Gladiator Tackle Report – Semifinals!

This past weekend all five Gladiator tackle teams participated in the semifinal round of playoffs. Two will advance next week to championship finals.

Gremlins

La Cañada 6, Rosemead Rebels 12 (O/T)

On Sunday morning at District Field in Covina, the Gremlins lost a heartbreaker to the top ranked Rosemead Rebels 12-6 in overtime.  The Gladiators took an early 6-0 lead in the second quarter on a run by Mo Guiragossian, but the Rebels tied the score in the second quarter.  The Gladiator defense played tough all day, and held the Rebels scoreless in the second half. In the first period of overtime, the Gladiator offense failed to score and on fourth down the Rebels completed a game winning 13-yard scoring pass.

It was a terrific season for the Gremlins who finished the year at 9-1-1 and were the Arroyo League champs.

Jr. Pee Wee

La Cañada 8, Covina Vikings 13

On Sunday morning at District Field in Covina the Jr. Pee Wee team lost a tight match to the undefeated Covina Vikings 13-8. After a scoreless first half, the Vikings broke the game open in the second half with two long touchdown runs. With less than five minutes to play, quarterback Jacob Calnon led his team back and with less than two minutes to play his wide receiver Brooklyn Pasten for a score. Pasten added the two-point conversion to cut the lead to13-8. But the Gladiators’ hopes for a comeback were dashed when the Vikings recovered the onside kick.

The Gladiators finished the season with a record of 8-2 and were the Arroyo League champs.

Pee Wee

La Cañada 22, Whittier Redskins 7

On Saturday afternoon at Bell Gardens High School the La Cañada Gladiators beat the Whittier Redskins 22-7 in a semifinal matchup, and the Gladiators Pee Wee team is now headed to the Conference League championship.

The Gladiators opened the game by driving the length of the field for the game’s first score with James Warner scoring from 20 yards out. Mycha Pasten added the two-point conversion to put the Gladiators up 8-0. The offense constantly attacked the Redskins with a physical running and passing game behind their offensive line of Tyler Sparks, William Broberg, C.J. Owens and Sean Escobar who all dominated the line of scrimmage. Quarterback Alec Sanchez-Nigolian played the quarterback position with toughness as he and his receivers, Colin Matthews and Pasten, racked up yards the entire game. The Gladiators chipped away the Redskin defense with the physical running attack of James Warner, Jaden Keshishian and Victor Guiragossian again gaining over 100 yards for the game.

Late in the second quarter, the Redskins mounted their only successful scoring drive of the game to cut the lead to 8-7, and the Gladiators took over at their own 35-yard line with 1:35 left in the half.

With momentum seeming to shift, the Gladiators seized the moment as Sanchez-Nigolian picked apart the Whitter secondary, hitting a variety of Gladiator receivers. Matthews caught a key fourth down pass to keep the drive alive and with less than 10 seconds on the clock Sanchez-Nigolian hit Pasten for a score to put the Gladiators up 14-0 at the half.

The Gladiator defense was challenged all day by Whittier’s talented offense, but the Redskins managed only one score in the first quarter the entire game. The secondary of Pasten and Remi Valdez were at their best on this day.  And up front the linebackers and defensive line, including Colin Mathews Olson Matthias William Aivazian, Christopher Aivazian, Justin Webster, Marcus Buenabeta, Michael Bailian, Anthony Sanchez and Jaden Keshishian, battled the Redskins blow-for-blow.

The Gladiators put the game away in the final quarter with a time-consuming drive that saw Sanchez-Nigolian at his finest including a key 14-yard pass to Matthews that set the Gladiators up at the Redskin’s 15 yard-line. A few plays later, Warner scored again and Pasten added the two-point conversion to put the Gladiators up 22-7.

The Redskins final drive was thwarted when, with less than a minute to play, Matthias Olson made a terrific interception by wrestling the pass away from a Whittier receiver at the Gladiator nine-yard line.

Next week the Gladiators will play in the championship game at Duarte High School game against the Pico Rivera Dons on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m.

Jr. Midgets

La Cañada 22, Pico Rivera Dons 0

Relying on their dependable offensive and defensive lines, the La Cañada Gladiators laid out a consistent effort in a 22-0 win against the Pico Rivera Dons at the season’s semi-final showdown this past Sunday at host Covina’s home field. This win puts them back in their fourth consecutive league championship game on Sunday against the Boyle Heights Wolfpack.

The opening quarter was predominantly a back-and-forth ground game highlighted by Markel Wallace winding downfield on a 25-yard punt return.  Late in the quarter saw running back Daylon Beasley break away for a 46-yard sprint to the end zone followed by Pierce Clarkson’s completion to Markel Wallace for the two-point conversion to put the Gladiators up 8-0.

The offensive line of Charlie Stewart, Brandon Shepherd, Sebastian De Leon, Jake Fitzgerald and Marcus Powe continued to create running lanes and hold the pocket together for both quarterbacks. With 8:19 left in the second quarter on their own 20, Pierce Clarkson tossed a quick 10-yard pass to Wallace coming out of the backfield who then took it hard downfield for an 80-yard touchdown making the scoreboard read 14-0. The quarter continued featuring stout tackling from Jake Fitzgerald, Sebastian De Leon, Robbie Barreras and Patrick Weinmann.

Several hard-fought series on both sides of the ball opened the second half. The offense converted several first downs but never made it into the end zone. With Pico driving deep into Gladiator territory late in the third period, Beasley intercepted an errant Pico pass four yards deep in the end zone and ran it back for a 104-yard score. Clarkson ran in the two-point conversion to put the Gladiators up 22-0.

Though that would be the final scoring for the day, the fourth quarter contained more highlights. Quarterback Sam Faulkner heaved an arcing pass over tight coverage and connected with Andrew Scarsi for a 23-yard completion. Wallace went 11 yards for a first down, Tony Guerrero pounded for 20 yards down the right side, and Matthew Watson ended the game by taking it 14 yards to the Dons 10-yard line.

La Cañada will play Boyle Heights on Sunday at 3 p.m. for the Conference championship in Walnut.

Midgets

La Cañada 20, Glendora Tartans 34

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