The South Pasadena High School varsity football team’s Rio Hondo League game against Monrovia Oct. 6 marked a night of firsts.
The Tigers secured their first league victory of the season with a resounding 56-28 win over the Wildcats, but most importantly, it was the first time since 2003 that South Pas defeated three-time league champion Monrovia.
“We’re still striving for a league title here and in order to get there we had to beat Monrovia,” Tigers coach Jeff Chi said. “We did everything we could to take advantage of our situation and the talent that we have. Yes, it was a huge win and everyone was ecstatic. Obviously we are very proud of the way the players played it out, especially learning from our mistakes against San Marino the week before.”
The 56 total points scored by South Pas (6-1 overall, 1-1 in league) were the highest against Monrovia (3-3, 1-1) in a single game since MaxPreps began keeping records in 2004. Prior to this, the Tigers’ highest single-game total was 22 points against the Wildcats occurred in 2011. South Pasadena’s defense also held Monrovia to its lowest point total in a head-to-head matchup since 2008.
Tigers standout senior running back Jason Hong sparked the offense, finishing with 232 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 31 carries. The Tigers got on the scoreboard early in the first quarter, courtesy of a 9-yard rushing touchdown by the senior.
“Jason has this unbelievable confidence in his ability, especially when the line is blocking for him,” Chi said. “He knows he is going to be unstoppable and he did that on Friday night with the solid defense that Monrovia presented. He was able to cut and slice and make the most of his yardage.”
Monrovia promptly responded, leveling the score at 7-7 with just five minutes left in the opening quarter. However, South Pasadena wasted no time in retaking the lead. Junior David Eisenberg, who finished with one carry for 12 yards and six tackles on defense, returned the Monrovia kickoff with a spectacular 90-yard touchdown. Senior Sawyer Fox scored the extra point, extending the lead to 14-7 with roughly five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers defense forced Monrovia to punt after a brief two-minute drive, setting up one last scoring opportunity in the opening quarter.
Senior quarterback Liam Ohannesian connected with senior Devin Robinson for a 60-yard touchdown pass. With Fox’s third successful extra point, the Tigers extended their lead to 21-7. Ohannesian completed 3 of 4 passes for 135 yards, while Robinson contributed 81 total yards, including two receptions and two carries.
“We came into the game knowing that we had a little advantage in the running game,” Chi said. “We really wanted to take advantage of it and mix it up with the passing as well.”
Hong increased South Pasadena’s lead to 34-14 by scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns in the second quarter, marking his second and third scores of the game. With Fox’s fifth successful PAT, the Tigers established a comfortable 35-14 advantage as the first half came to a close.
Monrovia began the second half by narrowing the deficit with a rushing touchdown in the middle of the third quarter. The Tigers capitalized on their explosive running strategy, gradually advancing downfield and effectively managing the clock. With less than a minute left in a fourth-and-goal situation, Hong charged into the end zone for his fourth touchdown of the evening, extending South Pasadena’s lead to 42-21 after Fox successfully converted his sixth extra point.
Once more, Monrovia swiftly scored on the opening drive of the fourth quarter. However, Hong responded with another impressive play, dashing into the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown to expand the lead to 49-28 following Fox’s seventh PAT.
The Tigers’ defense halted Monrovia and forced a turnover on downs with just under seven minutes left in the game. South Pas added one more touchdown when junior David Ortega sprinted for a 24-yard run, solidifying the 56-28 victory.
Ortega carried the ball three times for 50 yards and recorded a game-high 14 tackles on defense, while senior Luke Riffle contributed a 70-yard catch and tallied six tackles on defense.
Senior Harrison Farley registered five tackles, while senior Carlo Williams and junior Jordan Rodgers tallied four tackles. Senior Mitchell Westlake finished with three tackles, while senior Johnny Sam, junior James Dowd and junior Jacob Chuang each produced two tackles. Senior Damian Flores, junior Sebastian Martinez, junior Bruno Rios and junior Alessandro Jemai each had one tackle.
“Our job is not done. We really have to take it one game at a time,” Chi said.
The Tigers visited Temple City on Oct. 12; the league game ended after the South Pasadena Review’s press deadline and will be included in next week’s issue.
The Tigers will host La Cañada for a league showdown on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. before concluding the regular season against Pasadena Polytechnic on Oct. 27. The CIF Southern Section playoff brackets will be released Oct. 29 at 10 a.m.
First published in the October 13 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
