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SOUTH EL MONTE — For the first time in school history, South El Monte will advance to the CIF Division 14 football championship after a 13-7 victory over AB Miller.
Eagles quarterback Michael Maldonado had two rushing touchdowns and completed 10 of 14 passes for 109 yards, while running back Damian Cordova did most of the heavy lifting by running the ball 24 times for 122 yards Friday night.
“It’s a crazy accomplishment for this school. No matter the division,” Cordova said. “First time being in the championship in the whole entire history of South El Monte is … overall one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever been a part of.”
After three straight home games in the playoffs, South El Monte will go on the road next week and take on Pioneer for the championship.
South El Monte’s field, known as “the swamp,” played to the Eagles’ advantage during the game, as the muddy field conditions made it tough for Miller to get anything going offensively.
The Eagles’ first score came after they relied heavily on Cordova by running the ball six times. Fifteen yards away from the end zone, they called for a quarterback keeper to Maldonado to give them a 7-0 lead.
Following the touchdown, the Rebels looked poised to have an answer until quarterback Jacob Sauceda threw an interception to Eagles cornerback Miguel Rivera, leaving 1:32 of time before halftime.
“I saw the ball get thrown, stayed on my man, and the ball came to me, just took it,” Rivera said. “I just felt so relieved.”
Miller’s offense remained quiet to open the third quarter and they punted the ball back to South El Monte. The Eagles added another set of points with a 1-yard run by Maldonado to make it 13-0.
Before his 1-yard run, Maldonado had his longest pass of the game, a 43-yard completion to Isaac Gonzalez to set them up for the score.
“First half, they were bringing that safety down, and they would play their outside backer out,” Maldonado said. “That play, he fakes that block, and he just runs it up. It worked because they brought that safety down. It was a free play.”
Once Miller got the ball back after the score, they committed a holding call, then an offensive pass interference, which resulted in a turnover on downs.
Miller got its first score late in the fourth quarter from a 15-yard run by Saucedo.
“Jacob knows what to do; he knows our entire offense,” Miller head coach Andrew Amosa said during pregame. “He’s our captain, and he tells our guys to get going.”
The Rebels attempted an onside kick, but South El Monte recovered and ran down the clock.
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