Jordana Tsai throws two first-half touchdown passes to lead the Spartans past the Bears

Jordana Tsai threw two first-half touchdown passes as the La Cañada Spartans earned a 13-0 victory over the John Burroughs Bears. Burroughs entered the matchup following a 31-6 win over South Pasadena, while La Cañada was coming off a 24-7 victory against Temple City.

The Bears received the ball to begin the game but struggled to establish their offense. La Cañada’s Jaden May intercepted a pass from Chloe Zavala and returned it 12 yards, giving the Spartans favorable field position. Tsai capitalized on the turnover by connecting with Violet Waugh for an 8-yard touchdown, giving La Cañada a 6-0 lead. The Spartans carried that advantage into the second quarter.

Tsai and Waugh connected again in the second period, this time for an 18-yard touchdown. Tsai then found Sahana Garg on the two-point conversion attempt to extend La Cañada’s lead to 13-0. Burroughs had an opportunity to score late in the first half, but the Spartans’ defense forced a turnover on downs. La Cañada entered halftime holding a 13-point advantage.

The Spartans received the ball to begin the second half. Sobha Malik opened the third quarter with a 15-yard run that moved the chains, but the Burroughs defense prevented La Cañada from reaching the end zone and forced a turnover on downs. Neither team scored during the second half, allowing the Spartans to preserve the shutout.

“Our team executed well on both sides of the ball, and our defense played lights out in the win over Burroughs,” La Cañada coach Mike Combes said. Combes added that Tsai became increasingly comfortable operating the Spartans’ offense as the game progressed.

Burroughs coach Keith Knoop credited La Cañada’s preparation while acknowledging his team’s offensive struggles. “Even though La Cañada is a great team and came in with an effective game plan, I did not think we executed well offensively,” Knoop said. “Our defense played well for the most part, but we missed a lot of crucial flag pulls and gave them too many chances to score.”

Knoop added that identifying areas for improvement gives the Bears specific issues to address in practice and can help the team respond in its next game. La Cañada improved to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in league play, while Burroughs fell to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in league competition.

Both teams return to action Wednesday. The Spartans will face Monrovia at 5 p.m., while Burroughs will take on San Marino at 3:30 p.m.