Photos by Josh Thompson
Ayala game info from Randy Reams & Glendora stats from Zack Morton
Football:
Ayala entered Thursday’s showdown at Citrus College having lost three of their last four games.
And Glendora would take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter against the visiting Bulldogs.
But Ayala would finish the game on a 36-0 run and throttled the Tartans, 49-14, to improve their season record to 3-3.
The Bulldogs have defeated GHS three out of the last four years, and in 2022 and 2023 alone, AHS has outscored Glendora, 105-47.
After a 4-0 start to the 2023 season, Glendora limps into their bye week at 4-3.
Eric Najarro got the Tartans on the board when he hit Kareem Esmili on a 19-yard TD pass.
Marquis Monroe scored on a 1-yard run, but after a failed kick, GHS led 7-6.
The Bulldogs took their first lead of the game (13-7) when Jedi Hernandez caught a 3-yard TD pass from Maximus Barroso.
GHS regained the lead, 14-13, as Najarro found Decker DeGraaf on a 9-yard TD pass.
But that’s all the Tartans offense could muster.
Ayala would score 22 points in the final 4:42 of the first half, and led 35-14 at the break.
The icing on that three-score cake late in the second quarter was an 8-yard pass from Barroso to Drew Amico with two seconds to play in the half.
Barroso also had a 29-yard scoring strike to Amico, and a 40-yarder to Monroe.
Ayala had 471 yards of total offense.
Monroe led the rushing attack with 155 yards on 16 carries.
Jedi Hernandez carried the ball 10 times for 79 yards, and a he scored on a 2-point conversion.
Alex Thomas rushed for 82 yards and that included a 20-yard TD run to cap the scoring for Ayala.
Reed Prescott and Dominic Williams both picked passes for the Bulldogs defense.
For Glendora, Najarro completed 10-of-23 for 155 yards, throwing two TD’s and a pair of interceptions.
Simon Zwick, Malkon Mouradian and Dutch Burbidge combined to carry the ball 16 times for 44 yards.
DeGraaf caught three passes for 54 yards and a score.
Esmili had two receptions for 54 yards and a TD.
If a third consecutive loss wasn’t rough enough for the GHS psyche, the fact that part of the fourth quarter was played with a running clock had to have rubbed salt into their collective wound.
Up next: The Bulldogs will host San Clemente and the Tartans have a much-need week off to regroup before starting league play.
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Box Score:
A: 6-29-7-7-(49)
G: 7-7-0-0-(14)
Scoring:
G: Kareem Esmili 19 pass from Eric Najarro (Hunter Lemos kick)
A: Marquis Monroe 1 run (kick failed)
A: Jedi Hernandez 3 pass from Maximus Barroso (Nick Lane kick)
G: Decker DeGraaf 9 pass from Eric Najarro (Hunter Lemos kick)
A: Drew Amico 29 pass from Maximus Barroso (Jedi Hernandez run)
A: Marquis Monroe 40 pass from Maximus Barroso (Nick Lane kick)
A: Drew Amico 8 pass from Maximus Barroso (Nick Lane kick)
A: Marquis Monroe 1 run (Nick Lane kick)
A: Alex Thomas 20 run (Nick Lane kick)
Records: Ayala (3-3); Glendora (4-3)
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