Now they can taste it, as the Tigers – on a mission – took another giant step closer to playing for everything they’ve worked for over the past seven months.
One win away from going to the CIF-Southern Section championship, South Pasadena High can now say it’s deep into the playoffs after turning away host Valley View 34-31 Friday night in Division 10 quarterfinal action.
With victories mounting, the Tigers, winners of eight straight, have improved to 10-2 overall on the season, are coming off two playoff wins, an undefeated 5-0 Rio Hondo League mark for their first outright title in 47 years, and locked in to grab a CIF football crown for the first time since 1975.
They opened their playoff run getting past Patriot of Jurupa Valley 35-28 the first round, and with this victory are just two victories away from achieving their final goal of winning it all.
South Pasadena coach Jeff Chi likes to say the quest for the ultimate goal started way back in May when spring drill first got underway and big team goals were set. Now the end is near to reach one that has eluded the school a long, long time.
“It feels great to win the second round,” said Chi after the three-point win over Valley View. “Now we’re getting closer and closer to our ultimate goal as we’re trying to get to the CIF championship game. It was a good win for us. It was a hard fought battle that went back and forth and I’m just proud of the way our kids hung in there. They were very competitive and fought to the very end.”
To reach the reach the finals, South Pasadena now must get past Silverado, which knocked off Chino Friday, setting up a semi-final matchup on Friday, November 22, on the road in Victorville. The team winning that one is headed to the title game November 29, the day after Thanksgiving. With a victory, South Pasadena will play the winner of the St. Anthony versus Pacific, playing in the other semifinal.
While the Tigers celebrated the quarterfinal triumph, Valley View players walked somberly off the field knowing their season has suddenly come to an end, finishing 7-5 overall, including 2-3 in the Sunbelt League for fifth place.
Valley View held a 17-14 advantage at the break, scoring seven points in the first period and 10 in the second while the Tigers put seven points on the board in both the first and second quarters. The only scoring in the third quarter came on a pair of South Pasadena field goals ahead of both teams scoring 14 points in the fourth.
It was a brisk 47 degrees at kickoff, as South Pasadena jumped out to a 7-0 lead late in the first period on a 35-yard scoring pass from Andrew Nott to Toshio Matsuoka.
In closing seconds of the quarter, Valley View answered with a 50-yard scoring pass from Jesse Vega to Isaiah Myers, evening it at 7 apiece.
The Tigers regained the lead, going up 14-7 at the 9-minute mark of the second period on a 48-yard TD run by Rick Matsuda.
With three minutes before the half, Valley View closed to within four, 14-10, on a 35-yard field goal, and not long after took its first lead, 17-14, on a 5-yard run by Vega, his second of the night.
South Pasadena opened the third quarter by recovering an onside kick, setting up a 41-yard field goal by Nicholas Dragonas, tying it 17-17 with four minutes left in the period. After stopping the Eagles, the Tigers worked the ball down to Valley View’s 3, but couldn’t punch it in, settling for a 17-yard Dragonas field goal, putting the Tigers back on top, 20-17, as the third period was about to end.
The Eagles took the kickoff and moved the ball down field, going 55-yards in the drive as Vega found Kyle Winston from 15 yards out on the scoring pass, to push Valley View in front 24-20 with 10 minutes left in the game.
But not for long. Like he’s been doing all season, the Tigers’ Trey Freking came up big – real big – busting loose on a 51-yard touchdown run, to put South Pasadena back on top 27-24 with seven minutes remaining.
South Pasadena’s defense came up huge with five minutes in the game, stopping the Eagles on downs and taking over on offense at the Valley View 30. With four minutes before the finish David Eisenberg scored on a 24-yard run, making it 34-24 Tigers.
There was no quit in the Eagles, however, as they quickly pushed the ball inside the South Pasadena 20 yard line, then to the three where Vega connected on a scoring pass to Winston, narrowing the gap to 34-31 at the two minute mark.
The Tigers’ Jordan Rodgers was the hero in the end, falling on a Valley View onside kick as South Pasadena took over at the Eagles’ 45, finally going into a victory formation, running out the clock and sending off a wild celebration in the end.
South Pasadena is no stranger to the CIF semifinals, where their season ended in both 2021 and 2022 ahead of last year when South Pasadena fell 30-27 to Los Osos in the first round.
“We’ve learned from last year that it’s important to get out on a team (from the start) really strong and finish it,” said Chi. “We just have to do a better job of preparing for it.”
Chi also knows the further his club goes, the tougher it gets. To combat it, the coach knows his offense is gelling at the right time and his defense continues to step up and make solid plays.
“I feel comfortable, but no one is going to ever give you that win,” he said. “You have to go out and earn it. We’re going to keep working through it.”
It takes four playoff wins to claim the title, and the key to making that happen, says the coach, is keeping his team healthy. “That’s why we emphasize the weight-lifting during the offseason so much,” said the coach. “You want your players to be durable. One thing you can’t control, like being sick, so we tell our guys to hydrate, rest up, wash your hands – those are silly little things – but it really matters.”
Chi doesn’t hide the fact, “It has been a long season for us, so we have to mentally tough and emotionally stable and be ready to compete.”
The mantra up to this point from the coach has been one game at a time. Now that the Tigers are past Valley View, Chi’s message to his players this week is “You’ve got six more days of hard practice. That’s all we’re asking you to do – make that sacrifice. I think our kids are up to the challenge. We’ve kept them healthy and in good shape for the most part, getting better and better each week and learning from their mistakes. That’s the key to getting to the championship.”
The old adage of “defense wins championships, and has been doing a great job so far for us,” noted Chi. “And our running game has been solid, so we have the two things on our side that will hopefully get us there, and hopefully win one.”
Further, the coach adds, “We have what it takes to get there and hopefully win. We just have to make sure everyone is healthy, injury-free, be mentally tough, have the endurance, conditioning and hopefully we’ll put it all together.”
The word “tough” is often used by Chi, who questioned early in the season if his squad had the toughness it takes to compete at a high level each week. “I have the confidence they are tough,” he said of his squad. “Collectively, we are a tough team. Our confidence is high and I think that is going to help us.”
Looking back on the campaign up to now, 13 weeks including a bye, the coach appreciates the amount of time his team has put into the program. “The relationship we have in them, and the trust they have placed in us is very special and meaningful for our coaching staff. We joke around, and get on them at times, but they all know our ultimate goal is win football games. Every week, we ask them to put in the best effort and be the best they can be. It has been a very enjoyable year, and hopefully we’ll keep it going for a couple of more weeks.”
