Monrovia Not Concerned With Change Of Venue

Monrovia is the home team this week, but its renovated stadium isn't fit to host the CIF Southern Section Mid-Valley Division championship game.

Once again, the Wildcats must play a home game at an alternative site. Monrovia played two home games this season at other locations because of the renovation to its stadium.

CIF officials said that Monrovia's visitors' bleachers weren't suitable to host the title game.

Instead of the friendly confines of home, Monrovia will play Whittier Christian at Arcadia High School on Saturday at 7:30 p.m..

The change of venue isn't a major road trip like the alternate site games at Maranatha (Pasadena) and San Marino. Arcadia is only two miles away and a 5-minute drive from the Monrovia campus. 

For Wildcats coach Ryan Maddox, the change is meaningless.  

"We don't really care where we play," Maddox said. "We're preparing for the championship game. It's right down the street. A lot of our players played Pop Warner at Arcadia. Not that that's our home field. We don't care where we play, we just want to play."

Monrovia is a confident bunch. The Wildcats are riding a 10-game winning streak and are 11-2 overall.

Then again, Whittier Christian isn't a slouch. The Heralds boast a better overall record at 12-1, and they've won seven in a row since their only loss of the season against Cantwell Sacred Heart in October.

Wildcats defensive back and wide receiver Jay Henderson would have liked to play the title game at home, where Monrovia hasn't lost all season.

"I'm really disappointed," Henderson said. "I don't want to think about that too much."

Henderson and the rest of the defense will have to defend numerous pass attempts from Whittier Christian quarterback Stephen Anderson.

Anderson will keep the Monrovia secondary on its toes. Like the Schurr game in the second round, they will be fed a steady diet of throws.

Schurr quarterback Aaron Cantu was a powerhouse at 6-foot-3 with a big arm. Anderson, is a short lefty (5-foot-10), but has a quick delivery.

Whittier Christian doesn't have a 1,000-yard rusher, so stopping the pass is Monrovia's priority.

"That's going to be really tough," Henderson said. "We have to play good defense, the coverage has to be good and we have to keep working hard."

If there's a defense that's up to the challenge, though, it's Monrovia's. The unit has given up an average of 10 points per game this year.

But that number shrinks even more if you only focus on the Wildcats' playoff run. The Wildcats have suffocated opposing offenses during the postseason. In three playoff games, teams have averaged only eight points per game against Monrovia.

Gladstone got a field goal. Schurr found the end zone once. And San Dimas, the defending Mid-Valley champion, which scored 56 points in the second round, mustered only two touchdowns.

"We have a great group on defense," Maddox said. "You don't go deep in the playoffs without playing great defense."