It was a team effort for the Knights on Thursday against the Southmen
(El Monte)- It took three second half touchdown passes from Steven Rivera to lead Arroyo to a 28-7 victory over South El Monte on Thursday night at B.L. Bergstrom Stadium.
“South El Monte is a good football team,” says Arroyo HC Jim Singiser. “I didn’t expect us to blow them out. I kept telling you guys that.”
Then again Singiser didn’t expect to be trailing 7-6 at the end of the first half or to be on the business end of a 9-play Eagle drive to start the third quarter.
The Southmen advanced to the Knights 23 before the defense stiffened and forced a turnover on downs.
After being limited to a pair of field goals in the first half the Arroyo offense got the spark it needed from Anthony Leon. Snagging a Rivera pass the receiver broke a tackle and raced down the eastern sideline to give his team the lead.
South El Monte was flagged for too many men on the field lining up for the extra-point, Singiser decided to go for two, and Peter Aholoka (out of an I-Formation) went cleanly into the end zone to give his team a 14-7 lead.
The Eagles next four possessions ended with a three and out, a failed fake punt, an interception, and a turnover on downs at midfield.
On the otherside of the field Hunter Duran was catching his obligatory touchdown pass from Rivera, this one from 10-yards with 2:02 to play in the third quarter.
Rivera went 7-yards to Leon at the start of the fourth to cap the scoring.
Arroyo-South is always physical
Even with three touchdown passes it wasn’t a big night for Rivera, who was intercepted twice and played a key part in South El Monte’s lone score.
“They have a lot of quickness on defense,” said Singiser. “That might be one of the best South defenses I’ve seen.”
The Eagles quickness, especially in the secondary, closed down everything deep and forced Arroyo to a short passing game.
Rivera completed 26 of 39 for 187 yards. Duran caught 11 of those passes on short outs, hitches, and screens for just 77 yards.
The passing yardage was Rivera’s lowest total this season, and his first multiple interception game since facing La Canada in Week Five of 2010.
After Cesar Barva put the Knights up 3-0 with a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter a bad snap on a punt gave the Southmen the ball at the Arroyo 22.
After the ball was hiked over Rivera’s head he chased it down towards the goal line where it looked like he was going to take a knee and accept the safety. Instead Rivera turned around, now 37 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and completed a pass to Leon who carried it back to the 22.
“We thought he was going to take the safety,” said Singiser. “We were yelling at him but he didn’t hear us.” (The snap went so deep over Rivera’s head he could have turned around and still kicked it.)
Four plays later Eagles quarterback Henry Mascorro hit Jimmy Martinez for a 9-yard touchdown and the lead.
Barva added a 34-yard field goal to close the scoring in the first half.
“It was a good win,” said Singiser. “But we got to play better football.”
The win was Arroyo’s 12th straight in the Mission Valley League and improved them 6-1 overall. South El Monte, now 1-1 in league, 5-2 overall, has been outscored by the Knights 114-7 over the course of the last three seasons.
Arroyo goes to Rosemead next week, South El Monte gets Mt. View at The Swamp.
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