Photo L-R: Monrovia & Ayala quarterbacks, Brian Salazar Jr, & Bryan Wilson

Football:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

It’s only one regular season game, and it’s not even a league contest.

But Friday’s showdown between Monrovia and Ayala has much of the SGV area football world talking.

The Wildcats and Bulldogs are both 3-0, they’re well coached, and they boast intelligent and skilled athletes throughout their lineup.

While looking back to 2019, which is when the high school careers of every senior in Friday’s game began, MHS and AHS have been nothing short of awesome.

Monrovia is 25-5 over that stretch, and Ayala has won 28 of the 31 games it has played.

The Bulldogs have secured three league titles, while the Wildcats have two championships to their name.

And to be fair to MHS, Rio Hondo League programs did not compete against each other in the COVID-19-shortened season of 2020.

It seems the obvious question in contemplating a potential winner on Friday is: can the Ayala defense find a way to slow down a Monrovia offense that averages 48 points and 469 yards per game?

Brian Salazar Jr., in his first three starts for MHS, looks like a seasoned veteran.

Salazar has completed 47-of-85 for 933 yards.

He’s thrown 12 TD passes and just two interceptions.

Salazar averages 311 yards through the air, and he’s rushed for 69 yards and one TD.

That one rushing TD came in overtime in the 36-35 victory at Bonita in a week-zero thriller.

Salazar’s favorite targets include Washington State commit, Carlos Hernandez, Noah Ellison and Jaylen Moore.

Moore has 15 receptions for 296 yards and five TD’s.

Hernandez (17 passes for 399 yards and three scores) is still finding a way to soar despite being double-teamed throughout the Wildcats first three games.

And Ellison has 211 receiving yards on six catches, and that includes three TD’s.

Marcel Jones leads the Monrovia ground game with 327 yards on 42 carries, and three TD’s.

The Ayala defense surrenders and average of 20 points per game, which is five less than MHS.

Luke Williams (20 tackles), Brandon Townsell (19), Tommy Tucay (18 tackles & two interceptions) and Enrique Ibanez (17) have paced the Bulldogs D.

Bryan Wilson has run the Ayala offense since the first day he walked onto the Bulldogs football field.

Over his three years at QB, The AHS junior and his Bulldogs are 17-1.

In the final regular season game of 2021, Wilson incurred a shoulder injury, and he wasn’t able to play in the 31-14 playoff loss at Foothill

Wilson spent the rest of 2021 and all of 2022 rehabbing for moments and opportunities like Friday night.

Wilson has completed 40 of 69 for 752 yards.

He’s thrown seven TD’s, four interceptions, and he’s rushed for 29 yards and a pair of TD’s.

Wilson has a number of talented targets, including Dominic Alloway, Lytallion Payne and Drew Amico.

Alloway has 10 catches for 227 yards and three TD’s.

Payne’s stats include nine receptions for 212 yards and a pair of scores.

And Amico has caught 11 passes for 184 yards.

The Bulldogs ground game has a number of contributors, but Marquis Monroe is their go-to guy.

Monroe has carried the ball 38 times for 349 yards and three scores.

Monrovia’s defensive effort is spearheaded by Jacob Calnon, who has a team-high 23 tackles as well as two picks.

Tristin Yuille (20 tackles) and Dominick Coza (19) have also been crucial for the Wildcats D.

Along with his explosive runs after catching passes, Carlos Hernandez has a team-high three interceptions from the MHS defensive backfield.

As far as special teams play, both Bryan Cote (Monrovia) and Nick Lane (Ayala) have proven to be reliable with their foot through the first three games of 2022.

The winner of Friday’s game will obviously have a solid victory on their 2022 season resume, but it’s certain that both programs will be better prepared for league and the postseason by playing in a game like this.

Good luck and best of health to both Monrovia and Ayala.

Under the list of stats in the ‘by the numbers’ section are answers sent to us by Monrovia coach Chris Williams and Ayala’s AJ Gracia.

By the Numbers:
Records: M (3-0); A (3-0)
Points Scored: M (142); A (96)
Points Allowed: M (75); A (61)
Points per Game: M (48); A (32)
Points allowed per Game: M (25); A (20)
Team Passing Yards: M (933); A (752)
Team Rushing Yards: M (474); A (539)
Most points scored in a game: M (58 at El Rancho); A (40 vs Leuzinger)
Most points allowed in a game: M (35 at Bonita); A (33 vs Leuzinger)
Monrovia’s Road Record: 2-0
Ayala’s Home Record: 2-0
MaxPreps State Ranking: M (133); A (33)

I asked Monrovia coach Chris Williams to answer the following: What is key in picking up a road victory at Ayala? Is there anyone (like for you it’s Carlos) that MHS needs to slow down to insure a victory? If the AHS defense is able to pressure Brian, what’s your confidence level in the Wildcats rushing game to carry the load?

In contrast, I asked Ayala coach AJ Gracia to touch on: What specifically must Ayala do on Friday to stay undefeated? It goes without saying their QB averages 311 yards per game and has thrown 12 TD’s/2 INT’s, as compared to just 400 yards rushing in 2022. How do you slow down a team averaging just under 50 points per game? How important is it to win the time of possession battle? And lastly, I know every team that plays Monrovia this season has doubled Carlos Hernandez. Is shutting him down imperative or does your defense have enough to guard him one on one?

Quotable:

Monrovia coach, Chris Williams: “The key to tough road games is the ability to execute on third down situations and winning the turnover battle. You have to win those two situations on both sides of the ball. Bryan Wilson (their QB) and Marquise Monroe (their RB) are game changers. Wilson with his arm and ability to scramble and create big plays. He’s the best QB we will face all season until the playoffs. And Monroe has great speed and vision. That young man’s ability to knock off big chunk plays is what we will have to slow down on defense to win. I’m sure the goal for Ayala defensively is to make Brian uncomfortable. But what we have started to see is our RB Marcel Jones is a load. And our offensive line is really starting to get their feet in the ground game. So, I’m confident in giving Marcel an old-school 20-25 carry game if we need to. Jones is built to carry a load.”

Ayala coach, AJ Gracia: “This is another tough opponent. This is the fourth straight week where we need to bring our A game. Like always, we need to have a clean game on special teams and make an impact play in the kicking game like last week. Offensively, we need to remain balanced running and throwing the ball. As coaches, we need to make sure our playmakers get the ball in their hands often. Defensively, we need to clean up some miscues in our secondary. We did a great job stopping the run and getting pressure on the QB. We will need to continue that this week against a high-powered offense. The time of possession is not necessarily as important of a statistic as one would think in a game like this, because they can score so quickly from anywhere on the field. Winning time of possession doesn’t mean you are winning the game. Winning the turnover battle and starting field position are more important. Their passing game is so dynamic that it isn’t easy to key on one player. We will need to play great team defense, make tackles in space, and avoid the big plays. This should be a great game and hopefully a great atmosphere Friday night at Ayala HS.”

2022 Monrovia Schedule:
8/19: Monrovia 36, Bonita 35 (OT)
8/26: Monrovia 49, Arcadia 14
9/1: Monrovia 58, El Rancho 26
9/9: Monrovia at Ayala
9/16: Bye Week
9/23: San Dimas at Monrovia
9/29: Monrovia at South Pasadena
10/7: La Canada at Monrovia
10/14: Monrovia at Pasadena Poly
10/21: San Marino at Monrovia
10/28: Temple City at Monrovia

2022 Rio Hondo League Standings:
Monrovia (3-0 overall, 0-0 in league)
South Pasadena (3-0, 0-0)
San Marino (2-1, 0-0)
Temple City (1-1, 0-0)
La Canada (1-2, 0-0)
Pas Poly (0-2, 0-0)

2022 Ayala Schedule:
8/19: Ayala 28, Torrey Pines 14
8/26: Ayala 28, Etiwanda 14
9/1: Ayala 40, Leuzinger 33
9/9: Monrovia at Ayala
9/16: Ayala at Chino Hills
9/23: Citrus Valley at Ayala
9/29: Glendora at Ayala
10/6: Bye Week
10/14: Charter Oak at Ayala
10/21: Ayala at Alta Loma
10/27: Ayala at Bonita

2022 Mountain West League Standings:
Ayala (3-0 overall, 0-0 in league)
Charter Oak (2-0, 0-0)
Alta Loma (2-1, 0-0)
Bonita (1-2, 0-0)