Story by Gavin Bartolome & Owen Hou
Staff Writers
Photos by Emiko Essmiller
Photography Editor
The Tigers crushed the Temple City Rams on Friday, Oct. 25, closing out homecoming week with a victory. Throughout the game, the Tigers maintained their momentum, continuing to score and defend smoothly from start to finish.
“We loved the energy that the fans brought tonight in the stands and the homecoming and…our team kind of took that…and played a heck of a game,” Head Coach Jeff Chi said.
The first quarter began as the Tigers kicked a touchback to the Rams, which began the game at the 20-yard line. Unable to make any significant progress, the Rams used their fourth down to punt to the Tigers, who began their possession at their own 39-yard line. Immediately after this, sophomore quarterback Andrew Nott threw a pass to senior tight end James Dowd, gaining 38 yards and placing South Pasadena at the 23-yard line. With this newfound progress, senior running back David Ortega ran the ball 23 more yards to the end zone, putting the Tigers ahead 6-0.
The Rams made little progress before punting the ball pack. Despite it just being the start of their possession, Nott threw a dime to Dowd, gaining 47 yards for the Tigers and placing them at the 5-yard line. From there, Ortega ran the ball into the end zone for the Tigers, bringing the score to 13-0 after junior kicker Nicholas Dragonas made the extra point.
The Tigers punted to the Rams, who started their possession at the 20-yard line. This time, Temple City’s possession played out differently, as they managed to make a pass that netted them a massive 58 yards. Despite this, the Tigers’ defense held strong and only allowed the Rams to make minor progress towards the end zone.
Junior cornerback Tatem Mendoza intercepted the ball on Temple City’s fourth down, but a penalty was called on the play due to defensive holding and the play was redone. The Rams took advantage of their second chance and made a touchdown, 13-6.
The Tigers received the ball at the 29-yard line and began to make short bursts of progress, landing at the 49-yard line. Eventually, junior running back Trey Freking made it to the 33, gaining 18 yards for the Tigers. Before any more progress could be made, the first quarter came to a close.
The second quarter began with the Tigers barreling towards the touchdown line. Through a series of plays, the team was brought from the 33-yard line to the 5-yard line, with multiple passes from Nott to Dowd. Right after, the ball was fumbled in the end zone, but recovered by sophomore wide receiver Toshio Matsuoka. After Dragonas made the extra point, the score was 20-6.
The Tigers then kicked to the Rams, who ultimately failed to overcome the Tigers’ defense. The Tigers passed their way downfield. Eventually, Freking had a series of running plays that brought the Tigers from the 16-yard line to the end zone. The score was 27-6.
As the field lights dimmed during halftime, senior Isabella Castro was announced as South Pasadena’s 2024 Most Royal Tiger. Fireworks shot up from the baseball diamond and into the cool night sky. Accommodated by performances from the SPHS Marching Band and Advanced Dance, the event left the stands in awe.
Transferring the energy back onto the field, the Tigers rushed downfield in a few plays. Dowd slipped into the end zone for a touchdown, 34-6. The Tigers continued to hold back the Rams; senior free safety Jacob Chuang eventually intercepted the ball. Running off the Tigers’ energy, sophomore running back Rick Matsuda made a 2-yard rushing touchdown. The score reached 41-6 with the Tigers surging forward in a massive lead. The Rams made feeble progress, bringing an end to the third quarter.
The Tigers controlled the fourth quarter, with the Rams trudging back onto the field, helmets hung low. After making negligible yards, the Rams were forced to punt back to the Tiger at their 21-yard line. Cutting through the Rams’ defense like a knife through butter, senior wide receiver Jordan Rodgers ran into the end zone through an aggressive running play down the sideline. Added with Dragonas’ successful one-point conversion, the score was 48-6.
From then on, neither team made significant advances on the field. The Tigers denied the Rams one last touchdown as the seconds counted down to zero. The final score was 48-6, an overwhelming victory for the Tigers.
When asked what helped the Tigers maintain an aggressive offense throughout the game, Dowd said, “I thought our coaches did a good job with the game plan and found me in an opening.”
With a persistent winning streak, the Tigers are looking to carry over their energy on a final away game against La Cañada on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. to conclude the team’s regular season.
