By Rich Whittington
(San Marino) – The San Marino Titans opened their 2023 football season Friday evening, with a less than impressive victory over the visiting Arcadia Apaches, 27-13, in a game that was truly worthy of the scheduling term “Zero Week”.
San Marino opened the scoring for the evening. With 1:41 remaining in the opening quarter, quarterback Brady Beck connected with receiver Sid Danenhauer for a 14-yard touchdown. The PAT was successful, making the score 7-0, San Marino, as the first period came to a close.
The second quarter saw another San Marino score, added by the same tandem, as Beck found Danenhauer for a second time in the contest- an 11-yard TD toss. A second successful PAT made the score 14-0 at halftime.
The score held until the beginning of the final quarter, when San Marino added their third touchdown of the evening. With 11:22 remaining in the contest, running back Coleman Morning found the end zone on a 6-yard TD blast. The PAT was again successful, to increase the lead to 21-0.
Arcadia’s first score of the evening came courtesy of running back Shaun Gardner on a 2-yard run. The extra point was successful, making the score 21-7, with 8:49 remaining in regulation.
The Apaches got on the board again a few minutes later, as quarterback Keyon Mills found wide receiver Mikal Reed for an 8-yard touchdown. A missed PAT made it 21-13 with 2:02 remaining in the game.
San Marino’s final TD came with 49 seconds remaining on the clock. Running back Nicholas Escamilla found the endzone on a 25-yard jaunt. The PAT was unsuccessful, making the final score 27-13.
The game was marred throughout by penalties. According to my count, there were 25 accepted penalties during the contest. Unfortunately, no less than six of these calls were for “unsportsmanlike conduct”.
Arcadia’s next contest is next Thursday when the Apaches travel to Rim of the World High School, to play the Fighting Scots. San Marino’s next challenge is on August 25th when the Titans host the Arroyo knights. Kickoff for both of these games is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Those unending penalties make games almost unwatchable
Looking like rough season for Arcadia
Long trip to altitude, good Rim of World squad