Story & photos by Jim McCormack
Football:
Lightning can be deadly no matter where it strikes … a forest, a golf course … or a football field.
Friday night it was at Excelsior High in Norwalk where top-seeded Pasadena used its big play ability to topple La Mirada, 41-31, in a CIF Division 7 quarterfinal football game.
One of the difficulties of playing a team that is faster than you is that you can’t duplicate that speed in practice.
Using its speed advantage, Pasadena bolted out to a 20-0 second-quarter lead before La Mirada knew what hit it, then the Bulldogs (10-2) scored enough in the second half to keep the Matadors (7-5) at bay.
Pasadena’s semifinal opponent, and host, is Aquinas of San Bernardino, which edged Leuzinger, 35-34 Friday night.
The Bulldogs’ explosiveness Friday night was its usual culprits, seniors Kaden Taylor and wide out Mekhi Fox.
Fox had an amazing evening. Although he touched the ball only about a half-dozen times, he scored four times, two on passes (21 and 60 yards) from Fox, once on a 58-yard punt return and finally on a 14-yard run on a reverse that sealed the victory with 2:51 to play.
Taylor also embellished his season credentials, running for one touchdown (14 yards for the Bulldogs’ first score) and throwing three TD passes, two to Fox and the third, a 60-yarder, to Jason Sanford Jr. Fox has had a hand in 40 of the Bulldogs’ 63 touchdowns this season (31 passing, nine rushing).
While the Bulldog defense was pushed around a bit by the Matadors it did collect four turnovers (three fumbles and an
interception) and put together a nice early goal line stand that kept La Mirada out of the end zone.
La Mirada’s impressive tight end, Aidan Nasser, scored three of La Mirada’s four touchdowns on receptions from Nehuel Garcvia (2) and Tanner Roberts (1). Roberts scored the fourth TD on a 1-yard run.
In an impressive display of calm, La Mirada kicker Aidan Petruescu kicked three field goals, all were good but only the last one counted as officials stopped play as he kicked on the first two, from 31 yards as time expired in the first half.
Box Score:
PHS: 14-6-14-7-(41)
LM: 0-10-8-13-(31)
Records: Pasadena (9-2); La Mirada (7-5)
Division 7 Quarterfinal Scores:
PHS 41, La Mirada 31
Aquinas 35, Leuzinger 34
Mira Costa 41, Alta Loma 14
St. Pius X 34, Rio Hondo Prep 20
Division 7 Semifinals:
PHS vs Aquinas
Mira Costa vs St. Pius X
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