With five non-league games now in the books – South Pasadena High knocking off Alhambra 35-12 Friday night on the road to cap it off – the Tigers now have two weeks to prepare for Pasadena Poly when Rio Hondo League play gets underway.
Tigers’ coach Jeff Chi believes his team has what it takes to walk away with the championship, yet recognizing the task won’t be easy. A year ago, South Pasadena shared the crown with Monrovia and San Marino. Chi’s club went 9-2 overall, 4-1 in league, before a first round CIF loss to Los Osos, ending its season.
There’s no looking back as the 2024 preseason campaign is now in the rearview mirror and all the focus is on a Pasadena Poly team coming to South Pasadena for an October 4 Friday night visit.
“They are another very competitive team,” said Chi, sizing up his next opponent, as the Tiger will have plenty of rest with a bye on its schedule next week. “it’s going to be a battle. If we want a shot at the league title we have to go through Poly first. We can’t take them lightly.”
South Pasadena put together a solid performance in its preseason finale against struggling Alhambra, which dropped to 1-4 on the season while the Tigers improved to 3-2.
The Tigers didn’t waste any time in putting this one away early, scoring 14 points in the first quarter, 14 more in the second while holding the Moors to a pair of touchdowns, one in the second period and another in the fourth.
Trey Freking put South Pasadena on the board with five minutes left in the first quarter on a 11-yard rund and scored again with 30 seconds remaining in the period, going the final 4 yards for the touchdown.
Teammate David Ortega put the Tigers up 21-0 on a 5-yard run with seven minutes left in the second quarter and Jordan Rodgers gave the Tigers a commanding 28-0 advantage when he picked off an Alhambra pass and ran it in from 25-yards out.
The Moors closed the gap to 28-6 late in the first half, scoring on the ground following a long kickoff return. The PAT was missed.
After a scoreless third quarter, South Pasadena scored for the final time with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth period on a 5-yard run by Rick Matsuda, now comfortably in front by 29 points.
Alhambra cut into the lead with four minutes left in the contest, scoring on the ground before missing its second extra point.
David Ortega finished the night with 120 yards on 29 carries, to go along with his one touchdown. Freking played only the first half, Chi deciding to keep him on the bench the rest of the way with the huge lead, and carried the ball 11 times for 67 yards, and his pair of TDs. Tigers’ kicker Lorcan Swift was perfect, successfully booting all five of his extra points.
“As a team, the Tigers really came together against a tough and hard-hitting Alhambra team,” said South Pasadena Athletic Director CB Richards. “Our defense was outstanding, with multiple stops, pressure on their quarterback and a key pick-six TD.”
He credited the Tigers Defensive Coordinator John Morant for making key adjustments to set the tone. Offensively, South Pasadena’s offense reached its highest point total of the season with what Richards called a “relentless running game,” accounting for all four of the Tigers touchdowns.
Tigers’ sophomore quarterback Andrew Nott had some key completions, finding tight end James Dowd in crucial situations to move the chains.
“Unfortunately, we have picked up too many minor injuries, but with our bye week coming up, we’re hopeful to get our team healthy by then,” said Richards. “Everyone is 0-0 now, and league starts.”
Temple City and La Canada are all undefeated at 5-0, Monrovia had a bye this week and is 4-0 while Pasadena Poly is 3-1. Chi also knows San Marino, the Tigers’ rival, will also be a force at 2-2.
“We can’t take anybody lightly,” he said. “It’s never easy, but that is what makes it fun. Anything worth fighting for, you have to work hard for it. Nothing is going to be handed to us. It’s going to be a battle each week.”
After facing Pasadena Poly, the Tigers travel to San Marino October 11, host Monrovia and Temple City on October 17 and 25, respectively, and head for La Cañada November 1 ahead of the post-season.
South Pasadena opened the season losing to Schurr 28-0, then had back-to-back wins over Arcadia (21-6) and Crescenta Valley (29-23), dropped a 21-7 decision to Golden Valley before Friday night’s win over the Moors.
“We’re very happy to wrap up the preseason against Alhambra, tighten things up in certain areas as we get ready for league,” said Chi. ““We played some strong competition during the non-league season and I think that is going to help us compete. We played well against those guys and hopefully it should put us on the roadmap to a league title.”
