(Alhambra) – The Whittier Christian Heralds, relying heavily on senior tailback Tyler Jauregui and doing just enough on defense, edged the Alhambra Moors, 21-20, Saturday night in a nonleague game played at Mark Keppel High.
Jauregui ran the ball 23 times for 240 yards and two touchdowns to lead a Whittier Christian offense that netted 239 yards on the ground and gained 268 yards in all. Jauregui gave the Heralds a 7-0 lead with a 52-yard burst late in the first quarter and added a 19-yard TD run which put his team ahead, 21-14, with 4:25 remaining.
Fullback Sean Maughan provided a key score for Whittier Christian with a 10-yard run that tied the game at 14-all early in the third quarter.
The win over Alhambra enabled the Heralds to finish the spring football season with an overall record of 1-4. Whittier Christian’s four losses were all in Olympic League play.
For the Moors, who were competing for the first time in almost a year and-a-half, the matchup against the Heralds turned out to be their only game in the pandemic-delayed season. Alhambra had originally planned to open against league rival San Gabriel on April 8, but that game got cancelled less than two hours before kickoff.
The Moors had their struggles on offense Saturday night, turning the ball over on downs four times in Whittier Christian territory. However, they also got an outstanding game from senior wide receiver/running back Vidhan Gurung, as well as encouraging performances from several underclassmen who are expected back for the fall 2021 season.
Gurung scored on a one-yard run and on a 26-yard pass from Michael Gonzalez late in the second quarter which gave Alhambra a 14-7 halftime lead.
Gonzalez, a junior making his debut at quarterback for the Moors, completed 20 of 33 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns. His leading receiver was Gurung, who caught seven throws for a total of 103 yards.
Unfortunately for Alhambra, Gonzalez’s lone interception, which came with the game tied early in the fourth quarter, led to the Heralds’ 80-yard drive for their go-ahead score.
On the Moors’ final possession, Gonzalez fired a five-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Johnny Thang to make the score 21-20 with 39 seconds left. Alhambra attempted a two-point conversion to regain the lead, but Gurung was stopped short of the goal line on a run up the middle.
The Moors then tried an onside kick, but the Heralds recovered and ran out the clock.
Alhambra, which had difficulty running the ball in the first half, got its ground game going after the break thanks to junior tailback Luis Sanchez, who gained 71 of the Moors’ 80 rushing yards on nine carries.
Alhambra was penalized seven times for 50 yards, while Whittier Christian was flagged five times for a total of 35 yards.
*Information courtesy of Ron Vrooman.
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need to get that anthony brown type of running back and O-line to push people around
@ Anonymous: They were all good players, but I’d like to point out that Alhambra had All-CIF receivers in 2018 (Raul Cortez) and 2019 (Vito Russell and Kody Chuang).
In addition, I’m impressed by the Moors’ new quarterback, Michael Gonzalez. How often does a QB throw for 217 yards and two touchdowns in his first varsity start? I believe AHS once again has the makings of a good passing attack.
If Alhambra can get its ground game going, then watch out.
Miss the old Alhambra teams with Zion babb, Anthony brown, Mitchell when Alhambra gets that type of player they will be back
@ Anonymous & Tony: I believe Alhambra’s football program will be OK in the fall, and the current pandemic trends in our area are pointing to a full reopening of schools and businesses by then. Let’s hope that the Covid-19 situation continues to improve.
Despite two consecutive losses (one of those being in the last game of the 2019 season), Alhambra’s varsity has still won 20 of its last 24 games. The biggest problem for us right now is getting past the pandemic.
The Moors had 48 players on the roster for this brief season, including a dozen freshmen. We’ll lose 12 players to graduation next month, but the rest should return for the fall season, barring transfers or ineligibility. We might also pick up some additional players who sat out this season.
I see the loss on Saturday night as much more of a learning experience than a setback. After all, we got to play just one game this season, which we lost by a single point. I’m optimistic about the future.
I didn’t even know until just now that Alhambra had a game Saturday night 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️.I’m hoping for a regular season come this fall hopefully.Go Moors !
I had no idea this game even was a thing until right now 12 am Tuesday morning 🤦♂️.I’m hoping for a regular season this coming fall .
Tough break for Alhambra the program goes going in the right direction and then COVID hit interesting to see how the program recovers