Arcadia's Stellar Season Comes to an End

football season started with a heart-throbbing 31-28 loss to and ended with a gut-wrenching 31-28 loss to La Mirada.

In between came a string of impressive victories, with of Burbank being the one blemish during that stretch.

Arcadia ended up as co-champions of the Pacific League, along with Burroughs, and expectations were high after the Apaches coasted to a 39-13 victory over Bonita in the first round of the playoffs for their sixth consecutive win.

La Mirada, their second-round opponent Friday night, opened the season with three consecutive losses and then lost its league opener.

With the home-field advantage, it appeared Arcadia was primed to make it past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2002. But it wasn’t to be, and the Apaches ended up with a 9-3 record.

The La Mirada Matadors, whose fans nearly filled the visitor’s bleachers at Salter Stadium, dominated the first quarter and all-important fourth quarter. They demonstrated a tough, physical running game spurred by workhorse Johnny Hills.

La Mirada racked up 288 yards on the ground, with Hills accounting for 219 in 34 carries.  

When it counted most, Arcadia couldn’t stop La Mirada’s ground attack while failing to ever really get its own ground game going. That was the big difference, along with three interceptions by quarterback Myles Carr, including two in the fourth quarter.

Carr came into the game having thrown only three interceptions all seasons. He looked very sharp at times, particularly on pass-play touchdowns of 65 and 72 yards to Alex McElwee. But those two fourth-quarter interceptions, both picked off by Andy Gramajo, were killers. Gramajo also had an interception in the first half.

“That’s a very tough team,” Arcadia Coach Jon Dimalante said of La Mirada. “They wore us down.”

Dimalante met with his players at midfield following the game to tell them how proud he was of them for the season they had.

There’s no question Arcadia had plenty of talent on this team, and several players are likely to go on to play at the next level. Carr had a marvelous season, as did his favorite target, , who is also a standout at safety.

The University of Washington is hoping to land Lagace.

McElwee was outstanding in defeat Friday night, both at wide receiver and cornerback, and has the talent to move on.

Robbie Haines anchored the defensive line all season and also contributed on offense as a tight end. His 36-yard catch and run Friday night set up the Apaches’ second touchdown and he scored their third with a reception on first and goal from the four.

Clarence Irvin and Ryan Campbell were other stalwarts in the defensive line this season.

For awhile, Arcadia appeared to have the game against La Mirada in hand.

The Apaches, who trailed 10-0 after the first quarter, scored 28 straight points and went into the fourth quarter with a 28-17 lead.

A 23-yard touchdown run by Hills brought La Mirada within 28-23. The Matadors went for two points, but Arcadia’s Kevin Giammalva knocked down the attempted pass, meaning La Mirada would need a touchdown to go ahead.

After the ensuing kickoff, Arcadia looked like it might get going on the ground. Jake Medel ran for seven yards, Carr for four and then Medel for seven more. But an illegal procedure call against the Apaches made it second and eight instead of second and two, which called for a pass play.

That’s when Gramajo, who also had a solid game at running back, had the first of his two fourth-quarter picks, giving La Mirada the ball at midfield. On fourth and one at the 41, a good second effort by Hills gave La Mirada a first down after it appeared he had been stopped short.

Another key play on this drive was a 26-yard gain on a pass play from quarterback Gerry Myres to tight end Tyler Luatua. Runs of nine and two yards by Gramajo put the ball on the one, from where Myres snuck it in to make the score 29-28. This time La Mirada was successful with a two-point conversion try, Myres finding highly touted receiver Dallis Shipp open in the end zone.

Arcadia still had time to score and a pass play from Carr to Joey Willm for 21 yards gave Arcadia a first down at La Mirada 26 with 1:45 left and two timeouts. A 15-yard pass-interference penalty against Gramajo, who was guarding Lagace, gave Arcadia a first down at the 13.

Lagace caught a potential game-winning pass from Carr on the next play but was ruled out of bounds. McElwee then made what appeared to be a miraculous catch in the end zone but the pass was ruled incomplete. It was on the next play that Gramajo picked off Carr again, and that was pretty much the end of a marvelous season for Arcadia.

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SCORING

La Mirada 10  0  7 14 -- 31

Arcadia       0 21 7   0 – 28

  LM – Watkins, 32-yard field goal

  LM – Lagmay, 30-yard run (Watkins kick)

  A – McElwee, 65-yard pass from Carr (Pulciano kick)

  A – Medel, 1-yard run (Pulciano kick)

  A – Haines, 4-yard pass from Carr (Pulciano kick)

  A – McElwee, 72-yard pass from Carr (Pulciano kick)

  LM – Hills, 4-yard run (Watkins kick)

  LM – Hills, 25-yard run (pass failed)

  LM – Myres, 1-yard run (Shipp, pass from Myres)