By Rich Whittington
(Montebello) The Schurr Spartans proved that youthful exuberance can outweigh fundamental mistakes Friday evening, as they stayed close and edged out the visiting
Rosemead Panthers, by a score of 29-28.
On paper, this should not have been a contest. Rosemead came into the game with a 3-0 record, having outscored their opponents 125-36. Schurr, by comparison, entered the
matchup with a record of 1-2, suffering double digit losses to the likes of Arroyo and California High. Fortunately for the Spartans, football is played on a gridiron, not a piece
of paper.
Rosemead posted the first score of the evening, when QB Ivan Ostry ran for a 2 yard
touchdown with 9:33 remaining in the second quarter. The PAT attempt, converted by Angel Bernal, made the score 7-0. The Panthers would score again in the
period, as RB Jaydon Campbell scored on a 1 yard blast with 2:48 remaining in the half.
Bernal posted another successful PAT, making the score 14-0 as the game reached the
halftime intermission.
The third quarter provided more of the same…another Rosemead possession, another touchdown. This one came on a 65 yard TD pass from Ostry to wide out
Andes Talamantes with 9:05 remaining in the period. Another Bernal conversion made the score 21-0. At this point, it appeared that Rosemead had this contest well in hand.
Schurr, however, had other ideas. The Spartans first score of the evening came on the first possession of the half, as Sophomore QB Jesse Preciado connected with
WR Henry Estrada for a 14 yard score. Preciado, playing with a level of confidence and poise that is normally reserved for upper classmen, completed 13 of 20 pass attempts, for 190 yards. Additionally, Jesse would add a 5 yard TD run, which, after adding a pair of successful PAT‘s, made the score 21-14, Rosemead, at the end of the third quarter of
play.
The fourth quarter of the contest saw the teams exchange TD’s. Rosemead scored first, as Ostry again found Talamantes, for a 20 yard TD strike, with 8:30 remaining in the
contest. Schurr answered, as Preciado found WR Ricky Talvera for a 50 yard TD. Both PAT attempts were successful, making the score 28-21, Rosemead, with 7:48 remaining
in regulation.
Rosemead’s next possession came approximately at 5:30 left in the fourth.
A staunch defensive effort, on a Rosemead 4th and 1 play, gave Schurr the ball on its own 40 yard-line, with less that two minutes remaining in regulation. The Spartans
responded by mounting a 10 play, 60 yard drive, which resulted in a two-yard TD run by RB Marcus Garcia. This made the score 28-27, Rosemead, with: 06 seconds remaining in the contest…PAT pending.
At this point, all eyes were on Schurr OC Eric Elias, who wasted no time indicating that the Spartans would attempt a 2-point conversion. This attempt was successful, as QB
Preciado found Issiah Candelaria for the score. This gave the Spartans the lead, and the victory, 29-28.
Next week, the Spartans will travel to California High School, where they will play the Whittier Cardinals. Rosemead will also be on the road, as they travel to Redlands to
play the Arrowhead Christian Eagles. Kickoff for both of these contests is 7:00 PM
Rosemead is only a shell of what used to be a storied football program. However, isn’t this kind of a moral victory? They’ve been so bad the last few years, especially when they lost to Marshall. Granted it wasn’t great competition but they got off to a 3-0 start and put up over 40 points in every game. If Arroyo doesn’t play a solid game they might give them a scare. They certainly don’t stand a chance against the transfer express at EM. Coach C and his roomie Booth will run wild on them.
Where and who’s is Schurr
Bad loss for Rosemead. Right now they are lucky if they come in third in league. The program just isn’t what it used to be.
Schurr plays Whittier at home next week not on the road
From T. Peterson: No actually Schurr is on the road.