By Rich Whittington
(Montebello) – The Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary Cardinals continued to impress Friday evening, defeating the visiting San Gabriel Matadors 35-14, at Greg Kabat Field.
Cantwell got off to a fast start. This week, the Cardinals proved that they could throw the ball. With only 1:04 gone from the game clock, quarterback Roy Vazquez connected with receiver Jaiden Cote for a 61-yard touchdown. The PAT was added by Francisco Mesa, making the score 7-0 before most of the crowd was even in their seats.
The Cardinals then attempted a bit of trickery, opting to go with an on-side kick…which was successfully recovered by Kian Hendricks. This gave Cantwell their second possession. Vazquez wasted little time, finding Mesa for a 24-yard TD. Mesa’s PAT was again successful, making the score 14-0 with 9:15 remaining in the opening quarter.
San Gabriel posted their first score of the game a few minutes later, when running back Louie Navarro scored on an 8-yard TD blast. The PAT was unsuccessful, making the score 14-6 as the first period came to a close.
The second quarter provided more Cantwell fireworks, both on and off the field. Navarro connected with Cote for their second score of the evening…a 63-yard catch and run. A third Mesa PAT made the score 21-6 with 6:29 remaining in the half. At this point, the celebratory sky rockets were flying, exploding, and illuminating the night sky for the entire community to see.
The Cardinals continued the scoring display in the third quarter, when running back Angel Cevallos scored on a 6-yard TD rush. Another successful Mesa PAT made the score 28-6. Cevallos had another fine night for the Cardinals, carrying the ball 23 times for119 yards and one score.
Quarter 4 would see both teams add to their scoring totals. San Gabriel posted their second TD of the evening when quarterback Efren Torres connected with Navarro for a 9-yard touchdown. Torres also converted the 2-Point PAT attempt, making the score 28-14 with 5:47 remaining in the game. Cantwell answered this score, as Vazquez connected with Hendricks for a 15-yard score. A 5th Mesa PAT made the score 35-14. This would end up being the final score of the contest.
Vazquez finished the evening 10 of 12 for 252 yards and 4 touchdowns. Cantwell’s next game will be next Friday night when the Cardinals will host the Bosco Tech Tigers. San Gabriel’s next contest is on Thursday night when the Matadors will host the Whittier Cardinals. Kickoff for both contests is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
SG got out coached. Point and simple
SG shot itself in the foot several times with bad special teams and questionable calls on 4th and short situations. They should get healthy against Whittier.