By Ron Vrooman
(Alhambra) – The Alhambra Moors put up 21 points in the second quarter and added a score in the third to defeat the visiting Bell Gardens Lancers, 28-13, in their regular-season finale last Thursday night.
Quarterback Michael Gonzalez completed 16 of 32 passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns to lead the way for Alhambra. He was also the Moors’ top rusher with 12 carries for 68 yards.
Running back/linebacker Luis Sanchez came through with two huge plays of his own. He scored on a 25-yard run in the second quarter and returned a Bell Gardens fumble 49 yards to set up the Moors’ final touchdown.
Mistakes by the Lancers were a key factor in the Alhambra victory. The Lancers fumbled the ball away four times, and 38 penalty yards assessed against them after a single play led to an Alhambra touchdown that tied the game, 7-7, at the start of the second quarter.
Bell Gardens quarterback Ethan Rosas connected on 17 of 23 passes for 171 yards and one score to lead the Lancers’ offense.
Alhambra gained 287 yards from scrimmage, compared to 258 yards for Bell Gardens. The Moors ended league play with a record of 3-2 and raised their overall mark to 4-6.
At the time, the win guaranteed the Moors of at least a third-place finish in the Almont League and a chance for a playoff spot. But it turned out that the fun was just beginning.
Things became far less certain the following night, when the San Gabriel Matadors’ 39-0 loss to first-place Schurr caused a three-way tie for second place between San Gabriel, Bell Gardens, and Alhambra.
But, a series of coin tosses had been conducted on Friday afternoon—before the Matadors played Schurr—in order to break the potential tie and thereby award the Almont League’s last two playoff spots.
Alhambra prevailed in the coin flips, while San Gabriel was the runner-up. So, when San Gabriel lost to Schurr several hours later to make the three-way tie a reality, the Moors won second place in the Almont League and the Matadors finished third.
Bell Gardens, which lost out in the coin flips, finished the season with an overall record of 4-5.
The Moors, who have been placed in CIF Playoff Division 14, will take on first-round opponent Santa Rosa Academy (4-4) at home this Friday at 7:00 p.m.
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