Sports briefs
La Cañada High parking lot sale
A parking-lot sale to benefit improvements to La Cañada High’s swimming pool will be held from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday in the school’s pool-area parking lot (4463 Oak Grove Dr.). The sale is sponsored by La Cañada water polo parents.
Results from the La Cañada Gremlins youth football program.
Flag Football
La Cañada Jr. Gremlins–Gold vs. Duarte Hawks (no score is kept): The Gladiators came out ready to play Saturday, holding the Hawks scoreless on their first drive and scoring on their own. La Cañada’s touchdown came when running back Matthew Banich ran it in. The team’s defense held up its end, keeping the Hawks off the board the entire first quarter, as Jordan Hershman ran down a Duarte player who had a clear path to the end zone to save a touchdown.
The third quarter opened up with a 20-yard pass from quarterback Bennett Oakes to Christopher Nava, but the Gladiators were unable to score a touchdown.
Hershman kept up his tough play along with the rest of the Gladiators defense, as Charlie Stewart, Jake Okland and Dylan Luper each helped keep the Hawks’ offense in check.
Tackle Football
La Cañada Gremlins 27, Duarte 12: The Gremlins beat the Duarte Hawks Saturday to push their record to 2-2. Both teams scored a pair of touchdowns in the first half, but Chris Wood, the Gladiators kicker, converted an extra-point kick to put La Cañada in front, 14-12, going into halftime.
Two unanswered touchdowns put the Gladiators out front in the second half, leading them to the victory.
The stable of running backs for La Cañada piled up a total of 147 yards in 36 carries. Elijah Washington led the way with 19 carries for 125 yards. Washington has rushed for more than 100 yards each game this season. Tanner Gish, the Gremlins quarterback, completed two passes for 34 yards, one of which was a touchdown to Washington.
The defense held the Hawks scoreless in the second half, as Thomas McConnell finished the game with two sacks and Evan Estrada recovered a fumble and returned it 30 yards for a La Cañada touchdown for the final score.
Duarte 10, La Cañada Junior Pee-Wees 7: It was a tough-fought game between the La Cañada Gladiators and Duarte Hawks on Saturday, but the locals were unable to pull out the win despite a second-half rally. The loss brings La Cañada’s record to 2-2.
The Gladiators turned the ball over at the Hawks’ 38-yard line after a strong return from Max Moreno on their opening kickoff. The Hawks were forced to punt on a three-and-out after the turnover, thanks to solid defensive play from the Gladiators. La Cañada’s offense made another mistake, though, as an errant snap led to a safety and a 2-0 lead for the Hawks at the end of the first quarter.
The Gladiators defense kept playing hard, as defensive lineman Ethan DeMoulin hit the Hawks’ quarterback as he threw, forcing an interception by Andy Van Ginkel, who returned it 27 yards to midfield. Gremlins’ quarterback Brian Erickson threw a pick of his own two plays later, which led to a touchdown for Duarte on the ensuing drive, putting them up, 10-0.
La Cañada’s offense stalled once again and that kept it off the board in the third quarter. Defense did all it could to keep the Gladiators in the game, as Van Ginkel came up with his second interception to start the fourth quarter. The Gladiators took over at the Hawks 36-yard line. Will McConnell took the offense on his shoulders, rushing for 31 yards, capping the drive with a four-yard touchdown run.
The Hawks turned the ball over on downs on their next drive to give the Gladiators the ball at their own 47 with one minute remaining. La Cañada was unable to manufacture a game-winning drive, though, as Erickson threw three incomplete passes before time expired.
La Cañada Pee-Wees 38, Duarte 13: The Gladiators come up with a big win over the Duarte Hawks.
La Cañada Jr. Midget 21, Duarte 8: The locals came out on the winning end of a matchup between two undefeated teams. The Gladiators improved to 4-0 on the season after beating Duarte.
Both the Gladiators offense and defense had their best game of the season Saturday. Junior Midget quarterback Kyle Cheung opened the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Caruso over the middle. Ernesto Jauregui kept the momentum going with a 25-yard touchdown run on the Gladiators’ next drive. Cheung later notched another touchdown on the ground, racing for a 15-yard score to put the score at 21-0 at the end of the half.
The play of the game came late in the fourth quarter when La Cañada running back Kyle Tavizon leapt over Duarte’s free safety, which allowed him run for an extra 15 yards for a first down.
La Cañada’s defense refused to be outdone, holding the Hawks to just two first downs the entire game. With the victory, the Gladiators look to be making a run for their fourth league title and a third conference championship.
La Cañada Midgets 14, Duarte 12: The Gladiators rallied for a come-from-behind victory to remain unbeaten at 4-0, handing the Duarte Hawks their first loss of the season.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Hawks started the scoring with a touchdown return on a blocked Gladiator punt. Duarte scored again with minutes to spare in the half to take a quick 12-0 lead.
La Cañada responded with a late touchdown drive of their own. The offense was led by Will Lombardo’s hard running and a formidable aerial attack. Gladiator quarterback Matt Bayle hit wide receiver Chip Crowley with a pinpoint pass, giving Crowley time to elude tacklers on his way to the end zone. The touchdown narrowed the score to 12-6 at the end of the half.
The third quarter became a defensive battle as both teams struggled to generate an offensive attack. The Hawks came alive in the fourth quarter, driving to the 1-yard line. The Gladiators defense did not break, though, keeping the Hawks out of the end zone to take over at their own 1.
La Cañada marched the ball back up the field with their passing game. The drive was capped with Bayle’s second touchdown pass to Lombardo. With the score tied at 12, Bayle hit Brodie Felkel with a short pass for a successful two-point conversion, putting the Gladiators ahead for the first time, 14-12. Duarte attempted to come back, but was shut down by the Gladiators’ defense on four straight plays.