They knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
Glendora had to replace a number of star players in key positions that helped lead the program to back-to-back CIF-SS semifinal appearances.
And while this Tartans squad is forging its own identity, the results remain the same.
GHS opened the first of five road games with a 20-13 victory at Diamond Ranch.
And it had its share of drama.
Braydon Brus scored the game’s first and last points, with 2-and-70-yard TD runs, respectively.
His second came with approximately one minute left in the game to break a 13-13 tie.
The Tartans defense sealed the victory by knocking down a Panthers’ pass on a 4th-and-1 play at the Diamond Ranch 46-yard line.
Brus finished with 105 yards rushing on 15 carries.
Noah Acuna added 48 yards on the ground and had three catches for 18 yards.
Both GHS and Diamond Ranch got quality play from their kickers.
Cesar Velasquez had field goals of 44 and 32 yards, the latter of which tied the game at 13-13, with 1:30 to play.
GHS’ Jack Norell made good on field goals of 37 and 32 yards, respectively, and both times, Norell gave the Tartans a 3-point lead.
Matt Gonzales had two catches for six yards and his 25-yard kickoff return late in the game was followed one play later by Brus’ 70-yard score.
Charlie Waite picked off a pass, which set up a Glendora field goal.
And a Josh Fernandez fumble recovery set up the other.
Jake Denerson had a challenging night at quarterback, completing 7-of-19 for 32 yards.
GHS will travel to West Covina next Friday night.
Quotable:
GHS senior, Matt Gonzales: “Tonight’s win didn’t feel like it was about the game, it was about us. We worked hard for countless months with no idea what was going on and we got our chance to play. Diamond Ranch was much bigger and more athletic than we probably are, but we fight. We want to be the most excited to play and that’s how you win games like these. We didn’t celebrate just because we won, we celebrated us being able to do what we love and tonight it really showed on the field.”
Box Score:
GHS: 7-3-3-7-(20)
DR: 7-3-0-3-(13)
Scoring:
GHS: Braydon Brus 2 run (Jack Norell kick)
DR: Kejon Gibson 90 kickoff return (Cesar Velasquez kick)
GHS: Jack Norell 37 field goal
DR: Cesar Velasquez 44 field goal
GHS: Jack Norell 32 field goal
DR: Cesar Velasquez 32 field goal
GHS: Braydon Brus 70 run (Jack Norell kick)
Records: Glendora (1-0); Diamond Ranch (0-1)
** Thanks to Zack Morton for the stats and game info, and Rod Tilton for the photos.
Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Monalbo on Instagram) Boys Basketball: Glendora got one more game in before Christmas. And they made the most of it. The Tartans cruised to a 91-58 nonleague victory over Hesperia. GHS had a 48-25 lead at the half. Sebastian Demano scored a game-high 21 points. Demano also had five rebounds, nine […]
Photos by Alex Veliz Girls Basketball: La Salle improved to 12-1 after Saturday’s 40-28 victory over Westlake at the La Salle Winter Showcase. The Lancers led 22-12 at the half, and 32-17 after three quarters. Casey Higgins led La Salle with 10 points. Aislin Tamez Torres had nine points, and Emily Fong contributed eight points […]
Photos by Alex Veliz Girls Basketball La Salle won its eighth consecutive game on Friday. The Lancers cruised to a 75-45 victory over Schurr at the La Salle Winter Showcase. LSHS had a 38-17 lead at the break, and the outcome was never in doubt. Casey Higgins scored a game-high 21 points. Emily Fong chipped […]
Boys Basketball: Etiwanda picked up victory No. 10 of the 2024-25 season on Friday. The Eagles outlasted their visitors from Vista Murrieta, 69-57, behind 18 points from AJ Orji. Orji scored 15 of the 18 in the second half. Ayden Hamilton chipped in with 14 points and Sloane Harris had 11. Cisco Munoz scored a […]
Boys Basketball: Bonita dug itself a 15-point hole at the half in Thursday’s Palomares League opener at Diamond Bar. The Bearcats outscored the Brahmas 49-41, but DBHS would hold on for a 73-66 victory. Bonita had a 10-9 advantage in 3-pointers made. Tyler West led Diamond Bar with 20 points and Jedison Chow had 16 […]
Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Montalbo on Instagram) Boys Basketball: Something had to give when Glendora and Ayala met up Thursday night in Chino Hills. The Bulldogs had won five in a row and 10 of their last 11 games. And the visiting Tartans entered the Palomares League opener for both programs on an eight-game win […]
Wrestling: So far, so good. Bonita has opened the Palomares League portion of its schedule with a pair of blowouts. Last week, the Bearcats secured a 64-18 victory at Diamond Bar. And last night, BHS won 12-of-14 matches, and they cruised to a 65-11 victory. Bonita is now 6-1 overall, and 2-0 in league matches. […]
Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Montalbo on Instagram) Girls Basketball: Glendora had one of its poorest shooting efforts of the year. But when push came to shove, the Tartans pulled away in the second half and they secured a 44-33 victory at Ayala in the Palomares League opener for both programs. GHS and AHS combined for […]
Girls Basketball: Another Prep League basketball for Flintridge Prep. And another blowout. The Wolves led by 27 points after the first eight minutes, and they cruised to a 71-13 victory at Westridge. So far, Prep has league wins over Mayfield, Chadwick and Westridge by a combined margin of 225-52. Olivia Childs led the way with […]
