L-R: Cameron McFarlane vs RHP, Muir’s Jonathan Stephens, St. Francis’ Andrew Monarrez, Poly’s Christian Henderson. By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor Poly won it’s second consecutive Prep League championship when the Panthers held off a feisty Rio Hondo Prep program on Friday afternoon. The Panthers earned a 20-13 victory, and they finished out their regular-season schedule […]
L-R: Cameron McFarlane vs RHP, Muir’s Jonathan Stephens, St. Francis’ Andrew Monarrez, Poly’s Christian Henderson.
By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor
Poly won it’s second consecutive Prep League championship when the Panthers held off a feisty Rio Hondo Prep program on Friday afternoon.
The Panthers earned a 20-13 victory, and they finished out their regular-season schedule on a 7-game win streak, and by a combined margin of 231-33.
That margin would have gone up at least 50 more points had Firebaugh not forfeited to the Panthers last week.
Poly got a much-needed test, and the Kares challenged throughout.
Rio Hondo Prep led in both halves, but the gritty Panthers came through in the clutch.
Christian Henderson had two interceptions, including a 47-yard Pick-6 that ended up being the difference in the game.
Cameron McFarlane and Jackson Treister both scored on rushing TD’s.
Franco Alonso picked off a RHP pass and it set up Treister’s score.
It is Poly’s third Prep League championship in the last four years, and second consecutive.
Muir earned yet another Turkey Tussle victory over Pasadena.
In the last 22 years alone, the Mustangs have claimed 21 of those 22 battles for the Victory Bell, including Friday’s 33-21 win over the Bulldogs.
Jonathan Stephens has been incredible, and especially of late.
Stephens rushed for 135 yards on 12 carries, and he scored twice, including a 75-yard TD to give Muir a 13-9 lead.
Stephens also earned the game’s MVP (Austin Lacy Award).
Brian Love was an efficient 9 of 12 for 174 yards and two TD passes.
Love’s first pass of the game was 65-yard TD to John Freeman.
Pasadena kicker Fernando Simental made field goals of 32, 34 and 32 yards.
PHS quarterback Randy Santellan was 9 of 19 for 96 yards.
Santellan did find Christian Lee on a 15-yard TD for the Bulldogs.
Caleb Snowden had a 6-yard TD catch from Love, and Stephens’ 9-yard scoring run with just seconds to play added the exclamation mark for the Mustangs (6-4).
PHS finishes at 2-8.
St. Francis had, for the second year in a row, its worst game of the season against Angelus League champion Cathedral.
This time, it was on their own field.
Cathedral just outplayed the Golden Knights, 28-16, Friday night with the league title at stake.
St. Francis on a few occasions committed penalties and turnovers that are the antithesis of the way they typically play football, especially the multiple personal foul calls against the Golden Knights.
The ground game was nearly extinct, and it put a lot of pressure on the offensive line and quarterback Darius Perrantes
Omari Gerry had a game-high 107 yards rushing, which included a 47-yard TD on the Phantoms’ second play from scrimmage.
Andrew Monarrez caught an 11-yard strike from Perrantes to even the score at 7-7.
While both defense’s buckled down for the most part in the first half, St. Francis had a Perrantes to Blake Howard TD called back, so both teams went into their locker rooms even at 7-7.
Tylor Morrison’s 1-yard plunge on a fourth-and-goal play gave Cathedral (9-1, 5-0) at 14-7 lead and the Phantoms would not relinquish the lead.
Nico Boschetti made a 32-yard field goal shortly after making a longer one, but Cathedral got a 15-yard personal foul call, and the Golden Knights took the first down instead of the 3 points.
After they failed to punch it in, Boschetti made his second field goal in less than two minutes.
Jabari Kindle extended the lead to 21-10 when he took a Bryce Young pass 57 yards for the score.
Perrantes scrambled in from 6 yards out to get St. Francis to within 21-16, but their 2-point conversion attempt failed and Cathedral put the game out of reach with a Young to Dylan Thomas score that sealed the deal.
Young was efficient on the night, going 22 of 29 for 250 yards and two TD passes.
Perrantes was 21 of 39 for 276 yards, and that included his TD connection to Monarrez and also an interception late in the first half when the Golden Knights were deep in Cathedral territory.
For the second year in a row, St. Francis will have to wait and see Sunday if CIF will reward their 9-1 record with a first-round home game.
Last season, a 9-1 record wasn’t good enough, and the Golden Knights had to travel all the way to Palos Verdes and fell, 38-37.
Friday’s Pasadena Area Week 10 Scores:
Muir 33, Pasadena 21
Poly 20, Rio Hondo Prep 13
Cathedral 28, St. Francis 16
Harvard-Westlake 53, La Salle 23
South El Monte 65, Marshall 12
** Maranatha Had Week 10 Bye**
Final Regular Season Standings Through Nov. 3
Angelus League:
Cathedral (9-1 overall, 5-0 in league)
St. Francis (9-1, 4-1)
Harvard-Westlake (8-2, 3-2)
St. Paul (4-6, 2-3)
La Salle (3-7, 1-4)
Salesian (1-9, 0-5)
Mission Valley League:
Arroyo (10-0 overall, 6-0 in league)
South El Monte (9-1, 5-1)
Rosemead (4-6, 4-2)
El Monte (5-5, 3-3)
Mountain View (5-5, 2-4)
Gabrielino (3-7, 1-5)
Marshall (1-9, 0-6)
Olympic League:
Valley Christian (8-2 overall, 3-0 in league)
Heritage Christian (8-1, 2-1)
Maranatha (6-4, 1-2)
Whittier Christian (4-6, 0-3)
Pacific League:
Burbank (8-2 overall, 7-0 in league)
Arcadia (7-3, 6-1)
Crescenta Valley (8-2, 5-2)
Muir (6-4, 4-3)
Burroughs (4-5, 3-4)
Pasadena (2-8, 2-5)
Hoover (2-8, 1-6)
Glendale (2-8, 0-7)
Prep League:
Poly (8-1-1 overall, 3-0 in league)
Rio Hondo Prep (6-4, 2-1)
Trinity Classical (3-7, 1-2)
Firebaugh (2-8, 0-3)
