Suddenly, South Pasadena High’s football team appears to be unstoppable.
The Tigers strung together their third straight victory, displaying some big offensive plays and plenty of grit on defense in turning away rival San Marino on the road 24-17 Friday night in a key Rio Hondo League matchup.
With the win, South Pasadena remains unbeaten in league play at 2-0, improving to 5-2 overall, while the Titans are now 3-4 (0-2). The Tigers also snapped a two-game losing streak against San Marino, the last time coming out on top in the contest between the two schools back in 2021, narrowly winning that one 24-21.
For San Marino, upended by Monrovia 63-27 in its first league game a week ago, it’s time to regroup, look for answers and seek a new path to victory over the final weeks.
After it was over, South Pasadena players rejoiced, celebrated on the field, securing both the Plaque and Crowley Cup, a pair of awards the two squads play for in the long series going back 70 years. San Marino, which has lost only twice since 2011, leads it 37-30-3.
Carrying the momentum from last week’s lopsided 55-7 throttling of Pasadena Poly in the league opener, the Tigers took a key step in defending their league title, a role they shared a year ago with Monrovia and the Titans, all three finishing with 4-1 marks.
South Pasadena is in a position now to win it outright, recognizing it won’t be easy with three games remaining on the schedule. The Tigers are home for the next two, hosting Monrovia Thursday, October 17, and Temple City Friday, October 25, before finishing up at La Cañada Friday, November 1.
Monrovia (6-1, 2-0) rolled to a 49-0 with over Temple City (5-2, 0-2) Friday while La Canada (7-0, 2-0) had no problem with the Pasadena Poly (3-4,0-2) on Thursday, beating the Panthers 44-7.
The Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead over San Marino, scoring on 10-yard run by David Ortega with four minutes gone in the first quarter and a 25-yard second period field goal by Lorcan Swift three minutes before intermission. San Marino battled back to tie in the closing minutes of the first half on a 20-yard field goal and a pick six, the Titans returning an interception 55-yards for a touchdown, knotting it 10-10 at the break.
South Pasadena picked up its second touchdown of the night early in the third quarter, Trey Freking taking it in on the ground from 21-yards out to finish off a 60-yard drive, the Tigers now in front 17-10. South Pasadena was back in the end zone minutes later, scoring on a fake punt as Jordan Rodgers, on a misdirected snap, rushed 38-yards for the touchdown, South Pasadena now up on top 24-10. San Marino closed out the scoring in the final minutes of the fourth period on a 52-yard pass.
The magnitude of play seems to intensify significantly when South Pasadena and San Marino meet in their yearly battle.
“It’s always a huge rivalry game,” said Jeff Chi, who has been a part of it as an assistant and now head coach for more than 30 years. “A lot of the players know each other off the field, and having the bragging rights is important on both sides. It’s something that has been traditional for years and years.”
Chi also knows that a win isn’t just for the team, but for the school and the city “knowing that we beat San Marino,” he said. “That’s a huge part in winning it. We’ve had some good games, some lopsided games, and some very close games.”
Nothing changes from one year to the next, “as obviously we want to win,” Chi added. “That’s always the goal.”
It was mission accomplished in a monumental year – the 70th – for South Pasadena, looking to defend its league title with some important games down the stretch.
