South Pasadena, CA — SOUTH PASADENA COULD BE THE BEST TEAM YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT With all the attention that has been drawn to programs such as Pasadena, La Serna, Bishop Amat, and several others, it’s easy to forget a team like South Pasadena. The Tigers are off to a 3-0 start and have outscored their opponents 119-13. Last Friday night, South Pasadena easily polished off LA Marshall 53-0. If you think that this team is playing with a purpose currently, you are on the right track. Last year, South Pasadena advanced to the Division 13 semifinals before suffering a heartbreaking 28-21 loss to Montclair. “I didn’t have to say a lot in the weight room this past offseason,” South Pasadena coach Jeff Chi said. “The way the season finished last year left a sour taste in the mouths of the players that were coming back this year. I think what you are seeing right now are the benefits of a full season in the weight room.” The Tigers are led by quarterback Jackson Freking, running back Jason Hong, and wide receiver Richard Conti. According to Chi, Freking is seeing the benefits of being the starting quarterback for the past several years. “(Freking) has the ideal size for a quarterback,” Chi said. “He is 6-2 and has improved so much from last year. It helps that you have a receiver like (Conti), and they represented a great combination. They have put in a lot of work during the offseason.” Monti has overcome a back injury that deprived him of playing most of the season in 2021. It was in 2020 that Monti’s athletic exploits caught the eye of Chi. “We were playing La Canada had he caught this curl route and took off for a touchdown that showed me that we had a pretty good player,” Chi said. “He had a great offseason in the weight room and is strong and very healthy.” As with most of the teams in the Rio Hondo League, Chi understands that Monrovia once again appears to be heads and shoulders above everyone else in the league. However, since the RHL is a six-team league, the league has automatic playoff spots for three teams. This means teams such as South Pasadena, La Canada, and Pasadena Poly are the major players to fight for the remaining two precious AQ bids. “Monrovia gives you a lot to think about,” Chi said. “We still have to play teams like San Marino and San Marino, and we know that they’ll give us their best shot. We can only control what we can control.” Getting a playoff spot is huge because with the power rating they received last year, they ended up as the top seed in Div. 13. And while most area fans and coaches are not happy with the new playoff division format (which solely relies on a team’s power rating on Calpreps.com), Chi is more than happy with the current set up. “What a like about the playoff system is that we are playing teams at our talent level,” Chi said. “I know that we can play with anyone on the field in a division like we were last year.” South Pasadena is ranked 211th in the current Calpreps ratings, which could keep them in a much lower division and replace the sour taste of a late-season disappointment with a sweet taste of a sectional title.