Muir Fends Off Pasadena 28-20 in Halloween Night Turkey Tussle

John Muir High School kept the Victory Bell in Mustang blue and gold, holding off rival Pasadena High, 28-20, in the 78th edition of the storied Turkey Tussle at the Rose Bowl.

The Mustangs, the home team for the night, jumped out early behind quarterback Trey Gamble, who connected on a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes to Alijhah Smith and Noah Bozeman, putting Muir ahead 14-0 less than six minutes into the game. Pasadena quarterback Dutch Burbidge answered late in the quarter, firing a 32-yard strike to Kyle Robertson to close the gap to 14-7.

Muir’s defense stiffened in the second quarter, forcing an interception and recovering a fumble, but the drive-stalling flags that would define the second half began to appear early. Three straight penalties halted a promising Mustang series inside Pasadena territory, and the Bulldogs seized momentum with an interception and a drive to midfield before halftime.

Pasadena’s upset hopes flickered brighter midway through the third. After trading punts, a Gamble pass was picked off and returned deep into Mustang territory. Moments later, Burbidge found Damari Pitts in the corner of the end zone to make it 21-14 with 17 seconds left in the period.

But Muir, resplendent in their shiny gold “Notre Dame” style helmets, steadied itself when it mattered. Running back Zion McDonald powered through for a five-yard score in the third quarter, capping a bruising drive that pushed the lead to 21-7.

Pasadena answered once more, mounting a late march that ended in a short touchdown and a missed two-point try, narrowing the margin to 21-20 with under two minutes remaining. Muir responded immediately when Gamble found Bozeman wide open down the left side for a 65-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 28-20 with 32 seconds left. When a Burbidge pass was intercepted on the right sideline by Ethan Leyland with two seconds remaining, the Victory Bell was effectively Muir’s.

The win marked Muir’s 47th in the long-running series, which began as a Pasadena City College-John Muir Junior College matchup in the 1940s before becoming the high-school classic it is today. Both schools treat the annual contest as homecoming, filling the Rose Bowl stands with students, alumni, and families — and for one night, the entire city’s divided loyalties.

Pasadena fell to 6-4 overall but showed resilience in clawing back from an early deficit. Muir improved to 9-1 and retained firm control of the Pacific League standings heading into the postseason.

As the seconds ticked away to zero, Muir’s players rushed to the southern end zone to the victory bell and rang it over and over, shooting selfie after selfie, their gold helmets gleaming under the lights. On Halloween night in Pasadena, the Mustangs still owned the Bowl and the bell.