The beach came a little closer to Titan Stadium on Friday, the 18th of August, as it was Beach Night for the Titans’ football home opener against the Arcadia Apaches. After qualifying for CIF last season, the Titans lost a lot of critical role players to graduation, including quarterback Riley Short and running back Ryan Singhal. However, the talent on the team is still very strong, with multiple members of the team on the San Gabriel Valley watchlist, such as senior linebacker Coleman Morning and junior lineman Mitch Mooney. With a new head coach at the helm, the Titans looked to beat the Apaches in the first meeting of the two schools in over twenty years.
A very interesting first few plays ensued after the Titans kicked the ball off to Arcadia. On Arcadia’s first play from scrimmage, they fumbled the ball to the Titans, and then an interesting occurrence took place, as the band began to play the national anthem, and play stopped for the song’s duration. The Titans’ momentum drained after a pause following the fumble, and the drive which started in excellent position for the Titans ended in a blocked field goal. Despite this chaos, the Titans roared out to a 21-0 lead. “It was awesome to see the team come out to the lead,” Jack Pacioriek, 11, said.
Though Arcadia attempted a comeback, they failed to convert a fake extra point, which set them back by 8, the score being 21-13. A quick response by the Titans removed any doubt of the victor, as the clock struck zero with the score being San Marino, 27, Arcadia, 13. Brady Beck, 11, went 25-30 passing, throwing 305 yards and two passing touchdowns, both to Sid Danenhauer, 12. On the ground, Morning and Nick Escamilla, 12, both added a touchdown each. Additionally, sophomore Christian Wing got an interception on the defensive side of the ball in his first ever high school game. With an early win, the 1-0 Titans have started off strong, and will look to continue that in a revenge against Arroyo, who eliminated the Titans in last year’s CIF playoffs.
