An up-and-down season suddenly has more downs than ups as South Pasadena High fell for the third time, this time on the road to Golden Valley of Santa Clarita 34-13 in non-league football action Friday night.
With the setback, the Tigers are now 1-3 as they gear up to face Franklin of Los Angeles on Friday, September 19, in their first home game in just under a month.
Since losing to visiting El Segundo on August 22 to open the 2025 campaign, South Pasadena has traveled to Arcadia, where they won big 55-16, but followed that up with a 42-21 loss to Crescenta Valley ahead of their latest defeat to the Grizzlies.
The three losses to date for the Tigers equaled that of all last season when they were 10-3, claimed the Rio Hondo League title and went onto to the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.
This one belonged to Golden Valley from the start as the Grizzlies jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first quarter, added 14 more in the second to roll into halftime with a 21-0 advantage. Golden Valley put 13 points on the board in the third period, making it 34-0 before South Pasadena put two touchdowns on the board in the fourth to end the scoring.
The Tigers finally scored with nine minutes left in the contest on the legs of quarterback Cody Robinson, who carried the ball across from 24 yards out. Late in the fourth quarter, Robinson connected on a 10-yard scoring pass to Lorenzo Jones for South Pasadena’s only other TD on the night.
The Grizzlies’ Aaron McCormick opened the scoring in the first period with a 45-yard touchdown on the ground. McCormick made it a 14-0 game early in the second quarter, taking it in from the five. Golden Valley’s Jayce Johnson broke loose on for 85 yards minutes later, making it 21-0 at the break.
Two more Golden Valley scores in the third quarter sealed it as Johnson put the Grizzlies on top 28-0, going 7-yards for the TD following a Tigers’ fumble. The Grizzlies’ final points came on a 34-yard touchdown run by McCormick, putting Golden Valley comfortably ahead.
It didn’t help matters that the Tigers were lacking some of their top talent in this one. “The score didn’t go our way tonight, but our players kept battling,” said South Pasadena Athletic Director CB Richards when it was all over. “Even with some key guys unavailable, the team’s effort never dropped.”
For Golden Valley, 1-3, it means the Grizzlies can finally celebrate their first season victory as they look ahead to hosting Canyon next week.
Now the Tigers hope to jump-start their season with a win over Franklin before closing out the non-league campaign at West Covina on Thursday, September 25. Then comes league play beginning October 3 when South Pasadena travels to Monrovia, a perennial league favorite.
