Temple City celebrates its first season opening victory since 2008.
By Joe Torosian
(Temple City)—Justin Bowman’s 10-yard run to paydirt with 17 seconds left iced Temple City’s 21-7 win over Pasadena Poly on Friday night at North Field. It also gave new Rams HC, Riley Saxon a victory in his sideline debut.
“These kids they fought hard…They’ve had to deal with a 3-7 season, a 2-8 season, 2-8 season, and it would have been very easy for them to say, here we go again after they tied it in the first half but they didn’t,” said Saxon.
With 4:21 to play in the game Temple City, following a poor punt, took over at its own 45. Leading 14-7 and looking for its first opening night victory since 2008, attempted to ground it out.
#45 carried the ball for 3-yards and then again for a yard, and the team found itself in a third and six situation at the 49. Recognizing the tough sledding up the middle, unable to go wide, Saxon went with another option—a halfback option. Samuel Jackimowicz took a pitch and went right on a play that looked doomed. Jackimowicz adjusted the ball with the defense closing and launched downfield.
Receiver Daniel Centeno, in single coverage, appeared to curve around his defender and catch the ball while he was sliding to the ground for a 26-yard gain.
“I had it in our back pocket because we ran it the first time on a third and long and fumbled the snap. But we saw it, and it looked open so we said, hey we could run it again. They covered it well, but Daniel Centeno made the play,” said Saxon.
Two plays later Bowman went 14-yards to the Poly seven. As the clock continued to wind down in the official’s hand—the scoreboard died on the table early in the second quarter—TC lost yardage on successive plays in an effort to eat clock and control the ball.
Finally on third down, with 17 seconds left, Bowman turned the left corner (on the El Camino Real side of the stadium), took a hit to the knee, and launched into the end zone to secure the win.
In a physical contest from the start, Temple City scored on its second possession using five plays and a pass interference call to set up Bowman for a 2-yard touchdown run.
In the second quarter, the Panthers on a fourth and nine from the TC 14 tied the contest when quarterback Graham Olson dropped back and then tucked the ball and dashed to the end zone.
Less than two minutes later the Rams responded when Bowman went 53-yards down the sideline to Isaiah Cassillas, and it was a 14-7 contest.
From there, with the stadium scoreboard out of commission, the game turned into a defensive struggle with neither team scoring in the third quarter.
Poly’s first drive of the second half ended with a punt. Its second drive started at the 50, lasted over five minutes and ended on a turnover on downs at the Rams 15. Their third possession started at the TC 38 and three plays later, facing a fourth and 15, they punted. The punt was shanked, netted zero yards, and the Rams took over at their own 45 with 4:21 to play.
“Our offense definitely needs to pick it up because our defense bailed us out time and time again. You’ve gotta give credit to the coaches for getting those guys fired up. They took what we preached to them and they executed it perfectly,” said Saxon. “Our defense was awesome tonight.”
The victory was not only Temple City’s first since defeating Arroyo, 34-0 in the 2008 season opener, it was also the first time since 2009 they held a first week opponent to less than 27-points. (27 to Arroyo in 2009 & La Salle in 2012.) They allowed 35 to Arroyo in 2015 but defensively had surrendered 42, 48, 55, 42 and 42 in other season openers.
“I’m going to tell them in the locker room that I’m proud of them, excited, but we’ve got Arroyo in five days. So we gotta get ready.”
See Rams Fam I don’t buy into the whole Asians don’t or can’t play football excuse. Mooney and Backus had quite a few contribute to their teams: Sammy Yu and Sushi Tsai were two of the best players on a Rio Hondo League Championship.
I don’t think you’ll hear Saxon use the demographics excuse since he played with those guys mentioned and won a league championship himself with Asian linemen and I think his top receiver was Asian too.
San Marinos demographics are similar and they won a CIF championship a couple years ago with many Asians contributing. No, I think TC’s decline has been primarily due to coaching.
Saxon won’t bring the program back overnight but his first game was promising. We’ll see how games against the likes of Arroyo, Monrovia, and San Marino go, but I think the rest of the schedule is manageable. Maybe with a couple more seasons under his belt and more kids buying into the program he’ll have TC competing for league championships again no matter what the demographics are.
@Sax-City Has A Better Ring To It
Again, the roster numbers were pulled from Maxpreps not thin air. Secondly, demographic numbers can be pulled from any of a dozen places on the internet, but the most reliable numbers come from the US Census. Temple City, in 2010 was already 56% Asian, 33% White. That’s not prejudice, that’s statement of fact. Today that number is probably closer to 65% Asian. If you look at when the football program started to deteriorate it was about the same time that the demographics started to really change. Again, not prejudice just an observation having lived through it. Don’t believe it? Look at the history. Last winning season they had was 2009. Since 2004 they’ve had 4 winning seasons. That’s it , 4 winning seasons in 12 years. Even the “good” coaches had losing seasons. Mooney in 2004, Backus in 2007. Common denominator, changing demographics. Bury your head in the sand and deny it’s true but….
Rams Fan it doesn’t take a whole lot of rational thought to know that there are few programs in the SGV capable of putting 69 bodies on the sideline and no program suits up their entire JV program for Varsity games, a handful of guys maybe, but even the whole varsity and JV combined probably wouldn’t come up to more than 50 players. So you’re the one who was “grasping at straws trying to make an argument out of BS” with your initial argument. But since that’s usually what prejudiced people do, I’m not surprised.
No doubt TC had a bigger roster than Poly, and almost certainly fewer players going both ways, but there was no way they had 69 kids on their roster on Friday. I’d guess it was somewhere in the mid to high 30s, no matter what MaxPreps might say.
And I repeat… there are not even 69 players total in the program…. so even with your logic, ineligibility, injuries and bringing up every single player on the JV team would still not get you to 69.
Now you’re laughing at your own jokes?? (Wasn’t even impressive).
Now it is clear that you are not a Rams Fan. I checked the roster on your precious Max Preps… there are kids who graduated two years ago still on the roster. Get your facts straight and try to do a little research.
Might help your comedic skills, too…
@Anonymous @Not a Fan of Rams Fan @Sac-City has a better ring to it
All numbers quoted are from Max Prep, which get their numbers from the coaches or A.D.’s who report them. So if you have a problem with the numbers you have a problem with the coaches and Max Prep. Now as far as Roster numbers, you know coaches bring guys up for Friday night varsity games to stand on the sidelines right? So it would not be unusual for 34 on the sideline when your roster is 28 and the same for 69 on the roster and only 45 on the sidelines (injuries, grades, quit, etc). So quit grasping at straws trying to make an argument with BS. Again, go to Max Preps and look for yourself, that’s if you jokers know how to spell Max Preps. hahaha
69 varsity players on the sideline? Get outta here with that nonsense. This is Temple City we’re talking about not St. John Bosco.
From what I remember Pasadena Poly gave TC a beat down last season. So seems like Saxon has his boys on the right track. Arroyo’s a different sort of animal and a W there in his first season will be difficult but here’s hoping the game will actually be respectable unlike in years past.
RAMS “FAN”
Where are you getting your numbers LOL. 69 players on the roster?? TC doesn’t even have 69 players in the program.
@my 2 pennies
Even demographics couldn’t stop this victory. Football is a game of numbers. Here are some numbers for you. Pasadena Poly roster 28, Temple City 69. Pasadena Poly enrollment 868 (smaller than Blair as it has k-12) Temple City enrollment 2069 (2015-2016 school year) Next week will be a better game to judge against Arroyo, but I will always stand by my contention that demographics killed TC football and not even Riley Saxon is going to change that or bring back the past glory.
@MY 2 Pennies
Super proud of the Rams and extremely happy for Saxon to get his first win in charge of TC!
Congrats to Temple City Job well done.
Demographics was the reason for the losing?