MidValleySports.Com

It was La Fiesta Grande at La Salle on Friday night.

By Steven Mercado

(Sierra Madre)- The La Salle Lancers were firing on all cylinders Friday night as they powered their way to a 40-0 rout over cross-city rivals, the Maranatha Minutemen.

The game was never close. La Salle scored the first touchdown 1:37 into the game and kept its foot on the gas pedal. The Lancers scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and despite Maranatha making some good plays throughout the game, they were followed by costly mistakes that prevented them from posing any real scoring threat.

La Salle’s offensive onslaught was lead by its ground game. Sophomore running back Milan Acquaah led the attack with three rushing touchdowns, two coming in the first quarter. The other two offensive touchdowns came from senior running back Bryce Harvey.

The closest the Minutemen came to scoring was early in the third quarter. A careless throw from La Salle sophomore quarterback Will Pyburn was picked off by senior linebacker Aidan Yamada and returned to the 9-yard line. In four plays, the Minutemen only managed to push for one yard before turning the ball over on downs.

***La Salle sophomore quarterback Will Pyburn threw for 158 yards, 146 of them coming in the first half. He also threw two picks, both coming early in the third quarter.

***Maranatha junior quarterback Eli Snyder threw for 141 yards and three picks.

***La Salle’s rushing game: Milan Acquaah, 111 rushing yards, three TDs; Bryce Harvey, 110 rushing yards, two TDs.

***Maranatha was shutout for the first time this season. La Salle recorded their second shutout of the year.

***La Salle Head Coach Russ Gordon on their defense: “Our defense is stingy. Our defensive coordinator does a great job. Last year, we were in the top of our division defensively. He’s been with me for 13 years and he continues to do a great job. Our boys played proud, they played physical, they played fast, and they played extremely methodical.”

***Gordon looks to utilize the “two-headed monster” they have at the running back spot.

***La Salle senior linebacker Sean Cowell intercepted a pass and ran it back for a 51-yard touchdown. This made the score 40-0, which was the final. He also recovered a fumble early in the first quarter that led to the Lancers’ second touchdown on the night.

***This was Maranatha Head Coach Jude Oliva’s first time playing in the yearly rivalry game between the Minutemen and the Lancers. This was Gordon’s second time playing the crosstown rivals; last year, the Lancers won 63-7.

***La Salle’s total yards on offense: 369; Maranatha: 140.

***Gordon on the significance of the rivalry: “It’s great for the school, it’s great for the community. Anytime you have a rivalry game, it’s amazing.”

***Maranatha committed five turnovers in the game: three via interception and two via lost fumbles.