By Alex A. Gonzalez
Monrovia – Week seven of the high school football season marked the start of Arroyo League play for the Monrovia Wildcats and the Burbank Bulldogs Friday night at Monrovia High School. With a three-touchdown performance by Damian Corona, the Bulldogs cruised to a 35-6 win in front of a crowded Wildcat stadium.
“I mean, we came in here, we knew the game plan, and that was to execute, and I’d say we executed,” commented Corona postgame. “As a team, I mean, I couldn’t have done it without my offensive line protecting me to throw two touchdowns.”
From the start, Burbank set the tone with their ground game, led by Troy Wells, who carried the ball on five of their seven plays for 49 yards. He then scored Burbank’s first points with an 8-yard touchdown run midway through the opening frame.
Then, as the final 17 minutes of the first half played out, Burbank’s offense kept its foot on the gas pedal, adding two more scores while keeping Monrovia’s offense out of the end zone.
In fact, the Wildcats didn’t get past midfield in the first half. The Bulldogs’ defense made life difficult for Angel Morales and the spread offense, as they generated only 80 yards of total offense in the first half. Burbank compiled 237 total yards in the same period. They also intercepted Morales in the red zone in the second half.
“I mean, the defense is amazing. We’re a brotherhood,” said Corona when talking about how the defense performed. “If one side plays good, the other will play good. Shout out to my teammate Dash; he got a pick, and Troy with that fumble recovery.”
Burbank added two more scores in the second quarter thanks to Corona’s back-to-back touchdowns. His first touchdown came at the 10:48 mark of the second quarter when he opted to keep the rock at the Wildcat 4-yard line and found pay dirt. Then, on the next series, he made it 21-0 when he found Diego Plancarte alone in the end zone on fourth and long.
Both teams traded punts throughout the third quarter until two minutes remained, when backup tailback Giovanni Bernardo joined the scoring party with a 1-yard touchdown run, making it 28-0.
Burbank then put the nail in the coffin as the final frame started when Corona tossed his second touchdown pass of the night to Gavin Azizian. This was just one play after Monrovia turned the ball over when Alan Garcia snapped the ball over Morales’ reach, which was recovered by Wells at the Monrovia 12-yardline.
The Wildcats waited until there were about 30 seconds left in regulation when Morales and offense mustered a drive that was capped with his 4-yard TD pass to Patrick Wells.
With the win, Burbank will look to reach 2-0 in the Arroyo League next week when they host La Canada. Monrovia will look to return to .500 when they host Muir.
Burbank Starting O-Line
LT 66 Harry Molina
LG 54 Luke Betancourt
C 51 Juan Huezo
RG 52 Hayk Torgomyan
RT 55 Aiden Loveranes
Monrovia Starting O-Line
LT 75 Michael Stokes
LG 52 Angel Marquez
C 56 Alan E. Garcia
RG 55 Brandon Fajardo
RT 57
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