Article by Christian Romo
Photos by Jacob Bigley
It had been five years since the Apaches last beat the Wildcats, but on Friday night, Arcadia finally bettered its rival.
Thanks to a wild fourth-quarter comeback, the Arcadia Apaches (2-0) stunned the Monrovia Wildcats (0-3) 22-21 Friday night in Monrovia. An interception from junior Ramon Morfin (#2) with less than a minute to go sealed the victory for the Apaches, who rallied from a 21-9 fourth quarter deficit to shock the Wildcat crowd. The Apache’s thirteen unanswered points came despite first half defensive struggles and a scary hit that sent an Arcadia player to the hospital in the middle of the third quarter.
Apache coach Andrew Policky didn’t credit any major second-half adjustments for his team’s win. “We tackled a little bit better…we went back to the basics…it was just one of those games, man,” he said. Much of the credit should go to junior quarterback Maximillian Davila (#18), who ran in all three Apache touchdowns, including the go ahead one-yard draw late in the fourth quarter. A fumble recovery from senior Isaiah Leon (#34) late in the fourth gave the Apaches a go-ahead opportunity from the Monrovia 22-yard line, but they couldn’t convert on fourth down in the red zone. On the very next play, Arcadia recovered another fumble on Monrovia’s ten-yard line, and this time the Apache’s took advantage. When asked about the second fumble recovery, Davila said, “I just thought, man, we’re going to win this.”
For MHS, the disappointing loss continues their early season struggles. “We’re not very good right now,” said Coach Jerry Chou, “we’re turning the ball over… [we’re committing] stupid penalties, we have to cut those out and get better every day.” Senior Elijah Hall (#3), filling in at quarterback for injured starter Richie Schroeder, scored on a 72-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a 61-yard touchdown pass to senior Cameron Montano (#10) in the third. Hall’s interception in the end zone towards the end of the third quarter seemed to seal the victory for the Wildcats, but fourth-quarter turnovers doomed MHS to a loss.
A frightening moment for both sides happened in the third quarter when Apache wideout Raeshawn Roland took a hit to the head, fell, and lied motionless on the field. Trainers from both teams immediately rushed to help the unconscious Roland, and after several minutes, they were able to help him off the field and into an ambulance. After the game, the Apaches gathered in a semi-circle and chatted with their injured teammate via FaceTime, and they were able to spread the good news of their win to the hospital where Roland was recovering. Policky expressed his concern and thankfulness that Roland had not suffered a more serious injury to his neck or extremities.
Next Friday, the Wildcats will attempt to snap their three-game losing streak against Whittier at Monrovia, and the Apaches will head home hoping to extend their winning streak against Maranatha.
