By Ron Vrooman
(San Gabriel) – Tailback Robert Lucero carried the ball 30 times for 186 yards and three touchdowns to lead the San Gabriel Matadors to a 28-17 victory over the visiting Alhambra Moors on Friday night.
With the win, the Matadors remained tied for second place in the Almont League with the Bell Gardens Lancers, while the Moors fell into fourth place with one game left in the regular season.
The Matadors ran the ball on 44 of their 49 plays from scrimmage, using up the clock and permitting the Moors only 35 offensive plays the entire game.
But Alhambra still had a chance after falling behind, 14-0, on two scoring runs by Lucero. A 25-yard field goal by Emilio Reynoso midway through the second quarter and a 24-yard TD pass from Michael Gonzalez to Joshua Soto with 5:18 left in the third enabled the Moors to cut San Gabriel’s lead to 14-10.
The Matadors regained the momentum with two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter that put them ahead, 28-10. Those scores came on a quarterback sneak by Jacob Muniz and a 16-yard run by Lucero.
Alhambra responded quickly, with Gonzalez throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to slot receiver Trey Ragland to make the score 28-17 with 8:32 remaining. However, the Moors turned the ball over on their next possession and the Matadors ran out the clock.
San Gabriel gained 243 of its 276 total yards on the ground, while Gonzalez, who completed nine of 15 passes, threw for 98 of Alhambra’s season-low 131 yards.
The Matadors lifted their record to 3-1 in league and 8-1 overall. The Moors are currently 2-2 in league and 3-6 overall.
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