MidValleySports.Com

By Alex A. Gonzalez

San Marino – It was the home opener Friday night for the San Marino Titans and newly appointed head coach Dujuawn Jones, when they hosted the La Salle Lancers at San Marino High School. And after squandering a 10-6 lead as the third quarter ended, the Titans scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, including the game’s go-ahead touchdown thanks to Parker Wilson’s 15-yard toss to Alexis Mavridis, propelling the Titans to a 27-19 win.

“It feels amazing. We had a great start of the season,” commented Wilson after the game. “Our coaches are so good. I’m so happy we got them this offseason, and it’s just a great team win overall.”

Parker finished the game by going 8-of-18 for 120 yards passing with two passing touchdowns and two INTs and also added 80 yards rushing on nine attempts.

With one game under both belts, La Salle and San Marino both had an offensive explosion the week prior. San Marino dropped 55 last week on the road, and La Salle hung 60 in their Week 0 matchup.

However, as the game played out, neither team found its offensive magic in the first half. The Lancers were the first to get into the red zone late in the opening frame, but when Denzel Carter took the handoff, the Titans defense poked the ball loose and recovered it.

The Titans then compiled an 11-play drive on the ensuing possession that resulted in the game’s first score when Nathan Nielson bulldozed his way into the end zone from four yards out.

La Salle then punched back on their next possession behind dual-threat quarterback Jakari Bacot, who consumed 52 of the 66 total yards of offense on the drive. Fourteen of those yards came on a 4th and short when he dropped back to pass and connected with Jalen Remis for a touchdown strike.

The Lancers, however, failed to block the Titan rush on the point-after attempt as they blocked the kick, preserving their 7-6 lead as the second quarter started.

Both offenses then stalled as the final nine minutes of the first half played out, with neither team producing points as the two schools made their counterparts struggle. The Lancers intercepted two of Wilson’s passes, including one in the red zone, and Cater, who scored six touchdowns a week ago, failed to break a tackle after first contact.

But as the second half began, both teams woke up offensively and traded scoring drives.

The Titans got their second half started on defense after Miles Watlington picked off Bacot’s first pass of the second half that set the team up in Lancer territory. Unfortunately, after a sack by Elijah Hall, San Marino added three points thanks to Nick Acuna’s 35-yard boot.

La Salle then mustered a scoring drive that ultimately gave them a 13-10 lead as the third quarter ended. Bacot carried the offensive load for his team throughout the 11-play drive that was capped off when he executed the quarterback draw and found a hole up the middle for the 4-yard rushing score.

San Marino then wasted no time scoring once they regained n once possession. Cooper Wilson returned the kickoff to midfield. The Titans needed only two plays to regain the lead. Following Acuna’s 16-yard carry, Wilson dropped back, hooked up with Chase Mena, who then outran the defense for a 34-yard touchdown, giving the home team a 17-13 lead with 11 minutes left in the final frame.

Head coach Jones then surprised the Lancers by calling a pouch kick that worked in his favor when Pishon Nkanu failed to field the kick for the Lancers.

With the ball placed at the La Salle 15-yardline, Wilson took the snap, faked the bubble screen to Mena, and found Mavridis wide open for the game’s score and a two-possession lead.

La Salle then went to their hurry-up offense behind Bacot’s arm and legs. Bacot completed three of his seven passes for 52 yards, with one of those passes going for a score to Rocky Strong, making it a 24-19 game at the 7:41 mark of the fourth quarter. Bacot finished the game with 361 total yards while completing 19-38 pass attempts and scoring three touchdowns.

The comeback was halted by the Titans when they recovered the onside kick following the touchdown and turned the short field into another converted Acuña field goal from 36 yards out.

The Lancers did have one last shot at a late score with less than two minutes to play. However, on 4th and long, Bacot’s pass fell hopelessly to the turf as both Aaron Villalobos and Strong ran into one another, ending their hopes of a comeback.

With the win, the Titans’ 2-0 start is their first since the ‘23 season when the team finished 8-2. They will look to make it 3-0 next Saturday when they travel to Alhambra. La Salle will look to bounce back next week when they host Arcadia next Friday.

“It’s surreal. They only won three games last year,” said HC Jones on the 2-0 start. “I’ve been in this district for eight years, and this isn’t their full potential. We still have a lot of work to do, but man, I was excited to get this under us.”

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