After a victory against Arcadia, the Titan football team was ready to once again defend their home turf against Arroyo. The Knights of Arroyo High School are no new foe to the football team, as in the regular pre-season last year, the Titans downed the Knights 14-13 in a defensive thriller. However, it was Arroyo that got the last laugh, as in the first round of CIF playoffs, Arroyo shut out San Marino in a 28 point defeat for the Titans. The rematch was highly anticipated, as it is not often you get a chance for revenge against the team that beat you in the playoffs.
The story of this game was defense, a battle which was easily won by the Titans. They bested their defensive masterclass from the Arcadia game and allowed seven less points, holding the once strong Arroyo offense to just six. “I was really happy with how our defense played,” junior linebacker Julian Solis said. On top of just the six points, senior Nathan Yarahmadi got himself two interceptions, returning the second for a touchdown, putting an exclamation point on the game for the Titan defense.
As for the offense, junior Brady Beck’s top target of the game was senior receiver Sid Danenhauer. Danenhauer shined with two touchdown receptions and many more for positive yards. One of the touchdown receptions was an incredible toe-tap catch in the back corner of the endzone. While the passing game was on point, the running game, while not bad, was certainly not the Titan’s best. “We just struggled to get the ball past their defensive line,” Solis, also a running back, said. “They were a big team, but we’ve got to do better.” Beck led his offense to a points total of 26, coming just one shy of matching their performance of Arcadia, but this consistency is a good sign coming forward. Next week, the Titans travel down Rosemead Blvd to the high school of the same name in a matchup where the Titans are heavy favorites.
