League win.
“This is the hardest we’ve been hit all year. [Monrovia] is big, strong and extremely fast,” said La Cañada first-year Coach Ramsey Lambert, whose team lost a week prior to sixth-ranked San Marino. “We’re really proud of how our kids hung in there and kept plugging away and making plays.”
With the win Friday, which would not have been possible except for two first-half punt return touchdowns by Wildcat speedster Octavius Spencer, Monrovia (8-1, 4-0) claimed at least a share of its seventh consecutive Rio Hondo championship. However, the Spartans (6-3, 2-2) did not make it easy.
“First and foremost, hats off to La Cañada. They just came out and played their best game. They played their hearts out,” said Monrovia Coach Chris Stevens, who is also in his first year. “Those are tough kids over there. They gave us a run.”
The La Cañada defense played smart and physical against the Wildcats, twice getting turnovers in the end zone.
After a disastrous start for the Spartans that saw them fumble the ball away on the second snap of the contest, giving Monrovia the ball 20 yards from a score, the defense stepped up. With Wildcat Jordan Nathan inches away from the opening score, the Spartans stripped him of the ball, which La Cañada’s Scott Platisa jumped on in the end zone to end the threat.
La Cañada then marched the ball 80 yards on the ensuing drive to record the first points of the game. Spartan Anthony Connell had a 48-yard run and Ryan Breneman, who had 10 carries for 70 yards, finished the drive off with a 28-yard scamper for a touchdown on a clever call that had Monrovia confused.
“It’s called a sprint-draw,” Lambert said of the scoring play. “We sprint one way and hand it off the other way.”
Early in the second quarter, the La Cañada defense again took the ball away in the end zone as the home team looked ready to score. Monrovia quarterback Asaph Zamora threw into coverage into the left side of the end zone, but Spartan Andrew Sarceda outjumped the receiver and came down with an interception.
“Honestly, it was a lot of my D-line that helped,” Sarceda said of the pressure that set up his pick.
Later in the second, Sarceda came through again to knock a pass away from Spencer in the end zone and force a field goal try, which his team promptly blocked to go into the break trailing, 14-7.
The La Cañada offense was unable to mount much of an attack after its opening drive and it accomplished very little in the second half, although the defense did not let up. Monrovia only managed a 35-yard field goal by kicker Blake Cusick, who was one of four on the night, for the only points of the third.
On the first play of fourth quarter, the Spartans took the ball away again when they recovered another Monrovia fumble. On the ensuing drive, the Spartans were unable to gain a first down, and the pass they tried on a fake punt attempt was incomplete. The Wildcats took over and drove 54 yards for their only offensive touchdown of the game when running back Lawrence Spicer took a direct snap and ran the ball in from three yards out to set the final margin after the PAT kick went through.
“This is just a learning experience for us, showing us we can compete with bigger, stronger teams,” Connell said. “It’s kind of a good thing. It sucks to lose, but we did learn a lot out of this game.”
Despite the loss, La Cañada’s playoff hopes are definitely alive. The Spartans finish the regular season hosting South Pasadena Friday with a win assuring them of a third-place finish and a berth in the postseason for the second straight year.