MONROVIA — Domination might be the best word to use when describing a Monrovia High football game. The Wildcats used a punishing defense and stampeding offense in the regular season to showcase their skills and highlight their determination to make a run at a CIF-Southern Section Division 9 championship.
Despite a rocky start to the game, Monrovia picked up where it left off in the regular season as it cruised to a 41-0 win over Santa Fe in the first round of the playoffs on Friday night.
Monrovia will play the winner of the Newport Harbor-St. Anthony next week.
“We just wanted to play well,” said Monrovia coach Chris Williams. “We had a bye week last week and were a little rusty coming out. We had some turnovers early and it took us a while to get going. But once we got going I thought we started rolling again and started doing what we had been doing the last few weeks of the season.”
Monrovia (10-1), ranked third in the division, storms into the quarterfinals on an eight-game winning streak. It’s a streak that’s seen the Wildcats hold its last six opponents to seven points or less and 24 points total.
“To come out here tonight and get a shutout that shows the defense is getting better every week,” Williams said. “As long as the offense can take advantage of that, it should be a good run for us.”
Monrovia quarterback Nick Hernandez had a near perfect night. He completed 19 of 21 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball in for a touchdown on a one-yard sneak in the second quarter to give Monrovia a commanding 28-0 lead.
Mario Minor caught seven passes for 122 yards. He also caught a 30-yard touchdown when he jumped up in the endzone behind a defender to haul the ball in for a score with 29 seconds left before half that gave the Wildcats a 34-0 lead. Minor even added an interception on defense.
Daylen Wilson caught six passes for 69 yards for Monrovia.
The slight rust that showed early quickly wore off. Monrovia received the opening kickoff but Tyree Myles fumbled on the first offensive play and Alano Cardenas recovered for the Chiefs at the Wildcat 41-yard-line.
Monrovia held Santa Fe on a fourth-and-13 at their own 27 a few plays later when a Caden Barnhill pass toward the endzone fell incomplete. However, Monrovia gave Santa Fe the ball back two plays later when a Wilson fumble was recovered by Romon Soto.
Monrovia stuffed Barnhill on a fourth down quarterback sneak four plays later and took over at its own 48. The Wildcats then grabbed a 7-0 lead on the possession when Zeph Pascasio scored on a five-yard run with 5:06 left in the first quarter.
The Wildcats took a 14-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter when Devon Mayes scored on a six-yard run. That capped a 10-play, 69-yard drive.
Santa Fe had a chance to cut the Wildcat lead to one score on the next drive. The Chiefs marched down to the Monrovia seven-yard-line thanks to a 52-yard pass from Barnhill to Elias Peraza. Two plays later, Hunter Nicely stepped in front of a Barnhill pass at the goal line and raced down the left sideline for a 100-yard interception return that completely changed the momentum of the game and put Monrovia up 21-0.
The Wildcat defense intercepted four passes and stopped the Chiefs on three fourth down attempts. They also held the Chiefs to 167 total yards—only 66 in the second half.
Santa Fe was led by running back Aaron Gonzalez who rushed for 55 yards on 19 carries.
