Football:

Pictured L-R: Cade Marshman, AJ Salgado & Matt Gonzales

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

There are a lot of reasons why the Glendora football program is 5-0 in 2019 and ranked No. 1 in the CIF-SS Division 5 poll for the last five weeks.

The Tartans are well coached and they have much of their core back from the 2018 squad that made a semifinal playoff run.

And they are also about as balanced offensively as any high school program could hope to be.

At quarterback, Jacob Gonzalez quietly and efficiently just does his job in leading the GHS offense.

Gonzalez has completed 51 of 85 pass attempts for 792 yards.

The senior, who is a baseball (shortstop) commit to Ole Miss, has 12 TD passes and he’s been picked just twice.

Gonzalez is easily one of the most complete and premier baseball players in the southern section and he can do anything at quarterback that is asked of him.

Xzavier Ford has been amazing for the GHS ground game.

Ford is back to 100-percent after a late-season injury one year ago.

He’s carried the ball 99 times for 696 yards and has 7 rushing touchdowns.

Ford averages 140 yards per game.

And keep in mind, Glendora’s average margin of victory this season has been 31-6, and most of the starters rarely get four quarters of work or their numbers would be substantially higher.

So, that takes us to the Tartans’ receiving corps, made up of three guys who not only excel on the football field for second-year coach Brandon Rohrer, they do equal the damage or more for Dan Henley’s baseball program.

Those guys are seniors Cade Marshman and AJ Salgado, and junior Matt Gonzales.

Marshman, Salgado and Gonzales all contribute in different ways, but whatever it is they do, they do it very well.

And one of the many solid traits that each of the three possesses, is not caring who gets the headline as long as GHS wins on Friday nights.

In fact, each of the ‘triple threat’ have played a singularly vital role in separate games this season.

They combine for 150 yards receiving and have caught 11 of the 12 Tartans’ touchdowns so far.

Matt Gonzales, who is underestimated every time he walks out on a football field because of his 5-foot-5, 140-pound frame, made his presence felt in the season opener at Damien.

The Spartans had taken the game’s initial drive 80-plus yards and ate up nearly nine minutes of clock, all while scoring on a fourth-and-three play to take a 7-0 lead.

GHS ran just three plays in the first quarter.

But a Matt Gonzales blocked punt, and a pair of Jacob Gonzalez to Matt Gonzales TD passes completely changed the trajectory and outcome of the game, which the Tartans won, 24-7.

Matt Gonzales has nine catches for 183 yards and three touchdowns on offense.

Aside from the pair of scores he had at Damien, Gonzales also caught a pass from Jacob Gonzalez on the GHS 40 yard line against West Covina, he got a block from his buddy Marshman, and outran several Bulldogs’ players along the Tartans’ sideline for a 60-yard TD on September 19.

And this kid doesn’t come off the field during any of the three phases of the game.

On defense, Gonzales has nine tackles and an interception at free safety.

In the 21-13 victory over previously unbeaten Los Altos, Gonzales played 117 of the game’s 121 snaps.

He’s also someone that 30-plus year GHS assistant baseball coach Ray Bundy called ‘the smoothest playing second baseman I have seen.’

Gonzales had 20 hits and 17 runs scored in his sophomore season.

What makes Gonzales so valuable and popular, aside from his versatility is his attitude.

He just wants to do his part, even if that means being a second or third option.

Gonzales credits and is appreciative to his parents, Andrea and Louis, for their love and guidance and pushing him to be the best version of himself in every facet of his life.

Rohrer described Gonzales as “having another coach on the field. He is very cerebral and understands the game well.”

Gonzales hits second and plays second base and shortstop for the Tartans.

His baseball coach, Dan Henley, said, “Matt is true competitor. He constantly shows grit and determination. He loves playing the game of baseball, while competing at a high level in two sports.”

AJ Salgado is ‘the body’ of the three Tartans.

At a ‘shredded’ 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, as (baseball) Coach Bundy put it, Salgado can do many things well, including his blocking.

But what might be overlooked is his athleticism, his speed and his soft hands.

In particular, a diving catch he made while sprawling out for a Jacob Gonzalez pass along the GHS sidelines in a 31-6 victory at Charter Oak was arguably the most athletic play we’ve seen through the first six weeks of the season.

Salgado has 11 catches for 183 yards and that includes three TD’s.

He scored TD’s in the Charter Oak, Los Altos and West Covina games, his long being a 35-yard strike from Jacob Gonzalez against the Bulldogs.

In 2018, Salgado caught 15 passes for 165 yards and had four scores.

Salgado hits in the middle of the GHS lineup in baseball and plays third base.

Last year, Salgado hit 284, with 23 hits, 13 runs, 13 RBIs and a pair of doubles.

His parents, Pam and Al, and his friends, are people Salgado says pushes him to be a good person and student, far before anything that happens on a field.

Rohrer described Salgado as athletic and strong and sets the tone during drills physically on a daily basis, while doing so with a chip on his shoulder.

His baseball coach put it this way: “AJ Salgado is a young man that is really coming into his own over the past two years. He has become a real physical presence in both sports. It looks like he might have a chance to choose between football and baseball in college.”

Ideally, Salgado would love to play baseball in college, but with his physical stature, he might have several options to consider.

He’s also very popular with his teammates, because of his ‘team first’ and ‘be the best’ mantra that each of the players has adopted.

Just like Gonzales (and Marshman), Salgado is very selfless in that if Glendora has more points on the board on Friday night, he’s just as happy if he caught one pass or 10.

Cade Marshman is arguably one of the most versatile and talented athletes in the entire San Gabriel Valley.

He is both a star in center field and batting leadoff in baseball as he is at receiver, special teams and his contributions in the defensive backfield.

He is listed at 6-foot and 160 pounds.

And whether he’s that or not, he is without doubt, one of the toughest and most fundamentally sound football players you could hope to have on a team.

His character is unquestioned and this season, Marshman has 24 catches for 292 yards, including five TD’s.

On the defensive side, the Tartans’ captain has 13 tackles and an interception.

Something Marshman doesn’t know (until he reads this story) is that his 121 career catches is a new career Glendora High School football record.

Ben Russell had 120 career catches between 1993-1995.

Marshman is just 408 career receiving yards from breaking Russell’s record of 2,188 yards.

Cade’s 19 career TD receptions is just five shy of Dylan Hill’s record 24, which Hill set between 2016-18.

His parents, Heidi and Pat deserve a lot of credit for the incredible young man Cade has become.

Marshman will compete for the Azusa Pacific University baseball program in 2021, but until then, No. 15 and his boys are looking to win a CIF-SS Division 5 championship in football and see how far they can go in baseball in the spring.

Gonzales, Salgado and Marshman each acknowledged the 2018 semifinal loss to Palos Verdes last season has been a driving force and motivation for the returning players and something that has helped fuel the program’s tireless work ethic.

This is the part where the ‘triple threat’ would say to talk about their teammates, so we will.

The GHS defense doesn’t get nearly the credit it deserves.

As mentioned, they surrender just six points per game.

The 13 points Los Altos (4-1) scored was the most the Tartans have allowed all year, and that was still some 36 points less than the Conquerors were averaging offensively.

Hunter Heflin leads the GHS defense with a team-high 41 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Jacob Guerrero is next with 37 tackles.

Bryce Overstreet has 26 tackles and a pair of sacks and Patrick Golden has registered 25 tackles for the Tartans.

Quotable:

Glendora quarterback, Jacob Gonzalez: “It’s great having all three of them. Having them three keeps the defense on their heels, because they don’t know which one of them will break one.”

Cade Marshman on AJ Salgado and Matt Gonzales: “Aaron is just a different breed when it comes to playing football because he is just an absolute man-child. He is always showing that he shouldn’t be messed with on and off the field. He is always laughing and enjoying every aspect of life. I am lucky enough to consider him a close friend and someone that will have my back no matter what. Matt is a player and a person that will challenge anything even though he isn’t favored. He works extremely hard to better himself and the people around him. Being able to play two sports with him is great and I couldn’t be more happy to call him a teammate.”

AJ Salgado on Cade Marshman and Matt Gonzales: “A lot of people underestimate Matt and he makes them pay for that. He is very shifty with his feet. Cade is our fastest receiver and probably does so many things to help us win games.”

Matt Gonzales on Cade Marshman and AJ Salgado: “Cade can do anything and he does everything well. He does it all for us, great hands. I don’t know if he’s dropped a ball all year. He is the best player on our team. AJ has great hands, he is a really good blocker and he runs really good routes.”

Getting to know Cade Marshman:

Favorite team: UCLA

Favorite athlete: Kobe Bryant

Favorite movie: Forest Gump

Favorite musical artist: Drake

Famous person alive or dead I’d most want to speak with: John Wooden

Getting to know Matt Gonzales:

Favorite team: Dodgers

Favorite athlete: Derek Jeter

Favorite movie: Facing the Giants

Favorite musical artist: Luke Bryan

Musical artist people might be surprised I like: Imagine Dragons

Famous person alive or dead I’d most want to speak with: Mike Trout

Getting to know AJ Salgado:

Favorite team: Yankees

Favorite athlete: Derek Jeter

Favorite movie: Remember the Titans

Favorite musical artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Musical artist people might be surprised I like: Luke Combs

Famous person alive or dead I’d most want to speak with: Jackie Robinson

Glendora (5-0) at Bonita (5-0), Friday at 7

By the Numbers:

Team records:

Glendora (5-0); Bonita (5-0)

Combined records of opponents:

Bonita (11-14); Glendora (10-15)

CIF-SS rankings:

Glendora (No. 1 in D-5); Bonita (No. 3 in D-9)

State ranking by MaxPreps:

Glendora (40); Bonita (142)

Points scored:

Bonita (216); Glendora (155)

Points allowed:

Bonita (32); Glendora (33)

Defensive Shut Outs:

Bonita (3); Glendora (1)

Passing yards per game:

Bonita (268); Glendora (158)

Passing TD’s:

Bonita (17); Glendora (12)

Rushing yards per game:

Glendora (175); Bonita (121)

Rushing TD’s:

Bonita (11); Glendora (8)

2019 Bonita Schedule & Results:

August 23: Bonita 42, Arroyo 7

August 30: Bonita 52, Diamond Bar 0

September 6: Bonita 37, Riverside Poly 0

September 14: Bonita 35, San Dimas 25

September 21: Bye Week

September 27: Bonita 50, Covina 0

October 4: Glendora at Bonita **

October 10: Bonita at Colony **

October 18: Bonita at Alta Loma

October 25: Ayala at Bonita **

November 1: Claremont at Bonita **

2019 Glendora Schedule & Results:

August 23: Glendora 24, Damien 7

August 30: Glendora 34, Roosevelt 7

September 6: Glendora 31, Charter Oak 6

September 13: Glendora 21, Los Altos 13

September 19: Glendora 45, West Covina 0

September 27: Bye Week

October 4: Glendora at Bonita **

October 11: Ayala vs Glendora at Citrus College **

October 18: Glendora at Claremont **

October 25: Alta Loma vs Glendora at Citrus College **

November 1: Glendora at Colony **

** Designates Palomares League games.