South Pasadena High winds up its non-league campaign Thursday traveling to West Covina to face a Bulldog team going through similar highs and lows as the season wears on.
The Tigers enter the sixth week at 2-3, coming off a much-needed 42-35 victory over visiting Franklin of Los Angeles while this week’s opponent is 2-2 after falling to San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo, 45-35.
It was a solid win for South Pasadena, knocking off a previously undefeated team in the Panthers as they look to even their record with a victory over West Covina ahead of Rio Hondo League play, which gets underway Friday, October 3 at Monrovia.
Tigers coach Jeff Chi knows the importance of the victory, but recognizes there’s still plenty to work on, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Offensively, South Pasadena had one of its finest performances to date this season as the line opened wide gaps for the running game, particularly senior Trey Freking, who romped for a sensational 290 yards on 42 carries and four touchdowns while averaging nearly seven yards per carry.
Doing the work up front for the Tigers were left tackle Hrag Ourichian, left guard Baron Shroff, center William Girvigian, right guard Kevin Figueroa, and right tackle Guiermo Melara.
“I believe controlling the line was the key to our win,” said Chi after the Franklin contest. “The line is getting better each week, playing more physically against our opponents. They took over the game by executing each play with fewer mistakes than in previous games.”
With a top all-around effort, Freking showed why he’s among the best backs in the San Gabriel Valley.
“Trey has worked diligently to get himself ready for such a game, where he had to carry the team with his running game,” explained Chi. “The O-line did an outstanding job of opening the running lanes where Trey took advantage of his vision and tough running.”
To pick up the Tigers’ third win this week, Chi stressed it’s going to come down to winning the battle up front, controlling the line of scrimmage, and executing well on offense. Defensively, Chi insists not giving up big plays and showing improvement in the tackling department is a must.
All the work up to this point, after facing some opponents admittedly stronger, has been a big part of the plan to get his team ready for league play.
Chi recognizes his club is a little shorthanded waiting for some key players to return following recent injuries. “It has been tough the last couple of games,” noted the coach, “but we are focusing on league, making sure that everyone is healthy and ready to go in two weeks. We have to be patient and keep working and trusting the process to get better.”
South Pasadena opens Rio Hondo League play October 3 at Monrovia, then hosts La Cañada October 10 and San Marino October 17 before concluding the regular season October 24 at Temple City.
