Monrovia Football Has Solid All Around Season Opener
By Nathan Foster
The Monrovia Wildcats looked strong in their first contest of the season, defeating the West Covina Bulldogs 28-14 on the road on Friday.
Senior quarterback Nick Hernandez had a quality outing, completing 12 of his 19 passes on the night for 272 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. The highlight of the night was a pass to senior wide receiver Mario Minor who took it 80 yards to the house. Hernandez also had two other huge passing touchdowns of 45 and 40 yards to seniors Rudy Flores and Devon Mayes, respectively.
The one area the Wildcats struggled in the contest offensively was on the ground. Senior tailback Tyree Miles rushed eight times for 13 yards, an average of just 1.6 yards per carry. The team’s other back, Mayes, also struggled, rushing three times for just eight yards.
The Wildcats defense put together a solid overall effort, shutting down the Bulldog’s passing game completely. West Covina quarterback Juan Velazquez only completed four of six passes for 18 yards and no scores. However, Velazquez had a terrific game on the ground, rushing 11 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Wildcats were led by Minor who notched 14 total tackles, eight of which were solo including three tackles for loss. The Wildcats combined for an impressive 15 tackles for loss, three sacks and one interception on the night.