CLICK HERE FOR QUARTER-BY-QUARTER UPDATES!
Above: Burroughs’ Eddie Lopez is wrapped up by a slew of Muir defenders. The Mustangs won, 13-10. (Larry Goren/Correspondent)
(UPDATED at 12:56 a.m.)
I gotta say this and don’t take it personal or get offended Kenny:
I was not impressed by Muir.
The second-ranked Mustangs (4-1, 2-0) escaped with a 13-10 victory over Burroughs on a chilly Friday night in Pacific League play at Muir High.
I will say that I came away impressed with junior quarterback Jarron Williams, who completed 8 of 14 passes for 146 yards. Senior Myles Campbell caught seven passes for 109 yards.
Reuben Thomas started at quarterback, but later lined up in the backfield and at wide receiver. He returned punts, too. He rushed for a 3-yard score with 3:09 left in the first quarter to put Muir on top, 7-0.
That score was set up by a string of plays that started when Fernando Aguilar tackled Indians (2-3, 0-2) quarterback Lucas Yanez, whose fumble at the Burroughs 18 was recovered by Marcus Graves.
I thought Chris Dunlap was going to carry the ball a lot in this game. He had three. His first was a 20-yard touchdown score in the third quarter that padded Muir’s lead 13-3. His next two carries were for no gain.
I’m hoping someone from Muir can fill me in: Why does Thomas have to check with his coaches for the next play on almost every down from the line of scrimmage? I found that a bit weird.
Burroughs couldn’t get anything going on the pass. They passed for only 46 yards on 3 of 9 attempts. They did, however, rush for 127 yards on 34 carries.
The game was a lot closer than Muir would have wanted. The game also had a disturbing ending.
The Mustangs stopped Burroughs on fourth and 4 at the Muir 34 with less than a minute left in the game after the Indians’ Derek Cwik attempted a fake punt. Muir’s Robert Felton made the tackle for a loss.
That’s when things turned ugly.
Muir took a knee with just under a minute left to run the clock out. On the Mustangs’ first knee, Joseph DeLeon was tackled hard by an Indians lineman, which escalated into a mini-scuffle after Muir’s Jeremy Jacob got involved.
When players lined up at the end of the game for the traditional handshake, both teams and coaches had to be separated after a fight almost broke out.
No punches were thrown and order eventually was restored.
I was on the field as it unfolded.
I’ll be straight up and say it: Burroughs couldn’t handle the loss.
They were denied on the fake punt (or whatever it was), they were frustrated and they let their emotions get to them.
DeLeon was tackled hard and I’m sure the tackle felt harder because the kid certainly wasn’t expecting it since Muir was taking a knee.
I heard some nasty stuff coming out of Burroughs as they “shook” hands. That’s when players had to be restrained. I was just trying to get out of the way. My question is: where was the police or campus security when all this happened? I jogged back to my car and saw three police officers standing there talking.
This shouldn’t have happened but Burroughs coaches let it happen.
Completely inexcusable on their part.
Enough with that.
In case you guys don’t know. I write a weekly column every Friday. Here I talk about the crazy economic crisis and how it’s affected high school football. If you guys have any column ideas be sure to throw them my way. E-mail me at miguel.melendez@sgvn.com ..
… Shout out to my girl Monique, the Muir cheer leaders coach. Wassup girl. You better start reading my columns. You know what I’m talking ’bout.
…. During the third quarter, the Muir mascot was having a dance-off with a member of the Mustangs matching band. They danced to a beat from the Muir drumline.
Upon further review, the win goes to the band geek.
Friday’s scores with my thoughts
Muir 13, Burroughs 10 — I did not come away impressed with the boys from Lincoln Ave. The first half proved to be tasteless. I will say this, Jarron Williams will be a great QB next year.
San Marino 29, San Gabriel 17 — Yeah, I got this one wrong, SM fan. But the Titans are back. San Gabriel had a 7-0 lead after the first quarter but the Tians stormed back to take a 20-7 lead at the half. It sounds like the Matadors coughed this up but credit to San Marino and its coaching staff for winning the chess game.
South Hills 14, Rosemead 10 — This is proof that the Panthers can hang with the big boys. Rosemead not only solidified its ranking but opened eyes. The Panthers could make some serious damage come playoffs.
Temple City 28, La Salle 17 — Where has Max Ruckle been hiding all season? Dude rushed for 197 yards on 31 carries and scored three touchdowns. The Lancers will come back strong next week. It’s only a matter of time. Just so happens that this time it was the Rams’ turn.
South El Monte 35, Alhambra 7 — I’m shocked. Absolutely. Shocked! From what I hear the Moors were lining up three running backs in the back field. What’s up with that? Mitchell Crockom was ineffective. Jose Garay had a big night for South El Monte. It was a dirty game. There was over 200 yards in penalties and two Alhambra players were ejected on separate plays.
Arcadia 22, Glendale 6 — Does this mean Arcadia is better than Muir? The Apaches were led by UCLA-bound running back/linebacker Todd Golper. He caught touchdown passes for 32 and 66 yards and ran one from 3 yards out. Sophomore David Maldonado rushed for 104 yards on 25 carries in his second varsity game. Kid could be a stud next year.
St. Francis 45, El Rancho 7 — I’m not surprised. The Golden Knights are the real deal. Looks like they learned their lesson from last week.
Cantwell Sacred-Heart 33, Bosco Tech 7 — I was wrong.
Duarte 34, Gladstone 16 — Don’t look now but that’s two in a row for the Falcons.
La Canada 28, Arroyo 0 — It’s a combination of both, to answer your question La Canada fan. The Spartans are taking advantage of the cupcake teams, as they should.
Maranatha 14, Rio Hondo Prep 7 — I think the Kares are much better than I’m giving them credit.
Pasadena 51, Hoover 6 — The Bulldogs led 45-0 at the half. If Pasadena didn’t win this game then they were going to be in some serious trouble all season.
South Pasadena 35, Keppel 6 — Enjoy the win, Tigers.
Malibu 20, Flintridge Prep 7 — Thought the only thing Malibu kids knew how to do was surf? Go figure.
Pasadena Poly at Desert, 6 p.m. — ..waiting..
