By Ron Vrooman
(Alhambra) – Tailback Halen Tsang scored on an 11-yard run with 2:38 left, and Tristen Garcia kicked the tie-breaking extra point to give Alhambra a 21-20 victory over South El Monte on Saturday night to open the 2025 season.
Tsang’s power running, excellent special-teams play, and timely stops on defense proved to be just enough for the Moors to overcome a night-long struggle with their downfield passing game. It was Alhambra’s first win in an opener since 2019, and the Moors also snapped a four-game losing streak against the visiting Eagles.
Tsang carried the ball 17 times for a total of 127 yards and his one touchdown, and quarterback Bryan Leonard rushed nine times for 23 yards and two first-half TD’s. Leonard also completed 7 of 15 passes for just 42 yards.
Nero Navarro jump-started Alhambra’s offense with four kickoff returns totaling 149 yards. He set up all three of the Moors’ touchdowns on returns that measured 63, 35, and 48 yards, respectively.
The Moors took a quick 7-0 lead on Leonard’s four-yard keeper, which came five plays after Navarro returned the opening kickoff all the way to the Eagles’ 25-yard line.
South El Monte quarterback Michael Maldonado evened the score with a two-yard pass to Isaac Gonzalez late in the first quarter. Then, his 40-yard bomb to Gabriel Canchola put the Eagles ahead, 14-7, with 4:20 remaining before halftime.
However, Navarro’s next long kickoff return gave Alhambra the ball at the Eagles’ 45. The Moors scored six plays later on Leonard’s 13-yard sweep, and Garcia’s PAT tied the game at 14 going into the break.
Following a scoreless third quarter, the game came down to a flurry of activity in the final period.
Maldonado, who connected on 13 of 25 passes for 221 yards, threw to Canchola for a 49-yard completion down to the Alhambra 13. From there, the Eagles scored in two plays, taking a 20-14 lead on running back Troy Valencia’s five-yard blast midway through the fourth quarter.
But the Eagles were called for unsportsmanlike conduct after the touchdown, and Alhambra head coach Mike Mackintosh elected to have the 15-yard penalty enforced prior to the extra-point attempt. The ensuing snap from center was fumbled by holder Noel Mora at the 24-yard line; placekicker Angel Bautista picked up the loose ball and threw up a short pass which was knocked down by the Moors’ Ivan Beltran.
With Alhambra still trailing by six points, Navarro fielded the South El Monte kickoff and raced 48 yards to the Eagles’ 37. Six successive running plays put the ball at the 11-yard line, where the Moors faced 3rd-and-8.
On the next play, Leonard handed the ball off to Tsang, who immediately faced a would-be tackler in the backfield. Tsang escaped to the left with some help from Leonard, and he broke four tackles as he rounded the corner to tie the game. Garcia then split the uprights to put Alhambra ahead by a point.
South El Monte was not going to go down without a fight, though. After the Eagles took possession at their own 20-yard line, Maldonado scrambled for a 25-yard gain and then completed a 17-yard pass to Gonzalez which put the ball at the Alhambra 42.
But the Eagles’ drive stalled at that point, with Maldonado throwing an incomplete pass on 4th-and-12. The Moors then took over on downs with less than a minute to go, and they proceeded to run out the clock.
Alhambra managed to win despite being outgained from scrimmage by a margin of 327 yards to 208. For South El Monte, Canchola caught six passes from Maldonado for a total of 171 yards, and Valencia rushed for 73 yards in 19 carries.
The Moors were penalized seven times for 60 yards, and the Eagles were flagged 10 times for 95 yards.
Neither team committed a turnover.
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@Ron . Fast talkers often
Make good first impressions ….lets hope you’re not ultimately let down . But thanks for the word from your point of view ; sometimes people are different in different situations.
My initial reaction to the game result is wow SEM must be really down this year . I know they lost a lot but I didn’t expect…that !
@ MVLwatcher85: I was privileged to meet Coach Moye for the first time before Saturday night’s game. I had several opportunities to speak with him during the course of the evening, and I found him to be courteous and friendly. He also has a good sense of humor.
Coach Moye was working hard on behalf of our school, and I wish him nothing but success as our athletic director. And, based on my own personal experiences, I believe that all you might need sometimes is a change of location.
Good win for Alhambra, but the Eagles really need to tighten things up. They could have easily won this game by 2 scores. Multiple drives stalled by bad penalties, bad penalty on the extra point, and HORRRIBLE special teams!
Well, at least Moyé didn’t try and start a fight with SEM. Points there….
@ Moorover: I’ll second that. Alhambra ran the ball well, the special-teams play was generally spectacular, and the defense made several big plays in the closing minutes. The defense bent but didn’t break.
It was a pretty well-played game by both teams, considering the fact that it was the season opener. Neither side committed a turnover.
South El Monte looked like a playoff-caliber team. The Eagles have a good passing attack, but the Moors had a fair amount of success in slowing their ground game.
This is a quality win for Alhambra, with the defense stepping up to fuel the effort. Great way to open the season!