Moors Defense Goes on Offense Against Rowland

By MVS Staff

(Alhambra) – On a night when quarterback Noah Rodriguez got picked off three times, Alhambra’s defense came to the rescue, scoring twice on pass interceptions to lead the Moors to a 28-3 victory over visiting Rowland Friday night.

Outside linebacker Henry Soto intercepted a pass by Rowland’s Elias Bane and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to increase Alhambra’s lead to 14-0 halfway through the second quarter.

Then, with the Moors ahead, 21-3, with just over eight minutes to go, cornerback Vito Russell returned an interception 96 yards to put the game away.

Rodriguez completed 16 of 35 passes for 199 yards; his one TD throw went to wide receiver Kody Chuang on Alhambra’s first possession.

Chuang caught six passes for a total of 62 yards, and Russell totaled 104 yards on seven receptions.

Running backs Issac Hernandez, Jose Ortiz, and Soto—who scored on a one-yard plunge late in the third quarter—combined for 111 yards on the ground to lend some balance to the Moors’ offense.

Rowland’s only score came on a 30-yard field goal by Rigo Fernandez with 19 seconds left before halftime.

The Raiders’ attack was led by Bane, who connected on 18 of 38 passes for 187 yards.

The Moors held Rowland to just 60 yards rushing and stopped the Raiders three times inside the Alhambra 20-yard line, allowing only the field goal by Fernandez.

The Moors improved their record to 2-0, while the Raiders dropped to 1-1.

Alhambra will travel to Temple City this Friday, while Rowland will play at Walnut High.

*Information courtesy of Ron Vrooman

Leave a Reply