MONTEBELLO — The Schurr football team captured its third consecutive Almont League title by defeating Bell Gardens 35-2 on Friday night.
The Spartans (9-2, 5-0 AL) nearly pitched their third shutout of the season, but Bell Gardens (7-3, 4-1) was able to force a safety late in the fourth quarter.
It’s the 15th consecutive Almont League game that the Spartans have won, capping an incredible three-year stretch before the league switches to a conferencing-based format next year.
“All my coaches make this happen,” Schurr coach Austin Motoya said. “My kids make it happen. You’re talking to me because of them … because of the work and effort they put in.”
After a four-play opening possession that resulted in a punt, Schurr’s offense quickly got things back on track as quarterback Jacob Torres connected with Caesar Aguila for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
On the ensuing drive, Schurr’s two-way star, Alberto Chavez, picked off quarterback Michael Mendoza and returned it for a 30-yard touchdown to extend the Spartans’ lead to 14-0 with 2:28 left in the first quarter.
Despite falling behind by multiple possessions in the second quarter, the Lancers’ defense still managed to make Schurr feel uncomfortable at times.
The Spartans put together only one more scoring drive in the first half. Schurr running back Tyler Higashi found the end zone for his lone touchdown of the night from 6 yards out to extend Schurr’s lead to 21 points.
After a big third-down sack from defensive end Peter Chiwangi near midfield with 4:13 left in the first half, the Spartans had a chance to push the lead to 28 points.
However, Schurr coughed up its first and only turnover of the game when Torres was intercepted, squashing away any chance they had of a late first half score.
Schurr came out of halftime a bit sluggish, leaving Bell Gardens a bit of hope as they trailed 21-0.
Early in the third quarter, the Spartans pieced together a quick, four-play scoring drive that resulted in Chavez scoring his second touchdown of the game on a 21-yard touchdown pass to give Schurr a 28-0 lead.
Chavez found the end zone for a third time when he recovered a Bell Gardens fumble for the Spartans’ final score of the night with 11:45 left in the game.
“We knew we were going to be playing the hardest team in our league. I think our offseason helped us prepare for games like this,” Chavez said. “I’m just so proud to be a part of something like this.”
Schurr will learn which CIF-Southern Section playoff division bracket they fall into when the bracket gets released on Sunday,
“I’m ready,” Torres said. “I trust my team, I know what my team can do. I’m gonna trust in them and trust in my coaches and I believe it will take us somewhere.”
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