South El Monte has achieved a historic milestone by advancing to the CIF Division 14 football championship for the first time in the school”s history, securing a 13-7 victory over AB Miller.
The Eagles” quarterback, Michael Maldonado, led the team with two rushing touchdowns and completed 10 of 14 passes for 109 yards. Meanwhile, running back Damian Cordova played a pivotal role, carrying the ball 24 times for 122 yards during the game.
Cordova expressed his excitement, stating, “It”s a crazy accomplishment for this school. No matter the division. 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 consecutive home playoff games, South El Monte will travel next week to face Pioneer in the championship match.
The Eagles benefited from their home field, affectionately dubbed “the swamp,” where the muddy conditions hindered Miller”s offensive efforts. The Eagles opened the scoring by heavily utilizing Cordova, who ran the ball six consecutive times before Maldonado executed a quarterback keeper from 15 yards out to give South El Monte a 7-0 lead.
Following the touchdown, the Rebels seemed ready to respond, but Miller”s quarterback Jacob Sauceda threw an interception to Eagles cornerback Miguel Rivera with just 1:32 remaining in the first half. Rivera commented, “I saw the ball get thrown, stayed on my man, and the ball came to me, just took it. I just felt so relieved.”
The third quarter began with Miller struggling offensively, leading to a South El Monte punt. The Eagles then extended their lead with a 1-yard touchdown run by Maldonado, following a 43-yard pass to Isaac Gonzalez that set up the score.
Maldonado explained, “First half, they were bringing that safety down, and they would play their outside backer out. 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.”
After South El Monte”s second score, Miller faced penalties for holding and offensive pass interference, resulting in a turnover on downs. The Rebels managed to score late in the fourth quarter with a 15-yard run from Sauceda.
Coach Andrew Amosa praised his quarterback, saying, “Jacob knows what to do; he knows our entire offense. He”s our captain, and he tells our guys to get going.”
As the game drew to a close, Miller attempted an onside kick, but South El Monte secured the recovery and managed to run down the clock, sealing their historic victory.
