MidValleySports.Com

We opened the vaults and have put together a complete history of the Monrovia -Temple City game. What follows is a summary of the previous 31 meetings between Monrovia and Temple City, TC and M-Town, Rams and Wildcats. Due to Monrovia’s recent domination, the game is not the classic it once was but when these two get together it always stirs up memories.         

1982: Monrovia 31 Temple City 0

The first meeting between the schools isn’t much of a game. Richard Watson’s Wildcats roll to an easy win and carry their season all the way to the CIF Finals at Citrus College before losing to Verbum Dei 7-0.

1983: Monrovia 32 Temple City 23

M-Town takes out TC  in the Rio Hondo League opener and rolls to an 11-0 record before losing to Canyon , 27-25, in the semi-finals. The Rams win out the rest of their RHL schedule and get a first round playoff win over Cabrillo before falling to Bishop Montgomery in the second.

1984: Temple City 42 Monrovia 13

TC and Head Coach Don Swanson get first victory over the ‘Cats who were in the midst of a 1-9 season. The Rams led by quarterback Mark Mooney push all the way to the CIF Finals before succumbing to Claremont 45-0.

1985: Temple City 17 Monrovia 3

The Rams Dave Rodoracio rushes for 207-yards on 42-carries, and a pair of touchdowns as offensive linemen Steve Gilmour, Barry Dewing, Jerry Henderson, John Anter, and Don Miller plowed the road and protected quarterback Tim Vance, who completed 8 of 13 for 99-yards.

1986: Temple City 42 Monrovia 14

In a blowout Tim Vance rushes for 165-yards and two touchdowns, plus he throws for another as the Rams smashed the ‘Cats at home. M-Town scores first after a seven-yard run by Jamal Jones that was set up when Aaron Flucker intercepted Vance. The TC quarterback avenged the mistake took his team to the win. Temple City’s season ends with a loss against Hart in the CIF Finals.

1987: Monrovia 28 Temple City 20

Jim Walker is in his first year as TC’s Head Coach and the Wildcats are looking for their first playoff appearance since 1983. One spot left, its week 10, and at North Field Mike Mooney rushes for 201-yards on 30-carries, but M-Town’s Charles Allen rushes for 278-yards and scores on runs of 93 and 59-yards. Temple City misses the playoffs for the first time since 1979 and suffers its first losing record since 1959. The Wildcats advance to the second round of the playoffs before losing to El Segundo 20-19.

1988: Temple City 45 Monrovia 0

Jim Walker and the Rams restore order. Charles Bayer and Kenny Mushinskie each score twice as TC scores on seven consecutive drives and hold the M-Town offense to just 16 passing yards on one completion. For the record it was Deondre Armstrong that made the grab. The TC season reaches the semi-finals before falling to Santa Maria.

The Wildcats missed the post-season dance for the fourth time in five years.

1989: Temple City 41 Monrovia 0

Another bad year for the Cats netted one win, and it wasn’t against the Rams as Terry Fesler completed seven of seven passes for 142-yards and three touchdowns. He even ran for one as Temple City repeated as Rio Hondo League champs and returned to the semi-finals where the were bounced by Napolean Kaufman and Lompoc 48-38.

1990: Temple City 22 Monrovia 0

The Rams shutout out the Wildcats for the third straight year. TC picked off five passes, Bryan Sulpizio and Terry Fesler both scored on short runs and Chris Gonzalez snagged a 31-yard scoring pass from Fesler. No playoffs for the Wildcats and the Rams bid for a third straight semi-finals appearance is ended by a 15-12 loss to Arroyo Grande.

1991: Temple City 28 Monrovia 0

Sophomore quarterback Eric Britten goes 7 of 9 for 184-yards and three touchdowns to lead the Rams a fourth straight win in the series and to their last league title for ten years. TC’s playoff run over by the second round as was Jim Walker’s tenure as head coach. The Wildcats missed the playoffs and finished Rio Hondo League play 0-5.

1992: Temple City 38 Monrovia 8

Roberto Hern rushed for 121-yards and a touchdown, Eric Britten threw for two more to give new Head Coach Gabe Soumakian a win in his first go around in the series. The Wildcats lone highlight is a 96-yard kick-off return by Steve Leslie. No playoffs for Leon Ward in his last year as coach. The Rams are one and done the following week against Century 20-6.

1993: Temple City 14 Monrovia 13

Steve Garrison’s first Wildcat squad closes the gap, but its TC’s Chad Larson that makes the play on a two-point attempt that preserves the win for the Rams. M-Town’s Felipe Rodriguez engineers a 99-yard fourth quarter drive that culminates in a nine-yard scoring toss to Damon Griffin with 15-seconds left to make it 14-13. Garrison decides against the kick and goes for the win.

“Any time I have a chance to beat Temple City,” Garrison says. “I’m gonna go for it.”

Larson picked off Rodriguez on the deuce attempt and the drama was over.

Roberto Hern (143-yards) and Eric McMurtrey (96-yards) key the Rams offensive attack.

1994: Temple City 28 Monrovia 7

M-Towns Mike Waters rushes for 111-yards but it is offset by TC’s Brian Betts’s 160-yards and two scores, and Joey deKarr’s 72-yards on the ground and two touchdowns (one on a nine-yard pass from James Schneider). Down four scores in the final quarter the Wildcats get on the board when Johnie Lopez completes a 14-yard pass to Justin Yuille. October 21, 1994.

1995: Monrovia 34 Temple City 7

Steve Garrison’s troops finally break through and snap a seven game TC winning streak. Justin Yuille rushes for a 147-yards and scores on runs of 55, 3, and 65-yards. DeRon “Blue Collar” Turner also scores on a 10-yard run. Both teams qualify for the playoffs, both teams make first round exits. This is Gabe Soumakian’s last game in the series, Mike DiFiori becomes top man in 1996.

1996: Monrovia 28 Temple City 13

The Wildcats roll to a win and their first RHL title since 1983. It becomes the Rodney McNealy game when the fullback moves to quarterback in the second quarter when Calvin Alford is injured and completes sevens passes, one for a touchdown. McNealy also ran in two more as M-Town overcame a 7-0 halftime deficit to get the when.

Monrovia is knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Temple City draws La Puente wins and moves to the second round before Cabrillo shuts down its season.

1997: Monrovia 21 Temple City 6

Temple City records fewest wins in 40 years, misses the playoffs for the first time in ten years as M-Town routs them and wins a second consecutive league title. The Wildcats Darryl Moore completes six passes for 205-yards and two touchdowns. Both scores go to Akil Harris on plays of 66 and 62-yards. Harris, who rushes for 92-yards, picks up a third touchdown on a nine yard run in the third quarter.

Jamil Frazier paces the Rams with 110-yards.

1998: Monrovia 18 Temple City 13

Jamil Frazier has another big game against the ‘Cats but his 162-yards and two touchdowns aren’t enough. Darryl Moore through the air and Akil Harris (114-yards) on the ground help carry M-Town to the win and its third straight RHL title.

The Rams complete one pass (Joe Oberlander 24-yards to Greg Flammang) but recovers to reach the semi-finals. Monrovia reaches the CIF Finals for the second consecutive year.

1999: Monrovia 13 Temple City 0

Mike Mooney returns as Head Coach, but still can’t beat Steve Garrison. The Wildcats Seth Lewis bombs in two plus 40-yard field goals and sophomore quarterback Ryan O’Hara connects with Chris Johnson for a 34-yard score.

Kevin Brown rushes for 118-yards, but two Ram quarterbacks and an option toss from Brown, net only two-yards through the air.

2000: Tie 28-28 at Monrovia

Penalties, offensive mistakes, and big defensive plays prevent either team from taking advantage of opportunities and the game ends in a stalemate. The biggest star is Wildcat punter Ricky Romero who snares two high snaps, one-handed, late in the game to avert disaster.

Herman Wagner rushes for 198-yards as the Rams recover to finish the regular season with two wins and advance to the second round of the playoffs.

M-Town stumbles and follows this tie with a 21-21 tie with South Pasadena and then a 36-27 loss to La Canada that ends the Cats four-year RHL title run and shows the first cracks in the Garrison dynasty.

2001: Temple City 52 Monrovia 0

TC goes undefeated during the regular season and has four plus 50 point explosions while shutting out four opponents, and the Wildcats are of little consequence in this blowout as the Rams Legion of Doom (Desmond Reed, Matt Malczynski, Antonio Wagner) has its way.

The Wildcats make the playoffs but get worked, 35-14 by North Torrance. TC hammers Gladstone and Robin Storey in the first round but fall apart in the second half the next week against Inglewood.

2002: Monrovia 45 Temple City 35

The Rio Hondo League comes down to a week 10 showdown at Monrovia. Adam Gabriel, Seth Perez, Kenny Parry, and a young Jesse Canada are just too much for the Rams and Desmond Reed, who puts together an unforgettable performance running, returning, catching, and defending the ball.

“This one is pretty sweet,” Garrison says when asked how it compares to his other titles. Monrovia advances its record to 11-0 before losing to Lompoc in the second round 43-23.

2003: Temple City 28 Monrovia 17

The Wildcats enter league play 4-1, the Rams come in 3-1-1, and uses two fourth quarter touchdowns to pull out a victory. Kenji Morinaga runs for 138-yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively the Rams are led by its linebacking corps: Andrew Arceo and Dylan Doty both pick off Evan Johnson passes, Doty adds a sack, and Tommy Bullock records six tackles and wrecked his usual form of havoc as TC goes on to win its second RHL title in three years.

M-Town misses the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

2004: Monrovia 14 Temple City 10

It’s a down year in the Rio Hondo, and especially down in Temple City which goes 4-7 on the year but it has a chance to get its first win in M-Town in ten years.

The Rams have the ball in the fourth quarter in Wildcat territory with a 10-7 lead when Monrovia’s Jesse Guerrero intercepts a Ricky Arredondo pass and takes it to the house for the win.

Sophomore quarterback David Potts shines by going 11 of 14 for 112-yards and a touchown.

La Canada wins the RHL, both TC and Monrovia lose in the first round.

2005: Temple City 27 Monrovia 7

Mike Mooney unearths the “Ghost Package” which includes moving wide receiver Dwight Broadnax to quarterback at times and the Rams cruise to the win. Tsun Tsai runs for 229-yards and two scores.

The win keys Temple City’s third title in five years.

2006: Temple City 41 Monrovia 24

Dwight Broadnax rushes for 315-yards and three touchdowns but it’s a key fourth quarter connection from TC quarterback Riley Saxon to Andy Hebblethwaite that helps secure the win. Yousef Feidi, Joe Reasner, and Williams Do all shine on defense. Monrovia is led by quarterback David Potts (14-27-252-yards, 2 Tds, Int).

2007: Monrovia 37 Temple City 7

Marquise Williams rushes for 234 on 19-carries including a 94-yard run as the Wildcats roll to an easy victory at North Field. Matt Haggard threw for two touchdown passes and 219-yards. M-Town’s Patrick Greene led the defense. The Rams got 142-yards from Williams Do.

2008: Monrovia 13 Temple City 7

Temple City misses two field goals, and Marquise Williams follows each of them with 80-yard sprints to the end zone in the second and third quarters to give the Cats a 13-0 lead. Williams finished with 236-yards on 20-carries. The Rams countered with Max Ruckle’s 24-carries for 172-yards and fourth quarter touchdown. Morgan Hatch and Gianni Bruno-Lopez hook up nine times for 116-yards and TC pushes to Monrovia 15 on its final drive before turning the ball over on downs after four consecutive incomplete passes.

On defense Rams corner Alex “Black Jack” Dunn stops an M-Town drive with a one handed interception along the sideline. Josh Lowden leads the Wildcats with 13 tackles.

Both teams reach the CIF semifinals for the first time since 1998.

2009: Monrovia 38 Temple City 21

De’Shawn Ramirez ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns and Nick Bueno ran for 52 and a score as the Wildcats racked up 282 yards on the ground. Justin Smith threw for 240 yards on 12 for 21 passing for Temple City but it wasn’t enough. Monrovia would go on to the Mid-Valley Division Finals in Ryan Maddox’ second year at the helm but the Cats came up short against San Dimas on a rain soaked December night at Citrus College.

2010: Monrovia 40 Temple City 0

Nick Bueno threw for 208 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 168 and another score to lead the Wildcat romp. Jay Henderson had six catches for 64 yards. Temple City managed just 142 total yards including 32 through the air. For Monrovia, TC was just a speed bump on its way to its first ever CIF title.

2011: Monrovia 45 Temple City 0  

Anthony Craft caught six passes for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns from Blake Heyworth who threw for 189 yards overall. Marquise Bias led the running attack with 106 yards and two touchdowns. Temple City was held to less than 200 yards total for the second straight year.

2012: Monrovia 35 Temple City 14  

Mason Bryant caught four passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns and Ge Vontray Ainsworth rushed for 156 yards and three scores to lead Monrovia to another big win. Temple City did finally break the scoreless drought against M-Town as Chris Reed punched it in the endzone a couple of times. The Cats were on their way to a third consecutive Mid-Valley championship.