The Mid Remembers (10/26/2001): “Gomez Goes Gonzo on Arroyo”

Panthers Make it a Dark Knight, 42-7

(Ten years ago tonight at Rosemead we saw an amazing performance. Romantically Mike Gomez was a comet that streaked across the Mission Valley League sky over a six week span in the fall of 2001. In the practical he was a mid season plug in by Matt Koffler that saved a Panther team hurting from the loss of running back Jose Samano and helped advance them to the semifinals. Unfortunately ten years, a bad photographer, three different websites have left us with no pictures from that night…Still, pictures or not, it is a night worth remembering. On a final note: The frustration was so great on the Arroyo sideline that night that Koffler was accused of running up the score because he was running the ball in the fourth quarter.)

(Rosemead)- What are you going to do? Your starting tailback is down with a knee injury. You haven’t won a league title since 1990, which also is the last time you beat your archrival.

Like Tigranes said to Spartacus, “What are you going to do?”

Rosemead Head Coach Matt Koffler did the best he could and gave the ball to Cannonball Mike Gomez, who responded with a career night by rushing for five touchdowns and 332 yards on 26-carries in a 42-7 victory.

“He’s a bull,” said Koffler. “No one knows how fast he is because he usually plays both ways and that takes something out of you. He didn’t have to do that tonight and he did a great job.”

The 5’6”, 165-pound senior hardly touched the ball in the first quarter as the Panthers took a 7-0 lead when Joey Ray caught an inside screen pass from quarterback Josh Vasquez and took it 70-yards for a touchdown.

But on the second play of the second quarter, Gomez was gone. He raced 43-yards for his first score.

On the Panthers second possession in the second half, on their second play from scrimmage, Gomez was gone. this time from 81-yards out, picking up a key downfield block from Ray.

Rosemead’s next possession started on its five and ended one play and 16 seconds later when Gomez went 95-yards for his third touchdown.

If you need a description of how this looked, think of “Back to the Future” and the DeLorean leaving burning tracks behind as it accelerates.

When the Panthers got the ball back at the Arroyo 45, Gomez went 34-yards on first down to set up his fourth touchdown three plays later on a 2-yard run.

The fifth touchdown came in a much more conventional 7-play, 40-yard drive that was keyed by Gomez’s 16-yard run and capped by his 8-yard blast through the Knights to paydirt.

While it was Gomez’ night, it was the Knights that belonged to the Panthers. The victory ended Arroyo’s 10-year winning streak and exorcised some of the painful demons of what had once been a close rivalry.

“This is the biggest win for us in ten years,” said Koffler. “Our seniors came out and did well. We didn’t expect Gomez to have this type of game but he did.”

Arroyo’s Anthony Olivas scored from 2-yards out with 4:19 left in the fourth to avert the shutout.

Olivas, the Mission Valley League’s leading rusher, was contained along with Martin Mares and quarterback Joe Gonzalez as the Knights ‘Veer’ managed to move the ball between the twenties but was stalled by the Panthers in the red zone. Twice they turned the ball over on downs deep in Mead territory.

“We game planned for them real well,” said Koffler. “We saw what they could do with that option. We’d seen it in teams we played against.”

Olivas finished with 99 yards on 22-carries, Mares rushed the ball 22 times for 134 yards to lead the Knights attack.

The loss, only the second league loss for Arroyo since 1994, dropped them to 2-1 in league, 3-5 overall.

Rosemead improved to 3-0 in league, 6-2 overall.

While nothing is truly over until the last game is played, the Panthers final two games are against South El Monte and Mountain View, hardly the scourge of the MVL. Only a major collapse can prevent Mead from winning its first title in 11 years.

“We’re going to have to work harder,” said Koffler not wanting his team to slack off before the playoffs. “We’re going to have to get fired up for our next game.”

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