By Noah Miyamae
Staff Writer
Photos by Tucker Judkins
The Tigers claimed another victory on Friday, September 18 against the Glendale High School Nitros by a remarkable score of 51-21. This promising squad is showing great signs of potential for a successful season after winning their third straight preseason game.
The Tigers were making play after play as the game began. Senior quarterback Michael Partida was able to connect for a first down to senior wide receiver Max Luck. Shortly after, senior running back Jason Takarabe made a substantial run into Glendale territory, allowing Partida to once again pass to Luck for a twenty yard touchdown. Unfortunately, two penalties would cause an offline kick and therefore leave the score at 6-0 with 10:33 left in the first quarter.
The Nitros countered this with a thirty-five yard run by Glendale quarterback Tyler Artavia. However, this threat would be terminated by the defensive line including impressive tackles by junior Benjamin Quirk and senior Christian Carter. The Tigers would eventually recover the ball and quarterback Partida was ready to perform. With 1:45 left in the first quarter, he would make an impressive throw to Luck, who made an even more impressive catch while fumbling for the ball until it was under his control in the end zone. Junior Kicker Robert Amaral completed the offensive run with a field goal, making the score 13-0 at the close of the first quarter.
The Tiger’s offense was not as strong in the opening of the second quarter, immediately turning the ball back over to Glendale after three failed plays. However, senior linebacker Anthony Bakshi would come up with a couple strong tackles to fend off the charging Nitros. In the end, Glendale was able to get on the board with a touchdown with 6:21 left in the second quarter. Soon after, the Tigers would get within the twenty yard line after an impressive reception by junior Jalen Ross. With 4:54 left, Takarabe would find the end zone in a strong touchdown run.
The Nitros were now in possession of the ball, but lost it once again to a strong defensive performance by Quirk and Carter. The Tiger’s would regain the ball and eventually reach the twenty- six yard line. At this point, Amaral padded the team’s lead with a field goal from the thirty- six yards out. The Tiger’s led by a score of 23-7 at the end of the first half.
Partida was happy that they were in the lead but not completely satisfied with the team’s performance.
“We made some mistakes in the first half,” Partida said, “but in the second half we were able to clean them up.”
The highlights of the third quarter was more offensive performances. Three minutes in, Ross scored a touchdown and gave his team a twenty- three point lead of 30-7. In their next offensive run, Carter led the charge with a major yardage return and touchdown soon after. With only 2:30 remaining, Glendale intercepted the ball and eventually scored, pulling within three possessions to tie it. However, Ross would make one final run in third quarter, making the score 37-14.
The Tigers seemed to assume victory going into the fourth, as they already had a substantial lead. However, this backfired when the team attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by Glendale and they scored as a result. Despite this, the Tigers scored two more touchdowns in the fourth, both being impressive runs by Carter and Amaral. In the end, the game concluded with a final score of 51-21.
“We have been practicing hard throughout this week,” Quirk said, “I really believe that this allowed us to limit errors in this game and win by such a large score.”
The Tigers will play at Alhambra on Friday, 25 and look to win their fourth straight.
