JR. GREMLIN FLAG

La Canada Gladiators v. Azusa Raiders

(Teams do not keep Score)

The La Canada Gladiators Jr. Gremlin flag football team held their season opening game at home against the Azusa Raiders on Saturday at La Canada High School. The Gladiators executed solid performance on offense and defense, scoring three touchdowns and allowing none, although the “official game score” is not recorded at the Jr. Gremlin division level.

La Canada struck quickly with Jake Lee rushing for his first of two touchdowns on the second play of the game. Andrew Sibbrel ran for a 30-yard touchdown on the very first down of the Gladiator’s second possession. Quarterback Maddox Freeman looked very sound on both sides of the ball, throwing for well over 60 yards and making three key defensive stops. Before the first half had ended, Liam Pasten displayed remarkable focus when he caught a 25-yard pass, leading directly to a Jake Lee rushing touchdown from a swing pass by Freeman – the Gladiator’s third touchdown.

Gladiator defense was just as impressive with fierce diving stops by Matthew Merrill and Andrew Sibbrel. Sebastian Pascuzzo, Gunner Herman, Alec Heberger and Andrew Ortiz were all crucial to the Jr. Gremlin’s dominant defensive stance. Joseph Padilla, Izacc Alzaga-Servin, Aaron Matthews, Carter Freeman, Abraham Saleah, Jackson Radabaugh, Flynn Millstein and Luke Danni were all notably rugged and competitive. Third quarter highlights included Jaymes Hale-Dietlein’s 30-yard reception, establishing him as a serious offensive threat.

Alec Heberger made the final play of the game– a red zone interception – shutting out the Raiders and capping off a fantastic La Canada team effort and performance; a great way to start the 47^th season of Gladiator football!

Gremlins

La Canada 6, Azusa Raiders 14

The Gremlins came up short losing 14-6 to the Azusa Raiders on a cloudy Saturday morning at La Canada High School.

The Gladiator defense led by linebacker Scotty Smith and linebacker Brooklyn Pasten, held the Raiders scoreless in the first half.  Also contributing the defensive effort were Jake Calnon, Nevada Miller, Sean Irwin, Simon Glaza, Kane Austin, Izziah Alzaga, Austim Nimri, Josh Byer, and Josh Arnn.  Pasten had several key stops including a sack and two key tackles on 4^th down to stifle Raider drives.

On offense, the Gladiators did not get untracked until late in the 4^th quarter after the Raiders had scored a touchdown in the third and fourth quarters to grab a 14-0 lead.  Quarterback Calnon’s favorite received was Brooklyn Pasten, who caught several key passes in the first half. Nate Hunstable was the workhorse running back, along with Pasten, Jake Arrellano and Corey Cheung.  The offensive line was anchored by center William Rappard, along with Scottie Ernst, Arnn, Will Broberg, Simon Glaza, Kane Austen, Jason Wszelaki, and tightend Nathan Wendt.

In the final period with less than three minutes left in the game, the Gladiator offense finally came to life. Hunstable ran a Raider kickoff back 44 yards to the Azusa 16 yard line.  Three plays later, Hunstable ran it into the endzone for the only Gladiator score of the game.

Next week, the Gladiators pay a visit to the Rosemead Rebels at the Jess Gonzales Sports Complex in Rosemead.

Jr. Pee Wee

La Canada 38 Azusa Raiders 0

The La Canada Gladiator Junior Pee Wee team kicked off its 2014 season at La Canada High School Saturday morning with a solid effort over the Azusa Raiders, 40-0. Future opponents should be concerned as the Gladiators possess a variety of offensive weapons including quarterbacks Sam Faulkner,  Laelan Wright, and Pierce Clarkson, and running backs Daylon Beasley, Luca Cuneo, Mycah Pasten, Andrew Sharman, Chris Marfisi, and Matthew Watson.   Both Beasley and Wright rushed for more than 100 yards behind the strojne blocking of an offensive line led by center C.J. Corlett, Brandon Shepherd, DaMarcus Caruana, Jake Okland, Noah Maddox, and Jack Wszelaki, along with tight end Patrick Weinmann.

On defense, the Gladiators dominated the game. Led by nose-guard Jonah Cisneros, linebacker Matt Watson, Desxter Matthews, Caden Smith, Aiden Garcia, Miguel Sanchez, Max Saucedo, and Daniel De La Cruz, the Gladiators dominated the Raiders, who only managed a single first down in the entire game.

On the second play of the game, Faulkner hit Clarkson for a 72 yard score, which was called back for holding.  Four plays later, Sharman dashed 45 yards for a score that was also nullified by a penalty. Finally, Marfisi powered in from four yards out to give the Gladiators a 6-0 lead.  The Raiders first possession resulted in a net loss of 9 yards, thanks to sacks by Saucedo, Beasley, and Fitzgerald.

On the Raider’s next possession, Weinmann recovered a fumble, which set up a 36 yard scoring run by Beasley on the first play of the second quarter. Sharman added the conversion to give the Gladiators a 13-0 lead. The ensuing onside kick by Fitzgerald was recovered by Cuneo at the Raider 41 yard line.  Three plays later, Beasley scored his second touchdown On a 31 yard run. Watson added the conversions to give the Gladiators a 20-0 lead. Shortly before the half, Weinmann picked off a Raider pass and returned it to the Raider 47 yard line.

On the Raider first possession of the third quarter, Beasley picked off an errant pass.  Two plays later, Faulkner hit Beasley on a 51 yard touchdown pass to increase the Gladiator lead to 26-0.  On the Raider’s next possession Sanchez picked off a pass and returned to the Gladiator 30 yard line. Wright then dashed 71 yards for a Gladiator score, to up the lead to 32-0 at the end of the third quarter.

In the final period with the Gladiators safely in the lead, head coach Jeremy Cisneros was liberally substituting his players.  With less than two minutes left in the game, guard DeMarcus Caruana took the hand-off and weaved through the Raider defense for a 27 yard score, giving the Gladiators a convincing 38-0 win.

Next Saturday, the Gladiators travel to Rosemead to take on the always tough Rebels at Jess Gonzalez field.

Pee Wee

La Cañada 40, Azusa Raiders 0

The La Canada Gladiator PeeWee team kicked off their 2014 season by repelling the visiting Raiders of Asuza, 40-0.

Team defense carried the day, as the spirited Gladiators swarmed a game and tough-minded Raider team on play after play.  Defensive front line stalwarts Lucas Ponce, Keith Luper, Mher Baranian, Ryan Villalobos, and Jacob Zabala decisively won the war in the trenches, disrupting running plays and pressuring the quarterback relentlessly.  Working together, and playing sound position defense, the Gladiators limited the Raiders to just a few first downs and net negative yardage for the game.

Meanwhile, the offense ground out yardage in bite-sized chunks.  After the defense stopped the Raiders on four straight plays to start the game, the offense drove 55 yards on their first possession, chewing up clock and yardage.  Chase Center finished off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown dive.

The Raiders experienced the double max force of the Gladiator defense on their next possession, as Max Grant and Max Herman both shed blocks for big backfield tackles, and the first quarter ended with The Gladiators ahead 7-0.

Zeal Shumate and Center kept the strong running game churning as the second quarter opened,  driving into Raider territory and then pulling a rabbit from a hat when Center passed to Austin Simmons for a 24-yard touchdown strike.  The conversion was again good and the Gladiators held a solid 14-0 lead halfway through the second quarter.  During both drives, the offensive line consistently pushed the Raiders off the line scrimmage.  Killian Trulik, Adam Griffin, Luke Waters, Duncan Sprengel, Anton Verheyen, and Nathan Martinez led the way, and the runners followed.

After another defensive stand, Center capped off another big push with a 22-yard fake reverse for another touchdown.

The defense then put an exclamation point on the Gladiators’ first half when Jacob Martinez picked off a deflected pass and raced 40 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.  The Gladiators sprinted into halftime with a 27-0 lead.

The second half looked similar to the first, with the Gladiators winning in the trenches and clearing the way for big plays from several players.  Opening the third quarter, Dezin Delgatty sacked the Raiders quarterback, creating a third and long.  This opened a door for Aaron Garcia, who came out of nowhere and abruptly ended the Raider drive with a diving interception.  Center followed with another long touchdown run.

After the Gladiator defense stalled another Raider drive, thanks in large part to “Slamming” Samuel Galeano screaming off the right end for a backfield tackle, Colby Rees grabbed a pooch punt and raced 25 yards down the left side for another dramatic touchdown.

Luc Campanella celebrated a birthday by blowing out the candles on the fourth quarter with a pair of plays in which he shed blockers and hit the Raider quarterback as he threw.  Louie De la Cruz then finished off the victory with a pair of hard runs and a “victory formation” for the 40-0 final score.

The next nut for the Gladiator Pee Wees to crack is a Sunday road contest against the Cowboys of Walnut Valley.

Jr. Midgets

No Game

Opening week Bye.

Midget

La Cañada 24, West Covina Bruins 26

On Saturday afternoon at Cortez Field in West Covina the La Canada Gladiators took on the West Covina Bruins in a Midget matchup.  After a tough battle, the Gladiators came up just short with a final score of 26 to 24.

In the first quarter the Gladiator defense, led by linebackers Beau Hobbie and Daniel Cho, and defensive lineman Ricardo Pena led to the Gladiator’s first score when defensive lineman Jacob Erdmier stripped the ball from the Bruin running back, which was scooped up by safety Jahlique Stephens who returned the ball 99 yards the other way for a Gladiator touchdown.  The 2 point conversion was carried by running back Artis Candler.  At the end of the first quarter, the Gladiators led the Bruins 8-6.

In the second quarter, the Gladiator special-teams led to the next score. Candler, behind the blocking of defensive back Michael Leyva, linemen Ruben Munoz and Carson Giles, took a Bruin kickoff and raced 55 yards giving the Gladiators in excellent field position.  Gladiator quarterback Thomas Mix then completed a 25 yard pass to wide receiver Dyllan Wright to keep the drive alive.  The offensive line of Cole Beadles, Jason Watson, William Stewart, Erdmier, and Louis Menacho pushed back the defense allowing Gladiator running back Hobbie to bull his way into the end zone for this second quarter touchdown.  Once again, Artis Candler carried the ball into the end zone for the 2 point conversion.  Later in the quarter, defensive lineman Charlie Daves and Hobbie blitzed the Bruin quarterback forcing an errant pass that was intercepted by linebacker Tyron Clark to stop the Bruin drive.  Despite the stellar defensive play, however, the Bruins were up at halftime by a score of 20-16.

In the third quarter, Mix went to the air in the third quarter.  Wide outs Carson Okland and Leyva ran their routes, and Mix connected with the sure handed Okland for a 40 yard touchdown strike to put the Gladiators back in the lead.  Once again, Candler carried in the 2 point conversion. Mid-way through the third quarter, the Gladiators were up 24-20.

The Bruins grabbed the lead back with a score of 26-24, and were driving to pad their lead but the drive was thwarted by Stephens who intercepted a Bruin pass to end the third quarter with West Covina holding on to a narrow two point lead, 26-24.

The Gladiator defensive line led by Pena, James Smith, Erdmier, and Jack Stellwagen kept the Bruins from scoring in the final quarter.   The Gladiators were led by runs by Stephens and another Mix to Okland strike putting the Gladiators in Bruin territory.  Time ran out on the Gladiators as they fell just short on their final drive.

Please call (818) 248-1800 if you have any questions.

Thanks

Kevin Lacey