Wildcats Headed Back to the Big Game

football team showed that its still the team to beat in the CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division despite the departure of All-CIF quarterback Nick Bueno who led the team to a .

It was junior quarterback Blake Heyworth who shined on Friday night. Heyworth passed for 220 yards and three touchdowns to lead Monrovia to a 41-27 victory over Covina, sending the Wildcats to their third consecutive championship game.

“Bueno was a special kind of player that we may never have again, but Blake (Heyworth) has been outstanding,” said Monrovia coach Ryan Maddox. “He reads defenses well and distributes the ball to everyone. He’s more of a traditional quarterback.”

The Colts came out fired up and quickly picked up 42 yards on a run by Geovontray Ainsworth. Quarterback William Livingston capped an 80-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Carrillo.

Monrovia’s offense was just as efficient on its first possession. Heyworth completed a 32-yard pass to Anthony Craft, setting up a 9-yard touchdown run by Marquise Bias. Bias ran a sweep to the right, but had to break two tackles on his way to the end zone.

Monrovia forced a three-and-out on Covina’s next possession and the offense took advantage. Heyworth hooked up with Luke Williams twice for first downs to move the ball into Covina’s red zone. Facing third down, Heyworth found an open De’ Shawn Ramirez for a 10-yard touchdown to put the Wildcats up 14-7.

Covina struggled to run the ball against Monrovia’s tough defensive line led by Ellis McCarthy. However, the Colts picked up 35-yard gain on a trick-pass from running back Nick Simmons at the end of the first quarter.

The big gain helped Covina reach Monrovia’s red zone and, facing fourth and one, Vincent Venegas ran the ball in from 11 yards out to tie the game.

Sensing a shift in momentum, the Wildcats resorted to their ‘Wildcat’ offense on the next possession. Ramirez lined up at quarterback and immediately ran for an 8-yard gain and completed a 34-yard pass to George Frazier. On the next play Ramirez found a hole and ran 10 yards in the end zone to complete a three-play, 52-yard scoring drive.

 “Our wildcat formation has been a big help,” said Ramirez. “It allows me to read the holes and defenses are usually caught by surprise.”

 Ramirez had three touchdowns and 107 all-purpose yards in the game.

Covina punted on its next possession following a sack by McCarthy for an 8-yard loss. Monrovia’s offense sputtered on the ensuing possession, but a costly pass interference penalty on the Colts allowed Heyworth to move the ball into Covina territory and eventually hook up with Craft for a 12-yard touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the half.

“We scheduled a tough preseason and had some injuries earlier in the year, but the way this team has come together has been special,” said Heyworth.

Monrovia took a 27-14 lead into halftime, but it was the team’s opening drive of the third quarter that put the game away. Initially the offense looked shaky and Heyworth was sacked for a 7-yard loss.

The Wildcats elected to punt facing fourth and eleven in their own territory, but kicker Mason Bryant had other plans. Bryant took the deep snap, but took off running for a big hole to the right and dove for a gain that was barely enough for the first down.

“It wasn’t a called play,” said Bryant. “On my previous punt I saw that they were getting blocked out on the right side. I’m glad I made it because I would’ve been chewed out if I hadn’t.”

Not only did Bryant’s innovation keep the drive alive, but it also led to an 11-play, 82-yard scoring drive that ate six minutes off the clock. Heyworth capped the drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ramirez.

Covina added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but failed to recover either of their two onside kick attempts while Monrovia kept the ball on the ground to chew up clock.

 “This was a huge win for us,” said Ramirez. “Not all of us were on the team for the championship run last year. This will be my first time in the big game.”

Monrovia will face the winner of Saturday night’s matchup between San Dimas and San Gabriel in next week’s CIF-SS Mid-Valley championship game.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

7:30 - C: Carrillo 19 pass from Livingston (Torres kick)

4:24 - M: Bias 9 run (Bryant kick)

0:44 - M: Ramirez 10 pass from Heyworth (Bryant kick)

2nd Quarter

10:39 – C: Venegas 11 run (Torres kick)

9:37 – M: Ramirez 10 run (Bryant kick)

0:49 – M: Craft 12 pass from Heyworth (kick failed)

3rd Quarter

6:43 – M: Ramirez 26 pass from Heyworth (Bryant kick)

4th Quarter

8:06 – C: Carrillo 16 pass from Livingston (Torres kick)

2:43 – M: Bias 2 run (Bryant kick)

1:17 – C: Mason 8 pass form Livingston (pass failed)