By Rich Whittington
(El Monte)—The El Monte Lions had little to celebrate Friday evening, as the visiting
South El Monte Eagles ran, and kicked, their way to a 19-0 victory at El Monte High School.
The Eagles, (7-1, 3-1), demonstrated a fine running strategy, which kept the clock running, and kept El Monte’s offense on the bench. Junior running back Sal Tovar provided the bulk of the South El Monte run yardage, rushing for 180 yards on 30 carries.
Tovar found the end zone on a 6-yard run, for the game’s opening score. Junior quarterback Daniel Olmos provided the game’s only other touchdown, rushing for a 10-yard score. The balance of the Eagle’s scoring was provided by senior kicker Isias Acosta, who converted one point-after attempt and was successful on field goal attempts of 25 and 29-yards.
El Monte, (5-4, 3-2), was never able to get on track. The Lions were held to 175 yards in total offense, and spent most of the evening playing on their own side of the field. Additionally, El Monte lost three players to injuries and had several drives halted by penalties.
The victory keeps the Eagles playoff hope alive and allows them the luxury of controlling their own destiny. With this loss, the Lions will need to rely on the success of others, in addition to a great deal of luck, to secure a post-season berth.
The Lions will close out the 2016 regular season next week, as they travel to Rosemead to take on the Panthers. The Eagles will host the Pasadena-Marshall Eagles. Both contests begin at 7:00 PM.
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