Football Team Rams Through Temple City

Football Team Rams Through Temple City

ALEC GREGORY Staff Writer

 

After winning their first two games, the Alhambra football team was not prepared to stop in the face of the Temple City Rams on Friday night. The Rams came into the game with a season record of 1-0 after defeating Mark Keppel the week before. However, this did not seem to phase the Moors. The Moors started off the game, only to have the ball deflected and intercepted two plays into their first possession. However, their defense was able to quickly get the ball back, and with almost nine minutes on the clock, Alhambra scored the first touchdown on a pass from the starting quarterback Noah Rodriguez to senior wide receiver Raul Cortez. “There was nothing that surprised us… Coach [Bergstrom] predicted a couple plays that weren’t on film.

We knew everything,” senior player Sebastian Velasco said. The Moors kept a 7-0 lead over the Rams throughout the first quarter. The team’s preparation paid off about seven minutes into the second quarter when the Moors defense forced a fourth down deep on the Ram’s side of the field. “We prepared for them based on what we had seen them do and what we expected them to do,” Head Coach Eric Bergstrom said. With a couple of experienced blocks, Alhambra’s wide receiver and defensive end Velasco was able to sneak past the Rams and gain another touchdown off of a punt return. Shortly after, a sixteen yard reception to junior wide receiver Daniel Catano, the Moors scored another touchdown on fourth and goal, with only a minute left to play in the half.

The score was 20-0 in favor of the Moors as both teams marched off the field at half time. The second half, while filled with excitement and close calls, was more a battle of defense. The Moor’s offense was put on their heels near the end of the third quarter, as they suffered a safety, putting the score at 20-2 in Alhambra’s favor. Although Alhambra kept the lead throughout the game, there was still room for improvement. “I would’ve liked to see us be more productive, would like to see us finish games,” Bergstrom said, “We’re getting better on a weekly basis, which is really all that matters.” The Moors then intercepted the ball with just over one minute left to lead to the end of the game. With their win over Temple City, the Moors improved their record to 3-0, while allowing only a combined 8 points in those three games. The Moors next home game is against the South Pasadena Tigers on Sept. 13.