South Pasadena High, coming off a 28-10 victory over La Cañada to claim its first Rio Hondo League football championship in nearly 50 years, will be home Friday night to face Patriot from Jurupa Valley of Riverside County in first round CIF Division-10 action.
There’s been some confusion about exactly when the Tigers last claimed the league title outright, the school knowing for sure it was 1977.
Alumni have placed pictures of patches from a SPHS lettermen’s jacket, along with newspaper clippings, on social media showing that that South Pasadena won it in 1977, but there’s some question if the Tigers shared the crown with Temple City that year. The school has been asked to delve into old yearbooks for the answer.
Whatever the year, Chi knows that it was long ago, and won’t have much to do with his squad coming out to play its best football, hoping to win the 7 p.m. contest and move on to round two in the postseason. The Tigers will need four playoff victories to call themselves CIF champs in 2024, and for Chi and company that’s all that really matters.
“It’s going to be a battle,” he said Sunday, noting just on the surface without deeply dissecting his next opponent, Patriot appears to be a strong running team, much like the Tigers.
Josiah Felix, according to Chi, looks to carry about 80 percent of the Warriors’ offense, rushing for 1,467 yards on 156 carries, averaging 163 yards per game through nine games, to go along with his 23 touchdowns. “They have some big guys up front on the line,” Chi said. “We’re going to have to work hard to prepare for these guys. They are a very good team.”
After getting word on who the Tigers will face next, Chi and his coaching staff immediately went into motion Sunday putting a game plan together.
“Defensively, we have to control the line of scrimmage, not let their running back have any big lanes and big plays,” said the coach. “They are very similar to us. I think it’s going to be a very close game, which I thing is what CIF likes when they put teams together in the playoffs.”
The Tigers will counter with a solid defense that has not given up more than 28 points in a single game all season and with the one-two punch of Trey Freking and David Ortega, providing a powerful running attack. Freking has rushed for 1,234 yards on 188 carries and 13 scores while Ortega has another 721, carrying the ball 99 times nine scores over the 10 games.
Sophomore quarterback Andrew Nott, guiding the offense, has completed 41 of his 65 passes for 725 yards and has thrown six TDs.
Against La Cañada, Ortega saw limited action nursing a minor injury and Freking, a workhorse in the game, carried 21 times for 111 yards and one touchdown. Nott, managing the game will under center, finished 6 of 8 for 111 yards and had one scoring pass.
“We will have to establish the run, and have a balanced attack,” said Chi when asked what it will take to come out on top in this one. “If our running is to be successful, then our passing game should open up as well,” he stressed.
Patriot, 5-4 overall, was the River Valley League’s third best team at 3-2 behind unbeaten Ramona Valley (10-0, 5-5) and Norte Vista (9-1, 4-1).
South Pasadena, riding a six game winning streak going back to its final non-league game against Alhambra, is 8-2, including a perfect 5-0 mark against league opponents.
Monrovia (4-1) trailed the Tigers by one game followed by La Cañada (3-2), San Marino (2-3), Temple City (1-4) and Pasadena Poly 0-5 bringing up the rear.
Three other Rio Hondo League teams are headed to the postseason. La Cañada also qualified to play in Division 10, and will face Pacifica, while Monrovia plays Burbank on the road in Division 9 and San Marino, getting in as an at-large berth, takes on Hawthorne at home.
