FOOTBALL: Two minutes to victory
Wildcats offense knows the drill
Monrovia High School s Dwight Smith runs around a Montclair defender earlier this season. The Wildcats play Paraclete in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Mid Valley Division playoffs on Friday. (Greg Andersen/Staff Photographer)
By Scott Galetti, Staff Writer
The two-minute drill is something every football team across the land practices over and over.
Part of the beauty of the hurry-up offense is teams never know when they'll need to employ it.
Against Cantwell-Sacred Heart in last Friday's opening round of the CIF-Southern Section Mid Valley Division playoffs, Monrovia High School got the ball at its own 8-yard line with 2:08 to play in the fourth quarter of a 21-21 deadlock.
The Wildcats, thanks to perfect execution of the two-minute drill, still are playing football during Thanksgiving week.
Marquise Williams scored on a 19-yard touchdown run with 24 seconds to play to give Monrovia a dramatic 28-21 victory.
The Wildcats (6-5) now have the tough task of taking on No. 1-seeded Paraclete (11-0) in the second round Friday night at 7.
It took a wild roller coaster ride for the Wildcats to get to this point. It was a ride Monrovia coach Steve Garrison didn't exactly want to take.
"At one point we had a 21-point lead and relinquished it and it diminished completely in the fourth quarter," Garrison said.
Backed up deep in its own end in a hostile environment with the game on the line, however, Monrovia had no intentions of waiting for overtime.
"To continue to work hard and finish the game is the sign of the type of character and qualities that you look for in a team," Garrison said.
Monrovia's season has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride as well.
With Williams out of the lineup because of injury, the Wildcats lost four consecutive games.
Williams returned on Oct. 12 and rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns, and the Wildcats are 5-1 since his return.
The victory over the Cardinals just was another example of the wacky season that is Monrovia football.
"That game is similar to the way our season has gone," Garrison said. "When things are going well and we're running on all cylinders, we're able to control the game. But when we flatten out and lose our intensity, we let teams back in games."
AWAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS
After anticipating a matchup against Duarte at Pasadena City College, Blair encountered a change in its holiday plans.
The Vikings (9-1) kept their end of the bargain with an easy 56-0 victory over Malibu in the opening round of the Mid Valley Division playoffs.
Duarte, however, hit a bump in the road en route to a 31-21 loss to 6-5 Cerritos Valley Christian.
Instead of having a home game, Blair must travel to Cerritos for the second round.
Alex Lopez ran for 260 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Crusaders.
Blair will counter with the running back tandem of Devin Fuller (1,364 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Raheem Broadnex (458 yards, six TDs).
A LONG JOURNEY
La Salle will make the trek to Oxnard to face No. 2 seed Santa Clara in a second-round, Mid Valley matchup to be played at Channel Islands High School.
The Lancers (6-5) have won five consecutive games and six of their last seven since starting the season 0-4.
To be successful against the Saints (8-1-1), they'll have to slow down running back Cierre Wood, who has rushed for 1,809 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Wood ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns and had a scoring reception in a 41-14 win over Village Christian in the first round.
DEFENDING THEIR TURF
Temple City (5-6) will play host to No. 4-seeded Santa Barbara's Bishop Diego in the second round of the Mid Valley playoffs.
The Cardinals, winners of six of their last seven games, have outscored their opponents 324-118.
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
he is my cuzin
Sometimes leaders need to push and sometimes they need to pull people along.
Good, keep trying and don't be afraid to explore different methods. Everybody but the Patriots thought that Randy Moss was cancerous to a team...guess not.
I, along with several other people, have TRIED to get his head on strait. But he still can not see the error in his (teenage)ways. Even after being benched and getting less playing time.
I'm sorry, you must at least think you know him or have contact with him.
Anonymous 1:47am,
If you know that to be true, then do something to help turn him around. You must know if you think he has an ego problem.
This kid has a serious EGO problem and is his own worst enemy.
I like the way this kid is holding onto the football in this picture. He reminds me of Tiki in his later seasons.
How does Montclair expect to win wearing those uniforms?
I think he ran for 14 yards on 12 carries. You're right though, he wasn't himself that game.
He had 57 yrds on 5 carries. He was nursing a muscle pull.
just wondering what did Mr. smith do against the vikings?
Scott,
I know your plate must be full...but Vikes, Wildcats and NO LOVE FOR T.C.??
I mean that in a joking manner, Mr. G
Guess we really need to knock down Bishop Diego and keep breathing one more week now. Should that happen - a good story line would be the Rams "under the radar" defense which was the difference last week and hopefully this week as well. The Monrovia whoopin woke theses dudes up...TC lives!
Good luck to Monrovia, TC, La Salle and of Course Blair! Let's show them what real SGV football is about!