Big night for Apache Sheldon McKinley
Arcadia) The Arcadia Apaches needed 55-yard touchdown pass from Miles Carr to Taylor Lagace with 2:17 left in the game to erase a two point deficit and go on to beat the visiting Monrovia Wildcats 30-22 Friday night at Salter Stadium.
The Wildcat defense for the most part kept Lagace bottled up for the majority of the game. Lagace’s only other catch was a 32yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.
Down by two the Apaches were facing a fourth and six from their own 45. Carr dropped back to pass and looked for Lagace on a slant. Lagace did the rest breaking a tackle and outracing the Monrovia defenders to paydirt.
“They (Monrovia) did a good job taking Taylor away most of the night. We though we could get that play there and Miles did a great job putting the ball right were it needed to be” commented Apache Head Coach John Dimalante after the game.
Monrovia got on the board first with a little more than three minutes gone in the first period. George Frazier connected with Mason Bryant on a 57-yard touchdown pass. A little gassed after the long play Bryant missed the extra point but the Wildcats had the early lead. Frazier’s night at quarterback saw him complete 11 of 25 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown but four costly interceptions.
With under a minute left in the first quarter, Arcadia tied the game at six when Sheldon McKinley scored on a 20-yard run that capped a four play 66-yard drive.
Both teams had trouble taking care of the ball on the evening to the tune of 11 turnovers and it was a bad snap that set the Apaches up for their next score. Back in punt formation the snap sailed over the head of Deshawn Ramirez. Even the elusive Ramirez couldn’t escape and Arcadia was in business at the Wildcat 16. Three plays later McKinley got his second score of the evening. McKinley finished the evening gaining 125-yards on 21 carries and the two scores.
With 5:03 left in the half, Carr hooked up with Lagace for his only other catch of the evening a 32-yard catch and run putting Arcadia up 20-6. The score was set up by a Monrovia fake punt that Ramirez was unable to convert. Carr threw for 210-yards and two scores with one interception.
Ramirez made up for the failed fake punt conversion with an interception late in the second quarter when he picked off Lagace looking to throw on a gadget play. Three play later it was Ramirez who got the Wildcats to within seven on a seven yard run.
Bryant cut the lead to four for Monrovia early in the final frame when a thirteen play drive stalled at the Apache six. Bryant came on to boot a 23-yard field goal.
George Frazier under duress from the Apache defense
A flurry of back to back turnovers, three interceptions and two fumbles left Monrovia with first and ten a the Arcadia 13 yard line. Five plays later Ramirez got his second score of the evening on a one yard run. Bryant missed the point after but the Wildcats had their first lead of the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, Lagace fielded the ball near his own ten and weaved his way out to the Apache 41 setting up the go ahead score.
Down by six and starting at their own fifteen, hopes were dashed for the Wildcat faithful as a bad snap left Frazier with nothing left but to fall on the ball in the endzone for a safety.
“I’m proud of the way our guys played tonight. They could have been down after losing to St. Francis a tough one to St. Francis last week but they played hard and got a well deserved win against a really good Monrovia team” Coach Dimalante said when asked about his teams performance.
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