El Monte has gone a perfect 9-0 against Gabrielino recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Lions will face off against the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in El Monte's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last six games.
On Friday, El Monte strolled past South El Monte with points to spare, taking the game 38-21.
Alex Aleman
| 10/24/25 vs South El Monte | 153.3 |
| 11/08/24 @ Calvary Chapel | 129.4 |
| 09/26/25 @ Marshall | 127.4 |
| 10/18/24 @ Arroyo | 126.2 |
| 09/19/25 vs Arroyo | 116.7 |
El Monte's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Aaron Rivera, who rushed for 161 yards while picking up 8.9 yards per carry, and Alex Aleman, who threw for 190 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 71.4% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave Aleman a new career-high in passer rating (153.3). Isaiah Standley was in the mix as well, providing El Monte with two scores.
El Monte's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB 12 times. Humberto Marin led the group effort, picking up five of those sacks all by himself. He also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with ten. Nathan Jimenez was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making nine total tackles.
Meanwhile, while Gabrielino put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Marshall. Gabrielino breezed past Marshall to the tune of 61-0. That 61 point margin sets a new team best for Gabrielino this season.
El Monte better keep an eye on Alijah Sheppard. He was instrumental in Gabrielino's win, rushing for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Sheppard is becoming a predictor of Gabrielino's success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
Gabrielino didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aiden Alvarez and Adrian Orozco. Orozco got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
El Monte pushed their record up to 7-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 12.3 points on average over those games. As for Gabrielino, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
Thursday's matchup might be decided on the ground. El Monte has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 196.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Gabrielino struggles in that department as they've been averaging 178.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
El Monte strolled past Gabrielino when the teams last played back in October of 2024 by a score of 28-14. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
