Wildcats Moore than Apaches

Jaylen Moore hauled in three touchdown passes for Monrovia

By Alex A. Gonzalez

Monrovia — The Monrovia Wildcats offense was too much for visiting Arcadia to handle Friday night in large part by Brian Salazar, who threw five touchdown passes, three to Jaylen Moore and two to Carlos Hernandez, in their 49-14 blowout win at Monrovia High School. 

“Before the game, I told my quarterback that I had to get three touchdowns this game,” said Moore post-game. “He put his trust in me and threw me the ball every time I asked for it.” 

The Wildcats waited until their third series of the night to score the game’s first touchdown when Salazar dropped back and connected with Hernandez, who was running a post pattern from the slot position. 

Following an interception by Hernandez that halted the Apaches’ ensuing drive, Salazar wasted no time extending his team’s lead at the beginning of the second quarter. This time, he found Moore on the far end of the field and watched as he side-stepped his way down for the score.

Arcadia then responded on its next possession when sophomore quarterback Keyon Mills, who had already thrown two interceptions to start the game, orchestrated a drive that ended with him finding Derek Grant Jr. for the score with 5:01 left in the half. 

M-Town wasted very little time to answer back to the Apache score on the next drive when the offense only ran two plays from scrimmage. This time, Salazar went to Hernandez for his second touchdown of the night when he launched a 47-yard throw that Hernandez outrun the defense to reach pay dirt. 

The Moore and Salazar combination added two more touchdown connections, giving Monrovia a 35-7 advantage as the third quarter started. 

“When we are working a practice, Brian is super accurate,” said Moore. “We’ve been training since like eighth grade, so me and his connection is there every time. Me, him, and Carlos, it is there every time.” 

Just before the Wildcats pulled their starters, Marcel Jones punched in his only rushing touchdown of the night, extending M-Town’s lead to 42-7 with less than a minute to play in the third quarter. 

Mills then tossed his second touchdown pass on their next possession of the night to Grant Jr. before the fourth quarter started. 

With a running clock throughout the fourth quarter, backup Wildcat quarterback Travis Castillo gave Monrovia its final score when he chose to keep the ball and reach the end zone.  

With the win, the Wildcats will take their 2-0 record to Pico Rivera, where they will play El Rancho next Thursday night. The Apaches will look to even their record at one when they host Lawndale next Friday. 

2 Comments to "Wildcats Moore than Apaches"

  1. M.J. Williams's Gravatar M.J. Williams
    August 30, 2022 - 8:20 pm | Permalink

    “Keeping It Real”. Every College and Pro team has LOST in the play-offs; no matter how good they were in the regular season. I feel a strong Vibe of JEALOUSY coming from that statement. Keep It Rolling Cat’s!

  2. Keeping it Real's Gravatar Keeping it Real
    August 29, 2022 - 9:20 am | Permalink

    Monrovia playing yet another weak football team. Go ahead pad those stats and get bounced in CIF. That’s all this team is good for.

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