MidValleySports.Com

By Ron Vrooman

(Alhambra) – The visiting San Marino Titans routed the Alhambra Moors, 49-0, in a nonleague game played Saturday night. San Marino improved its season record to 3-0, while Alhambra dropped to 0-2.

Thanks to their defense, the Moors trailed by only 14-0 at the intermission despite committing two turnovers inside the San Marino 20 and turning the ball over on downs three times in the first half. However, the Titans ran away with the game early in the third quarter, scoring three touchdowns in a span of just over three minutes to take a 35-0 lead.

On San Marino’s first play from scrimmage following the second-half kickoff, running back Nathan Nielson raced 56 yards to make the score 21-0. Then, only two plays after Alex Mavridis intercepted a pass by Alhambra quarterback Josh Calderon, San Marino quarterback Parker Wilson hit Mavridis with a 24-yard touchdown strike to extend the Titans’ lead to 28-0.

The Moors were unable to move the ball on their next possession and were forced to punt from their own 23-yard line. The Titans’ Perry Lin blocked Alex Zuniga’s kick and recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a TD that gave San Marino a 35-point lead with 8:26 still remaining in the third quarter. 

The Titans had no trouble adding two scores with a running clock in the fourth quarter.

Wilson completed seven of 14 passes for 109 yards and the one touchdown, and he also carried the ball nine times for 41 yards and another TD. Nielson rushed seven times for 80 yards and two touchdowns. The Titans totaled 333 yards from scrimmage, while the Moors gained only 133 yards. 

Alhambra’s starting quarterback, senior Moses Llamas, connected on five of eight passes for just 40 yards and committed a costly fumble on the Moors’ opening drive. Making matters worse, Llamas was ejected from the game shortly before halftime when he left the bench to intervene in an altercation between a teammate and a San Marino player.

Sophomore Josh Calderon went the rest of the way at quarterback for the Moors, completing only six of 21 passes for 57 yards and throwing two interceptions. Junior Nathan Rabadan ran for 62 yards in four carries which included a 51-yard burst on Alhambra’s first possession. 

The game was a penalty-marred affair, to put it mildly. The Titans were flagged 15 times for a total of 161 yards, and the Moors were penalized nine times for 70 yards.