MONROVIA >> Jaylyn Newson scored three touchdowns to lift Monrovia to a 49-7 victory over South Pasadena and into second place in the Rio Hondo League.
“He practices like he plays,” Monrovia head coach Chris Stevens said about his running back. “These last two games have been his coming-out moments and he’s taken full advantage of the time that he’s gotten.”
Monrovia (6-3, 3-1) moved ahead of South Pasadena (7-2, 2-2) and La Canada. The Wildcats’ win puts them in a strong position for a playoff berth because San Marino continued its undefeated run with a 49-0 rout of La Canada.
“We knew that we had to win, and not just win the game,” Stevens said. “For us, tonight, it was a matter of making a statement.”
Newson rushed for 136 yards on 14 carries. Nathaniel Elijah Hall rushed 14 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Asaph Zamora threw for 100 yards on 7-of-9 passing with two touchdowns.
Since a 49-19 loss to San Marino, Monrovia has outscored its opponents 105-7 in the last two games.
“We were taught a lesson against San Marino that we had to learn from, and we did that,” Stevens said. “In the last two games, we made a concentrated effort in building our offensive line.”
Despite the loss, South Pasadena head coach CB Richards is optimistic his players will pick themselves up against Temple City next week.
“The guys are coming out and doing what I want,” Richards said. “It’s nice to play in a playoff atmosphere in the last few games of the season. We’re young and still learning.”
Monrovia got the ball rolling quick Friday night, scoring its first touchdown on Newson’s 1-yard run.
On the Wildcats’ second drive, Zamora found Weston for a 26-yard touchdown pass to stretch the lead to 14-0 with only 4:26 left in the first quarter. The closest South Pasadena came to scoring was a missed 34-yard field-goal attempt by kicker Robert Amaral.
The Wildcats began the second quarter with a lengthy drive, but missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt. Nonetheless, Monrovia scored on its next drive, and it was Newson again with a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0, a score that stood until halftime.
Stevens’ squad didn’t just sit back in the third quarter, especially Hall, who picked up a 66-yard rushing touchdown and a 49-yard touchdown reception in the quarter.
South Pasadena got on the board with a 14-yard touchdown reception from Jalen Ross with 1:36 left in the third quarter. But it took only five seconds for Newson to score his third touchdown of the night, running 69 yards to give the Wildcats a 42-7 lead. The Wildcats closed out the game with a 42-yard interception by Kyle Robinson.
“It’s just another game to us and we treat it like it’s our last,” Newson said about a potential playoff berth. “We’re ready. We’re still preparing, we still have things to put together, but we’re ready and we’re going to get there.”
