Alhambra Football’s Undefeated Streak Deflated

 

ALEC GREGORY Staff Writer

 

The mood going into Friday night’s game was tense between the Moors and the Schurr Spartans, as Alhambra was entering the game undefeated in the season. Although the game ended with Schurr as victorious, Alhambra is not blinking at the defeat. Not only were the Moors 5-0, but Coach Eric Bergstrom was presented with The Los Angeles Chargers High School Coach of the Week award shortly before the game.

“It’s nice to have the program recognized like that,” Bergstrom said. “It’s nice exposure for the efforts of the coaching staff.”

After the pre-game presentation, Schurr came out of the gate swinging, scoring on their first possession with five minutes on the clock in the first quarter. Following this, an off-sides kick ended with the ball on their own 45-yard line. Alhambra senior Gabriel Taesali answered back with a 53 yard run off a recovered fumble. This tied the game up at 7-7. Schurr’s offense seemed to be able to find consistent holes in the team’s defense, scoring more than any other team so far this season. The Moors’ defense seemed to be plagued by a constant stream of penalties.

This caused them giving up yards throughout the entire game. After another Schurr touchdown and a blocked extra point attempt, the first quarter ended with Schurr leading the game 13-7. The second half saw the two teams going back and forth to no real effect until the end of the quarter. The Moors offense had probed far enough into Schurr territory to come with in field goal range which helped close the distance that Schurr had. The teams would go to regroup at halftime with Schurr still leading 13-10. The third quarter played out very similar to the first. This time however, Schurr brought in another touchdown. With the score at 20-10, the Moors offense was going to have to step up in the fourth to have a chance at bringing in a win. Schurr intended to strike the finishing blow at the start of the quarter, getting within three yards of the goal line on first down, only for the Moors’ defense to finally put it’s foot down.

This forced a turnover on downs with eight and a half minutes left to play. Senior Raul Cortez, junior Vito Russell and freshman Noah Rodriguez came out strong in the Moors’ first fourth quarter possession, giving them their first offensive touchdown of the game. This put the score at 16-20. Hope filled the recently quiet stands, and the Moors defense stood up to Schurr’s offense. The Moors’ second possession ended with a quick touchdown due to a 63 yard reception form Cortez, helping put the Moors up by three (23-20) with about four minutes left to play.

Schurr’s final possession would seal the deal for the most part. Not only did Schurr run down the clock, but they also marched down the field to take the lead with less than a minute left on the clock. The Moors would have one last turnover on downs to give Schurr the ball with less the 30 seconds to play. The Spartans won 27-23, gaining their second victory on the season, and handing Alhambra its first loss. The Moors now sit at a still impressive record of 5-1. The Moors will face the Montebello Oilers in a home game on Oct. 5.