San Marino faced an all-too-familiar foe on Friday night as they traveled 20 minutes down the 710 freeway to face Bell Gardens. Despite not meeting for the last two years, the Titans and Lancers have a rich history, especially as a first-round CIF game. San Marino coach Michael Hobbie is 1-3 against the Lancers in his tenure as San Marino coach, one of the few teams he has a losing record against. Despite the poor history for the Titans, the team cruised to a 41-18 win, moving to 2-3 on the season.
Completing a string of excellent performances, senior Michael Chan rushed for five touchdowns, his third straight game with at least three scores.
“The line did a great job opening up the holes for me to run through," Chan said. "The various run plays we had also kept the defense on their toes.”
The Titans started the game with a bang, with junior quarterback Blake Cabot flashing his potential by complementing Chan’s running game with various short passes to unlock the Lancers' defense. The mixed offense kept the Lancers uncertain, and Chan coasted into the end zone from a yard out to make it 7-0. The defense also contributed, holding a physical Bell Gardens offense. Although the Lancers lack a strong passing game, running back Randy Herrera is a true threat, but San Marino held the speedy senior to one touchdown.
“We stayed disciplined and made sure we knew our assignments for every play and formation,” Chan added.
The offense carried the Titans through the first half, with Cabot getting involved in the run game, taking the ball to his left for a 64-yard score. At the half the Titans led 21-6.
Chan continued to lead the Titans in the second portion of the game. He ran rampant over the Lancers' defense, adding three scores in the second half. The Titans' secondary remained solid, preventing any big plays from Herrera. Bell Gardens did threaten for a while, pulling the game to within 16 points midway through the third, but Cabot ran into the end zone for a six yard score to put the game out of reach with 11 minutes to go.
The offensive line proved to be crucial for the Titans for the second game in a row. Led by returning starters Alo Figuera and David Wang, they set up the running game.
“We studied our assignments and looked at all the possible ways they would come out against us," Figuera said. "With that, all we had to do was block."
With the win, the Titans improved to 2-3 on the season. The first three games on their schedule were the hardest in recent memory, so the Titans are probably satisfied with the current mark. Next week league play starts, as they face the 0-3 Blair Vikings at home.
