Saturday Morning Quarterback Postgame: Say hello to your new #1 team…Muir dominates; Monrovia back to normal; San Marino rushes in win; Rosemead impressive, Alhambra and Pasadena not so much


Above: Muir’s Mitchell Garner returns a interception for a touchdown while being chased by Arcadia’s Garrett Tuck.

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(UPDATED 11:33 P.M.)

Yeah, that win impressed me, Coach Antyone Sims (the Muir offensive coordinator).

Muir showed unmatched speed and wasted no time scoring early and often.

Thomas, the senior all-purpose back, rushed for 115 yards on 16 carries and scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter with 7:22 left to make it 47-0.

Thomas also was dangerous defensively, intercepting Arcadia quarterback Garrett Tuck three times. Mitchell Garner, who returned from a shoulder injury from two weeks ago, also intercepted a pass from Tuck and returned it 42 yards for a score with 9:15 left in the second quarter.

So what will people now say about Reuben Thomas playing too many positions? Dude was on fire Friday night.

Muir is turning doubters into believers, and that includes me.

The Mustangs were led by a trio of standouts as they overwhelmed Arcadia, 54-0, on Friday night in Pacific League play.

The Reuben Thomas-Myles Campbell experiment proved successful for the second-ranked Mustangs (6-1, 4-0).

The Apaches (4-3, 3-1) couldn’t match the speed and versatility of Muir, who may have played its best game of the season.

Thomas returned the opening kickoff to near midfield and the Mustangs needed only three plays to score, on a 27-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jarron Williams to Marcus Graves with 11:49 left in the first quarter.

Williams finished the night completing 10 of 14 passes for 194 yards and five touchdowns.

Campbell, a senior wide receiver, rushed for 22 yards, taking over for the injured Chris Dunlap and Tramel Clipper. But Campbell, despite his elusive speed at running back, proved more dangerous playing slot, catching five passes for 105 yards, including touchdown catches of 48, 32 and 34 yards.

Tyree Mills caught three passes, including a 27-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 left in the third to make it 54-0.

It was one of those nights for the Apaches, who couldn’t get into any offensive rhythm.

Tuck completed 10 of 26 passes for 92 yards, but had six interceptions.
Arcadia mustered only 108 yards in total offense. Todd Golper, who played despite a broken toe, carried the ball only once, but caught six passes for 60 yards and had 19 tackles at linebacker.

Robert Felton and Mills were the others who intercepted Tuck.
Muir coach Ken Howard credited Thomas, Campbell and Williams for playing well, in particular Campbell and Thomas who normally play wide receiver and quarterback.

“We put some numbers up and those three guys (Thomas, Williams, Campbell) did an outstanding job,” Howard said. “A lot of these guys can play three or four positions but they’ll play wherever the team needs them to play.”

Howard also credited his lines, which not only protected Williams in the pocket, but led a stifling defense in shutting down Arcadia.

Thomas, who has been spread out enough as it is, seemed to fit in wherever he played, not losing a beat whether it was on offense or defense.

Campbell, who was touted by Howard to be the go-to guy at receiver, has played well of late, amassing 100 yards in his last two games.

He showed his athleticism when he caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Williams with 1:30 left in the first quarter, leaping behind the defender to grab the ball.

Friday’s score with my thoughts

Muir 54, Arcadia 0 — Muir is good. Really good. The Myles Campbell-Reuben Thomas experiment? That was a success. Thomas finished with 115 yards rushing on 16 carries and Thomas caught five passes for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Jarron Williams, who took 98 percent of the snaps, completed 10 of 14 passes for 194 yards and had five touchdowns.

Rosemead 52, South El Monte 14 — Rosemead will look to take control of the Mission Valley League next week when it faces El Monte High. El Monte lost, 9-3, to Arroyo on Friday, a result that leaves the Panthers in control of the league standings. The Panthers received a solid performance from QB Angel Alejandre. He finished the game 10 of 12 for 169 yards and three touchdowns. Tra Sumler saw limited action, rushing for 90 yards and a score.

Azusa 44, Duarte 6 — The Aztecs (7-1, 4-0) took a giant step toward their first Montview League title in years, dropping the Falcons to 2-5 and 2-1. Azusa QB Adrian Gaeta rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown and threw for 86 yards and a touchdown on a night the Aztecs rushed for 291 yards as a team. Defensively, the Aztecs were just as polished, limiting Falcons running back Jordan Canada to just 43 yards and combining for six sacks against Falcons quarterbacks Demetrius Jackson and Durriae Williams.

San Gabriel 42, Bell Gardens 32 — QB Isaac Valdez threw a touchdown pass in the closing minutes of Friday’s Almont League game against Bell Gardens to secure San Gabriel High School’s 42-32 victory. Valdez completed 17 of 23 passes for 325 yards, including two touchdown passes, the last a 49-yard strike to Marcos Villalobos to put the game out of reach.

San Marino 23, La Canada 14 — The Titans rushed for 304 yards as a team. Scott Dooley rushed for 127 yards on 33 carries and scored once. San Marino rushed for 198 yards in the first half alone.

Monrovia 27, South Pasadena 10 — Marquise Williams rushed for 162 yards on 22 carries and scored a TD. Interestingly, Williams scored 116 of those yards in the second half.

Crespi 34, St. Francis 0 — Ouch. The Golden Knights had only 123 yards total offense against a PAC-5 powerhouse. Celts quarterback Bryan Bennett threw for 206 yards on 14-of-17 passing, all in the first half. “The only positive thing coming out of this game is that everyone seems to be healthy going into league” St. Francis coach Jim Bonds said. “We have a lot to work on, but we played a darn good football team.”

Montebello 41, Alhambra 34 — Where’s the D? Last week’s game Alhambra vs. South El Monte had over 30 penalties and 234 yards combined. Our very own Nathan Hawkins was there and he said he was not going to count the penalties this time. There were plenty from what he tells me. The Moors made a couple of good stops that would have tied it but Alhambra fumbled. The Oilers were led by running backs Joseph Marron rushed for 135 yards (2 TD’s) as did teammate Eric Espinoza who also had three TD’s, one running and two receiving. Mitchell Crockom played only the first quarter. He was injured and didn’t play the rest of the game. On the bright side for my alma mater, QB Darrian Cazarin threw four touchdowns and ran for one.

Burroughs 20, Pasadena 0 — The Bulldogs had 85 total yards. It would have been only 47 if not for a 38-yard completion midway in the fourth quarter. Burroughs running back Dominique Barnes rushed for 229 yards on 32 carries and scored one TD. Barnes scored seven TD’s last week. But that was against Hoover.

Gabrielino 28, Mountain View 14 — The Eagles needed this win. Gabrielino High School was powered by three touchdowns from Oscar Rivas.

Keppel at Schurr, 7 p.m. — Apparently, these two teams played yesterday. Thanks for letting us know, Keppel.

Marshall at Maranatha, 7 p.m. — Waiting

Rio Hondo Prep 34, Pasadena Poly 7 — Rio Hondo Prep’s game plan was simple: run the ball and run it often. Backed by RB Antonio Alaniz’s 260 rushing yards, the Kares (3-3) pummeled Pasadena Poly (3-3). Unfortunately for Pasadena Poly, Alaniz was just getting started. The senior captain scored touchdown runs of 19 and 27 yards to finish off an impressive night. Kares junior running back Sterling Hedges also got in on the fun, rushing for 99 yards on 14 carries. The Kares’ defense also hounded Panthers quarterback Neil Child all night. Child completed just 9 of 21 passes, including 0 for 7 in the second half, for 116 yards and two interceptions.

Flintridge Prep 20, Viewpoint 9 — Joel Bryant rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns as the Rebels improved to 2-5 overall and 2-1 in the Prep League with a victory at Viewpoint. Bryant gave Flintridge Prep a 7-6 halftime advantage with a 17-yard run. Viewpoint (1-5, 0-2) rallied to make it 9-7 on a field goal in the third quarter. But the Rebels countered, going up 14-9 in the fourth quarter on a 29-yard run by Bryant.
Flintridge Prep then sealed it when Adam Ross returned a fumble 32 yards for a TD.

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