One big step after another, and suddenly South Pasadena High’s football team is on its way to checking off three major goals it hopes to reach this and every season.
In an electric atmosphere, playing in front of a large homecoming crowd, the Tigers continued their quest of defending the Rio Hondo League title, defeating rival San Marino 30-22 Friday night in the 71st meeting between the two neighboring schools.
Number one on the list of objectives annually is win the league crown, and South Pasadena is close. The victory over the Titans not only gave the Tigers (5-4 overall, 3–0 in league) bragging rights over their longtime nemesis to the east but also put them into sole possession of first place in the league standings – and a winning record for the first time this season. A win over struggling Temple City (3-5, 0-2) on the road October 24 will clinch it outright.
Beating San Marino also secures at least a tie for first in league – should they slip up against the Rams – since the Tigers have the better head-to-head records after defeating Monrovia, La Cañada and now the Titans. The worst they can finish is 3-1, but they’d rather not think in those terms.
“We want to take care of business next week and wrap things up,” said CB Richards, South Pasadena’s athletic director.
The second goal is to claim a CIF championship, something the Tigers were close to doing a year ago on the heels of a 10-3 overall campaign when they went deep into the playoffs, reaching the semi-finals before their season came to an end.
And third – Beat San Marino, which they did behind the efforts of an offensive line opening lanes for workhorse Trey Freking, who rushed for 264 yards on 34 carries and scored three touchdowns on the night.
“He took over the game,” said Tigers’ coach Jeff Chi when it was over. “Trey had an amazing night running the ball. I can’t say enough about how important he is to our offense and what he brings to our team energy.”
With the loss, San Marino, which still leads the series 37-31-3, dropped to 3–5 overall and 1–1 in league play.
It’s been a stunning turnaround for South Pasadena, a team that stumbled through non-league play at 2-4 but has since caught fire. Friday’s win marked the Tigers’ third straight, following nail-biters over Monrovia (23–21) and La Cañada (23–22) and San Marino.
Chi recognized early on he’s got a group that never quits, telling his team when it was struggling after the non-league campaign that the record didn’t define them. His club kept working hard, buckled down and now it’s paying off big time. Partly by design, the Tigers’ coach purposely put his team up against strong opponents in the preseason to prepare it for challenging league foes in the final four weeks.
The homecoming stage couldn’t have been scripted any better – a supportive crowd, the SPHS marching band’s halftime show, fireworks, and naming of senior Leila Wahbe as the Most Royal Tiger turned Ray Solari Stadium into a sea of orange and black.
And, along with it, the Tigers delivered, controlling the tempo most of the way, making big plays when it mattered most.
San Marino opened the game by throwing an interception, then oddly, the Tigers gave it back tossing a pick of their own to set up the Titans’ first score as Miles Morning went 50-yards on the ground midway through the first quarter, giving the visitors an early 7-0 lead.
South Pasadena answered in its next possession as quarterback Andrew Nott found tight end Grayson Ebner deep for 39 yards, as the Tigers worked their way inside the Titans’ 20, where Freking eventually scored, rushing the final two yards, making it a 7-7 game two minutes into the second quarter.
After a missed San Marino field goal, the Tigers took over on their own 30, and Freking was once again picking up big yardage as South Pasadena was back inside the Titans’ red zone. With about five minutes left before the half, Freking scored a second time, going five yards to pull his team in front 13-7 after a missed PAT.
The Tigers’ Lorcan Swift energized the home crowd when he recovered a San Marino fumble at mid-field, putting South Pasadena’s offense back in with four minutes to go before the break. Not long after, the ball was put back into Freking’s hands and the Tigers’ prized running back, a senior, was in the end zone for the third time, and South Pasadena was now up 20-7 near the end of the second quarter.
By halftime, Freking was well on his way to a huge performance, going 167 yards on the ground on 22 carries, averaging 7.5 yards per carry, to go along with his three TDs.
South Pasadena added three more points as the third quarter clock ticked down, as Swift kicked a 9-yard field goal, increasing the Tigers’ lead to 23-7.
In typical fashion, as this game brings out the best in both teams, the Titans battled back with eight minutes left in the game. Quarterback Parker Wilson completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Samaniego. After the Titans converted the two-point conversion on a pass to Morning, San Marino now trailed 23-15.
Yet, Freking wasn’t done, springing loose for big gains, and quickly the ball was inside the Titans’ 20. With about four minutes to go in the game, the Tigers pushed it across, Nott finding Ebner for a 13-yard touchdown pass, South Pasadena now on top 30-15.
The Titans’ never-quit offense was back at it once it got the ball back, as Wilson connected with Morning from 13-yards out for a score with two minutes left on the fourth quarter clock, closing it to within eight, 30-22.
From there, the ball was put back into the hands of Freking, who closed it out by picking up key yardage down the stretch, helping his team put the game away.
The win puts South Pasadena in prime position for a CIF-Southern Section playoff berth. The top two teams from the Rio Hondo League advance, and with one game remaining – a trip to Temple City on October 24 – the Tigers like their chances.
For a program with a never give up mentality and unstoppable drive, South Pasadena’s resurgence feels like a return to form – another opportunity to go deep into the postseason – and maybe a hint of something bigger to come.
