The Trenches
(Arcadia)- It was the kind of game you dream of getting when buy your ticket. Two passionate teams, four quarters, eight touchdowns, and multiple stars. The sort of game you might say its a shame there has to be a loser.
Friday night Temple City and Arcadia finished deadlocked at 28-28, leaving coaches, players, fans, and reporters on the losing end.
“They told us they don’t get paid for overtime,” said Rams coach Anthony White after the game officials exited the stadium. “So there wasn’t going to be an overtime.”
“We wanted to play this,” said Arcadia coach Jon Dimalante.
With less than a minute to play, with the score tied, Temple City was facing fourth and one at the Arcadia 49. White sent out the punt team and then his offense after a time out, but Max Ruckle was stopped by the Apaches Kyle Schnieder in the backfield.
First and ten at the Temple City 48 quickly turned into fourth and nine at the 47, Arcadia punted. TC took over at its 13, Ruckle carried the ball three-yards. The clock expired, the teams began to prepare for overtime.
The lead official blew the whistle that was the game. The coaches came to the center of the field. They all conferred. White turned and called for his offense as the officials beat it toward the west end of the field, out of the stadium, to parking lot paydirt.
“We will talk to CIF,” said White. “There are no ties in football, we feel cheated.”
Everyone did.
The Rams jumped to a 14-0 lead at 9:09 in the second quarter on a 14-yard run by Ruckle. In the first quarterback Justin Smith connected with Andrew Torres on a 15-yard scoring pass.
Ruckle was Ruckle on Friday night
The curtain lifted on sophomore Taylor Lagace on the ensuing kick-off as he carried it back 87-yards for a touchdown.
“We were waiting for something to happen,” said Dimalante. “And Taylor did some exciting things.”
On the second play of the next series Ruckle was hit in the backfield the ball shot out of his hands and into Apache David Schuil’s. The linebacker covered the next 45-yards, slipping out of a tackle by TC’s Matthew O’Malley, for the game tying score.
“We definitely gave them two gifts,” said White. “And let them back into the game.”
With 3:39 to go in the third Lagace did it again on a 25-yard pass from Garrett Tuck and Arcadia was up 21-14. The sophomore, who set up the score with a 65-yard punt return, however was called for taunting the penalty was applied on the kick-off and the Rams began the next drive at the 50.
Three plays in, after Ruckle came out of the game with a cramp, TC’s Smith ran left, broke up field, and was gone 35-yards for the game tying score.
A three and out for the Apaches gave the ball back to Temple City. Three plays after that Ruckle (26-138-yards 2 Tds) went 57-yards to the east end zone in front of the Arcadia bench to give his team a 28-21 lead after Drew Tinsley’s point after.
The teams went back and forth until the Apaches started at their own nine with 6:49 to play.
Tuck went 19-yards to Lagace. Tuck, rolling right, went 27-yards to Jason Mach. Tuck went nine-yards to Lagace before throwing an incomplete pass.
On third and one Tuck rolled right, looked down field, then tucked the ball and ran for the hardest nine-yards of his football career to pick up the first down. The starting quarterback also injured his left foot and needed to come out of the game.
Enter sophomore quarterback Myles Carr. On first down another sophomore, Rodney Arnett, carried the ball six-yards. On second down Carr’s first pass was incomplete. On third down; Lagace.
The 21-yard scoring pass tied the game at 28 with 4:30 to play.
“We got 17 guys who played only their third varsity game,” said White. “We are getting better, definitely,…” He smiled. “I hope you can see that?”
White’s optimism is stoked by his quarterback’s performance. Smith finished 19 of 26 for 213-yards and a touchdown. He also rushed 10-times for 94-yards and another score.
Only a sophomore, the best football for Taylor Lagace is ahead
“Temple City made some plays tonight,” said Dimalante. “Give them credit.”
So did Lagace who caught seven passes for 109-yards and two touchdowns to go with his kick-off return.
Both teams are now 0-2-1.
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