The South Pasadena High School varsity football team secured a thrilling 34-27 overtime victory against visiting La Cañada in a Rio Hondo League showdown on Oct. 20.
Senior standout Jason Hong delivered another exceptional offensive performance, amassing a career-high 327 yards with four touchdowns on 33 carries. As of Oct. 24, Hong leads the CIF Southern Section in total touchdowns scored with 33, according to MaxPreps. Additionally, that tally ranks the senior at No. 3 in the state.
“We tried to conserve a little in the preseason but in the last two games he had over 30 carries per game, so it’s like the pattern we had last year going into the playoffs,” South Pasadena coach Jeff Chi said. “We have to find ways to be successful and Jason Hong is a vital part of that. He is just phenomenal running the ball, yardage-wise, and scoring for us as well.”
Offensive linemen Vicente Ortega, Zade Marrujo, Dj Ebner, Thomas Carter and Zachary Quirk played a crucial role in the team’s success by opening lanes for Hong and safeguarding their quarterback.
“Nobody really sees what goes on in the trenches, but they are a big reason why Jason is having such an amazing season,” Chi said. “They are creating holes and Jason is taking advantage of the job that they are doing.”
Senior Luke Riffle, who caught the game-clinching interception, finished with five tackles and a 6-yard reception on offense.
“We had the ball first, we scored and then we were able to stop [La Cañada’s] offense with an interception,” Chi said. “The ball was on the 10 or 12-yard line so they couldn’t go deep. Riffle did a great job of coming underneath and tipping the ball to himself to intercept it and end the game.”
Senior Devin Robinson rushed for 43 yards on seven carries and added a 12-yard catch. Senior Gio Cruz had three carries for 18 yards with a touchdown, while senior quarterback Liam Ohannesian completed two passes for 18 yards. Junior David Eisenberg had a 5-yard carry, while senior Sawyer Fox went 4-for-5 in PAT attempts.
Junior James Dowd racked up nine tackles and a sack, while senior Carlo Williams tallied nine tackles. Junior David Ortega produced six tackles, senior Whitman Brida contributed five tackles and senior Damian Flores recorded four tackles. Senior Logan Ayala chipped in two tackles and a sack, senior Mitchell Westlake registered one tackle and a sack, and senior Elijah Garcia and junior Jordan Rodgers each had one tackle.
The Tigers (8-1 overall, 3-1 in league) will conclude the regular season by hosting Pasadena Polytechnic on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. The CIF Southern Section playoff brackets will be released on Oct. 29 at 10 a.m.
First published in the October 27 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
