By Ron Vrooman
(Alhambra) – Well, the Alhambra Moors were going to the CIF playoffs anyway, regardless of the outcome of their homecoming game against the San Gabriel Matadors last Friday night.
There was a direct path, and then there was a more convoluted one. The direct path would have been an Alhambra victory over San Gabriel, which would’ve given the Moors sole possession of third place in the Almont League. Second-place Schurr did its part, beating Montebello, 14-0, to ensure that there wouldn’t be a three-way tie for second at the end of the regular season.
But Alhambra had to resort to option number two after failing to hold a 13-0 lead in the fourth quarter and falling to the visiting Matadors, 21-13, in overtime.
The Moors had won a series of coin flips held earlier to resolve a potential three-way tie for third place between themselves, Montebello, and San Gabriel. And, that was the scenario which occurred, as all three teams finished with league records of 2-3.
However, no one was left too disappointed by all of this. While the Moors were given the Almont League’s third (and usually final) playoff berth, the CIF Southern Section awarded at-large berths to Montebello and San Gabriel over the weekend.
So, an unprecedented total of five Almont League teams have advanced to the first round of the playoffs; only winless Mark Keppel has been left out. Schurr and league champion Bell Gardens were placed in Division 11, Montebello was put in Division 12, and Alhambra will take on the Matadors again in a Division 13 game at San Gabriel High on Friday night.
Now let’s get back to last week’s contest between the Moors and the Matadors. After being shut out for three quarters, San Gabriel mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally to tie the score at 13-all and send the game into overtime.
During the one overtime period, freshman quarterback Ricky Garcia ran six yards for a touchdown to put the Matadors ahead, 19-13. Senior running back Robert Lucero then rushed for a two-point conversion to give San Gabriel a 21-13 lead.
The game ended on Alhambra’s second play in overtime, when, on second-and-11 at the Matadors’ 26, a pass by quarterback Bryan Leonard was intercepted by San Gabriel defensive back Ivan Can.
The Moors had built a 13-0 lead in regulation time thanks to Leonard’s 86-yard bomb to tight end Jamichael Jackson on the first play of the second quarter, and Erick Baray’s one-yard run with 7:40 left in the third. But, the Matadors gave themselves an opening for a comeback when they blocked Emilio Reynoso’s second extra-point try.
Alhambra missed an opportunity to add to its lead late in the third quarter when, on third-and-one at the San Gabriel 32, running back Cyrus Wu lost nine yards after fumbling a pitch.
The Moors were forced to punt, but it appeared that things might work out for them when Edson Mina’s kick was downed at the San Gabriel one-yard line.
However, the Matadors defied the odds by driving 99 yards for a touchdown, which came on an eight-yard run by Can with 7:44 left in regulation. That score, and Daniel Martinez’s PAT, cut Alhambra’s lead to 13-7.
On their next possession, the Moors decided to punt on fourth-and-four at the San Gabriel 42, but Mina’s kick was blocked by the Matadors’ Aaron Hampton. San Gabriel took over at the Alhambra 43 and scored the game-tying touchdown five plays later on a three-yard run by Lucero, which came at the 4:38 mark.
Wu gave the Moors a temporary reprieve by blocking Martinez’s extra-point attempt, and it took the overtime period for the Matadors to seize the victory. With the win, San Gabriel lifted its overall record to 7-3, while Alhambra fell to 4-6.
Garcia completed 16 of 27 passes for 158 yards for the Matadors, while Lucero gained 83 yards on 17 carries. San Gabriel amassed 318 yards from scrimmage, compared to 246 yards for Alhambra.
Alhambra’s offense was led by Baray, who rushed 25 times for 127 yards. Leonard, the Moors’ freshman quarterback, hit on only five of 19 passes for 121 yards.
One particular aspect of the game that turned out extremely well for San Gabriel was fumbles. The Matadors fumbled the ball seven times against the Moors, but lost possession only once.
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