By Christian Romo
If these were the Lancers at their sloppiest, the Angelus League may have an unexpected contender.
Behind a standout performance from senior running back Amon Milliner (#5), the La Salle Lancers (2-0) shut out the Monrovia Wildcats (0-2) 37-0, Friday night at Kohorst Field in Pasadena.
Milliner rushed for 126 yards on 18 carries, scoring two touchdowns, and just missing a third, early in the first quarter. The Lancers also got a big game from their special teams, which forced two turnovers on punt opportunities (both leading to points on a safety and sophomore Treynell Stewart’s (#11) fumble recovery in the endzone), and blocked a punt in the third quarter to set up another scoring drive.
La Salle’s margin of victory could have been bigger if it had not been for 10 personal fouls called on the Lancers. Two Milliner rushing touchdowns were called back due to illegal blocking penalties, though Milliner would later recover one on a third quarter drive, and the officials more frequently warned the Lancer’s sideline than the Wildcat’s.
Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and undisciplined play drew the ire of La Salle Coach Russell Gordon, who at one point chastised a player penalized for not wearing kneepads. When asked how he was going to address his team’s personal fouls, Gordon responded: “Monday. It’s Labor Day and we’ll still be practicing.” The personal fouls and erased scores, though frustrating, didn’t seem to faze Milliner. “I just go rest on the sidelines, come back, and do it again,” he said.
Despite the high number of penalties, the Wildcats couldn’t capitalize on La Salle’s mistakes. Monrovia showed promise in the first quarter mounting a 40-yard drive into Lancer territory, but the La Salle defense snuffed out the Wildcat running attack, forcing one of Monrovia’s many punts.
The Wildcats also had trouble stopping La Salle’s run game, which accumulated two rushing touchdowns and would have had another if not for a penalty. Monrovia also struggled with special teams, giving up two possessions and a safety on punt attempts due to fumbled snaps. When asked about what his team had to work on, Monrovia coach Jerry Chou smirked and said, “What aren’t we going to work on? We have a lot of things to correct.”
A scary moment for Monrovia happened during a botched punt attempt in the third quarter when senior Malcolm Barnes (#8) suffered a hit to the head, fell, and lied writhing on the field. Trainers attended to him for a few minutes before helping him to his feet, but a later examination showed that Barnes had suffered a concussion. Paramedics later carted Barnes off the field and drove him to a local hospital, and though the extent of Barnes’s head injury was unknown at the time, a Monrovia trainer called the injury “worse than normal” and said that Barnes “didn’t even know what school he was at” when they examined him on the field.
Though little worked offensively for the Wildcats, everything ran smoothly for the Lancers. La Salle senior quarterback Jake Caan (#8) quietly impressed, completing 10 of 14 passes with two touchdowns, one on a 55-yard pass to senior Harrison MacDonald (#15) in the first quarter, and another on an 8-yard pass to senior Sean Davis (#4). “I thought we played extremely well,” said Gordon. If they continue playing this way, a shot at a league title may not be out of the question.
The Lancers host Bishop Diego next Friday at 7 p.m. at Kohorst Field. Monrovia will look for their first win next Friday at 7 p.m. at home against rival Arcadia.
