When the extra-loud cheering and the din of artificial noisemakers finally died down late last Friday night, San Marino was in possession of the Crowley Cup, the varsity perpetual trophy and – most importantly – bragging rights based on their 10-7 victory over the Tigers in the annul renewal of the storied rivalry.
As has been the case several times recently, the deciding points were put on the scoreboard by a kicker – Friday night a 41-yard boot by freshman Nick Acuna. The Titans in the 4th quarter blocked a field goal attempt by South Pasadena that would have tied the game.
With the win, San Marino improved to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the Rio Hondo League. The Titans face another rival on Friday when La Canada comes calling this Friday evening at 7:00 p.m.
Offensively, quarterback Brady Beck completed 16 of 19 passes for 91 yards and Coleman Morning made good on 5 of his 7 attempts for another 46 yards. Sid Danenhauer caught four passes for 34 yards and Mikey Yessaian nabbed six for 16 yards. Mitchell Mooney had a big game with four pancake blocks and several other big plays that rallied the large crowd that made the trek to Ray Solari Stadium in South Pasadena.
Julian Solis scored San Marino’s lone touchdown with a bruising 11-yard run in the fourth quarter. Acuna added the extra point to cap the scoring.
But San Marino’s defense had a little more work to do before they were able to hold the Cup. Coleman Morning intercepted a pass with less than two minutes in the contest and ran for a first down to ice the game and allow the Titans to run from the victory formation.
