September 2008 Archives
No. 1 South Hills knocks off No. 4 St. Lucy's 22-25, 25-16, 25-11, 25-16
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Tribune Top 10
1. South Hills (4-2)
Still the one
2. Glendora (4-1)
Nice split last week
3. Walnut (7-2)
Looked lost at Glendora
4. St. Lucy's (7-3)
Took step back vs. Rosary
5. Diamond Bar (8-2)
Capable of raising the Bar
6. Bonita (3-2)
Real 'Cats step forward
7. Charter Oak (8-0)
Yet to be tested
8. Bishop Amat (1-3)
Steady at Mayfair Tourney
9. San Dimas (5-2)
Lost volleyball's 'Smudge pot'
10. Los Altos (0-3)
Talented, but no wins yet
Comments: The strength of the area was shown last week as Glendora, Walnut and Bonita took turns knocking each other off. South Hills enjoyed a nice split to keep the top spot, but the Huskies face a major test tonight when they host St. Lucy's, which took a step back after losing in three to Rosary. Glendora looked solid in beating Walnut in four games, but gave it back after losing to Bonita. The Bearcats, who started slow, caught fire last week by earning wins over Alta Loma, San Dimas and Glendora. There are two big matches this week as St. Lucy's visits South Hills and Walnut takes an excursion to Los Altos.
Rankings: No doubt Bishop Amat takes back the top spot with an easy win over Damien, and with a bye week, they can now get ready for next week's live Fox Sports showdown against Diamond Ranch. Charter Oak only drops one because of a tie, which is a good tie on the road at Rancho Cucamonga. South Hills remains at three with San Dimas moving up a notch to No. 4 and West Covina jumping to No. 5 with a big 28-21 win over Glendora. South El Monte jumps back in the top ten and Rowland makes its first appearance in our rankings in more than two years.
1. Bishop Amat (3-1)
What, are you surprised? Raise your hand if you thought the Lancers would be 3-1 with a good chance to go 4-1 or 5-1 over the next three weeks. Unbelievable. What's more impressive is what they're doing against San Gabriel Valley opponents. After watching West Covina lose to Bishop and beat Glendora, it makes what the Lancers are doing more impressive.
2. Charter Oak (3-0-1)
So they settled for a 14-14 tie at Rancho Cucamonga. It's not a win, but still a great result for the Chargers, who get another tester on Friday against Damien. Like South Hills, the Chargers always seem to get better as the season continues.
3. South Hills (2-1)
There was so much expected of South Hills that even a blowout win over Duarte doesn't seem that impressive. The early talk is that the Huskies need a better running game to back QB Cameron Deen. Let's see if Northview's improved defense can slow them down a bit.
4. San Dimas (4-0)
After thinking the Valle Vista was improved, I've wavered. I don't think anyone can touch the Saints in league, so Bonita has the best chance to give them a loss in the Smudge Pot next week. Yeah a chance, but it's not happening.
5. West Covina (3-1)
The Bulldogs are growing in confidence after Friday's win over Glendora, and everyone is talking about their big offensive line. With Ricky Johnson and a healthy Ili in the backfield, they can play with anyone. Um, except Bishop Amat of course.
6. Bonita (3-1)
The surprise wasn't that they beat Baldwin Park, but how easy they disposed of the Braves. This is the high-powered offense we expected when you have a Terry Paradez and a talented receiving crew. Now the key is consistency.
7. Glendora (1-2)
How far can you really drop the Tartans after losses to Upland and West Covina? They're legit, the breaks just aren't going their way at the moment. They should get backon track at West Ranch.
8. Rosemead (2-1)
I'm giving them a pass on the blowout loss at Harvard-Westlake. They didn't have suspended RB Tra Sumler, and it was a big step up in class. I'm really interested to see how they do against South Hills in two weeks.
9. South El Monte (2-1)
QB Jose Garay already has thrown for 606 yards and nine touchdowns, leading an offense averaging 42 points a game. They don't have to be the best defensive team in the Valley, but some defense would help.
10. Rowland (2-1)
This season's biggest surprise after knocking off Northview. They run the ball well and play defense, which is always the key. Look for them to be the team nobody wants to face in the San Antonio.
Rounding out the top 33: 11. Northview (2-1), 12. Diamond Ranch (1-3), 13. Diamond Bar (2-1), 14. Walnut (2-1), 15. Damien (1-3), 16. Western Christian (4-0), 17. Baldwin Park (2-1), 18. Azusa (3-1), 19. El Monte (2-1), 20. Pomona (2-1), 21. Workman (2-1), 22. Wilson (1-2), 23. Los Altos (0-3), 24. Covina (1-3), 25. Ganesha (2-2), 26. Bassett (1-3), 27. Arroyo (0-3), 28. Duarte (0-4), 29. Mountain View (1-3), 30. Nogales (0-3), 31. La Puente (0-4), 32. Sierra Vista (0-4), 33. Gladstone (0-4)
Once again, a local coach has stepped up and offered to help give insight to what's going on in cross country. This comes from Glendora assistant coach Bob Ramsey
Cross Country season reached full force this week as Tribune area teams began league competitions and about half the teams competed in Saturday's invitational meets. The San Antonio, Montview and Del Rey Leagues kicked off the league action this week with their first Cluster Meets. A cluster meet involves all of a league's teams competing against each other in one meet, rather having an individual or dual meet with each opponent. All of the SGV leagues except for the Mission Valley use this format.
South Hills runner Amanda Camarillo.
San Antonio meet: The South Hills girls were the winners at Wednesday's San Antonio League meet, led by individual winner senior Amanda Camarillo's strong 19:14 on the hilly 3 mile Bonelli Park course. Among the boys, Rowland senior Jonathan Taylor led the way with a 16:40 while West Covina won the team competition. Bishop Amat competes in the Del Rey League, and their girls, led by soph Illiana Vasquesz' (19:53) second place won the meet on the flat 5k (3.1) course at Santa Fe Dam. The boys, led by senior Peter Carreaga (17:30) finished fourth. The Montview league has not published their results.
Stanford Invitational: On the weekend, the leading event was the huge Stanford Invitational, where St. Lucy's, Azusa, West Covina, and the Glendora girls took part. St. Lucy's ran well to place 13th in the prestigious Seeded Race, led once again on the gently rolling 5k course by frosh Katy Hebb (19:14 - 21st in the race and 47 overall) and soph Marissa Horton (19:26). Glendora soph Lauren Justus was 10th in the Div II race. Among the boys, the top performance was a 16:59 from Azusa junior Israel Orosco.
Sunny Hills Invite: At the Invitational in Fullerton, Arroyo, Baldwin Park, Charter Oak, Glendora (boys), Rowland and San Dimas competed in this 36 team meet held on a hilly 3 mile course. The Glendora boys took second overall, led by seniors Corey Bullock (15: 49) and Christopher Ramsey (16:20), and soph Anthony Castro (16:21), who were 6th, 17th and 18th overall and the top three from the SGV. Among the girls soph Vanessa Lopez (20:01 - Row), senior Joyce Chiao (20:11 - Wal) and frosh Carly Lake (20:13 -
CO) finished 15th, 17th and 18th overall, while Rowland's 9th place was the top Valley result.
Dan Hills Invite: Bonita and Diamond Bar competed in the Dana Hills Invite on a 3 mile slightly downhill course, with Bearcat runners taking the highest honors - senior Taylor Harrison (15:53) was 8th among D II seniors while Eric Espinosa (16:06) was 9th among juniors. Soph Heather Jackson (18:48) and frosh Shavonn Johnson (19:35) were both 4th in their races.
Bell-Jeff Invite: This Invite saw Bassett, Ganesha, Los Altos and Northview compete on the rolling 2.9 mile course in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. Los Altos senior Sergio Rodiriguez finished a strong fifth in the D I race with his 15:15, and was 11th overall. Ganesha's Elijah Durian (16:02) and LA's Joshua Sanchez were the other top SGV performers. Los Altos' Reina Sotelo (19:26) led area girls with her 4th place in Div I, followed by Araina Flores of Bassett (19:39 - 9th Div II) and teammate Kystal Martinez (20:13 - 10th Div I)
Up Next: Midweek, three more leagues hold cluster meets. Tuesday has the Valle Vista League and Wednesday the Miramonte League competing on the Bonelli Park 3 mile course. Thursday, the Sierra League will open competition on the 5k course at Bonelli. On Saturday, SAT testing will limit competition, but we'll see SGV teams at the Brea Invitational and the Yucaipa Invite.
SGV Trib Area Top Performers
Boys
Corey Bullock, senior, Glendora, 15:49, Sunny Hills, 3 miles hilly, hot
Sergio Rodriguez, senior, Los Altos, 15:15, Bell-Jeff, 2.9 miles rolling, hot
Christopher Ramsey, senior, Glendora, 16:20, Sunny Hills
Anthony Castro, sophomore, Glendora, 16:21, Sunny Hills
Taylor Harrison, senior, Bonita,15:53, Dana Hills, 3 miles net downhill, cool
Efren Alcala, junior, Arroyo, 16:26, Sunny Hills
Israel Orosco, junior, Azusa, 16:59, Stanford, 3.1 miles gently rolling, mild
Girls
Katy Hebb, freshman, St. Lucy's, 19:14, Stanford, 3.1 miles gently rolling, mild
Marissa Horton, sophomore, St. Lucy's, 19:26 Stanford
Amanda Camarillo, senior, South Hills, 19:14, SAL/Bonelli, 3 miles hilly, hot
Priscilla Llanos, sophomore, Rowland, 19:24, SAL/Bonelli
Lauren Justus, sophomore, Glendora, 19:58, Stanford
Liz Zuniga, senior, South Hills, 19:36, SAL/Bonelli
Heather Jackson, sophomore, Bonita, 18:48, Dana Hills, 3 miles net downhill, cool
Note: It is notoriously difficult to compare XC performances over different terrain, distances, surfaces and weather conditions. The rankings below reflect a rough attempt to rank performances accounting for those differences. Your mileage may vary.
Continue reading Keeping up with Cross Country.
Off-season R&R: I always thought coach Steve Bogan was a cool cat. Amazing what you can find on a google search.
It's to early to call, but the candidates are starting to emerge ...
Rob Castaneda, Western Christian -- In his first year, the former St. Paul assistant has turned a 3-7 pushover into an undefeated lower-level heavyweight. The Lancers are young, talented, and 4-0. And don't say anything bad about the Christian League, which has a combined record of 14-0.
Steve Hagerty, Bishop Amat -- The Lancers (3-1) already have matched last year's win total, and let's face it, you should get bonus points for taking over the toughest job in the Valley, and turning the corner in your first season. What happens at the end of the year will determine if he's still in the race.
Bill Zernickow, San Dimas -- Some might argue this is Zernickow's to lose. The Saints have the best chance of running the table, going 14-0 and winning the Mid-Valley Division title. Even if they lose a game along the way and still won the championship, what Zernickow's done the past two years at San Dimas is mighty impressive.
Mike O'Shields, Walnut -- For a school that was 1-9 last year and 6-24 the past three seasons, starting 2-1 means a lot. This is a young team that might be a year away from really causing damage, but no doubt the Mustangs' start is a huge surprise.
Azusa, Joe Scherf -- Despite last week's loss, the Aztecs still have a good chance of going 9-1 before the playoffs, which is dramatic considering they haven't had a winning season this decade. But for Scherf to win it, the Aztecs will have to pass a couple Mid-Valley playoff tests.
Craig Snyder, Rowland -- Like Walnut, a solid 2-1 start with an early upset win over Northview. There's a good chance they win the rest of their non-league games, so how they do against West Covina and South Hills will go a long way in keeping Snyder in the hunt.
Mike Maggiore, West Covina -- I have a sneaky feeling that when the regular season is finished, the Bulldogs might be second or third in our poll. The only game they might lose is South Hills, but I'll tell you what, if that game was on Friday, I'd pick the Bulldogs to take back Cameron Ave.
Steve Bogan, South Hills; Lou Farrar, Charter Oak -- This goes without saying. Whenever you have a team that annually competes for a divisional title, coach of the year awards come along with it. If they're on opposite sides of the Southeastern bracket come playoff time, I'm riding them all the way to the finals.
What did you think of the Charter Oak and Rancho Cucamonga coaches agreeing before the game not to play overtime? This isn't a knock on them, several coaches throughout the Southland share the same opinions when it comes to overtime in non-league and league games. Personally, I don't get it. Why wouldn't you want to play the overtime? What's the risk, especially in non-league games. There's a good chance you may wind up in overtime in the playoffs, so if you have an opportunity to play a tiebreaker during the season, wouldn't that experience help. Wouldn't it be nice to know how your players react in that situation? Then there's the competitive side of it. Nobody wants to walk away with a tie. Not the players, not the fans, and deep down the coaches too. So, then, why do so many coaches agree not to play it out?
Steve Ramirez and I will go head-to-head throughout the season, and I will update our records each Monday on the Tribskin Pick'em thread.
Robledo: Last week - 16-6; Season - 61-21
Ramirez: Last week - 14-8; Season - 58-24
Notes: The lead over Stevie R., extends to three after a tough week of picking winners. The Charter Oak-Rancho Cucamonga tie was a push, but we both missed Rowland over Northview, Chino Hills over Diamond Ranch, Schurr over Wilson, and Walnut over Covina. That was the huge surprise, a week ago I was ready to proclaim the Valle Vista the most improved and competitive league, but with the emergence of Walnut (2-1) and Rowland (2-1), the San Antonio is the big surprise so far, with four of its top five with winning records. Steve got me picking Ayala over Los Altos, but I nailed him with the West Covina upset over Glendora, Ganesha over Bassett, and Montclair over Workman.
Tough calls: No Thursday or Saturday night games and a light schedule with several teams off this week. The big games obviously are South Hills and Northview renewing their rivalry at the District, and Charter Oak and Damien. Well, maybe it looks that way on paper, but I'm taking SHills and COak in easy wins. West Covina-Los Altos is also intriguing, simply because the Conq's are the unluckiest team in the Valley, and has virtually no chance of stopping the Dawgs' running attack. I also want to keep a steady eye on Walnut playing at Arroyo and Covina at Rowland - who I both expect to win. South El Monte-Ayala? What's the over under on that, 80? Lastly, how will Azusa bounce back after a loss, and what better way to open the Montview that with defending league champion La Puente. BTW, Steve and I agreed on everything except I took Pomona while he took Gabrielino.
Robledo and Miller discussing football before the season started.
Friday's games and predictions
South Hills vs. Northview at CDF -- Robledo (SHills); Ramirez (SHills)
Charter Oak at Damien, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (COak), Ramirez (COak)
El Monte at Baldwin Park, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (BPark); Ramirez (BPark)
West Covina at Los Altos, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (WCov); Ramirez (WCov)
Rosemead at Temple City, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rsmd); Ramirez (Rsmd)
Covina at Rowland, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rowland); Ramirez (Rowland)
South El Monte at Ayala, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Ayala); Ramirez (Ayala)
Azusa vs. La Puente at Citrus, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
Duarte at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Duarte); Ramirez (Duarte)
Workman vs. Bassett at La Puente, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Workman); Ramirez (Workman)
West Ranch vs. Glendora at Valencia, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Glendora); Ramirez (Glendora)
Montclair at Nogales, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Montclair); Ramirez (Montclair)
Troy at Diamond Bar, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (DBar); Ramirez (DBar)
Walnut at Arroyo, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Walnut); Ramirez (Walnut)
Wilson at Montebello, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Wilson); Ramirez (Wilson)
Pomona at Gabrielino, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Pomona); Ramirez (Gabrielino)
SGV Football Standings
Serra League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Miramonte League
Valle Vista League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
Christian League
Okay experts, knowitalls, and Bishop Amat fans, how far should Roddy Layton's take-on-all-challengers 1-3 Diamond Ranch team fall in the polls? How far does Charter Oak slip after a tie at Rancho? How far does Northview drop after an offensively-challenged loss to Rowland, and what do we do with Rosemead after rolling over at Harvard-Westlake? What, you thought this was easy. Speaking of Rowland, wouldn't it be nice if they factored into the San Antonio league equation. It would, but it won't happen. That's for South Hills and West Covina, which will be epic when they meet. West Cov's got to move up in the rankings, they're 3-1 and legit. On the flip, how far do we drop 1-2 Glendora and 1-3 Damien? Go ahead, state your case before you come after me on Tuesday when the real rankings come out. And, yes, Bishop Amat is No. 1
Check This Out: State Bowl Rankings Released -- Bishop Amat No. 8
For quarter-by-quarter updates of tonight's games, click thread
West Covina's Ricky Johnson rushes for 183 yards in 28-21 win over Glendora.
Tonight's results
Charter Oak 14, Rancho Cucamonga 14 -- Coaches agree not to play overtime. Chargers came back after trailing14-6 at half.
Bishop Amat 47, Damien 24 -- With Charter Oak tying, Lancers go to No. 1 next week -- convincingly I might add. Seriously, how good is this offense?
West Covina 28, Glendora 21 -- Bulldogs control the line of scrimmage, Ricky Johnson rushes for 183 yards.
South Hills 48, Duarte 6 -- You knew this would get ugly quick. Hills just too much.
Rowland 21, Northview 12 -- Don't know if I put this in the shocker category, but fact is the Vikings' offense isn't what it's supposed to be.
Bonita 49, Baldwin Park 14 -- Never thought the Braves' defense could give up that much. Then again, they have problems against good passing teams.
San Dimas 56, Ontario 21 -- Saints roll again. Can we officially say this is the best team in school history?
Ayala 21, Los Altos 19 -- What gives? That's three straight close losses to good teams.
Harvard-Westlake 45, Rosemead 6 -- Knew it would be tough with Sumler, but what happened?
Diamond Bar 35, Brea Olinda 24 -- Good win after last week's humbling loss to Charter Oak.
Schurr 31, Wilson 28 -- Tim Gilmore couldn't save them this time. At some point, the Wildcats need stops.
South El Monte 52, La Puente 16 -- Called this a mile away. Eagles offense among the best in the Valley.
Chaffey 27, Nogales 6 -- Nobles having lots of problems putting points on the board.
Western Christian 35, Sierra Vista 28 -- Don't look know, but that small private school is 4-0.
Walnut 44, Covina 20 -- With Rowland and Walnut winning, the San Antonio might get interesting. Rhodes had three TD's.
El Monte 33, Gladstone 0 -- The real surprise is how far Happy Rock has fallen.
Mountain View 28, Keppel 8 -- Not a surprise, Vikings that much better.
Ganesha 27, Bassett 14 -- That's two wins and counting.
Claremont 23, Arroyo 20 -- Knights close, but can't get over the hump.
Montclair 32. Workman 27 -- Another undefeated team goes down.
Saturday's game
Chino Hills 22, Diamond Ranch 21 -- Not good with Amat in two weeks.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Glendora vs. West Covina
For quarter-by-quarter updates of tonight's games, click thread
Thursday night showdown
Aquinas 31, Azusa 18 - In the battle of the unbeatens, this stinks, because I really felt the Aztecs had a good chance to go 10-0. Blame it on the Trib jinx, we feature Gaeta in today's paper, then this happens. Keep your head up, you still have the Montview.
Up next: After you read today's story on Azusa High School quarterback Adrian Gaeta, tell us if you think the Aztecs can go 10-0. Aquinas is the only stumbling block as far as I'm concerned. The rest of the Montview is down, Duarte, La Puente, Gladstone, Sierra Vista, Bassett. Maybe Workman is on the rise, but they're playing an easier schedule than Azusa. In any case, Azusa can match its win total from last year with a win tonight, and it's safe to say they will have their first winning season this decade. So, enjoy tonight's battle of the unbeatens.
Speaking of soft schedules: The L.A. Times' Austin Knoblauch wrote this about Charter Oak's undefeated start, "Well, despite last week's 62-13 blowout over Diamond Bar, I still have my doubts. I realize junior RB Adam Muema and senior QB Chris Allen are among the more-talented players in the SGV, but their inflated stats could just be a pleasant side effect of their wimpy schedule. However, the Chargers could face their first (and possibly, last) real challenge of the regular season when they play at Rancho Cucamonga on Friday. The Cougars are also off to a 3-0 start and QB Greg Watson and RB Sateki Finau could make life a little more challenging for Charter Oak. This is definitely one of those games where Charter Oak needs to show it's more than just king of the cupcakes. A victory over Rancho Cucamonga would prove the Chargers are ready for bigger challenges down the road.
In Closing: I'm so tired of trying to navigate my way through MaxPreps, so I made it very simple for all of us. Just click on your league and it will take you straight to it.
Maxpreps Standings
I'm going back to just calling him the "Scouting Guru," and once again, the Guru is providing a list of the top ten players from the San Gabriel Valley with the most potential of succeeding at the college level. The Guru runs a scouring service for the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire, and provides this information free of charge to give our readers an insight to how this works, and how players are rated.
From the Scouting Guru
Quite frankly, there is not another scouting service that watches as much coaches film as we do. At this point of the season, it is all about the film. Players that look good with shorts and shirts on in the summer, sometimes have their stock drop because they fail to make an impression with the pads and helmets on. So with that being said here is our new top-10 list as we went enter week 3 of the football season,
For the top ten, click thread
Continue reading The Scouting Guru's Back.
Time Warner's Reginald Miller, prep editor Fred J. Robledo and sports writer Steve Ramirez discuss four of Friday's big football games. By the way, Miller does a great job following our local teams and beyond on his popular site "A Local Sports Show" ... go check it out.
Friday's games
Damien at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m.
West Covina vs. Glendora at Charter Oak, 7 p.m.
"No knock on Nogales, but we played and beat them last year and nobody wanted to talk about it afterward," Diamond Ranch coach Roddy Layton explained, when asked about scheduling. "There weren't any recruiters. There weren't any reporters, just a blip in the newspaper. We go to Oaks Christian and there's all kind of exposure for our players. Every recruiter in the world is there. We'll be on Fox Sports next week playing Bishop Amat on live television. You can't tell me that's not exciting. We might win, we might not, but your players get seen, that's the bottom line."
Robledo's thoughts: You can read the rest of the story, in which I asked Layton about making such a tough nonleague schedule that includes Muir, Colony, Oaks Christian, Chino Hills and Bishop Amat followed by the Miramonte, and whether or not that's good for the overall morale of his football team when the losses start to pile up. Oaks Christian whipped them 48-6 last week, dropping the Panthers to 1-2, which could get as ugly as 1-4 or 1-6 without a couple big wins. I understand that kind of scheduling when you're an established public school power, but it's a tough way to find your identity. Wouldn't it be better to schedule a couple cupcakes, just to flex your muscles. High school kids hear it in the hallways from peers, they don't have the same perspective as coaches, wins and losses are everything to them. But then Layton explained his logic, citing the exposure his players receive from playing in big games, which I completely understand. But wouldn't you rather be Charter Oak and Azusa, both 3-0? Granted, they haven't faced tough competition, but the Chargers are doing it right, with their big non-league over the next two weeks followed by league, which will be tough enough. Heck, the Aztecs could be 10-0 going into the playoffs. Some will say they won't be prepared because of their schedule. I say never underestimate the confidence of an unbeaten team. Your thoughts ...
Continue reading Layton defends tough scheduling.
This story comes from longtime staffer Jim McConnell, the man we call, "The King" around the office. He writes a weekly Then & Now column. This week he writes how a Covina Court ruling changed CIF.
These days, probably a week doesn't go by without someone suing or threatening to sue at least one of the state's CIF sectionals.
But in 1932, when the CIF-Southern Section was less than 20 years old, litigation was indeed a novelty. Then a debt unpaid and a long-standing grudge put the CIF-SS and little ol' Covina High School on a courtroom collision course.
To continue reading, click thread
Continue reading Prep history with Jim McConnell.
Wednesday's big matches
Bonita beats San Dimas 25-23, 25-13, 25-7
Glendora beats Walnut, 18-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-21
TRIBUNE RANKINGS
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
1. South Hills (3-2)
Yet to find its rhythm
2. Walnut (6-1)
'Stangs off to quick start
3. St. Lucy's (6-1)
Showed poise vs. L.A.
4. Diamond Bar (7-1)
Won seven straight
5. Bishop Amat (1-2)
Played tough vs. South Hills
6. Glendora (2-0)
Took care of business
7. Los Altos (0-2)
Searching for chemistry
8. Charter Oak (6-0)
Taking Charge early on
9. Bonita (0-2)
Went 3-2 at N. Torrance
10. San Dimas (3-1)
Only loss was to Ch. Oak
Rankings are based through matches ending Sept. 20
Comments: South Hills, which was the top team in the area last season, has looked strong, but has yet to find some consistency. The Huskies, just 3-2, have yet to play their way out of the top spot. Walnut, though, has closed the gap after an impressive win over St. Lucy's and a runner-up finish at the Ganesha Tournament. St. Lucy's showed solid poise to pull out a 3-2 win over Los Altos and lost in four to Walnut. Diamond Bar rounds out the top five and has looked impressive since opening with a loss to Los Osos. Charter Oak enters the the top 10, getting an impressive win over San Dimas.
Rankings: With South Hills going down to La Habra, Charter Oak takes over the top spot with another convincing 62-13 win over Diamond Bar. The Chargers have done everything asked of them and more, and can certainly solidify the spot over the next two weeks with games against Rancho Cucamonga and Damien. For those who think Bishop Amat should jump to the top spot after a convincing 42-6 win over West Covina, take the blinders off. I said after Friday's win that Amat was the best team in the Valley, then remembered that Charter Oak spanked the Bulldogs 55-28 and 40-21 (playoffs) just last year. So, maybe I jumped the gun a bit. South Hills drops to No. 3 after its loss to powerful La Habra, and San Dimas and Glendora round out our top five.
1. Charter Oak (3-0)
Got the QB, RB, OL and DL? And then there's the coaching staff. That's what I call complete. Now let's see them play a tough opponent.
2. Bishop Amat (2-1)
When was the last time the Lancers' offense averaged 37 points a game? Lancers fans are fired up, but it's still early. Damien, DRanch, St. Francis, all tough assignments.
3. South Hills (1-1)
Huskies fall 22-13 to La Habra, one of the most underrated heavyweights in the Southern Section. Why are they not on the L.A. Times top 25 list? BTW, this is bad news for Duarte.
4. San Dimas (3-0)
Will they ever be good enough to crack the top three? Like Charter Oak, they've been nothing but impressive. The best collection of backs to go with a great offensive line. And they're playing good defense too.
5. Glendora (1-1)
Perhaps this is the biggest surprise, jumping the Tartans from No. 9 to No. 5. That's because beating Etiwanda 36-35 is a big deal, and they're only going to get better. Losing to Upland wasn't so bad considering Upland's 3-0 and the top-ranked team in the Central. The Tarts have the Valley's best collection of young impact players
6. Northview (2-0)
The Vikings' offense hasn't been as electric as I thought. But their defense has been much better than I imagined. They've just allowed 13 points in two games against Los Altos and Arroyo, but if the Mid-Valley Division's second-ranked team wants to continue to climb our poll, they need to start flexing their muscles.
7. Rosemead (2-0)
Finally, the CIF pollsters moved the Panthers to No. 7, which is still too low. They might have a tough time beating Harvard-Westlake without suspended back Tra Sumler, but definitely a contender in the Mid-Valley.
8. West Covina (2-1)
Can you really penalize the Bulldogs that much for losing at Bishop Amat? They were terrific in their first two games, so let's see how they do against Glendora before dropping them too far.
9. Bonita (2-1)
This is quite a drop for the Bearcats, but they weren't even close at Canyon. Obviously they have some work to do on offense, so we'll keep a closer eye.
10. Diamond Ranch (1-2)
It's good to schedule one or two tough games a year, but when every team you schedule is tough, losing starts to wear on you. It won't get easier, Chino Hills followed by B.Amat. I said a long time ago they might start 2-5 or 2-6, and I'm not backing off it.
Rounding out the Top 33
11. Azusa (3-0), 12. Baldwin Park (2-0), 13. Damien (1-2), 14. South El Monte (1-1), 15. Wilson (1-1), 16. Los Altos (0-2), 17. Western Christian (3-0), 18. Workman (2-0), 19. Covina (1-2), 20. Diamond Bar (1-1), 21. Pomona (2-1), 22. Rowland (1-1), 23. Walnut (1-1), 24. El Monte (1-1), 25. Ganesha (1-2), 26. Bassett (1-2), 27. Arroyo (0-2), 28. Duarte (0-3), 29. Nogales (0-2), 30. La Puente (0-3), 31. Mountain View (0-3), 32. Sierra Vista (0-3), 33. Gladstone (0-3).
Once again, a local coach has stepped up and offered to help give insight to what's going on in cross country. This comes from Glendora assistant coach Bob Ramsey
Woodbridge Invitational: Ten Tribune Area schools competed in the huge Woodbridge Invitational. The meet, hosting over 200 schools and 8,700 athletes, was held over a reconfigured flat, three mile course that proved to be about 15-20 seconds slower than the previous version. The Glendora boys took top honors with a fifth place finish in the Varsity Rated Race, while CIF-SS D-III 6th ranked St. Lucy's finished 13th in the girls heat of that race. The remaining area schools were Bassett, Bishop Amat, Bonita, Covina, Damien, Diamond Bar, Diamond Ranch, and San Dimas.
Younger athletes took center stage this week, Glendora soph Anthony Castro led the boys - his 15:24 was good for 16th in the Varsity Rated Race, 10th among sophomores, and 72nd overall. Tartan senior Corey Bullock's 15:30 placed him 20th in his race and 88th overall. St. Lucy's 9th grader Katy Hebb, continued to lead the girls. Her 18:14 placed her 16th as well in the Varsity Rated Race, while she was fifth among frosh and 70th overall. Heather Jackson (Soph - Bonita) opened her season with a fine 18:20, good for 83rd overall
South El Monte's Jayson Perez the big winner at Rosemead.
Rosemead Invitational: Eleven area schools went head to head among the thirty-two teams that competed at the Rosemead Invitational, held under the lights on a flat, construction shortened 2.8 mile course. The host school was joined by Arroyo, Duarte, El Monte, La Puente, Rowland, South El Monte, South Hills, West Covina, Western Christian and Wilson. The top individual performance came from Jayson Perez (Junior - South El Monte) started his season with a dominating 16 second win in both his heat and overall. Rosemead's Brittnie Munoz was second overall while finishing first in the junior race.
Rankings: In this week's CIF-SS Rankings, St. Lucy's moved from 6th to 7th and South Hills from 2nd to 9th in girls Div III, while the Glendora boys entered the rankings at 9th in Div II and Div V Western Christian remained 6th.
Up next: The focus moves to the Sunny Hills Invite at Craig Park in Fullerton, where eight SGV schools will compete in a field of 38. A few will be traveling to the prestigious Stanford Invitational, and others will be at the Bell-Jeff Invite at Griffith Park and the Dana Hills Invitational.
For more local results including times and finishes of our best local runners, click thread
Continue reading Cross Country: Off & Running.
In this town of Nico Barbone, Deshawn Gaisie, Tra Sumler, and Ricky Johnson, Charter Oak junior Adam Muema is averaging a ridiculous 12-yards a carry and 145 yards a game. Here it is, by the numbers ....
Aliso Niguel --- 21-176 yards, 1TD
Pioneer -------- 8 -158 yards, 4 TD
Diamond Bar - 18-246, 2 TDs
Totals: 48-580, 7 TDs
Gilmore, in limited time against Sonora because of his suspension, rushed 18 times for 49 yards, then exploded for 308 yards and four touchdowns in their 30-21 win over Glenn. That's a 19.83 yards per carry average for Mr. Happy. Oh man, we've got two, maybe three spots on the Tribune's first team running back list. This is gonna be a tough call. Barbone, if the Saints let him, could go for 200-plus every time out. I'd say Gilmore, Muema and Barbone are the front-runners.
Steve Ramirez and I will go head-to-head throughout the season, and I will update our records each Monday on the Tribskin Pick'em thread.
Robledo: Last week - 19-4; Season - 45-15
Ramirez: Last week - 20-3; Season - 44-16
Notes: Steve and I were on fire last week, and look at the overall records, this is going to be another tight race throughout the season. We both picked against South Hills, and were right. Both picked Wilson to win its first and were right too. I probably shouldn't of picked Bonita to upset Canyon, or Duarte to knock off Pomona .. but that's what I was feeling. And how did we both pick El Monte to beat Covina. We couldn't of been more wrong.
Tough calls: Charter Oak-Rancho Cucamonga, our game of the week looks like a toss-up on paper. This is by far the best team the Chargers will have faced, so it will be interesting to see if they can handle it. I'm picking them, but don't have a strong feeling about it. Aquinas-Azusa on Thursday is also tough. Aquinas will be by far the best team the Aztecs face in the regular season. In fact, Calpreps picks Aquinas 42-14, so tough to pick the Aztecs in this spot. Two other toss-ups, West Covina-Glendora and Diamond Ranch-Chino Hills. I would have picked Rosemead to upset Harvard-Westlake, but without Tra Sumler, who will not be available after getting kicked out last week, I've changed my mind.
Thursday, September 25th
Aquinas vs. Azusa at Citrus College, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Aquinas); Ramirez (Aquinas)
Friday, September, 26th
Charter Oak vs. Rancho Cucamonga at Los Osos, 7 p.m. Robleod (CO); Ramirez (CO)
Damien at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m. - Robledo (BAmat); Ramirez (BAmat)
West Covina vs. Glendora at Charter Oak, 7 p.m. (WCovina); Ramirez (Glendora)
South Hills at Duarte, 7 p.m. - Robledo (SHills); Ramirez (SHills)
Rowland vs. Northview at Covina District, 7 p.m. - Robledo (NView); Ramirez (NView)
Baldwin Park at Bonita, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Bonita)
Chino Hills vs. Diamond Ranch at Ganesha, 7 p.m. - Robledo (DRanch); Ramirez (DRanch)
Ontario at San Dimas, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SDimas); Ramirez (SDimas)
Arroyo at Claremont, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Claremont); Ramirez (Claremont)
Ayala at Los Altos, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Los Altos); Ramirez (Ayala)
Brea Olinda at Diamond Bar, 7 p.m. Robledo (DBar); Ramirez (DBar)
Schurr at Wilson, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Wilson); Ramirez (Wilson)
La Puente at South El Monte, 7 p.m. - Robledo (SEL); Ramirez (SEL)
Chaffey at Nogales, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Chaffey); Ramirez (Chaffey)
Western Christian at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (WC); Ramirez (WC)
Covina at Walnut, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Covina); Ramirez (Covina)
Ganesha at Bassett, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Ganesha); Ramirez (Bassett)
Gladstone vs. El Monte at Citrus, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (ElM); Ramirez (ElM)
Keppel at Mountain View, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (MView); Ramirez (MView)
Workman at Montclair, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Montclair); Ramirez (Workman)
Rosemead at Harvard-Westlake, -- Robledo (HW); Ramirez (HW)
We'll post a Bishop Breakdown thread on Monday's to evaluate Friday night's games, the players, coaching staff's, and the next opponent.
With the coaching staff in place, this feels like a make or break year at Bishop Amat. It's probably not fair to expect too much from Steve Hagerty and staff in their first season, but there's nothing like the excitement and emotions of a quick turnaround. Whatever happens, week-by-week, we'll follow the ride.
Last week: Bishop Amat 42, West Covina 6
This week: Damien (1-2) at Bishop Amat (2-1), Friday 7:30 p.m.
Notes: Just before the season started, I ran into defensive coordinator Daylon McCutcheon at a restaurant during lunch. Without a shred of hesitation, he told me they would be better than .500, and that 6-4 or 7-3 wasn't out of the question. I'm thinking 6-4 is a lock now. BTW, I've seen tailgaiting throughout the SGV, but nobody tailgates like Bishop Amat. The atmosphere in the stadium was just as electric, with a list of who's who of former alumni walking the sidelines, like Kori Minor. Then there's Deshawn Gaisie. Umm, Gaisie? This is what coaching's all about, a safety last year turned into one of the best backs in the area. He scored five touchdowns without breaking a sweat, and probably could have scored six or seven if Hagerty wanted to leave him in. The Lancers' offense is scary, the O-Line did a great job opening holes and protecting QB Jerry McClanahan, who looked more confident than the last time I saw him in a spring game. Defensively, they get after you too, and this was without UCLA bound linebacker Isaiah Bowens, who I hear is close to returning and could come back this week against the Spartans. Speaking of Damien, good 29-0 win over Claremont, but it's still a so-so Claremont team. They're not going to stop the Lancers from starting 3-1 for the first time since 2005, when they started 4-1. The Lancers won three straight during that '05 stretch against locals Glendora, Charter Oak and Damien. Do you see a pattern here? You will with Damien in town followed by Diamond Ranch next week. I guess the big question is how does Amat stack up in the Serra League. I could actually picture them starting 6-1, but they will need a Serra win to get in the playoffs, and with Loyola (2-1), Crespi (3-0), and Notre Dame (2-0), that won't be easy. The Lancers only home game is against Crespi, so certainly the ultimate measuring stick is still weeks away.
Bishop Amat running back Deshawn Gaisie scored five touchdowns and finished with 229 all-purpose yards in Friday's win.
Friday's results
Bishop Amat 42, West Covina 6 -- Deshawn Gaisie scores five touchdowns in a romp over the Bulldogs. Yes, the Lancers are back. Yes, they're the best team in the San Gabriel Valley.
Glendora 36, Etiwanda 35 -- How about them Tartans? Will be interesting to see how they do next Saturday against West Covina.
La Habra 22, South Hills 13 -- Highlanders would beat most teams in the Southern Section. At least that's how Stevie R., explained it to me.
Charter Oak 62, Diamond Bar 13 -- I know I just said Bishop Amat's the best team in the SGV, but you have to admit, this is mighty impressive too. Muema goes for another 250-plus yards.
Baldwin Park 27, La Puente 7 -- Something tells me the Braves are going to have something to say about the Valle Vista League title.
Rosemead 42, Monrovia 21 -- Tra Sumler got kicked out for the Mead, but the Panthers rolled anyway. Our reporter Scott French covered San Dimas last week and after watching Rosemead, he said the Saints are better.
South El Monte 49, Pioneer 40 -- Nobody said the Eagles couldn't score. But can they stop anybody?
Northview 20, Arroyo 7 -- Honestly, I thought it would be more lopsided than this. But hey, another solid win for Vikes.
Oaks Christian 48, Diamond Ranch 6 -- When you schedule the big boys, these things tend to happen.
San Dimas 48, Montclair 8 -- Saints roll up another easy victory. I've officially changed my mind in the Smudge Pot, I'm taking the Saints.
Walnut 45, Garey 14 -- Nice bounce-back win for the Mustangs.
Rowland 37, Montebello 6 -- At least I know who's going to finish third in the San Antonio.
Bosco Tech 20, Gladstone 0 -- How did Happy Rock fall so quick?
Cantwell 62, Bassett 0 -- Better to say nothing at all.
Damien 29, Claremont 0 -- Spartans finally get a win, and it comes just in time because a trip to Kiefer is next.
Wilson 30, Glenn 21 -- Talk about a program that needed a win in the worst way. Congrats guys.
Ontario 27, Nogales 14 -- Another slow start for the Nobles.
Lawndale 74, Sierra Vista 21 -- Tough to score three touchdowns and still lose by 53.
Western Christian 49, Bloomington Christian 14 -- New coach, a 3-0 start, what do we have here? Impressive stuff.
Video game of the week: La Habra vs. South Hills
For quarter-by-quarter updates of tonight's games, click here
Time Warner's Reginald Miller, and prep editor Fred J. Robledo discuss three of Friday's big football games. By the way, Miller does a great job following our local teams and beyond on his popular site "A Local Sports Show" ... go check it out.
West Covina at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m.
Covina High's Jacob Olivas
Thursday's results
Azusa 48, Mountain View 21 -- I know what you're thinking, who have they played? Right, but they're whipping the heck out of them too.
Canyon 17, Bonita 3 -- Sure thought the Bearcats would be more explosive than this.
Covina 38, El Monte 10 - Colts needed this in the worst way, which makes me wonder, how tough is Rosemead that they could squash the Colts so easily.
Pomona 34, Duarte 12 -- Oh Duarte, this isn't the year to ask for a piece of South Hills.
PRE-GAME: All eyes should be on Bonita and Azusa tonight. The Bearcats have a tester in Orange County against a tough Century school with a win over Fullerton and a 29-22 loss to Western. Calpreps picks Canyon 35-26, and so does Stevie R., but I've had a feeling about the 'Cats, so I'm sticking with them. Azusa has become the without-a-doubt frontrunners to win the Montview League. After they go 3-0 tonight against Mountain View, they will have a tester next week against Aquinas, a 2-0 team from the Christian League. But the Aztecs should win it then should go 6-0 in the Montview. Yes, I'm predicting the Aztecs will hit the playoffs at 10-0. Covina is 0-2, but Bonita an Rosemead will do that too ya, they need to bounce back and have the opponent to do it. Duarte also needs a win in the worst way. With South Hills next, the best they start is 1-3.
West Covina tackle Albert Cid is ready to take on Bishop Amat on Friday
Back by popular demand, the Tribune's prep scoreboard. You can also access it on our prep webpage
For quarter-by-quarter updates, click link
This story comes from longtime staffer Jim McConnell, the man we call, "The King" around the office. He writes a weekly Then & Now column. This week he writes about his history lesson from readers, and what winning a 4-A title once meant.
DON'T let anyone tell you no one reads the newspaper anymore.
I received dozens of phone calls and e-mails pointing out Bishop Amat High School product John Sciarra did not win a Heisman Trophy. What I meant to write was he was a Heisman Trophy finalist at UCLA in 1975. For the record, none of the calls or e-mails were from Archie Griffin. Also, numerous sharp-eyed readers pointed out that Blake and Mark Smith of Los Altos were not brothers.
And, speaking of great prep quarterbacks from the past, I inadvertently left out Paul McDonald, who went from Bishop Amat to become USC's starting quarterback in the late 1970s.
To continue reading, click thread
Continue reading Readers call out the King.
San Dimas linebacker Kyle Withem, a big reason why the Saints are 2-0 and the top-ranked team in the Mid-Valley Division, has been removed from the football team for violating school and team rules, coach Bill Zernickow confirmed today. "He is a great football player, and does it hurt? Yes, but we will move on and wish Kyle the best."
As with the Tim Gilmore situation, my policy is not to allow comments in situations like this.
An open discussion, whoever and whatever you wanna talk about. Just got back from vacation, three straight days of golf in the Mesquite area, and three straight days away from this blog ... what have I missed? BTW, comment of the week is on the Bishop Breakdown, someone saying they're cancelling their subscription because we don't have Amat ranked No.1
If you're trying to find football stats, good luck. In past years SGV schools have done a great job posting their rosters and stats on MaxPreps, but hardly any have done it through the first two weeks of the football season. I hope it's because they haven't had time to input them, not because they're trying to hide stats from opponents. This gamesmanship stuff is kind of tiring.
Tribune's top five stat leaders
Quarterback
Jacob Olivas, Covina, 38-66-520 yards, 4 TD's, 5 INT's
Terrry Paradez, Bonita 32-69-496 yards, 4 TD's, 1 INT
Paul Flores, Gladstone, 24-57-252 yards, 4 TD's, 3 INT's
Nick Lenhart, Bishop Amat, 25-28-225, 1 TD, 2 INT's
Mick Kalmar, San Dimas, 5-9-106, 0 TD, 0 INT
Running Backs
Nico Barbone, San Dimas, 35-308 yards, 5 TD's
Joseph Herrera, Gladstone, 36-226 yards, 1 TD
Jordan Canada, Duarte, 21-164, 0 TD
Daniel Joseph, San Dimas 12-160, 4 TD's
Andrew Gaeta, Azusa, 18-160 yards, 2 TD's
South Hills looked good during opening week to stay atop the Valley rankings.
Tribune Rankings
1. South Hills (2-2)
Scored big wins at Gahr Tournament
2. Walnut (0-0)
Big slate this week
3. St. Lucy's (1-0)
New Regents make an impact
4. Bonita (0-1)
Drops after loss to Rancho
5. Diamond Bar (3-1)
Scores some early wins
6. Los Altos (0-1)
Major test this week vs. Regents
7. Bishop Amat (0-0)
South Hills awaits
8. Glendora (0-0)
Lookout for Tartans
9. San Dimas (0-0)
Top team from the VVL
10. Covina (2-1)
Did well at Gladstone Tournament
Comment: South Hills had a couple of big wins in the Gahr Tournament over the weekend. St. Lucy's, which like South Hills beat traditional-power St. Joseph last week, also got off to a solid start. But are those big wins, or is St. Joseph down this year? Time will answer that question. South Hills appears to be the consensus favorite at No. 1, but Nos. 2-6 are tightly knitted. Diamond Bar, which will contend in the Sierra League this year, is also off and running at 3-1 and moves up to No. 5 this week. The rankings should become a little clearer next week as all the teams will have some matches under their belt.
St. Lucy's rallies to beat Los Altos 23-25, 14-25, 26-24, 25-19, 15-9
South Hills beat Ayala last week to stay No. 1 in the Valley.
Tribune Rankings
1. South Hills (1-0)
Faces major test vs. La Habra
2. Charter Oak (2-0)
Offense looked in high gear
3. Bishop Amat (1-1)
Stuns Orange Lu, WesCo next
4. Bonita (2-0)
Takes care of business
5. San Dimas (2-0)
Mr. Inside does in SEM
6. Diamond Ranch (1-1)
Rebounds with win vs. Colony
7. West Covina (2-0)
Takes on Amat
8. Northview (1-0)
Defense steps up
9. Glendora (0-1)
Drops one after opening loss
10. Rosemead (1-0)
Panthers maul Colts
Comments: It's always been my philosophy in rankings that once a team has solidified a position, it holds on to that rating as long as it keeps winning, so South Hills and Charter Oak remain at Nos. 1 and 2 following victories. Bishop Amat made a statement with big win over Orange Lutheran and is solid at No. 3. Bonita and San Dimas stay at Nos. 4 and 5 after winning. Eight of last week's top 10 won, with only Glendora, which dropped to No. 9, and South El Monte, which dropped out of the top 10, being the only losers. Rosemead showed it belonged with a big win over Covina and takes over No. 10.
Steve Ramirez and I will go head-to-head throughout the season, and I will update our records each Monday on the Tribskin Pick'em thread.
Robledo: Last week - 16-7; Season - 26-11
Ramirez: Last week -15-8; Season 24-13
Comments: Neither us are picking with the accuracy of Steven Anthony, but Fred still continues to lead after two weeks. Last week with traded off on a few picks. Fred was correct in slating Northview over Los Altos, but I correctly projected that Ganesha would end its state-record losing streak. I also got Fred on San Dimas and Garey, but he also got me on Duarte, Rosemead and Montclair. Let's see what this week brings.
Thursday, Sept. 18
Mountain View vs. Azusa at Citrus College, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
Bonita vs. Canyon at El Modena HS, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Canyon)
Covina vs. El Monte at Covina District Field, 7 p.m. - Robledo (El Monte); Ramirez (El Monte)
Friday, Sept. 19
West Covina at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m. - Robledo (Bishop Amat); Ramirez (Bishop Amat)
Etiwanda vs. Glendora at Citrus College, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Glendora); Ramirez (Glendora)
South Hills vs. La Habra at Covina District Field, 7 p.m. - Robledo (LH); Ramirez (LH)
Diamond Bar at Charter Oak, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Charter Oak); Ramirez (Charter Oak)
Baldwin Park at La Puente, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Baldwin Park); Ramirez (Baldwin Park)
Monrovia at Rosemead, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Rosemead); Ramirez (Rosemead)
Pioneer at South El Monte, 7 p.m. - Robledo (South El Monte); Ramirez (South El Monte)
Northview at Arroyo, 7 pm. - Robledo (Northview); Ramirez (Northview)
Western Christian vs. Bloomington Chr. at Colton HS, 7 p.m. - Robledo (WC); Ramirez (WC)
Damien at Claremont, 7 pm. - Robledo (Damien); Ramirez (Damien)
Diamond Ranch at Oaks Chr., 7 pm.. - Robledo (Oaks Chr.); Ramirez (Oaks Chr.)
Montclair at San Dimas, 7 p.m. - Robledo (San Dimas); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Garey at Walnut, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Garey); Ramirez (Walnut)
Pomona at Duarte, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Duarte); Ramirez (Duarte)
Nogales vs. Ontario at Montclair HS, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Ontairo); Ramirez (Nogales)
Rowland at Montebello, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Rowland); Ramirez (Rowland)
Sierra Vista at Lawndale, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Lawndale); Ramirez (Lawndale)
Gladstone vs. Bosco Tech at St. Matthias HS, 7 p.m. - Robledo (BT); Ramirez (BT)
Wilson vs. Glenn at Excelsior Adult School, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Wilson); Ramirez (Wilson)
Bassett at Cantwell Sacred Heart, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Cantwell); Ramirez (Cantwell)
We'll post a Bishop Breakdown thread on Monday's to evaluate Friday night's games, the players, coaching staff's, and the next opponent.
With the coaching staff in place, this feels like a make or break year at Bishop Amat. It's probably not fair to expect too much from Steve Hagerty and staff in their first season, but there's nothing like the excitement and emotions of a quick turnaround. Whatever happens, week-by-week, we'll follow the ride.
Last week: Bishop Amat 47, Orange Lutheran 39
This week: West Covina at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m.
Quick look: What a difference a week makes. The Lancers were kicking themselves the week before after giving up a 14-10 lead before losing at Los Osos, 24-14. But Bishop Amat responded, getting a solid effort from quarterback Jerry McClanahan and a stellar defensive effort that forced several Orange Lutheran turnovers to rally back from a 24-0 deficit in the second quarter to score a 47-39 win on the road against one of the top teams in the state. Now, the key will be to put that huge win to rest and turn its attention to the remaining nonleague slate, which continues this week with a home game against West Covina.
What a big Saturday of college football for our local heavyweights. Given the magnitude of the SC-Ohio State game, we'll lead with the those "other" guys, but that's as impartial as I get. When you grow up in this town, you're either an SC or UCLA fan, that's it. Don't give me that, "I like USC in football and UCLA in basketball." No, It doesn't work that way, not for real fans. It's UCLA and anyone who plays 'SC, and should be ditto for those ugly cardinal and gold fans. Don't tell me I'm supposed to rooting for 'SC because it's a Pac-10 game either, it's still 'SC. But lets be honest, this is SC's town, they deserve top billing and anyone thinking Ohio State's going to beat the Trojans at the Coliseum is crazy. I'm taking the Trojans by 14. The UCLA-BYU game scares me. I felt better about playing Tennessee at home, but hopefully they learned their lesson last year in Utah. Take the Bruins by three.
Photo: Courtesy of ESPN
Rivalry between USC and Ohio State goes way back, writes Doug Krikorian
It's the Trojans' biggest game of the season, writes Steve Dilbeck
SHOCKERS: Bishop Amat rallies from 24-0 down to stun powerful Orange Lutheran, MaxPreps' fourth-ranked team in the state, 43-39. So now Trib folks, where do we rank these Lancers? Or should I just say it, the Lancers are back. San Dimas scoring 56 points on South El Monte in runaway. Rosemead, yes Rosemead, hammers Covina 50-12. Gues they're better than an "others" ranking in Mid-Valley. Barely in the shocker category, but DRanch did win convincingly over Colony.
EXPECTED: South Hills, Charter Oak, West Covina and Azusa all roll to easy victories.
DISAPPOINTMENTS: Damien getting hammered by St. John Bosco, Wilson going down to Sonora, Glendora losing to Upland, and Arroyo not showing up against Temple City.
Back by popular demand, the Tribune's prep scoreboard. You can also access it on our prep webpage
For quarter-by-quarter updates click thread
Friday's results
South Hills 23, Ayala 12 -- Huskies take care of business on the road
San Dimas 56, South El Monte 33 -- That's a lot of points against a good team
Monrovia 14, Duarte 6 -- Inaugural MD Classic goes to the Wildcats
Rosemead 50, Covina 12 -- Koffler wasn't kidding, these guys are good
Temple City 34, Arroyo 0 -- No offense, should be long season
Bishop Amat 47, at Orange Lutheran 39 -- Don't say you saw this coming.
West Covina 53, La Puente 0 -- Going from bad to worse
Bonita 18, Claremont 3 -- Big win over upper-divisional foe
Baldwin Park 17, Montebello 0 -- Braves can still play defense
El Monte 34, La Puente 13 -- Hmmm, look at these Lions roar
Sonora 31, Wilson 21 -- Gilmore plays, just over 100 yards in loss
California 23, Rowland 10 -- Not a huge surprise, Condors legit
Garey 34, Nogales 32 -- Nobles close, but not enough
Diamond Ranch 21, Colony 0 - Great bounce back-win for Panthers
Diamond Bar 34, Walnut 14 -- Brahmas fall behind, then comeback
Bassett 29, Firebaugh 26 -- Sebastian Garcia rushes for 256 yards
Azusa 42, Marshall 0 -- Starting to have good feeling about Aztecs
Workman 42, Keppel 12 -- Don't look, Lobos off to 2-0 start
Montclair 24, Sierra Vista 9 -- Dons' offense hits a bump on the road
Western Christian 18, Downey Calvary Chapel 0 -- These Lancers are good, too
We just caught a call that Ganesha beat Gladstone, 7-6, to end its state-record losing streak at 50 games.
We should have a follow-up on this on Friday.
This is one of the reasons why I love high school football.
Los Altos was down, but not out. The Conquerors were dominated, but still had some fight in them, nearly rallying from nine points down in the final three minutes before succuming, 9-7, to Northview in a nonleague game at Covina District Field.
Northview, which took a 9-0 lead on a 26-yard field goal by Christian Galvez and a 2-yard TD pass from quarterback Oscar Robles to Joseph Logsdon, nearly saw Los Altos steal it.
Los Altos junior QB Joseph McKeehan, using a variety of roll outs, completed passes of 39 and 13 yards to Johnny Medina and pulled the Conquerors within 9-7 with 1:33 left. The Conquerors then recovered the onside kick before McKeehan tossed 11 yards to Medina at the Northview 39. Los Altos coach Felipe Aguilar then caught the Vikings off guard by calling a draw play to Mario Carrillo, who rambled 21 yards to the 18. A procedure penalty moved it back to the 23 before a two-yard loss on a run by Carillo set up Jeremy Brown with a 43-yard field goal attempt. But Northview's Lionel Acosta shot through the middle and knocked it back to the CDF turf, sealing the 9-7 victory.
Robles passed for 183 yards to lead Northview. Carillo rushed for 84 yards for Los Altos.
Los Altos coach Felipe Aguilar: It's a tough to lose one like this. We had a chance to win, but they made the play, rushing up the middle and blocked it.
"We just couldn't stop that penetration. Jimmy (Northview coach Jim Arellanes) did a good job of game planning tonight. They were just a little bit more physical than us."
Northview coach Jim Arellanes: "I've been saying it all summer. Our defense is really, really good. They were lights out tonight. They were really unbelievable."
- Steve Ramirez
Thursday's games
Northview 9, Los Altos 7
Ganesha 7, Gladstone 6: The streak is over!!!v
Back by popular demand, the Tribune's prep scoreboard. You can also access it on our prep webpage
Duarte High School's super junior running back Jordan Canada will not play in Friday's inaugural MD Classic against Monrovia. Falcons coach Wardell Crutchfield said he aggravated a groin strain in last week's loss to Ayala.
Sources have told me that Bishop Amat will likely start junior quarterback Jerry McClanahan on Friday against powerful Orange Lutheran, replacing senior Nick Lenhart, who was 15 of 27 for 197 yards in last week's 24-20 loss to Los Osos.
By Steve Ramirez
1. South Hills (18-9)
A season ago, the South Hills High School girls volleyball team had more questions than answers. The Huskies were young but talented, and it just became a matter of how much coach Charm Doyle could limit the growing pains. It couldn't be any more different this season - South Hills, which closed the season by winning 13 consecutive matches before losing in the CIF-Southern Section division quarterfinals, comes into the new season as the top-ranked team in the area.
The Huskies, who begin the season ranked No. 4 in Division II-AA, feature a solid attack in junior middle blocker Melinda Gomez, outside hitter Haley Musulman and setter Danielle Stewart. "Last year we were really, really young," said Doyle, whose team finished a solid 18-9. "I was really impressed how they finished the season."
Gomez, who has a knack for reading opposing offenses, was dominant in the middle last season en route to earning first team All- Area. All three were All-San Antonio League. South Hills also returns senior outside hitter Rebecca Lai, who was second team all-league.
No. 2 Bonita (15-5 in '07)
The Bearcats made school history last season, sharing the Miramonte League title with Los Altos and advancing to the Division III-AA semifinals for the first time, where they finally ran out of gas, losing a five-game match to Village Christian. Bonita lost its best player - outside hitter Katy McCreery - but a strong nucleus returns in outside hitter Courtney Donaldson, middle blocker Allie LaPierre and setter Ashley Maxfeldt. Outside hitter Katie Kirby is also back.
No. 3 Walnut (20-8)
The Mustangs were a close second to South Hills in the San Antonio League, and they are back to challenge the Huskies again. Top player Melissa Cole is gone, but the cupboard is not bare for co-head coaches Angela and Mark McElroy. Walnut will rely on senior outside hitters Gabby Carreathers and Jennifer Silva. The Mustangs are also strong in the middle with junior Samantha Shellar. "I think we will battle South Hills," Mark McElroy said. "They are strong again, but we're going to try and hang with them. We should be pretty balanced. We have several hitters we can go to." The Mustangs, though, have a question mark in senior setter Tatiana Quiocho, whom they like to move around the court. Quiocho is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury and her status for the season is still unknown.
No. 4 St. Lucy's (17-11)
The Regents were one of the most consistent teams down the stretch last season and should be one of the teams to beat in the Sierra League.
St. Lucy's, which is ranked No. 9 in Division II-AA, is led by senior outside hitters Angela Kramer and Tara Prater and sophomore middle blocker Megan Callen.
No. 5 Los Altos (23-10)
The Conquerors lost seven starters to graduation, including area player of the year Jade Esquivel, but Los Altos is still expected to challenge Bonita for supremacy in the Miramonte League. The key lies inside with sophomore middle blocker Jazmen Russell, who had a coming-out party last season. Los Altos also returns senior middle blocker Nigera Owens, junior opposite Megan Macias and senior setter Laura De La Vara.
"We just have to focus on the basics, because we are a much younger team," "If we stay mentally focused, we should be competitive."
No. 6. Diamond Bar (16-11)
The Brahmas are also a contender for the top spot in the highly competitive Sierra League. Diamond Bar's strength lies in all-league players Jamie Parke at outside hitter/setter and outside hitter Cassandra Momah. Freshman Kathleen Torres, an outside hitter, is also expected to be very productive. "I think we can be competitive," Diamond Bar coach Becky Bevans said. "But so is everyone else in our league. It's tough to say who is going to finish on top."
No. 7 Bishop Amat (16-10)
The Lancers are expected to be solid with the return of outside hitter Ariel Flowers and libero Kelly Bonja.
No. 8 Glendora (15-13)
The Tartans begin the season just outside the top 10 in Division II-AA. Jen Barbone's team struggled with consistency last year, but returns enough of a nucleus to challenge in the Sierra League.
No. 9 San Dimas (17-7)
The Saints, who advanced to the second round of the CIF-SS playoffs, begin the season ranked No. 7 in Division III-A. They will battle Ganesha for the top spot in the Valle Vista League. The Saints are led by middle blocker Melissa Hodges and setter Erica Fleck.
No. 10 Covina (17-7)
The Colts finished strong to qualify for the playoffs last season. Covina is led this season by outside hitters Melissa Davis, Kayla Welser and Morgan Petersen. Los Altos coach Anthony De La Vara said.
Tuesday's poll released: Bishop Amat is nowhere to be found in the Pac-5, while South Hills and Charter Oak remain the top two respectively in the Southeast. In the Mid-Valley, San Dimas jumped to No. 1 with its win over Los Altos and with South El Monte No. 2, it sets up a one-two showdown at South El Monte on Friday. By the way, Rosemead coach Matt Koffler found it amusing that the Panthers were listed in others in the Mid-Valley, behind Workman, Pomona, Gabrielino and San Marino. This after finishing 7-4 and nearly beating South El Monte last season. Keep an eye on Western Christian in the East Valley, they may end up being a sleeper. Guess Glendora and Damien have some work to crack the top ten in the Central
Pac-5 Division
1. Long Beach Poly, 2. Orange Lutheran, 3. Mater Dei, 4. Crespi, 5. Edison, 6. Mission Viejo, 7. Servite, 8. Los Alamitos, 9. Esperanza, 10. Notre Dame.
Others receiving votes: St. John Bosco, Fountain Valley, Dana Hills, Loyola, Long Beach Wilson, Compton, San Clemente, Tesoro, Lakewood, Newport Harbor.
Central Division (V)
1. Upland, 2. Colton, 3. Los Osos, 4. Chaffey, 5. West Valley, 6. Ayala, 7. Paloma Valley, 8. Colony, 9. Arroyo Valley, 10. Cajon. Others receiving votes: Rancho Cucamonga, Claremont, Alta Loma, Glendora, Hemet, Etiwanda, Chino Hills, Damien.
Southeast Division (VII)
1. South Hills, 2. Charter Oak, 3. Muir, 4. Schurr, 5. Santa Fe, 6. West Covina, 7. California, 8. Rowland, 9. Burbank, 10. Diamond Ranch. Others: Bonita, Arcadia, Burbank Burroughs, Alhambra, Los Altos.
Mid-Valley Division (XI)
1. San Dimas, 2. South El Monte, 3. Paraclete, 4. Temple City, 5. Northview, 6. Whittier Christian, 7. Monrovia, 8. Azusa, 9. Cerritos Valley Christian, 10. Los Angeles Baptist.
Others: Village Christian, Workman, Pomona, Gabrielino, San Marino, Rosemead, La Puente, Duarte, Covina.
East Valley Division (XII)
1. St. Margaret's, 2. Maranatha, 3. Twentynine Palms, 4. Big Bear, 5. Brentwood, 6. Desert, 7. Aquinas, 8. Ontario Christian, 9. Fillmore, 10. Western Christian. Others: Downey Calvary Chapel, Santa Paula, Sage Hill, Bishop Union, Grace Brethren, Kern Valley.
For the rest of the polls, click thread
Continue reading CIF Polls: SDimas-SELMonte, 1-2 showdown.
In Tuesday's paper we had a Miramonte notebook focusing on Wilson running back Tim Gilmore, and a Valle Vista notebook, leading with Covina hoping to bounce back against Rosemead. In Wednesday's edition are notebooks on the Sierra and San Antonio leagues, followed by Montview and Mission Valley notebooks in Thursday's newspapers.
An open discussion, whoever and whatever you wanna talk about.
Correction: Upland and Glendora will play at Citrus College, Friday, 7 p.m.
South Hills QB Cameron Deen opens on Friday at Ayala.
Note: Charter Oak jumps up two spots to No. 2 with Bishop Amat dropping to three and Diamond Ranch falling from No. 3 to No. 6. Bonita and San Dimas move up a notch to No. 5 and 6, respectively.
Tribune top ten rankings
1. South Hills (0-0)
Ayala should be a good test in opener
2. Charter Oak (1-0)
With Allen, Muema, most balanced offense around
3. Bishop Amat (0-1)
Blew third-quarter lead, won't get easier at Orange Lutheran
4. Bonita (1-0)
53 points in win over Covina, and still was a struggle
5. San Dimas (1-0)
Huge win over Los Altos, Mid-Valley clash with South El Monte next
6. Diamond Ranch (0-1)
Schedule gets even tougher. Will they even finish .500
7. West Covina (1-0)
Easy win over El Rancho and with Blair next, should be 2-0 going into Amat game.
8. Glendora (0-0)
Rematch with Upland after great second round playoff win last fall.
9. Northview (0-0)
Los Altos of the past would crush VVL teams, but not this year.
10. South El Monte (0-0)
Mid-Valley test with S.Dimas, go with the Eagles in this one.
Note: The Tribune's super top 31 list comes out next week after each team has played at least one game.
This story comes from longtime staffer Jim McConnell, the man we call, "The King" around the office. He writes a weekly Then & Now column. This week he writes about the great history of Los Altos, Bishop Amat and other legendary programs. It's a must read.
From 1950 to 1960, the number of high schools in the San Gabriel Valley more than doubled.
Since prep football essentially is a numbers game, this development had a huge impact on area programs. Traditional powers such as Alhambra, Covina, La Puente and Whittier highs gradually tapered off. Schools such as La Serna and Royal Oak - which weren't even on the planning boards in 1950 - emerged and built potent programs by the end of the 1960s. And then there are Bishop Amat and Los Altos.
To continue reading click thread
Continue reading Valley powers never lost their edge.
I don't know if you had a chance to watch Friday's live-streaming video of the Arcadia-Monrovia game, but some of the comments were very positive. We'll do it again on Thursday for the Northview-Los Altos game at Covina District Field. I'll have a wireless mic from the sidelines and will try to do some interviews with whoever's willing to talk during the game, and of course, follow with interviews afterward. The way it's set up, there is a comment section so you can have dialogue with whoever else is watching.
Northview quarterback Oscar Robles will test the Los Altos defense on Thursday.
After rushing for 170 yards and a touchdown in Friday's 30-14 victory over Aliso Viejo, it's hard to believe that Charger Oak High's junior running back Adam Muema is battling a nagging groin injury that could last all season. That's why Farrar jokingly said the game ball should have gone to Erika McDonald, the team's trainer.
"She did a tremendous job getting Adam ready," Farrar said. "Adam was unable to get any burst of speed doing two-a-days, so we've been especially careful with him.
"(Erika) treats him twice a day, before and after practice. He has ice messages and electric stimulation and other special exercises. It's hard to tell how long these type of injuries last, but he didn't feel any worse or better the day after, but we have to be careful. We know that one wrong step and he can be back to square one. That's something we want to avoid."
Steve Ramirez and I will go head-to-head throughout the season, and I will update our records each Monday on the Tribskin Pick'em thread.
Robledo: Last week (10-4)
Ramirez: Last week (9-5)
I don't think either one of us were that impressive, but Robledo takes the lead in week one, knowing that Western Christian would beat Gladstone and that Rancho Cucamonga would beat Damien. Steve picked Happy Rock and the Spartans. We both got it wrong with Muir, who beat Diamond Ranch, and we both missed Glenn over Sierra Vista, and Gabrielino over La Puente, which too me was the upset of the week. Steve managed to stay close by picking Workman over Mountain View when I had it the other way around.
Thursday, September 11th
Northview vs. Los Altos at Covina District, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Northview); Ramirez (Los Altos)
Ganesha vs. Gladstone at Citrus College, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Gladstone); Ramirez (Ganesha).
Friday, September 12th
South Hills at Ayala, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (South Hills); Ramirez (South Hills)
San Dimas at South El Monte, 7 p.m. - Robledo (South El Monte); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Duarte at Monrovia, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Monrovia); Ramirez (Duarte)
Covina vs. Rosemead at Covina District, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Rosemead); Ramirez (Covina)
Arroyo at Temple City, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Arroyo); Ramirez (Arroyo)
Bishop Amat at Orange Lutheran -- Robledo (Orange Lutehran); Ramirez (Orange Lutheran).
Blair at West Covina, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (West Covina); Ramirez (West Covina)
Upland vs. Glendora at Citrus, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Upland); Ramirez (Upland)
Pioneer at Charter Oak, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Charter Oak); Ramirez (Charter Oak)
St. John Bosco at Damien, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (St.John Bosco); (St. John Bosco)
Claremont at Bonita, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Bonita)
Montebello at Baldwin Park, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Baldwin Park); Ramirez (Baldwin Park).
La Puente at El Monte, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (La Puente); Ramirez (La Puente)
Sonora at Wilson, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Sonora); Ramirez (Sonora)
California at Rowland, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Cal); Ramirez (Cal)
Garey at Nogales, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Nogales); Ramirez (Garey)
Diamond Ranch at Colony, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Colony); Ramirez (Colony)
Walnut at Diamond Bar, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (DBar), Ramirez (DBar)
Firebaugh at Basset, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Firebaugh; Ramirez (Firebaugh)
Marshall vs. Azusa at PCC, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
Keppel vs. Workman at La Puente, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Workman); Ramirez (Workman)
Sierra Vista at Montclair, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Montclair); Ramirez (Sierra Vista)
Saturday, September 13th
Downey Calvary Chapel at Western Christian, 7 p.m. - Robledo (WC); Ramirez (WC)
We'll post a Bishop Breakdown thread on Monday's to evaluate Friday night's games, the players, coaching staff's, and the next opponent.
With the coaching staff in place, this feels like a make or break year at Bishop Amat. It's probably not fair to expect too much from Steve Hagerty and staff in their first season, but there's nothing like the excitement and emotions of a quick turnaround. Whatever happens, week-by-week, we'll follow the ride.
Lats week: Los Osos 24, Bishop Amat 20
This week: Bishop Amat (0-1) vs. Orange Lutheran (1-0) at OCC, 7 p.m.
Quick look: Looking at the numbes, the Lancers didn't do so bad. Nick Lenhart outplayed Los Osos' great QB Richard Brehaut, completing 15-of-27 for 197 yards to Brehaut's 7-of-18 for 122. But while Lenhart suffered a pair of picks,
Brehaut averted the turnovers and had the big TD to Fields, who scored another with 48 seconds left. The down side is the Lancers will likely start 0-2. Orange Lutheran is No. 4 in the MaxPreps California rankings, and just beat Fresno's Bullard 35-17. But, with West Covina, Diamond Ranch, Damien, St. Francis and Chaminade to follow, I still say the Lancers will either be 5-2 or 4-3 at the worst.
San Dimas players gang up on a Los Altos player as the Mid-Valley Division's No. 2 Saints beat Los Altos 27-16, spoiling the debut of Conquerors head coach Felipe Aguilar.
Back by popular demand, the Tribune's prep scoreboard. You can also access it on our prep webpage
For quarter-by-quarter update click thread
Friday game of the week: Los Altos at San Dimas
Friday video highlight game of the week: Muir at Diamond Ranch
Thursday's game
Azusa 40, Ganesha 13 -- Scherf starts 1-0 while Giants drop 50 straight
Friday's results
Bonita 53, Covina 26 -- Great win, but much closer than final score'
Los Osos 24, Bishop Amat 14 -- Lancers led 14-10 in third quarter.
San Dimas 27, Los Altos 16 -- Daniel Joseph has the big nights as Saints win.
Muir 16, Diamond Ranch 6 - Muir has to be dealt with in Southeast
Charter Oak 30, Aliso Niguel 14 - Chargers always could handle Orange County.
Rancho Cucamonga 34, Damien 14 - Expected more from the Spartans
West Covina 36, El Rancho 15 -- Great win for Maggiore's boys.
Ayala 33, Duarte 12 -- Game ended in third, lights went off
Western Christian 45, Gladstone 27 -- Hmmm, keep an eye on these Lancers too.
Gabrielino 12, La Puente 0 -- Bad start for Montview champs
Workman 6, Mountain View 0 -- Hey Lobos, it's a win.
Buena Park 40, Basset 0 - What did you expect?
Glenn 29, Sierra Vista 28, 2 OT's -- Dons lose a thriller
Fred's opening thoughts: Muir has to be dealt with in the Southeast, I know Diamond Ranch had some turnovers, but they struggled to move on the Mustangs, who are one of those teams who can beat anyone on any given night, including South Hills or Charter Oak, but have the ability to get blown out too. They're a huge wild card. Bonita's win was mighty impressive, just from an offensive standpoint, and San Dimas struggled against Los Altos who was without starting quarterback Dimitri Longoria. But hey, still a big win for the Saints. Charter Oak and West Covina won convincingly as expected and why does something like the lights going out in the third quarter always seem to happen at Duarte. Hey, it might have been a blessing considering how bad Ayala was handing it to them. Bishop Amat? What can you say, they led 14-10 in the third, Nick Lenhart was 15-of-27 for 197 yards with two INT's and a touchdown. Turnovers and penalties in the fourth did them in. And yes, watch out for Western Christian, they have a pair of quarterbacks that I keep hearing are the real deal.
DIAMOND RANCH-MUIR VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS ...
Hot off the press ... Fox Sports Prime Ticket will broadcast the Diamond Ranch-Bishop Amat game live from Kiefer Stadium on Oct. 10. San Gabriel Valley football fans packed Covina District last year for the Fox Sports West Covina-South Hills game. I'm sure there won't be an empty seat at Kiefer.
Fox Sports' prep fall lineup...
Sept. 12 -- Birmingham at Crespi, 7 p.m. PRIME TICKET
Sept. 19 -- Mater Dei at Corona Centennial, 8:30 p.m. (delayed), FSN WEST
Sept. 26 -- Edison at Servite, 10:30 p.m. (delayed), PRIME TICKET
Oct. 3 --Saugus at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 7 p.m. PRIME TICKET
Oct. 10 -- Diamond Ranch at Bishop Amat, 7 p.m. PRIME TICKET
Oct. 17 -- Mission Viejo at Tesoro, 7 p.m. PRIME TICKET
Oct. 24 -- Upland at Los Osos, 7 p.m. PRIME TICKET
Oct. 31 -- Chaparral at Temescal Canyon, 7 p.m. FSN WEST
Nov. 7 -- Santa Clara at Oaks Christian, 7 p.m. PRIME TICKET
Nov. 13 -- Orange Lutheran at Mater Dei, 7 p.m. PRIME TICKET
Back by popular demand, the Tribune's prep scoreboard. You can also access it on our prep webpage
For quarter-by-quarter update click thread
Azusa High School kicks off the football season tonight at, yes, Ganesha. You know the story. Ganesha hasn't won a football game since beating Sierra Vista, 27-14, to open the 2003 season. The Giants' 49-game on-the-field losing streak is the longest in the history of California prep football, breaking the previous record of 46 set by Moorpark from 1977-82. The Giants were shutout in seven of their 10 losses last year, and have been shut out 27 times during a losing streak in which they've been outscored 2,090-290.
On paper, Scherf couldn't ask for a better opponent to start his tenure. The longtime Aztecs assistant was promoted following the resignation of Craig Schuster, who is now an assistant at San Dimas. But Scherf's somewhat leery, because the Giants have a new coach, too. After Jim Sturgeon resigned, the Giants hired David Fleming.
"They're going to have to win a game someday, I just hope it's not against us," Scherf said. "But it's not going to be a case where we're overlooking anyone.
Azusa-Ganesha video
Friday game of the week: Los Altos at San Dimas
Friday video highlight game of the week: Muir at Diamond Ranch
Tonight
Azusa at Ganesha, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa), Ramirez (Azusa)
Friday
Covina vs. Bonita at District Field, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Bonita)
Bishop Amat at Los Osos, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Los Osos); Ramirez (Los Osos)
Los Altos at San Dimas, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (San Dimas); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Muir vs. Diamond Ranch at Ganesha, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (DRanch); Ramirez (DRanch)
Charter Oak at Aliso Niguel, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Charter Oak), Ramirez (Charter Oak)
Rancho Cucamonga at Damien, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rancho); Ramirez (Damien)
El Rancho at West Covina, 7 p.m. - Robledo (West Covina); Ramirez (West Covina)
Ayala at Duarte, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Ayala); Ramirez (Ayala)
Western Christian vs. Gladstone at Citrus College, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (WChristian); Ramirez (Gladstone)
Gabrielino at La Puente, 7 p.m. - Robledo (La Puente); Ramirez (La Puente)
Workman at Mountain View, 7 p.m. - Robledo (MView); Ramirez (Workman)
Bassett at Buena Park, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Buena Park); Ramirez (Buena Park)
Glenn at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Sierra Vista); Ramirez (Sierra Vista)
The 2008 football preview section is here, for a complete list of stories, click below ...
Even casual observers know that a preseason college football poll without USC, Ohio State or LSU is sort of like a San Gabriel Valley Tribune high school football poll without South Hills, Charter Oak, Los Altos or Bishop Amat.
At least that's the way it's been in recent years, but times are changing.
At this time last year Los Altos started at No. 3, but the Conquerors lost legendary coach Greg Gano, finished 4-6, and will not be in our preseason rankings for the first time time since the invention of cell phones or the internet.
Even Damien didn't crack our Top 10, which is not a slap at the Spartans program, but a sign that the parity in the San Gabriel Valley is on the rise.
South Hills, Diamond Ranch, Bonita, Charter Oak and West Covina all have legitimate shots at the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division title.
And we know this about Bishop Amat: Whether the Lancers finish 3-7 or 7-3, there's no arguing the boys in blue still face talent-rich programs, compete in the toughest division (Pac-5), and would whip the pants off most neighboring schools.
Now that you know the contenders, lets sort it all out.
1. South Hills (10-3)
What should have been Cameron Deen's greatest moment, is now his biggest motivation.
After El Dorado tied the Huskies, 17-17 with 1:08 left in last year's CIF-Southern Section Southwest Divisional semifinal, the South Hills quarterback led the Huskies on what appeared to be a game-winning drive in the final moments, except the Huskies missed a 23-yard field-goal attempt as time expired. El Dorado won in overtime, 23-17.
It was Deen's only loss as a starter (10-1), and he's carrying that bad taste into 2008. That's bad news for everyone else.
2. Bishop Amat (3-7)
This would have been a controversial choice at No. 2 if not for the hiring of coach Steve Hagerty, a proven winner with three CIF-SS titles on his resume.
Hagerty also gets rave reviers for assembling a staff that includes former La Salle head coach Ealar Gallagher, former Amat head coach Mike DiFiori, and a pair of notable alums named Rodney Sermons and Daylon McCutcheon.
3. Diamond Ranch (2-8)
Diamond Ranch's 2007 season was defined by an ineligible player that caused the Panthers to go from 7-3 to 2-8, thus missing the CIF-SS playoffs.
If they Panthers keep the paperwork in order in 2008, they will once again be fighting it out for the Miramonte League and Southeast Division championships.
4. Charter Oak (10-2-1)
Somewhat of a wild card after losing so many graduating seniors, but the meat and potatoes are back, and with coach Lou Farrar and his longtime staff, the Chargers figure to be in the mix again. Third-year starting quarterback Chris Allen and junior running back Adam Muema appear to be the best one-two quarterback/running back tandem in the Valley.
5. Bonita (6-5)
How many coaches would love to have a quarterback returning that threw for 2,140 yards and 21 touchdowns? That's Bearcats senior Terry Paradez, who has a pair of returning All-Miramonte League receivers back in seniors Dewayne Gatti and Derrick Price.
6. San Dimas (9-2)
How will San Dimas follow a 9-2 season that included a three-way share of the Valle Vista League title?
Perhaps with a CIF-SS championship in the newly formed Mid-Valley Division.
7. West Covina (6-6)
After a so-so season, are the Bulldogs back and equipped to go toe-to-toe with South Hills in 2008?
8. Glendora (9-3)
Following its first Sierra League title since 1993 and its 9-3 season and quarterfinal appearance in the Inland Division playoffs, it is going to be tough for a Tartans squad that graduated so many impact seniors, especially on the offensive and defensive lines.
9. Northview (7-4)
The Vikings certainly have a talented senior-laden group returning.
Expectations are huge because of third-year starting quarterback Oscar Robles.
10. So. El Monte (7-5)
The defending Mission Valley League champions return Tribune quarterback of the year Jose Garay along with Mission Valley League first-team receiver Manny Acosta.
The Prep Section is out, but nothing is up and running on our website yet. I'm told it will all be up this afternoon, and I'll post it here as soon as it's ready. Sorry.
Los Altos quarterback Dmitri Longoria is questionable for Friday's opener against San Dimas. The left-hander is nursing a sore arm, which could mean that junior Joseph McKeehan could get the nod. "I'd say there's about an eighty percent chance Dmitri will start," Los Altos coach Felipe Aguilar said. "We'll see how it goes."
Note: The Tribune's 2008 football tab comes out on Wednesday, Sept. 3. Enjoy!
Steve Ramirez and I will go head-to-head throughout the season, and I will update our records each Monday on the Tribskin Pick'em thread.
Thursday, Sept. 4th
Azusa at Ganesha, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa), Ramirez (Azusa)
Friday, September 5th
Covina vs. Bonita at District Field, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Bonita)
Bishop Amat at Los Osos, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Los Osos); Ramirez (Los Osos)
Los Altos at San Dimas, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (San Dimas); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Muir vs. Diamond Ranch at Ganesha, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (DRanch); Ramirez (DRanch)
Charter Oak at Aliso Niguel, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Charter Oak), Ramirez (Charter Oak)
Rancho Cucamonga at Damien, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rancho); Ramirez (Damien)
El Rancho at West Covina, 7 p.m. - Robledo (West Covina); Ramirez (West Covina)
Ayala at Duarte, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Ayala); Ramirez (Ayala)
Western Christian vs. Gladstone at Citrus College, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (WChristian); Ramirez (Gladstone)
Gabrielino at La Puente, 7 p.m. - Robledo (La Puente); Ramirez (La Puente)
Workman at Mountain View, 7 p.m. - Robledo (MView); Ramirez (Workman)
Bassett at Buena Park, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Buena Park); Ramirez (Buena Park)
Glenn at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Sierra Vista); Ramirez (Sierra Vista)
Fred's Thoughts: Steve beat me by one game on the final day of the season, then picked California Pizza Kitchen for lunch, on me of course. That's not happening this year. Most intriguing game is San Dimas-Los Altos. If L.A. wins, they jump right back in our top ten, but that's like predicting UCLA over Tennessee. Guess ya never know even though I like the Saints, and like them big-time. Bishop Amat would have had a better chance on the road, but without Isaiah Bowens (broken foot), who the L.A. Times rated as one of the top linebackers in the Southland. Charter Oak-Aliso Niguel is close to a toss-up; will Duarte compete with Ayala and of course Muir-Diamond Ranch, a genuine Southeast Division playoff preview.
This story comes from longtime staffer Jim McConnell, the man we call, "The King" around the office. He writes a weekly Then & Now column. He wrote a great story on legendary coach Mal Eaton last week, and today gives us a bit of history about football in the San Gabriel Valley.
Above: Jim McConnell
The oldest cliche in sports is "records are made to be broken."
Actually, in the case of high school football, it turns out that many records are yet to be discovered.
About 15 years back, the sports department here began an attempt to compile all-time prep football records. Well, we're still at it. It turns out that the only way to compile a definitive list is to go through old newspapers a page at a time.
Our season records, dating back to the dawn of high school football in the San Gabriel Valley more than 100 years ago, are fairly reliable. But the game-by-game stuff, team and individual statistics, pretty much have to come from newspaper accounts.
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Continue reading SGV football through the years ....
Stopped by Barney's Beanery in Old Town last night and saw a sea of orange all over the place. Those Tennessee folk sure travel well, too bad it's going to be a long ride home after the Bruins whooop on 'em tonight.
Afterward: Incredible. I was at the game and left after UCLA took the 24-21 lead, it was over, right? Had to catch the bus back to Parson's and couldn't believe Tennessee tied it. My pops gave me the play-by-play on the bus ride home, when they won it, the bus erupted. I was reading the thread during the game, kind of funny to see some of you eat your words afterward.
From Mt. SAC to UCLA starter, Kevin Craft set to go
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Miguel Melendez's prep blog
ESPN
OC Varsity
San Bernardino Sun Preps
LA times Varsity Blog
Daily Bulletin Preps
Whittier Daily News Preps
LA Daily News Preps
Long Beach Press Telegram Preps
Daily Breeze Preps
Dyestat Track and Cross Country
MaxPreps
Rivals.Com
College Level Athletes
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