El Monte wide receiver Memo Silva scored four touchdowns Friday night.
(El Monte)- The old line is true, “Deserve has got nothing to do with it.”
It was El Monte’s homecoming, alumni from other far out dimensions of time were on hand. Rosemead on the road, with nothing working, found its way back in the game taking its first lead with less than two minutes to play.
Either team could say they deserved it, but that had nothing to do with it. The team that made the most plays won. Translated: The team that had Memo Silva, the Lions, won 31-28 over the Panthers Friday night at Lions Stadium.
Silva caught four touchdown passes from quarterback Brandon Martinez including the game winner to give El Monte its first victory over Rosemead since 2007.
“We told you Brandon (Martinez) was special. We told you Memo (Silva) was special,” said El Monte HC Joel Sanchez. “They have that little bond and they believe in each other.”
Believing is one thing, but faith comes by hearing or in this case seeing. Fans saw Silva catch 9 passes from his quarterback for 206 yards to go with the four scores.
Martinez completed 13 of 24 for 307 yards.
The Lions took a 23-14 lead into halftime and held the same margin with 8:28 to play in the fourth quarter when the Panthers began to rally.
Mead’s Matt Eddy, from his linebacker spot, picked off Martinez and returned the ball to the 50 yard line. From there Adan Guillen went 43-yards to Christian Garcia to set up a first and goal at the seven. Two plays later Andrew Gibson forced his way across the goal line to make it 23-21 following Jose Esparza’s extra-point.
El Monte punted on its next possession, Rosemead fumbled it back, and EM again was forced to kick it away. This resulted in the Panthers Garcia fielding a punt on his own five in traffic an returning it 34-yards up the sideline absorbing one hit after another. A personal foul penalty on the return gave Mead the ball, first and ten, at the Lions 44 with 3:06 to play.
"I told you, you were playing for a league championship tonight, and I'm telling you next week you will be playing for a league championship again. And again the week after."
Up to this point Sanchez’s defense had surrendered very little on the ground. Eddy, one of the area’s top backs, had carried the ball 21 times for just 42 yards.
First down: Eddy gained eight.
Second down: Eddy gained four.
On first and ten from the 32, Eddy gained 13-yards to bring the ball to the EM 19. With 1:43 remaining in the game he covered the remaining distance to give the Panthers their first lead, 28-23, of the game.
“My first thought was they left too much time on the clock.”
Starting from their own 21 with 1:28 on the clock. Martinez went 13-yards to Silva. Then 26-yards to Silva. On first and ten from Mead 30, Silva got behind the defense for the final time and Martinez’s pass led him into the end zone where the receiver fully extended for the game winner.
“We’re not going to give up,” said Sanchez. “I told everybody this was going to be a battle. This is a good team (Rosemead) they are going to get some picks, get some sacks, they’re going to bring it but we never quit and as long as we do that and play good football we can beat anybody.”
El Monte lit the board halfway through the first quarter when Bryan Luevano booted a 32-yard field goal. Three minutes later Martinez and Silva hooked up for a 24-yard score to make it 9-0 (the point after sailed wide).
With 8:39 left in the second quarter Silva got behind the Rosemead defense and collected and 85-yard bomb from Martinez and it was 16-0 in favor of the home team.
The Panthers pieced a drive together and advanced to the Lions 31. On a fourth and six, Guillen rolled to his right and hit tight end Danny Villalobos, who dragged defenders with him all the way across the goal line to narrow the gap.
El Monte OC Brian Tabatabai immediately responded on the next drive when Silva turned a bubble screen into a 23-yard touchdown.
The explosive second frame finally ended with Guillen going 29-yards down the sideline to Garcia to make it 23-14 at the break.
“Oh this is special,” said Tabatabai. “I’ve known Silva since he was a freshman and this is special. For Brandon its all about rush, read, and rhythm.”
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