Menifee, CA — The Frosh Elsinore Tigers travelled to Menifee, CA on Wednesday, April 7th, 2021 for their first road game at Heritage High School. The Patriots took the contest 31-8, but the Tigers brought plenty of tough, physical play with them from Wildomar. It was a unique experience without bus transportation and a surprise early kickoff, but it was a nice bonus to have the backing of a good crowd in the away side of the stadium. The Tiger defense kept the game close in the first half after a special teams mistake and a long TD run on a 4th down play gave the Pats a 9-0 lead. In the second half, the Patriots offense was able to wear down the Tiger defense as they Tigers struggled to move the ball consistently. By the time the Tigers finally struck to make the game 23-8 in the 3rd quarter, there was simply not enough time in a game that went quickly due to the run heavy play calling by both offenses. On Offense, the Tigers were able to cross midfield multiple times but could not find ways to finish drives with touchdowns. Quarterback Marco Rupp led a turnover free offensive effort behind a solid effort on the offensive line led by Samuel Flores. The offense was highlighted by the running of tailback Gavin Smith, who capped off the performance with his first career touchdown run, with Oscar Flores running in the 2 point conversion. Defensively, the Tigers were up to the challenge that Heritage’s power run game presented. Many teams come to Menifee and get bullied by the Patriot offensive line, which is perennially one of the biggest and best offensive lines in the Inland Empire. However, the Tiger defensive front made it very difficult for the Patriots to move the ball on the ground, led by defensive lineman Jacob Ramirez and linebackers Mykai Skinner, Gavin Smith, and Ryu-Ken Robinson. With time ticking away in the game, the Patriots starting JV offensive line still could not run consistently and had to resort to passing due to the effort of defenders Kyle Dayirmenjian, Jaden Nelson, Ricky Dugan, and Jimmy Alvarado. The Tigers forced the run first Patriots to make some highlight reel catches in the pass game, in spite of a much improved secondary effort led by defensive backs Andrew Irvin, Julian Santoyo, and Brian Vieyra. The Tigers will play their final home game of the Spring 2021 season at 4 pm on Wednesday, April 14 against cross town rival Temescal Canyon High School. This special game is one of the most competitive and hardest fought rivalry games in all of Southern California. We look forward to sharing this final experience together as a football family as we wrap up a quick, unique, and memorable football season.