October 2008 Archives

Friday's results
Chino Hills 30, Glendora 28 -- The Tartans' bid to knock off the undefeated Huskies came up just short. Looks like they won't defend the Sierra League title, but they prove again they can play with anyone.
South Hills 41, Walnut 17 -- Okay, we can stop with the suggestion's that the Huskies are overrated. They continue to play great defense, and Cameron Deen is hitting his stride. He was 18 of 25 for 233 yards and three TD's. He also ran for two touchdowns.
Diamond Ranch 35, at Los Altos 13 -- Looks like the Panthers will at least earn a playoff berth unless they somehow stumble against Wilson. The Conquerors' march toward a winless season continues.
San Dimas 56, Baldwin Park 46 -- You have to be concerned if your a Saints fan. Yes, they're 8-0. But 46 points allowed to Baldwin Park? Their defense is anything but consistent. Um, when is Kyle Withem coming back?
Rosemead 42, El Monte 7 -- Let's see if they're still the seventh ranked team in the Mid-Valley Division after this? They should be at least No. 3.
Bonita 54, Wilson 14 -- Terry Paradez throws five touchdowns in the first half, then rests the second half as the Bearcats punch a ticket to the Miramonte League title game against Charter Oak on Nov. 13.
Gabrielino 24, South El Monte 16 -- Another surprise, and how the tables have turned. The Eagles started 0-4 and won seven straight last year. Now they're started 0-3 in league and have virtually no shot at a Mid-Valley playoff berth.
Covina 41, Pomona 34 -- This result could ultimately earn the Colts a playoff berth. Just think, if they're No. 3 in the Valle Vista, could that mean a first-round Mid-Valley playoff against Montview champ Azusa? Would be interesting.
Rowland 28, Nogales 7 -- The stage is set for next week's San Antonio showdown against South Hills. Should be great to see which defense wins out.
Arroyo 42, Mountain View 21 -- The Knights continue their march in the Mission Valley League, going to 3-0 after starting 0-5. But how will they do closing against South El Monte and Rosemead?
Duarte 55, Workman 41 -- This should be enough to cement the Falcons' second place finish in the Montview. The Lobos should still occupy one of the four playoff berths too.
Diamond Bar 35, Chino 14 -- The Brahmas snap an 11-game Sierra League losing streak, which is just their second win in the Sierra since 2004.
Ayala 35, Damien 6 -- Bulldogs dominate the Spartans, leaving them and Chino Hills as the only undefeated teams in the Sierra.
Sierra Vista at La Puente, 7 p.m. -- Waiting
Other scores: Notre Dame 37, Crespi 17
Servite 14, Orange Lutheran 10

For quarter-by-quareter updates, click thread

SGV Football Standings
Serra League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Miramonte League
Valle Vista League
Mission Valley League
Montview League

For those who can't make it, I'll provide live blogging of Saturday's Serra League showdown, Bishop Amat vs. Loyola at Glendale High School. Kickoff it at 7 p.m. We'll also have video highlights and interviews available on Sunday morning.

Until then, read about Bishop Amat running backs Deshawn Gaisie and Jay Anderson talk about their emergence and Saturday's game against the Cubs.

Thursday's results
Northview 38, Ganesha 7 -- That's three straight blowouts in the Valle Vista, San Dimas up next.
Gladstone 29, Bassett -- Not only do Gladiators get their first win, they do it with ease.

For quarter-by-quareter updates, click thread

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he's offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don't hate, enjoy it for what it's worth, which is one man's opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley. In this thread he answers readers' questions

Wow, I asked for questions...and for the most part, the readers have answered. And noticed that for the real stupid questions, we moved on. So we'll call this the Friday Morning Huddle. And before I begin, for those that say that I don't leave the East SGV, I hope to see you all at the Redlands East Valley vs. AB Miller game this Friday, or the Corona Centennial vs. Corona Santiago game next Friday.
Also, we had a chance to finally pop in the tape and watch Walnut's Leonard Rhodes. After watching game after game on him, I am convinced that he is a true college fullback. My major concern with him is his speed. Especially if he wants to be a Tight End in college. He runs average routes and just doesn't have that breakaway speed that you are looking for. Hopefully, he'll find a way to work on his speed in the off-season. But he is a D-1 prospect...no question about it.

Now to your questions and my answers, click thread

The regular season in girls volleyball is winding down, and on the eve of big league showdowns between Walnut and South Hills and La Puente and Gladstone, and next week's Sierra League encounter between St. Lucy's and Diamond Bar, I can't think of a better time than to dicuss area Player of the Year candidates.
Here's are a few who standout up to this point of the season:

Melinda Gomez (South Hills) - The junior is the arguably the top middle blocker in the area, and the key cog in the Husky machine. She is also the only returning player from last season's all-area first team.

Valerie Brain (Glendora) - The Tartans have used the Brain smarts this year, and that usually includes Brain being the focal point of an offensive attack that can come from a variety of options.

Courtney Donaldson (Bonita) - The go-to player for Bonita, who comes up big in the biggest games. She was huge as the Bearcats rallied from a two-game deficit to beat Charter Oak in five last week.

Samantha Sheller/Jennifer Silva (Walnut) - I couldn't separate these two, who are the two reasons Walnut is off to a stellar, or should I say, Sheller start. Both have come up big in matches and have similar attack numbers.

Jamie Parke (Diamond Bar) - She does a little of every thing for the Brahmas, leading the team in assists and holds her own on the attacking end.

Comments: This is just a rough draft. Next week and the playoffs will decide who is this season's Miss Volleyball and who makes the all-area first team. There are others to be considered, but these are by top five/six for now.

Ganesha knocks off San Dimas in four games

South Hills wins five-game thriller over Walnut

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he's offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don't hate, enjoy it for what it's worth, which is one man's opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley.

For all of the Guru's notes and breakdowns, click this thread!

The CIF-SS Polls help determine seedings and playoffs pairings. With three weeks to go, here is how our locals stand.

Pac-5 Division
1. Long Beach Poly, 2. Orange Lutheran, 3. Los Alamitos, 4. Crespi, 5. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 6. Edison, 7. Mater Dei, 8. Tesoro, 9. St. John Bosco, 10. Mission Viejo. Others: Compton, San Clemente, Bishop Amat, Servite.
Fred's note:: Bishop Amat and Orange Lutheran have the same record, and Amat beat Orange Lutheran. The Lancers should at least be in the top ten. Will two losses in the Serra stop them from earning an at-large? It would be close.

Southeast Division
1. South Hills, 2. Charter Oak, 3. California, 4. Santa Fe, 5. Muir, 6. La Serna, 7. Crescenta Valley, 8. Rowland, 9. West Covina, 10. Bonita. Others: Walnut.
Fred's note: This is close and hard to complain about. All ten teams are legit with the exception of maybe Crescenta Valley. Muir should probably be No. 3 in my opinion considering their only loss is to Oaks Christian.

Mid-Valley Division
1. San Dimas, 2. Cerritos Valley Christian, 3. Monrovia, 4. Azusa, 5. San Marino, 6. Northview, 7. Rosemead, 8. Paraclete, 9. Workman, 10. Pomona.
Fred's note: This is so ridiculous there should be an investigation. Why is Rosemead still ranked behind Monrovia (whom they crushed 42-21), not to mention Azusa and San Marino? Azusa won't lose another game so will likely get a seed and be no worse than a No. 4. Top four should be San Dimas, Rosemead, Northview, Cerritos Valley Christian.

East Valley Division
1. St. Margaret's, 2. Marantha, 3. Brentwood, 4. Twentynine Palms, 5. Aquinas, 6. Fillmore, 7. Desert, 8. Santa Paula, 9. Malibu, 10. Big Bear. Othes: Arrowhead Christian, Western Christian.
Fred's note: Western Christian is in such a tough league, they may not make the playoffs.

Tribune Top 10
Girls Volleyball
1. Glendora (14-2) -- Tartans lost in five games to Diamond Bar, but came back with an impressive three-game win over Walnut in the Ayala Tournament on Saturday
2. Walnut (18-4) -- The Mustangs looked like they might jump over Glendora to No. 1, but stay at No. 2 after losing to the Tartans over the weekend. They play for first place in the San Antonio League with a road match at South Hills on Thursday.
3. Diamond Bar (16-3) -- The Brahmas have been on fire, winning seven in row, which includes a five-game victory over Glendora and sweeping through the Gabrielino Tournament
4. South Hills (9-4) -- The Huskies have had trouble with conistency most of the season, but they could make up for that with a win over Walnut on Thursday.
5. Bonita (12-5) -- The Bearcats came up big last week, rallying from two games down to defeat the undefeated Charter Oak in five.
6. Charter Oak (14-2) -- The Chargers hold the No. 6 spot after taking Bonita to the brink last week. They also rebounded with a good win over Diamond Ranch two nights later.
7. San Dimas (14-3) -- The Saints just keep taking care of business in the Valle Vista League. They get another chance when they visit second-place Ganesha on Wednesday.
8. St. Lucy's (12-7) -- The Regents have held their own against the rest of the Sierra League. They get a shot at rival and co-leader Glendora tonight.
9. Ganesha (16-6) -- The Giants move up a spot after another solid week. They look to gain a share of first place in the VVL with a win over San Dimas on Wednesday.
10. La Puente (18-1) -- The Warriors have been dominant in the Montview League, winning every game but one. Their only match loss was in a tournament over the weekend. They can all but clinch the league title when they travel to Gladstone on Thursday.
Note: Rankings are based on matches played through Oct. 25

About a year back Stevie R., listed his best high school football movies of all-time, but how about the best darn sports movies, period. I left out Steve's favorite, All the Right Moves, and also Eight Men Out, Bull Durham and Field of Dreams, but hey, this is my top ten. The comments aren't all mine, they're borrowed from film teaser's and MoviePhone with an added twist from your host. Here ya go, Robledo's top ten.

1. Rocky: The fist-pumping score, the charismatic turn by Sly Stallone, the glorious training montage, the pitch-perfect ending in which Rocky shows the champ what "showtime at the Apollo" really means ... I remember leaving the movie theatre and shadow boxing all the way to our car. I went back the next day to see it again.
2. Hoosiers: This David-and-Goliath tale of a volatile basketball coach (Gene Hackman) who leads a small Indiana high school team to the state finals has all the makings of a classic: chills-inducing score, superb game sequences, moving pep talk and, of course, the most badass line in sports movie history: "I'll make it." My favorite part of the movie is when Hackman says, "My team's on the floor."
3. Rudy: It's the ultimate underdog tale: A hobbit-sized goonie boy (Sean Astin) dreams of playing for Notre Dame. What do size, skill and smarts matter when you've got heart? When Rudy finally takes the field, not only does it instantly choke the throat, it makes the small, unskilled and dim-witted among us feel we've got a fighting chance. I watched with it with my dad, and will never forget the tears in his eyes when Rudy ran out the tunnel.
4. Caddyshack: With hilarious turns from Bill Murray as a deranged gopher-hunting, Bob-Marley-joint-smoking groundskeeper and Chevy Chase as a birdie-and-tequila-shooting womanizer, this might just be one of the most flawless comedies in history -- so it's got that going for it, which is nice. If I have to explain why this is here, you didn't get it.
5. Breaking Away: Though ostensibly about aspiring bike racers, this affecting drama is really concerned with how racing is seen as a way to escape the confines of a small town -- in this case, Bloomington, Ind., where the four heroes are derisively called "Cutters" by the college kids there. And so it's a universal theme, played out on two wheels. One of the most inspirational, funny, underdog movies you've probably never seen but should.
6. Karate Kid: Mr. Miage, a handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting. It had the great line, "Get him a body bag, yeah, and the greatest girl, Elizabeth Shue."
7. The Bad News Bears: There's not an ounce of sentimentality in this comedy about a team of foul-mouthed misfits and their alcoholic manager, and that's what makes it great. One by one, 'Bears' takes aim at three sacred institutions -- sob-story sports flicks, treacly kids' movies and the hell of Little League -- and the result is a down-and-dirty delight. It's amazing watching this 30-years later, and realizing how foul-mouthed they actually were.
8. Slap Shot: There's a lot of comedy in hockey: scraggly mullets, toothless grins, Canadian accents. So it's no wonder this 1977 classic scores so many laughs with its ahead-of-its-time raunchiness and blistering vulgarity, mostly courtesy of that sailor mouth Paul Newman. If you don't like it, the Hanson Brothers will make you see otherwise.
9. Remember the Titans: "Inspirational sports movies" arrive in theaters on what seems like a monthly basis now, and the triumph that was 'Titans' is a big reason for that. It may be conventional, but this genuinely touching tale of ebony and ivory relations on and off Virginia football fields is the best in its class. My favorite movie this decade
10. Friday Night Lights: It's 'Varsity Blues' plus better acting and directing, minus the whipped cream bikini. With this true-life tale, director Peter Berg paints a moving (and disturbing) portrait of '80s small-town Texas: Racism still rages, the economy is ailing and the hopes of an entire community ride on high school football. Another today movie that needs no explanation.

Above: The Piedmont High School football team lines up against St. Mary's in Piedmont, CA October 3, 2008. (Max Morse for The New York Times)

The A-11 offense was created by a group of coaches in Piedmont who wanted to compete with the big schools

Here's how the NY Times explained the offense:
By placing one of the quarterbacks at least seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, and no one under center to receive the snap, the A-11 qualifies as a scrimmage kick formation -- the alignments used for punts and extra points.
Thus interior linemen are granted an exception from having to wear jersey numbers 50 through 79. (The exception was intended to allow a team's deep snapper not to have to switch to a lineman's jersey if he was a back or an end.)
Any player wearing jersey numbers 1 through 49 and 80 through 99 is potentially eligible to receive a pass. Piedmont's basic A-11 formation calls for a center flanked by two guards, who are essentially tight ends. Two quarterbacks, or a quarterback and a running back, line up behind the center, with three receivers split to each side.
Under football rules, seven players must begin each play on the line of scrimmage and only five are permitted to run downfield to receive a pass -- the two players at the end of the line and three situated behind the line.
The difficult task for a team defending against the A-11 is to quickly and accurately figure out who those five eligible receivers are.
Prior to each Piedmont play, only the center initially goes to the line of scrimmage. The two "guards" and the split receivers each stand one and a half yards off the line.
Then, just before the ball is snapped, Piedmont shifts into formation for the signaled play.
With this simple movement, the possibilities for eligible receivers become dizzying.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Piedmont High and Saddleback Valley Christian in Orange County are believed to be the only schools in the state to run the A-11 offense. Schools in at least five states are banned from using the formation. In North Carolina, the first attempt to run the A-11 will result in a 15-yard unsporting penalty and the second in disqualification of the head coach.

Rumor has it that one of our local coaches is going to walk the sidelines dressed up as Darth Vader on Halloween. I have no idea if this is true, just one of the many "anonymous" emails I get from time to time. Remember PHS coach Kevin Mills, he didn't need Halloween to bring out his costume. BTW, my apologies to the kids in my neighborhood, I will not be able to entertain and hand out candy on Friday due the unfortunate circumstances of having to cover a high school football game.

1. Bishop Amat (6-1) -- There's no breathing room, the Serra League is here and Loyola is awaiting on Saturday at Glendale High School at 7 p.m. Whatever happens in the next three weeks, the Lancers have at least cemented one certainty: They're back on top of San Gabrield Valley football.
2. Charter Oak (7-0-1) -- With Halloween off, the Chargers get two weeks rest before facing winless Los Altos. However, the Miramonte League title will be settled against Bonita on Nov. 13.
3. San Dimas (7-0) -- At times they've looked unstoppable, and other times human. I'm guessing the bigger the game, the bigger the Saints deliver, which is why I still think they will run the table.
4. South Hills (6-1) -- We've been somewhat hard on the Huskies, but the truth is, we'll find out if they're deserving of this spot over the next three weeks. Walnut up first.
5. Glendora (5-2) -- Not world beaters by any stretch, but considering the Tarts' schedule, 5-2 at this point is very respectable. If they're going to defend the Sierra, however, they must find a way to beat undefeated Chino Hills on Friday.
6. Rowland (6-1) -- The Raiders jump from No. 9 based on their big win over West Covina. We have to remember, the Raiders' only loss came against undefeated California in the season opener. They've won six straight since.
7. Rosemead (5-2) -- The Panthers are looking more unbeatable each week, and each week there's someone else on the sidelines of football games telling me they won't lose another game.
8. West Covina (6-2) -- You have to ask if Rowland was that good or if we hyped the Bulldogs too much? It was probably a combination of both, so the Dawgs must drop a few spots.
9. Bonita (5-2) -- So many people told us we had Bonita way overrated, but it's simply not the case. Give them credit, beating Los Altos and DRanch in back-to-back weeks was impressive.
10. Northview (5-2) -- Since losing a competitive game to South Hills, the Vikings have defeated Nogales, Baldwin Park and Covina by a combined score of 119-14. And with all due respect to San Dimas, the Vikes have looked the best in the VVL.
Rounding out the top ten: 11. Walnut (5-2), 12. Azusa (6-1), 13. Diamond Bar (3-4), 14. South El Monte (3-4), 15. Pomona (5-2), 16. Diamond Ranch (1-6), 17. Damien (1-6), 18. Arroyo (2-5), 19. El Monte (3-4), 20. Workman (5-2), 21. Western Christian (5-2), 22. Baldwin Park (3-4), 23. Duarte (2-5), 24. Covina (1-6), 25. Los Altos (0-7), 26. Wilson (1-6), 27. Sierra Vista (2-6), 28. Mountain View (2-5), 29. Ganesha (2-5), 30. La Puente (1-6), 31. Nogales (1-6), 32. Bassett (1-6), 33. Gladstone (0-7).

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

Above: Los Altos High School junior Judd Mateo, left, finishes with a time of 16:58, along with teammate junior Miguel Gonzales, who finished with a time of 16:59 at the 61st annual Mt. Sac Cross Country Invitational.

Mt.SAC is the home of Southern California cross country. The famous 2.91 mile course, covering three giant hills, hosted most of the SGV over Friday and Saturday at the giant Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational.

For Ramsey's complete breakdown and top ten list's, click thread.

San Dimas High linebacker Kyle Withem, suspended since the third week of the season for violating team and school rules, will begin practicing with the Mid-Valley Division's top-ranked and undefeated Saints (7-0) this week. However, Withem will not be allowed to play unless the Saints reach the second round of the CIF playoffs, which is almost a certainty. Coach Bill Zernickow said that Withem must finish a mandatory "10 week" suspension for violating the school's athletic code. Zernickow, decided against, however, suspending his senior for the remainder of the season.
"I wanted to see how he responded to this, and how he would do with his school work," Zernickow said. "He's a special kid in my heart."
Robledo note: Comments will not be allowed.

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 - 14-4; Season - 119-32
Ramirez: Last week - 14-4; Season - 113-38

Notes: There were only two games that Stevie R., and I both missed, and that's Rowland over West Covina and Arroyo over El Monte. BTW, Who would have thought Arroyo would be 2-0 in the MVL after their horrible preseason? Steve could have picked up ground by taking Bonita over DRanch and Ayala over DBar, who both won. But I broke even by taking Sierra Vista over Bassett and Gabrielino over Mountain View, hence, no blood. Robledo still has a six-game lead and is looking forward to that free meal from Stevie R., at the end of the season.

Next Up: Friday's game of the week is Chino Hills-Glendora, and I don't see anyway the Tarts can pull this out, not the way CHills has been playing of late. South Hills begins a tough stretch against Walnut, Rowland and West Covina. By the way, could next week be any better? Northview-San Dimas (Thurs, Nov. 6); South Hills-Rowland, Bishop Amat-Crespi (Fri, Nov. 7).

This week's games and predictions
Thursday's games
Northview at Ganesha, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (NView); Ramirez (NView)
Gladstone at Bassett, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Bassett); Ramirez (Bassett)

Friday's games
Glendora vs. Chino Hills at Citrus, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (CHills); Ramirez (Glendora)
South Hills at Walnut, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SHills); Ramirez (SHills)
Diamond Ranch at Los Altos, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (DRanch); Ramirez (DRanch)
Baldwin Park at San Dimas, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SDimas); Ramirez (SDimas)
El Monte at Rosemead, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rsmd); Ramirez (Rsmd)
Bonita at Wilson, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Bonita)
Pomona vs. Covina at CDF 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Covina); Ramirez (Covina)
Gabrielino at South El Monte, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SElM); Ramirez (SElM)
Nogales at Rowland, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rowland); Ramirez (Rowland)
Mountain View at Arroyo, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Arroyo); Ramirez (Arroyo)
Sierra Vista at La Puente, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SVista); Ramirez (SVista)
Workman at Duarte, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Duarte); Ramirez (Duarte)
Chino at Diamond Bar, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (DBar); Ramirez (DBar)
Damien at Ayala, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Ayala); Ramirez (Ayala)

Saturday's games
Loyola vs. Bishop Amat at Glendale H.S., 7 p.m. -- Robledo (BAmat); Ramirez (BAmat)
Aquinas at Western Christian, Noon, -- Robledo (Aquinas); Ramirez (Aquinas)

We'll post a Bishop Breakdown thread 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 38, Chaminade 21
Saturday's game: Bishop Amat (6-1, 0-0) vs. Loyola (4-3, 0-0) at Glendale College, 7:30 p.m.
CalPreps prediction: Bishop Amat 31, Loyola 28.
Breakdown: First, nobody thought the Lancers would be 6-1 at this point, and nobody with a straight face could have predicted that if Orange Lutheran started 6-1, one of those losses would have been to Bishop Amat, and at home. That remains the key win, because it proves the Lancers can play with the heavyweights, and now it must prove it again if they hope to earn a Pac-5 playoff berth. Loyola's lost three games, but two were to De La Salle and St. John Bosco. It's a critical game, because Crespi and Notre Dame are even tougher. If the Lancers lose the opener, they will have to beat at least Crespi (home) or Notre Dame (road) just to hope for an at-large berth. Isn't that something, the eight week honeymoon can end in an instant. But hey, this is why you got to Bishop Amat, to be in this position. But are they ready to take the next step? We'll find out on Saturday in what I call the playoff before the playoffs.

Hi All,

I just wanted to let you know about my latest post on Prep Stars: Where are you now?
I write about former Damien star Ian Johnson, who after being in the national spotlight following Boise State's upset over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl is now enjoying a limited role for the Broncos. I also share my best memory of one Johnson's biggest moments in high school.

Your thread to blog about anyone and anything you want.

Ten things that will happen in the next three weeks....
1. Bishop Amat will go 1-2 in the Serra but get an at-large playoff berth.
2. Rowland will beat South Hills and win the San Antonio.
3. Bonita and Charter Oak meet in the Miramonte finale for title, Charter Oak wins.
4. South El Monte will win three straight and make the playoffs.
5. San Dimas will beat Northview for the VVL title
6. Los Atlos will beat Wilson and finish 1-9.
7. Diamond Ranch will win out and make the playoffs
8. Walnut will be the best team not to make the playoffs
9. A high profile player will be declared ineligible ... always happens this time of year.
10. Glendora finishes third in the Sierra behind Chino Hills and Ayala.

We make this decision on Tuesday, so if there is someone you want considered, blog it to us. Cross Country, Girls Volleyball, and Tennis.

Above: Rowland's Brandon Stansell rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown in shocker over West covina.

Friday's results
Rowland 16, West Covina 7 -- Don't believe what I just typed. Brandon Stansell rushed for 165 yards in a huge upset over the Bulldogs. Will the Raiders be a real factor in Southeast? It sure appears that way. When you can play defense like this, anything is possible.
Azusa 44, Duarte 6 -- This isn't a Cinderella story anymore. The Aztecs are legit, and I'm talking Mid-Valley Division legit. I won't go so far as to say they're as good as San Dimas or Rosemead, but they can play with just about anyone else.
Northview 48, Covina 7 -- I thought shutting Baldwin Park out was impressive. This is more convincing, and over a heated rival that nearly knocked off San Dimas.
Rosemead 52, South El Monte 14 -- Yes, Eagles QB Jose Garay played. And yes, the Panthers are this good.
Bishop Amat 38, Chaminade 21 -- After six straight wins, now it's time to hold your breath. The Serra League is up next.
Bonita 17, Diamond Ranch 7 -- It could be Bonita-Charter Oak all undefeated at the end of the Miramonte. Looks like the Panthers must win out just to earn a playoff berth.
Glendora 17, Damien 14 -- Raise your hand if you thought it would be this close? Were the Tartans sloppy, or did the Spartans finally show up?
Charter Oak 42, Wilson 15 -- No surprise, we figured the Chargers would score and score often.
Ayala 40, Diamond Bar 0 -- This isn't the time for the Brahmas to start going backwards again.
Walnut 45, Nogales 35 -- Nobles put up a big fight, but the Mustangs pull it out anyway.
Arroyo 9, El Monte 3 -- One week after El Monte upsets South El Monte, Arroyo knocks off the Lions. You never know what to expect in the MVL. Suddenly, the Knights are in playoff position while South El Monte is fading.
Baldwin Park 35, Ganesha 26 -- This sure was a lot closer than anyone expected. What's going on with the Braves' D.
Gabrielino 28, Mountain View 14 -- The Vikings continue to struggle in the MVL.
Workman 22, Gladstone 12 -- Lobos bounce back to improve to 5-2 and 3-1 in the Montview. But it wasn't easy.
Muir 54, Arcadia 0 -- I put this score up so teams like Charter Oak, South Hills, Bonita, Rowland and West Covina can go, "hmmm."

Video highlights, Duarte-Azusa

For quarter-by-quarter updates of tonight's games, click link

SGV Football Standings
Serra League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Miramonte League
Valle Vista League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
Christian League

Thursday's results
San Dimas 34, Pomona 8 -- We said in the two-minute drill that the Saints are too physical and would make a statement after last week's sluggish win over Covina. Looks like they learned their lesson.
Thursday's two-minute prediction
San Dimas (6-0) vs. Pomona (5-1) at Ganesha, 7 p.m.

South Hills 30, Los Altos 7 -- A convincing win over a team that has been difficult to be convincing against, despite losing its seventh straight. Not a bad first test in the post-Goss era.

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he's offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don't hate, enjoy it for what it's worth, which is one man's opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley.

Above: Bishop Amat's Sheldon Price (6) getting ready to make a tackle.

We thought we start breaking up the seniors and the underclassman. It's about time for the separation to occur. So here are the Top-10 Seniors with some up-to-date comments.

1. Sheldon Price, Bishop Amat - The UCLA commit is a player that we still have questions on when it comes to his physicalness. He's a CB at the next level and remains our top rated player on our board.
2. Brandon Sermons, Diamond Ranch - See our notes section at the bottom of this report.
3. Cameron Deen - South Hills - He's numbers are fine, so is his game tape and so is the record of SH with him under center. He'll be the next player that will be offered soon.
4. Brent Seals - Bishop Amat - And when Deen gets his offer - so will this guy. Mark us as president of the Brent Seals Fan Club. Keep ballin' Brent.
5. Chris Allen - Charter Oak - Here is a player that has good senior film that could get him in line for a future in college football. He's just not at the proper playing weight and his 40 times is going to come back to haunt him. Solid prospect.
6. Kyle Lengyel - Diamond Ranch - OF all the players that played in the BA vs. DR game, this was the best player on the field...and it's not even close.
7. Albert Cid - West Covina - His future could wind up on the defensive side of the ball. We are very intrigued with this guy as a 3-technique defensive tackle.
8. Drew Kaluzny - Glendora - What a year for QB's in the area. Has much more improved mechanics than in his junior tape. Another product of the Chris Rix QB program. I guess Rix knows how to develop top-notch QB's
9. Wayne Goss - South Hills - He'll end up at a nice D-1AA school and be worth the money. He is the true Joe "The Plummer" of the SGV on the football field. Now...about that trampoline thing?....
10. Isaiah Bowens - Bishop Amat - I've been on record in saying that I just didn't see it last year with this prospect. A true boom or bust kid...but, he's not the only kid that I have questions about with the current UCLA class.

For much, much more, including the top ten underclassmen, click thread

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

Mt. SAC UP Next: We've reached the halfway point of the cross country season. SGV athletes have completed most of their league cluster meets, and have competed in some of the biggest meets in California. But now we turn the page to the championship portion of the season, beginning with this weekend's Mt Sac Invitational. This will be the first time all of the Valley's top runners and teams will compete in the same meet, and on the one course that matters in CIF - Southern Section.

For more cross country news, including rankings, click thread

Above: Azusa quarterback Adrian Gaeta

Azusa-Duarte Two-Minute Drill Breakdown. Don't Miss It!

The most difficult game to pick on Friday is Azusa (5-1, 3-0) against Duarte (2-4, 2-0) at Citrus College, which will ultimately decide the Montview League title. The Aztecs haven't had a winning season this decade, but they're playing with so much emotion and have the quarterback in Adrian Gaeta to lead them. The Falcons were the consensus pick before the season, but injuries led to early losses and they've faced tough teams in losing to South Hills, Ayala, Monrovia and surging Pomona. But the key is running back Jordan Canada, who in his two-game return since an injury rushed for 263 yards against Sierra Vista, and 309 yards against Gladstone. It's a game where two-game breakers, Gaeta and Canada, will have a huge say in the outcome. But the difference for me is the emotional part. This has been Azusa's dream season since week one, and Friday is the pay-off. BTW, this will be our video-highlights games of the week.

Diamond Ranch cornerback Brandon Sermons gave a verbal commitment to attend UCLA on Tuesday night. Our Brian Dohn talked to Panthers coach Roddy Layton about the signing. "I played under (UCLA defensive coordinator) DeWayne Walker, and he and Brandon are very similar," Layton said of his days with Walker at Mt. SAC. "They're quiet, straight shooters. They're pure work. You want to be there and play for him. He's very quiet, very technical and very hard working, and Brandon's that way."

South Hills linebacker Wayne Goss broke his foot over the weekend in a trampoline accident. Huskies coach Steve Bogan said he is hopeful to have Goss back by the second-round of the playoffs, should they advance that far. What's interesting is Bogan's take on it, which is why I've always admired him as a coach.
"You can't live you life in a bubble," Bogan said. "There's reasonable risk and unreasonable risk and this was probably something he did his whole life and never got hurt. Do we wish he wasn't playing on a trampoline, yeah, but he's a kid and kids want to have fun, you can't lose sight of that. When I was at Edgewood we played Saturday morning football after games on Friday night's. Our coaches hated it, but we loved to play, that's what you did. If you're a pro player it's written in your contract what you can and can't do, but this isn't the NFL. I've been coaching a while and never made any rules when it comes to this sort of thing. You have to let them learn life's lessons."

Fall-out: How will this affect the Huskies San Antonio and CIF playoff
chances?

Girls Volleyball
Top 10


We have a new No. 1 after Walnut took down South Hills last week.

1. Glendora (10-1)
Tartans, behind the steady play of Valerie Brain, Randi Toomay and Kristine Matsuura, have won 12 of 13 games en route to a 4-0 record in the Sierra League.
2. Walnut (14-2)
The Mustangs, getting a stellar effort from Samantha Sheller, were impressive last week, beating previous No. 1 South Hills in five and sweeping No. 5 Bonita.
3. South Hills (7-4)
The Huskies are loaded, but have yet to find their groove. They won the first game against Walnut with ease, but then looked out of sync after Melinda Gomez went down with an injury.
4. Diamond Bar (11-3)
Cassandra Momah and Jessica Dimitruk stepped up big as the Brahmas went 2-0 with a sweep of Chino and a five-game win over St. Lucy's.
5. Bonita (10-5)
The Bearcats, led by Courtney Donaldson, are the queens of the Miramonte League, but they will need to defuse the Chargers tonight.
6. Charter Oak (13-0)
The Chargers have yet to be challenged. But that changes tonight when they host Bonita.
7. San Dimas (12-3)
The Saints laid claim to Valle Vista League supremacy with a five-game win over Ganesha last week.
8. St. Lucy's (9-6)
The Regents, after a slight slump, appear to have found their second wind, taking down Ayala and pushing Diamond Bar to five games last week.
9. La Puente (14-0)
The Warriors have hardly been challenged in the Montview League. They are 7-0 and have been stretched past three games just once, beating Gladstone in four two weeks ago. The rematch is next week.
10. Ganesha (11-6)
The Giants lost their Valle Vista League showdown against San Dimas, but showed they are the best of the rest with a four-game win over Covina.

Comments: Again, these rankings and records are based on matches played through Oct. 18. Walnut shook up the ratings a bit, beating previous No. 1 South Hills in five games. The Mustangs then took down previous No. 4 Bonita in three. Those were two impressive victories, but Glendora moves up to No. 1 by virtue of the Tartans, sweeping a pair last week and their four-game win over Walnut earlier this season. Then why isn't Bonita ranked above Glendora, you ask? Didn't the Bearcats beat Glendora earlier this year as well? True, but for rankings I also take in account a team's season body of work, and Glendora's resume is more impressive than Bonita's record, especially after the Bearcats were just swept last week, albeit to a very good Walnut squad. Glendora's body of work is equal to Walnut's, with the difference being the Tartans victory over the Mustangs.

Game of the week ...

1. Bishop Amat (5-1) -- Orange Lutheran, West Covina and St. Francis would all be undefeated if not for losses to the Lancers. Amat gets Chaminade (1-5) at home Friday before the real work begins in the Serra.

2. Charter Oak (6-0-1) -- The only difference between the Chargers and Amat is probably depth. From a starters standpoint, the Chargers match-up. Too bad we won't get to see them play. I'm not sure the Chargers will lose another game the rest of the season.

3. San Dimas (6-0) -- A week after we move them past South Hills, they look flat in the first half against Covina before pulling away for a 35-24 victory. Let's see if they learned their lesson heading to what has become "mighty" Pomona on Thursday.

4. South Hills (5-1) -- Hard to learn much after an easy blow-out win over Nogales, and next comes the showdown against winless Los Altos on Thursday. Can you imagine if the Conq's get their first win against Bogan. That alone makes it interesting.

5. West Covina (6-1) -- After beating surging Walnut, the Bulldogs could get a big jump on the San Antonio with a win over Rowland on Friday. About the only concern for Maggiore and crew is their inconsistent defense.

6. Glendora (4-2) -- -- The defending Sierra League champs took care of business against Diamond Bar, and knows that Damien won't just roll over this week. Seriously, if Damien doesn't turn the ball over ten times, this is a game.

7. Rosemead (4-2) -- If reports that South El Monte QB Jose Garay has a hurt shoulder and won't play Friday, this will play a huge role in what we thought would be a thriller. In any case, the Panthers were going to win and should have an easy time the rest of the way in the MVL.

8. Bonita (4-2) -- After losing the Smudge Pot it was mighty impressive to watch the Bearcats show up a week later and pound Los Altos, 39-10. They play Charter Oak at the end of the season so a win over Diamond Ranch on Friday would pave the way for a big week 10.

9. Rowland (5-1) -- After a 41-13 win over Wilson, the Raiders will find out just how good they are at West Covina on Friday. My guess is it will be close, but the Bulldogs will have just enough to pull it out.

10. Northview (4-2) -- The Vikings' 31-0 win over Baldwin Park was their most complete, especially from an offensive standpoint against a very good defense. Can they keep it going against rival Covina?

Rounding out out the top 33: 11. Walnut (4-2), 12. Diamond Bar (3-3), 13. Pomona (5-1), 14. South El Monte (3-3), 15. Diamond Ranch (1-5), 16. Azusa (5-1), 17. Damien (1-5), 18. Western Christian (5-1), 19. El Monte (3-3), 20. Baldwin Park (3-3), 21. Workman (4-2), 22. Duarte (2-4), 23. Covina (1-5), 24. Los Altos (0-6), 25. Wilson (1-5), 26. Ganesha (2-4), 27. Arroyo (1-5), 28. Sierra Vista (1-6), 29. Mountain View (2-4), 30. Nogales (1-5), 31. Bassett (1-5), 32. La Puente (1-5), 33. Gladstone (0-6).

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

This past Saturday was a slow one for cross country, as most teams looked forward to next weekend's massive Mt. Sac Invitational. The busiest meet for SGV teams was Saturday's Bell Gardens Invite at Legg Lake, while South Hills traveled to San Luis Obispo. The Sierra, Valle Vista, and Miramonte Leagues are held mid-week cluster meets, but only the Sierra League submitted results.

Tribuns area's top performers week six
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 while trying to account those differences. Your mileage may vary.

Girls
Lauren Justus - Soph/Glendora 19:30 Bonelli Park 5k, rolling, warm
Brittnie Munoz - Junior/Rosemead 18:25 Legg Lake 3 miles flat, mild
Liz Zuniga - Senior/South Hills 19:55 SLO 5k, hilly, mild
Kristen Galvez - Junior/Rowland 18:35 Legg Lake
Marissa Horton - Soph/St. Lucy's 19:50 Bonelli 5k
Krisy Hebb - Frosh/St. Lucy's 19:52 Bonelli 5k
Johannah Murray - Senior/Glendora 19:52 Bonelli 5k
Alex Thompson - Senior/St. Lucy's 19:57 Bonelli 5k
Brittany Armas - Junior/Diamond Ranch 19:13 Legg Lake
Michelle Jimenez - Senior/Baldwin Park 19:19 Legg Lake

Boys
Corey Bullock - Senior/Glendora 16:08 Bonelli Park 5k, rolling, warm
Victor Serrano - Senior/Rosemead 15:19 Legg Lake 3 miles flat, mild
Jonathan Taylor - Senior/Rowland 15:21 Legg Lake
Paul Nay - Senior/Baldwin Park 15:23 Legg Lake
Christopher Ramsey - Senior/Glendora 16:29 Bonelli 5k
Austin Goodheart - Junior/Glendora 16:33 Bonelli 5k
Sergio Rodriguez - Senior/Los Altos 15:41 Legg Lake
Jesus Corral - Senior/Baldwin Park 15:45 Legg Lake
Anthony Castro - Soph/Glendora 16:51 Bonelli 5k
Neill Netzeband - Junior/Glendora 16:57 Bonelli 5k

For more on last week's events and what's next, click thread.

How popular is tailgating at high school football games, and who has the best food? I've seen more of it this year than ever before. Bishop Amat throws the biggest party, but Glendora throws a mean party too. Charter Oak had a small thing going on Friday, which is similar to what I've seen at other schools. Is this a growing trend? If they're tailgating at your school, tell us about it. And if you want to invite your favorite sportswriters, go ahead.

....Hey, I'm not biased. I might be a Bruins fan, but 'SC fans are welcome here too

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 - 13-4; Season - 105-28
Ramirez: Last week - 13-4; Season - 99-34

Notes: Steve and I had three losses nobody saw coming; Gabrielino over Arroyo, El Monte over South El Monte, and Sierra Vista over Workman. Congrats to the Knights and Dons for earning their first wins of the season. Western Christian also lost to Riverside Christian, knocking them from the ranks of the unbeatens. I've seen Charter Oak and Bishop Amat, and truly don't know who is better. The Chargers make a compelling argument why they should be No. 1. You can argue the Chargers defeated Damien and Diamond Ranch more convincingly than the Lancers and that they're undefeated. But Bishop Amat owns the bigger wins, beating Orange Lutheran, St. Francis and West Covina -- all three teams that would be undefeated if not for losses to the boys in blue.

Game of the week? I'll dangle three choices at you. Obviously the South El Monte-Rosemead game is huge because if the Eagles lose again, they're 0-2 in the MVL and will likely have to win out just to earn a playoff berth. On the other hand, a win and the MVL is up for grabs again, with El Monte a real player. Duarte and Azusa is big because this will likely decide the Montview league title. And how you can overlook Rowland at West Covina, two Tribune top-ten teams playing for early control of the San Antonio. On Thursday, San Dimas and Pomona battle at Ganesha for what could decide the VVL title. Remember how the Saints stumbled against Baldwin Park last year, eventually paving the way for a three-way tie. The Red Devils could be that spoiler again.

This photo sums it up: The Star-News' Mouthy Miguel will be pictured in an Amat hat after betting St. Francis would beat Bishop Amat. We'll catch up with him later in the week.

Thursday's games
Los Altos vs. South Hills at CDF, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SHills); Ramirez (SHills)
Pomona vs. San Dimas at Ganesha, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SDimas); Ramirez (SDimas)

Friday's games
Covina vs. Northview at CDF, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Northview); Ramirez (Northview)
Azusa vs. Duarte at Citrus, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
South El Monte at Rosemead, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rosemead); Ramirez (Rosemead)
Rowland at West Covina, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (West Covina); Ramirez (West Covina)
Chaminade at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (BAmat); Ramirez (BAmat)
Bonita vs. Diamond Ranch at Ganesha, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (DRanch); Ramirez (Bonita)
Glendora at Damien, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Glendora); Ramirez (Glendora)
Wilson at Charter Oak, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (COak), Ramirez (COak)
Ayala at Diamond Bar, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (DBar); Ramirez (Ayala)
Walnut at Nogales, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Walnut); Ramirez (Walnut)
Arroyo at El Monte, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (El Monte); Ramirez (El Monte)
Ganesha at Baldwin Park, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (BPark); Ramirez (BPark)
Gabrielino at Mountain View, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Gabrielino); Ramirez (MView)
Gladstone vs. Workman at La Puente, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Workman); Ramirez (Workman)
Sierra Vista at Bassett, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SVista); Ramirez (Bassett)

Saturday's game
St. Margaret's at Western Christian, Noon -- Robledo (St. Marg); Ramirez (St. Marg)

Charter Oak's Adam Muema rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers 23-7 win over Diamond Ranch.

Robledo wins the bet, 28-13: Here's the deal, Pas Prep editor Mouthy Miguel was so convinced St. Francis was going to win, he talked me into a bet. Since we're both UCLA fans, he said the loser has to wear an SC hat, but under no circumstances would I ever do that. So now Mouthy Miguel has to wear an Amat hat and when he does, his picture goes on the blog. Sucker.

Bishop Amat-St. Francis video highlights: Make sure you watch this untill the end, good interviews with coach Hagerty, RB Jay Andersen and St. Francis coach Jim Bonds.

Friday's Results:
Charter Oak 23, Diamond Ranch 7 -- What's scary is the Chargers have all this firepower on offense, but they get it done defensively too. Like Roddy Layton said, when great players get great coaching, this is what you get.
Rowland 41, Wilson 13 -- Tim Gilmore gets 245 yards, but the Raiders are still much. Way too much.
Bishop Amat 28, St. Francis 13 -- This is a great win, going on the road against an undefeated team and getting it done. The Lancers continue to grow before our eyes.
Bonita 39, Los Altos 10 -- Afrter that warm-and-fuzzy feeling that the Conqs would play them close, the Bearcats have none of it.
Northview 31, Baldwin Park 0 -- This is the Vikings team we've been waiting to see. Wonder if this result is making San Dimas nervous?
West Covina 29, Walnut 22 -- The Mustangs have come a long way, just not all the way back. Leonard Rhodes had 193 yards, but the Dawgs still pulled it out behind Ricky Johnson's 129 yards.
South Hills 35, Nogales 6 -- Guess the best thing to say it that it could have been much worse.
Chino Hills 45, Damien 14 -- It's hurts typing it. Did the Spartans really get thumped this bad? I heard they had something like five or six turnovers in the first half. Same old story.
Rosemead 59, Mountain View 6 -- Do you think anyone is looking forward to playing the Panthers? I don't.
Arroyo 16, Gabrielino 13 -- Finally, something to feel good about in Knightsville.
El Monte 21, South El Monte 14 -- I guess you can call this the big shocker of the season. How did the Lions hold them to 14 points? That's what the emotion of rivalry will do.
Azusa 51, Gladstone 14 -- Now that this is over, Duarte is up next. Should be a lot of fun.
La Puente 20, Bassett 14 -- The defending Montview champs finally get a win.
Sierra Vista 27, Workman 14 -- Wow, just when you thought this was Workman's year, winless Sierra Vista steps up to the plate.

For quarter-by-quarter updates, click thread

SGV Football Standings
Serra League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Miramonte League
Valle Vista League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
Christian League

Our Tribune prep blog had more than 150,000 views in September. Thanks for all the support.

Above: Glendora quarterback Drew Kaluzny

Thursday's Recaps:
San Dimas 35, Covina 34: Nico Barbone rushed for 168 yards and Daniel Joseph had 88 and two TDs for the Saints, who withstood a scare from Covina.
Covina, getting nearly 400 yards total offense from quarterback Jacob Olivas controlled the game early, taking a 7-0 lead on its opening possession before a Mike Kalmar TD pass and a 20-yard run by Joseph gave the Saints a 14-7 lead in the third quarter.
Olivas then made it 14-14 at halftime following a 43-yard pass to Daniel Marmolejo.
San Dimas took second-half leads of 28-14 and 35-27 before Cawatas Brown intercepted Olivas with 13 seconds left to seal it.
San Dimas coach Bill Zernickow's comments: "Covina came out and played really, really well. They scare me for a lot of different reasons. My fears came true. But our kids played better defense in the second half and we got going offensively. We were able to do it and finish the game.
"I think this is a great lesson. You can take the loss and you can learn a lot from a losses sometimes. But hopefully we don't take this lightly and that we can learn from this and play well the rest of the year."
Covina coach Darryl Thomas' comments: "Our kids did a good job. San Dimas is a good team. We had them on the ropes for a while, but we didn't finish."
Glendora 47, Diamond Bar 34: Glendora High School began the defense of its Sierra League title with a win over Diamond Bar on Thursday night at Citrus College.
Tartans running back Andre Holmes carried the ball 22 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns, but it was his interception with 3:27 left in the game that finally put a stop to the Brahmas' hopes for an upset.
On the preceding series, the Tartans (4-2) were able to controlled the ball for 5 minutes, 8 seconds on a 10-play, 80-yard drive, which was capped by an 8-yard TD run by junior Duwani Bankhead with 5:27 left that gave them a 41-34 lead.
Tartans quarterback Drew Kaluzny hit fullback Chad Young on a short counter pass later in the quarter. Young broke a tackle at the Brahmas 20-yard line and scampered into the end zone to account for the final 47-34 score with 2:26 to go in the game.
Glendora coach Mark Pasquarella's comments: "We had to rely on our offensive line a little bit toward the end. We needed to give our defense a little bit of a breather."
Diamond Bar coach John Martin's comments: "Our kids played a good three-and-a-half quarters. I thought we moved the ball pretty well but our defense has to play better."

I've confirmed with Whittier preps legend Roger Murray that St. Paul wide receiver/defensive back Dont'e Webb has left the school and enrolled at West Covina for financial reasons. Webb was at Los Altos before gong to St. Paul. I'm still waiting to find out if the 5-foot-11 junior will become eligible this season for the Bulldogs. He's also a standout basketball player who made the Daily News honorable mention as a sophomore.

In this week's Just Tribbin, I'm Tribbin out on the pollsters who put together the Mid-Valley Division rankings. These aren't mythical rankings like ours, CIF rankings are actually used to seed teams and put playoff brackets together. Monrovia at No. 3? Are you kidding me. Azusa at 4? No way. No South El Monte or Rosemead in the top five? Ridiculous.

CIF's Mid-Valley Rankings: 1. San Dimas (5-0), 2. Cerritos Valley Christian (5-1), 3. Monrovia (3-2), 4. Azusa (5-1), 5. San Marino (5-0), 6. South El Monte (3-2), 7. Northview (3-2), 8. Rosemead (3-2), 9. Paraclete (3-3), 10. Pomona (4-1).

Robledo's Mid-Valley rankings: 1. San Dimas (5-0), 2. Cerritos Valley Christian (3-1), 3. Rosemead (3-2), 4. San Marino (5-0), 5. South El Monte (3-2), 6. Paraclete (3-3), 7. Northview (3-2), 8. Monrovia (3-2), 9. Azusa (5-1), 10. Pomona (4-1).

Yes, they're 4-1. Yes, they're the No. 1 team in the Southeast Division. But why doesn't this feel like a South Hills year? Well, since he was close to the situation in recent years, I thought I'd let the Scouting Guru tackle this subject.

Breaking Down South Hills, from the Guru...

People ask us how we formulate our opinions on players and sometimes teams. Well, since we have the game footage, we like to break it down as much as possible. Especially when it comes to the quarterback position. So, we are going to try this out for the week and if you like it, we'll breakdown a team each week and go inside the numbers. For our initial dive into the waters, let's breakdown South Hills, since we have all the game footage (and yes everyone, we have every game on the Boys from Barranca) to do this. So here we go. Well start on the offensive side of the ball.

To continue reading, click thread

Walnut rises above South Hills on Tuesday.

Tribune Top 10
Girls Volleyball

1. South Hills (7-3)
The Huskies, after looking a little inconsistent early on, have showed some rhythm recently, looking solid in wins over St. Lucy's, Nogales and Los Altos.
2. Glendora (8-1)
The Tartans have been using their Brain smarts most of the year, particularly, Valerie Brain. They are the early pick in the Sierra League after beating Diamond Bar in four last week and sweeping rival St. Lucy's, which traditionally is always a tough match.
3. Walnut (12-2)
The Mustangs, led by Jennifer Silva and Samantha Shellar, has been on a roll and kept it up last week with sweeps over Nogales and West Covina. They shook up next week's rankings with a five-game win at South Hills on Tuesday.
4. Bonita 9-4
The Bearcats started slow, but have found consistency lately, including opening Miramonte League play last week with wins over Los Altos and Diamond Ranch. The big match comes next week when they face undefeated Charter Oak.
5. Diamond Bar (9-3)
The Brahmas path to the top of Sierra League hit a bump in the road after losing three consecutive games to lose in four to Glendora. But they rebounded with a nice four-game win over Ayala.
6. Charter Oak (11-0)
The Chargers conintue to win, getting victory over Diamond Ranch and Wilson last week. Their first test comes next week against league favorite Bonita.
7. San Dimas (10-3)
The Saints took care of business last week, opening Valle Vista League play with wins over Pomona and Covina. The also scored a big win Tuesday, beating Ganesha in a battle of the league's top two teams.
8. St. Lucy's (8-5)
The Regents have struggled recently, losing consecutive matches to Rosary, Upland and South Hills before rebounding with a nice win over Chino Hills to begin Sierra League play. This is still a team to watch out for.
9. La Puente (12-0)
The Warriors have taken control of the Montview League, beating traditional power Gladstone last week in a match featuring the top two teams in the league.
10. Ganesha (10-5)
The Giants have looked mighty recently, winning their first two league games.
Others: Northview (5-4), Rosemead (6-3), Bishop Amat (4-5).

Comments: Rankings are based on matches played through Oct. 4. Walnut's five-game victory over South Hills on Tuesday should shuffle up the list next week. But based on last week's results, there were very few changes, except for Ganesha, with two wins last week, moving in, and Bishop Amat, which opened league with back-to-back losses, dropping into the others category.

Here's my story on Walnut's big win over South Hills on Tuesday.

I don't want to throw out names for our football player of the year, but you can. We've reached the midway point of the season and several players have emerged, and some that we thought would be contenders have dropped off. But this award isn't won until leage and CIF playoffs are finished, so who do you think will be standing in the end?

Remember what I wrote in the summer? "Workman, get ready for 'El Mago,' the Spanish kids magic man. Look at these handles from Cezar Guerrero, this kid is unbelievable and he's going to be a Lobo."

News Flash: CIF denied his transfer, citing "undue influence," which I'm sure has something to do with Lobos head coach Martin Flores, also his club coach. Apparently Guerrero's still at Workman with nowhere to play this season. I don't know all the details, but you would think a school like Workman would get a break. You see transfers getting accepted left and right at schools that "cheat" regularly, yet Workman gets the "deny stamp." What a shame, he could have been the most exciting player in the Valley.

Who's Guerrero: A freshman phenom who left power St. John Bosco to play basketball at Workman, where the 5-foot-11 kid is regarded by Division I scouts as one of the best prospects for 2011. As one scout noted, "He needs to work on his decision-making (tends to force it), but he's one of the more impressive freshman guards I've witnessed in the last 15 years."
As only a freshman, the point guard averaged nearly 17 points while orchestrating the offense for a veteran laden team. Guerrero has had some of his best games while playing for Bosco in the toughTrinity League, which features some of the best teams in the state like Mater Dei, Santa Margarita and Serra. Guerrero had 22 points against Serra and 19 against eventual state champs, Mater Dei. Guerrero was supposed to pair in the backcourt with sophomore Bobby Miles, who averaged more than 20 points a game and earned first team all-league honors and all of a sudden you've got the makings one one of the top teams in the San Gabriel Valley.

ALSO: La Verne Lutheran's first step-up in class will come at Pasadena High School's Rose City Roundball Classic set for December 1-6. Too bad they can't get in any local tournaments around here, but the PHS tourney will be a huge test. The field: Pasadena, Muir, Sylmar, Cleveland, Van Nuys, Fremont, Dorsey, Compton, L.A. Marshall, L.A. Jordan, Maranatha, Eisenhower, Etiwanda, Arroyo Valley, La Verne Luthern, and Canyon Springs

We'll post a Bishop Breakdown thread 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 17, Diamond Ranch 6
Friday's game: Bishop Amat (4-1) at St. Francis (5-0), 7:30 p.m.

Notes: You didn't think the Lancers were going blow out all the Valley teams did you? Give them credit, it was a great three-game stretch over West Covina, Damien and Diamond Ranch, and of course it all started with a huge win at Orange Lutheran. But this is where it heats up. They're going back on the road for the first time in a month, against an undefeated team that has given them fits in recent years. If you really think the Lancers are going to compete in the Serra, then it starts with winning games like this. On the Pasadena side of town, Star-News prep editor Miguel Melendez is hyping it up to no end. You see, the Pasadena area has been down since I left for the Tribune. The Rio Hondo league is looking more like the Montview every day, and the Pacific League is kind of boring. All they really have to get excited about is St. Francis and Muir. So, here it goes, the Tribune No. 1 against the Star-News No. 1. This will decide who IS the top team in the Valley.

Above: Bishop Amat's Deshawn Gaisie

1. Bishop Amat (4-1)
Best start since 2003, but that included a forfeit victory. It's actually their best start since 2001. But now it gets really tough.
2. Charter Oak (5-0-1)
They're not far behind Bishop Amat, and we'll have a fair comparison after the Chargers open the Miramonte against Diamond Ranch on Friday.
3. San Dimas (5-0)
They're playing so well they deserved the jump up a spot. I'm not sure how they can lose another game. Northview, maybe, but not likely. Can you say, 10-0?
4. South Hills (4-1)
They're winning, but there hasn't been an eye-catching performance yet. Maybe that comes against West Covina, Rowland or Walnut, but we're still on a wait-and-see.
5. West Covina (5-1)
The greatest part about the San Antonio is that West Co. meets South Hills at the end of the season. In between, lets see if they can take care of business.
6. Glendora (3-2)
Another good win over a solid team, beating a two-time defending champion in El Dorado.
7. Rosemead (3-2)
Koffler's guys proved their worth against South Hills, but lets see how they do in games they're supposed to win in the Mission Valley. Still, you'd be a fool not pick them as the favorites, and perhaps the favorites to meet San Dimas in the MId-Valley finals.
8. Bonita (3-2)
It could be tough recovering from another Smudge Pot loss. Friday's game against Los Altos should be interesting.
9. Rowland (4-1)
What a great way to rebound after going 3-7 last year. But the tough part is next, the San Antonio. First, however, they have another nonleague date at Wilson.
10. Walnut (4-1)
They love their wide-open offense in Mustang land, where running back Leonard Rhodes is proving he's legit.

Rounding out the top 33: 11. Diamond Bar (3-2), 12. South El Monte (3-2), 13. Diamond Ranch (1-4), 14. Northview (3-2), 15. Damien (1-4), 16. Western Christian (5-0), 17. Azusa (4-1), 18. Pomona (4-1), 19. Baldwin Park (3-2), 20. Workman (4-1), 21. El Monte (2-3), 22. Wilson (1-4), 23. Covina (1-4), 24. Los Altos (0-5), 25. Duarte (2-4), 26. Ganesha (2-3), 27. Nogales (1-4), 28. Bassett (2-3), 29. Mountain View (2-3), 30. Arroyo (0-5), 31. La Puente (0-6), 32. Sierra Vista (0-6), 33. Gladstone (0-5).

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 in Southern California is centered on two courses - the very hilly 2.91 mile course at Mt.SAC, and the rolling 5 kilometer course at Woodward Park in Fresno. Mt. Sac is the site of huge and famous Mt Sac Invitational, and several SGV league finals meets. Most importantly, it is the site of the CIF Southern Section Divisional Prelims and Finals, while Woodward is the site of the California State Championship meet.

This past weekend, twelve Valley schools competed at the San Gabriel Valley Challenge at Mt. Sac, while Arroyo and the Glendora boys traveled north to run in the Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park. The Glendora girls ran in Dos Pueblos Invite at Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara.

For all the results and rankings, click thread

Here's a look at Valencia High School's new FieldTurf surface, which would have come in handy during last season's CIF-SS semifinal playoff game between South Hills and El Dorado.

I covered the Glendora-El Dorado game last week, and noticed that El Dorado's home field - Valencia High School - has a new FieldTurf surface.
I couldn't resist posting this photo here.
I guess the FieldTurf surface comes one season too late for South Hills, which missed a chance to upset El Dorado in the CIF-SS playoffs last season when Huskies' placekicker Michael Scott slipped in the mud on the then grass field during a 25-yard field goal try that would have won it for South Hills. El Dorado won in overtime, 23-17.
I guess better late than never doesn't exactly apply here.

We've reached the midway point, so report cards are due ...If you don't like your grade, too bad, you can always pull them up by the end of the semester. Not only are these your mid-term grades, but I've ranked each team in the order I expect them to finish in league.

MID-TERM GRADES FOR EVERY SGV FOOTBALL TEAM.
San Antonio League
1. West Covina, 5-1 (B+) - If they had been more competitive against Bishop Amat, this would be an A. Still, they're having a great season, and that win over Glendora looks better each week.
2. South Hills, 4-1 (B-) Winning, but not winning impressive enough. For an offense with so many weapons, they struggle in stretches, and need to clean it up.
3. Rowland , 4-1 (A) - When you surpass all expectations up to this point, you deserve an excellent grade. But the final test comes in the San Antonio.
4. Walnut, 4-1 (A) - Ditto for the Mustangs. Leonard Rhodes is the real deal, but how will they do stepping up in class against West Covina.
5. Nogales, 1-4 (D) - Not improved enough. It's not like they're going up against the most powerful of schedules. It will probably get worse in league.

Miramonte League
1. Charter Oak, 5-0-1 (A) - To be undefeated after two trips to the Inland Empire is good enough to me.
2. Diamond Ranch, 1-4 (C) - They've lost to teams with a combined record of 18-2, and played Bishop Amat tougher than West Covina and Damien.
3. Bonita, 3-2 (C+) - They got exposed defensively against San Dimas. Might be tough rebounding from two Smudge Pot losses.
4. Los Altos, 0-5 (D+) - The only reason this isn't an F is because they've played well enough to be 2-3 or 3-2, and played San Dimas tougher than anyone.
5. Wilson, 1-4 (D) - Not even Tim Gilmore can save them now.

Sierra League
1. Glendora, 3-2 (B-) - Other than the stumble against West Covina, they've done nothing to suggest they won't win the Sierra League again.
2. Chino Hills, 5-0 (A) - They've beaten Diamond Ranch and one team with a winning record. Impressed, but not overwhelmed.
3. Ayala, 4-1 (B) - Should be in the mix again. Only loss to South Hills; solid wins over Los Altos, South El Monte.
4. Damien, 1-4 (D) -- Sort of like the kid with all the potential, but freezes up come test time.
5. Chino, 2-3 (C-) - They either win big or lose big. But lets be honest, two of their losses came against powers Etiwanda and San Diego Cathedral.
6. Diamond Bar, 3-2 (C+) -- The blowout loss to Charter Oak drops them an entire grade. Other than that, they've looked solid.

Mission Valley League
1. Rosemead, 3-2 (B+) - They're 3-1 with Tra Sumler as a starter, and their loss was a close 14-10 setback against South Hills. Yes, they're better than first belied.
2. South El Monte, 3-2 (C+) - They gave up 43 points a game in their first four games combined, but they aced their midterm in crushing Alhambra.
3. El Monte, 2-3 (C) -- Haven't beaten anyone of significance, so their game on Friday against rival South El Monte will be telling.
4. Gabrielino, 2-3 (C) - Considering how bad they've been the last few years, this is considered an improvement.
5. Arroyo, 0-5 (D-) -- Nobody expected this, and it got worse in 28-0 loss to La Canada.
6. Mountain View, 2-3 (C) - The Vikings have to be pleased with two wins this far into the season.

Valle Vista League
1. San Dimas, 4-0 (A) -- The valedictorian to this point. Everyone knows they're going to pound it down your throat, and nobody can stop them.
2. Northview, 3-2 (C+) -- Because expectations were greater, they received a lower grade. But they can still turn it around in league.
3. Pomona, 4-1 (B+) - These are the guys nobody wants to face. They're athletic, confident and winning for a change.
4. Covina, 1-4 (D+) - They should be improving after going through this last year. But they're not.
5. Baldwin Park, 3-2 (C) -- Defense is there, but not enough offense, expecially with a fourth-string quarterback in last Friday.
6. Ganesha, 2-3 (B) -- When you win your first games since 2003, you deserve to be rewarded.

Montview League
1. Azusa, 5-1 (A) -- This is a no-brainer. They haven't had a winning season this decade, so to be 4-1 and 2-0 in the Montview is a gigantic improvement.
2. Duarte, 2-4 (C-) - You have to look at who they've played, and the fact Jordan Canada was missing during the big losses. They're 2-0 in league and ready to go.
3. Workman, 4-1 (B) -- Good start, but not an A because they teams they beat have a combined record of 3-18. And their only loss was to a 2-3 Montclair squad.
4. La Puente, 0-6 (F) - Just a terrible year after winning the Montview last season.
5. Bassett, 1-4 (D) - Same story, different year.
6. Gladstone, 0-5, (F) -- It wasn't long ago that the Gladiators were annual contenders.
7. Sierra Vista, 0-6 (F) - In a league struggling, this is rock bottom.

Serra League
1. Notre Dame, 5-0, (A) -- When you ace every test, this is where you end up.
2. Crespi, 4-1, (B) - When you're 4-1 against the opponents they've faced, that's saying something.
3. Bishop Amat, 4-1, (A) - Without a doubt they deserve an A at this point. But the real tests come in the following weeks when they step up in class.
4. Loyola, 2-2 (B-) -- Losing to St. John Bosco and De La Salle is nothing to sneeze at.

Christian League
1. Aquinas, 5-1, (B+) -- They're legit, plain and simple.
2. Western Christian, 5-0 (A+) -- I know I said San Dimas is the valedictorian to this point, but the Lancers deserve consideration for being perfect too.
3. Arrowhead Christian, 4-1 (B) - Winning, but hasn't beaten anyone with a winning record.
5. Ontario Christian, 3-2 (C+) -- This league is so close, don't be surprised if anyone wins it.

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 - 17-1; Season - 92-24
Ramirez: Last week - 15-3; Season - 86-30

Notes: Arroyo ruined my first chance to have a perfect week, losing 28-0 to La Canada. I picked up two wins on Steve because he liked Baldwin Park over Rowland and Sonora over Walnut, so my lead stretched to six at the season's midway point. There are only three undefeated teams left, Charter Oak, San Dimas and yes, Western Christian. I'm seriously considering moving San Dimas past South Hills in the rankings, but need another day to think about it. The Saints are good folks, they're legit. Walnut and Rowland continue, and Diamond Ranch is the best 1-4 team since, well, Bishop Amat last year.

This Week: Bishop Amat at undefeated St. Francis should be interesting. These are the types of games that will let us know if the Lancers are ready for the Serra. How about are game of the week, Diamond Ranch at Charter Oak? This is why Diamond Ranch played a ridiculous schedule, to get ready for games like this. This could ultimately decide the Miramonte league title. West Covina (4-1) at Walnut (4-1)? Who would of thought these would be two one-loss teams? Or even better, undefeated Western Christian (5-0) takes on undefeated Riverside Christian (5-0) on Saturday. If you haven't seen San Dimas, they will be at the District on Friday against Covina, or there's the other heavyweight, Glendora vs. Diamond Bar at Citrus.

Thursday's games
San Dimas vs. Covina at CDF, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SDimas); Ramirez (SDimas)
Glendora vs. Diamond Bar at Citrus, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Glendora); Ramirez (Glendora)

Friday's games
Diamond Ranch at Charter Oak, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (COak); Ramirez (COak)
Rowland at Wilson, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rowland); Ramirez (Rowland)
Bishop Amat at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (BAmat); Ramirez (BAmat)
Los Altos at Bonita, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Bonita)
Northview at Baldwin Park, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Northview); Ramirez (Northview)
West Covina at Walnut, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (WC); Ramirez (WC)
South Hills vs. Nogales at CDF, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SHills); Ramirez (SHills)
Damien at Chino Hills, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (CHills); Ramirez (CHills)
Rosemead at Mountain View, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rsmd); Ramirez (Rsmd)
Arroyo at Gabrielino, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Gabrielino); Ramirez (Gabrielino)
South El Monte at El Monte -- Robledo (SEL); Ramirez (South El Monte)
Azusa vs. Gladstone at Citrus, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
Bassett at La Puente, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (La Puente); Ramirez (La Puente)
Workman at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Workman); Ramirez (Workman)

Saturday's game
Riverside Christian vs. Western Christian, 11 a.m. -- Robledo (WChristian); Ramirez (WChristian)

Friday's results
San Dimas 50, Bonita 33 -- Don't tell me the Saints can't play with the big boys, not after watching Nico Barbone rush for 201 yards and five touchdowns, and Daniel Joseph rush for 219 yards and two touchdowns. They rushed for 454 yards in all. Damn, that's impressive.
Bishop Amat 17, Diamond Ranch 6-- It would be easy to talk about the Lancers again, but what does this say about Diamond Ranch? I know they're 1-4, but they hung when West Covina and Damien couldn't. Next week, Charter Oak.
South Hills 14, Rosemead 10 -- Huskies trailed 10-7 at half. My cousin Mike was at the game and said he thought the Panthers outplayed them. Then again, he grew up Rosemead. Sumler, though, is the real deal, finishing with 138 yards on 27 carries. Deen got sacked four times.
Charter Oak 35, Etiwanda 32 -- Add this to the list of big-time wins for the Chargers. When you play Rancho Cucamonga and Etiwanda on the road and come home without losses, that's saying something.
La Serna 21, Los Altos 6 -- The rest of the schedule doesn't look good for the Conq's, who could be 0-9 by the time they meet rival Wilson at the end of the year.
Walnut 47, Sonora 13 -- Is this impressive or what? Leonard Rhodes ran for four or five touchdowns as the Mustangs improved to 4-1.
West Covina 35, Diamond Bar 25 -- This was close for most of the game. We knew the Brahmas were improved, just not improved enough.
South El Monte 35, Alhambra 7 -- I wonder what the coaches said during the week to inspire this Eagles defense. Finally, a great job on both sides of the ball.
Azusa 36, Sierra Vista 3-- Obviously the Aztecs are serious about winning the Montview League title. Mark Oct. 24th down, that's when they face Duarte.
Northview 40, Nogales 7 -- Not a surprise, the Vikings' only losses have come against two good teams.
Duarte 34, Gladstone 16 -- A much closer game than I expected. But then again, these two don't like each other very much, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise it was competitive.
Workman 20, La Puente 14-- I keep talking about Azusa and Duarte, but what about the Lobos. They quietly continue to win, improving to 2-0 in Montview.
Rowland 21, Baldwin Park 0 -- The Braves were down to their fourth-string quarterback, so an easy and expected win for the Raiders.
La Canada 28, Arroyo 0 -- Something's wrong in Arroyoland when you start getting shutout by La Canada.

Saturday's game and prediction
Brethren Christian vs. Western Christian at Citrus -- Robledoo (WC); Ramirez (WC)

Bishop Amat's Darien Johnson going for an interception.

For quarter-by-quarter updates of tonight's games, click link

Thursday's results
Glendora 24, El Dorado 14 - Tartans run attack comes up big
California 34, El Monte 14 - I can say I'm surprised
Chaffey 42, Wilson 7 - Gilmore, 'Cats stuffed again
SGV Football Standings
Serra League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Miramonte League
Valle Vista League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
Christian League

Time Warner's Reginald Miller, prep editor Fred J. Robledo and sports writer Steve Ramirez 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.

Friday's games
Smudge Pot, San Dimas (4-0) at Bonita (3-1), 7 p.m.
Diamond Ranch (1-3) at Bishop Amat (3-1), 7:30 p.m.
South Hills (3-1) at Rosemead (3-1), 7 p.m.

For quarter-by-quarter updates of tonight's games, click link
Tonight's games and predictions
California at El Monte, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Cal); Ramirez (Cal)
Wilson at Chaffey, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Chaffey); Ramirez (Chaffey)
Glendora vs. El Dorado at Placentia Valencia; Robledo (Glendora); Ramirez (Glendora)

Isn't this South Hills-Rosemead game a bit intriguing? Rosemead beat South Hills the last time they faced in 2001, and Calpreps lists Rosemead as the favorite. Steve Ramirez talked to both coaches about the game.

South Hills-Rosemead: It's not listed on the resume, but sometimes a key ingredient for a good high school football coach is his ability as a history teacher. That trait will certainly come into play this week for South Hills coach Steve Bogan, whose Huskies continue their nonleague schedule with a trip to Rosemead on Friday. The last time South Hills (3-1) made this trip, in 2001, the Huskies were the 2000 CIF-Southern Section Division IX champions and lost, 13-11, loss to the Panthers (3-1). "We will bring that game up this week," Bogan said. "We weren't ready to play and I've always said its not about which team has the best players, but which team's players play the best. You have to show up."
Matt Koffler's reaction: "I have a lot of respect for coach Bogan and what they've accomplished over the last 10 years. We understand who they are and we have to be perfect, and they have to be not-so perfect for us to beat them. They are very physical and very fast on defense and make it very hard for offenses to be productive. It's going to be hard for us to move the ball. But we have to try, try real hard to control the line of scrimmage."
Bogan on stopping Tra Sumler:"We have to stop the run. When people can run on you, it opens up the play-action and all that stuff, and they've shown they can throw the ball. I don't think you can totally stop a back like Sumler, but we need to do a good job and try to control him where he can't hurt us."

Bishop Amat note: Coach Steve Hagerty said UCLA-bound linebacker Isaiah Bowens is expected to play on Friday against Diamond Ranch. "We're going to try (to get Bowens in the game). We haven't decided just yet, but he's been practicing with the team. He still has long way to go, but he might play sparingly."

San Dimas correction: We ran a story in today's paper on San Dimas' offensive line, in which Saints senior Kyle Withem was included and quoted in it. Withem is not on the team, he was removed a couple weeks ago for violating team rules. Unfortunately, that interview came before he was removed. Blame me, I should have caught it.

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he's offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don't hate, enjoy it for what it's worth, which is one man's opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley.

Scouting Guru's midseason state of the address: Time simply doesn't allow us to do some of the things that what we want to do. Each week with are meeting with Pac-10 teams, on the phone with other west coast schools, picking up film and sending film out to the colleges. It's a lot of work, but we love it because it allows us to watching a lot of film too. So, here are some observations as we close in on the first half of the season. To continue reading all of it, click thread

There have been some intriguing games this year, like Bishop Amat taking on West Covina and Diamond Ranch, South Hills renewing its rivalry with Northview, but what others games should we see in the futre. Here are a few I would like to see.

Diamond Bar vs. Diamond Ranch -- This is interesting, I know that Diamond Ranch coach Roddy Layton wants to see it happen, but when I asked Diamond Bar coach John Martin about it earlier in the season, he started to answer, then said he better not. There's obviously something brewing here.

Bonita vs. Damien -- Shouldn't there be a battle between the big schools in La Verne? It would make sense. They're so close in proximity, and I'd imagine the games would be close over the years.

Charter Oak-South Hills -- I know they play in the same division. I know there's a good chance they can meet in the playoffs or the title game. But what a great game for the community. Bogan vs. Farrar every year. Who knows how long these two will keep coaching. Every chance we get to see them square off is a time capsule moment.

Baldwin Park-Sierra Vista - When two teams share the same community, they should play. Just like South Hills should take on Northview and Covina every year.

Bishop Amat vs. South Hills or Charter Oak -- We're probably running out of time. Coaches have said if you don't get the best of Amat this year, it might not happen as long as Steve Hagerty is there. Still, these are games everyone would love to see.

Above: Graphic by Jermaine Trevino

What: Smudge Pot
When: Friday
Where: Bonita HS
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
When it started: 1972
Series record: San Dimas leads 18-16-1
Streaky: San Dimas won 24-10 last year, snapping Bonita's three game winning streak. However, the Bearcats have won 10 of 12 Smudge Pots since 1996.
Records: San Dimas (4-0), No. 1 in Mid-Valley Division; Bonita (3-1), No. 8 in Southeast Division.
Predictions: Robledo (San Dimas), Ramirez (San Dimas)
Thoughts: I attended my first Smudge Pot last year and it lived up to every expectation. I got there an hour before the game and there were already long lines of people waiting to get tickets, then lining up to get good seat. The atmosphere inside was electric, exactly what you think a huge rivalry should be, with somewhere between 5,000 to 6,000 fans. This year should be no different, considering this is the best team in San Dimas history going against an upper-division opponent waiting to knock them back to reality after getting stunned at home last year. I don't see how anything's going to change. The Saints basically have the same team coming back and manhandled the Cat's last year. I don't normally make scoring predictions, but here it is, San Dimas 24, Bonita 17.
As we build up to this game, it would be great if you could share your thoughts on one of the best rivalries in the SGV.

A must read: I found this story by Danny Craig and posted it last year. Craig wrote about the 2000 Smudge Pot in La Verne magazine. It's a great background article on the history of the Smudge Pot, and great insight into the game that season. To read it, click on this thread.

Fans of the Smudge Pot

Walnut's Jennifer Silva earned player of the week honors.

Tribune Top 10
Girls Volleyball
1. South Hills (5-3)
The Huskies, led by their big three of outside hitter Haley Musulman, middle blocker Melinda Gomez and setter Danielle Stewart, have yet to find their rhythm. But any doubts about South Hills' ability was put to rest last week after they took apart a good St. Lucy's team in a four-match victory .
2. Glendora (8-1)
Consistency is the key for the Tartans, and so far they've shown it by winning seven of eight matches coming into Tuesday's Sierra League opener against Diamond Bar, with the only setback coming to an improving Bonita squad.
3. Walnut (10-2)
Jennifer Silva came up big last week as the Mustangs earned a three-match sweep, including a pair of 3-0 wins over San Dimas and Los Altos.
4. Diamond Bar (8-2)
The Brahmas were taken down a peg by GlendoraTuesday, but this is a team that will be in the running in the Sierra League.
5. Bonita (7-4)
The Bearcats have rebounded quite nicely from a sluggish start, scoring wins over San Dimas and Glendora.
6. Charter Oak (10-0)
The Chargers have yet to be tested, but a 10-0 record is nothing to sneeze at.
7. St. Lucy's (7-4)
The Regents have looked like pawns recently, losing to Rosary, Upland and South Hills, but St. Lucy's will definitely have a word or two in the race for the Sierra League title.
8. Bishop Amat (4-3)
The Lancers were steady in a 4-game loss to South Hills earlier this season and they earned some big wins in tournament play. The big question is how they will do in a league that features solid teams like St. Paul, St. Joseph and Bishop Montgomery.
9. San Dimas (7-3)
The Saints don't have a signature win, but they will again be the team to beat in the Valle Vista League.
10. La Puente (10-0)
The Warriors are the new power in the Montview League, and make a trip to the top 10 by virtue of their perfect start.
Others: Northview (4-3), Ganesha (8-5) and Rosemead (5-2)
Note: Rankings and records are based on matches through Oct. 4.

South Hills, after an impressive win over St. Lucy's, is still the one.

Rankings: Bishop Amat was idle and has a two week rest going into Friday's regionally televised game against Diamond Ranch on Fox Sports. The Lancers are expected to have UCLA-bound linebacker Isaiah Bowens back, who will want to make a splash in front the cameras. Charter Oak solidified its No. 2 ranking with an easy win over Damien, handling them much the same way that Bishop Amat did. South Hills was slow from the gate again, but woke up to defeat Northview, leaving them at No. 3. South El Monte drops out of the top ten after another futile defensive effort, which allows Diamond Bar to crack our top ten after a 3-1 start.

No stopping him: Rosemead's Tra Sumler rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns in Friday's 45-14 rout over Temple City. Cal Preps has Rosemead favored in Friday's showdown against South Hills.

1. Bishop Amat (3-1) -- Expect something special on Friday, especially after a two-week rest with arguably their best player back on defense. This is the Lancers' chance to make a statement to the Southland, not just the San Gabriel Valley.

2. Charter Oak (4-0-1) -- That early talk about the Chargers' cupcake schedule is moot now, especially after tying Rancho Cucamonga, and crushing Diamond Bar and Damien, with another toughie on the road this week at Etiwanda. They have the second best offense in the SGV behind Amat, and their defense is producing as well.

3. South Hills (3-1) -- The Southeast Division's top-ranked team is winning but not as convincingly as one might expect. They actually struggled against Northview in the first half. Defensively they're solid, but they do not have the back-breaking running back that scares you. Cameron Deen and his wide receiving core are dangerous, but not sure if they can run against the best teams in their division.

4. San Dimas (4-0) -- With all due respect to Northview, Baldwin Park and the other teams in the Valle Vista league, Bonita is the only team that can stop the Saints from going undefeated in the regular season. But the way the Saints are running the ball, it's not happening, even with Bonita at home hosting the Smudge on Friday.

5. West Covina (4-1) -- Well, well, and to think it's only loss came at Bishop Amat? I sure at glad the Bulldogs don't play South Hills until the end of the season. Neither team is going to lose until they face each other on Nov. 14 at West Covina.

6. Bonita (3-1) - - The Bearcats have a chance against San Dimas because they can throw the football. QB Terry Paradez needs to have the game of his career, but not sure if they can stop San Dimas on defense. Still, it's a rivalry game and emotions will play a huge part.

7. Glendora (2-2) -- The Tartans pull another one out of their hat, scoring in the final seconds to beat West Ranch, 28-24. If there's one player I wanted in the clutch, it's quarterback Drew Kaluzny.

8. Rosemead (3-1) -- Can you believe this, Rosemead is favored over South Hills on CalPreps. If would be a monumental win for the Panthers, and if it happened, they would have to be the Mid-Valley Division favorites over San Dimas. So let's make this prediction now, Rosemead and San Dimas in the Mid-Valley final.

9. Rowland (3-1) -- The Raiders didn't have a letdown after defeating Northview, crushing Covina 42-21 at the District Field. We keep talking about South Hills and West Covina, but the Raiders look like spoilers more and more each week.

10. Diamond Bar (3-1) -- Never thought the Brahmas would crack our top ten after losing so big to Charter Oak, but it is their lone loss and it came against the No. 2 team. They've had impressive wins since and deserve the bump up in rankings.

Rounding out the top 33: 11. Walnut (3-1), 12. Diamond Ranch (1-3), 13. South El Monte (2-2), 14. Northview (2-2), 15. Damien (1-4), 16. Western Christian (4-0), 17. Baldwin Park (3-1), 18. Azusa (4-1), 19. Pomona (3-1), 20. Workman (3-1), 21. El Monte (2-2), 22. Wilson (1-3), 23. Los Altos (0-4), 24. Covina (1-4), 25. Duarte (1-4), 26. Ganesha (2-3), 27. Nogales (1-3), 28. Bassett (2-3), 29. Arroyo (0-4), 30. Mountain View (1-3), 31. La Puente (0-5), 32. Sierra Vista (0-5), 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

Cool weather on Saturday enabled a number of strong performances by SGV teams, while the remaining area leagues held their first cluster meets on three different courses at Bonelli Park.

Cluster Meets: The Valle Vista League got things going on Tuesday, racing over the 3 mile Lake Course in hot conditions at Bonelli Park. Covina, led by senior Marleny Cifuentes (20:33) scored an easy girls' victory. On the boys side, Ganesha senior Oscar Castro (16:26) earned a convincing victory, while a team tie between Ganesha and Baldwin Park was decided for Ganesha by the faster sixth placed runner. On Wednesday, the extreme heat forced the Miramonte league to wait until late in the day. The league did not submit results, but from a comment left on last week's blog post, we know that Los Altos took the team title despite taking a wrong turn on the 3 mile course at Bonelli. Thursday, the weather cooled off and the performances heated up at the Sierra League meet. The CIF Div II 7th ranked Glendora boys won while the Div III 5th ranked St. Lucy's finished second against two other ranked teams. Lauren Justus (Glendora - soph) was the top area girl with her 19:07 for second on the Bonelli 5k course. Tartan senior Corey Bullock was second with a 16:10, just ahead of three teammates and Damien soph John Garcia's 16:17, which was good for fourth in this tough league.

Brea Invite at Carbon Canyon - Los Altos had a great day with a fourth place finish in the girls division and a fifth among the boys. They joined Baldwin Park (5th- boys), Charter Oak, Covina, Rowland and Wilson on this rolling 5k course. The SGV took a number of top individual honors as Carly Lake (Frosh/Charter Oak - 20:40), Reina Sotelo (junior/Los Altos - 20:43), and Vanessa Lopez (Soph/Rowland - 20:45), finished a close fourth fifth and sixth. Among the boys, Jayson Perez, a South El Monte junior and the returning SGV Tribune Athlete of the Year, ran 16:14 to win, while Los Altos senior Sergio Rodriguez was ninth overall in 17:00.

Pepperdine Invite - Arroyo and Rosemead competed on the beautiful rolling 3 mile course on the university campus. Top honors went to Panther senior Brittnie Munoz, who dominated the small schools race to win in 19:07, fourth best overall. Efren Alcala (junior/Arroyo) led the boys with a 16:23.

Warren Stauffer Invite in South Gate - Bonita and Diamond Ranch raced over a fast, flat three mile course. Taylor Harrison (senior/Bonita) led the area boys with an eighth place finish in 15:36, while sophomore teammate Heather Jackson was best among the girls with her 18:16 for sixth place.

Kenny Staub Invite in Cresenta Valley - Sophomore Illiana Vasqeuz dominated the Div 2 race, her 19:12 win was also 15th overall, and she led her Bishop Amat teammates to a third place finish. Western Christian junior Caleb Meister was the top area boy, with a 17:49 third place in the Div. 2-3 race.

Central Park Invite in Huntington Beach - South Hills senior Amanda Camarillo, second in 18:43 (and tenth overall), led her team to a third place divisional finish. Senior Michael Ramos (16:44) was the top boys finisher.

Up Next: Area leagues take a break from cluster meets, while most area schools will compete in Saturday's San Gabriel Valley Challenge at Mt.Sac. The Glendora boys will travel to Fresno's Woodward Park for the intersectional Clovis Invite.

Glendora's Corey Bullock

SGV Tribune Area Top Performers for Week 4
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 while trying to account those differences. Your mileage may vary.

Girls
Lauren Justus - Soph/Glendora 19:07 Sierra League 5k, rolling, warm
Illiana Vasquez - Soph/Bishop Amat 19:12 Staub 3m, hilly, cool
Brianna Horton - Soph/St. Lucy's 19:15 Sierra League
Heather Jackson - Soph/Bonita 18:16 Stauffer 3m, flat, cool
Brittnie Munoz - Senior/Rosemead 19:07 Pepperdine 3m, rolling, cool
Amanda Camarillo - Senior/South Hills 18:43 Central Park, mostly flat, cool
Katy Hebb - Frosh/St. Lucy's 19:45 Sierra League
Mariah Reyes - Frosh/St. Lucy's 19:45 Sierra League
Kristy Hebb - Frosh/St. Lucy's 19:51 Sierra League
Alex Thompson - Senior/St. Lucy's 20:04 Sierra League

Boys
Jayson Perez - Junior/So. El Monte 16:14 Brea 5k, rolling, cool
Corey Bullock - Senior/Glendora 16:10 Sierra League 5k, rolling, warm
Christopher Ramsey - Senior/Glendora 16:16 Sierra League
John Garcia - Soph/Damien 16:17 Sierra League
Anthony Castro - Soph/Glendora 16:29 Sierra League
Austin Goodheart - Junior/Glendora 16:30 Sierra League
Taylor Harrison - Senior/Bonita 15:36 Stauffer 3m, flat, cool
Sergio Rodriguez - Senior/Los Altos 17:00 Brea
Efren Alcala - Junior/Arroyo 16:23 Pepperdine 3m, rolling, cool
Oscar Castro - Senior/Ganesha 16:26 Valle Vista, 3m, rolling, hot

To continue, click thread

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 - 14-2; Season - 75-23
Ramirez: Last week - 13-3; Season - 71-27

Notes: First, sorry this is a day late, Stevie R., and I both called in sick on Monday but we're going to roll up our sleeves and get through the week, because this is a big one. We both picked Montclair to beat Nogales and Wilson to beat Montebello and were wrong. But I picked up another win by picking Pomona over Gabrielino . It gets tougher this week, San Dimas or Bonita? Diamond Ranch or Bishop Amat? Or how about South Hills and Rosemead? The only sure game is the Lancers over the Panthers.

Thursday's games and predictions
California at El Monte, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Cal); Ramirez (Cal)
Wilson at Chaffey, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Chaffey); Ramirez (Chaffey)
Glendora vs. El Dorado at Placentia Valencia; Robledo (Glendora); Ramirez (Glendora)

Friday's games and predictions
San Dimas at Bonita, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (San Dimas); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Diamond Ranch at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (BAmat); Ramirez (BAmat)
South Hills at Rosemead, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SHills); Ramirez (SHills)
La Serna at Los Altos, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (La Serna); Ramirez (La Serna)
Walnut vs. Sonora at La Habra, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Walnut); Ramirez (Sonora)
Diamond Bar at West Covina, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (WC); Ramirez (WC)
Charter Oak vs. Etiwanda at Colony, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (COak); Ramirez (COak)
South El Monte at Alhambra, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SEL); Ramirez (SEL)
Azusa at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
Northview vs. Nogales at CDF, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (NView); Ramirez (NView)
Duarte vs. Gladstone at Citrus, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Duarte); Ramirez (Duarte)
Workman at La Puente, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Workman); Ramirez (Workman)
Baldwin Park at Rowland, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rowland); Ramirez (BPark)
La Canada at Arroyo, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Arroyo); Ramirez (Arroyo)

Saturday's game and prediction
Brethren Christian vs. Western Christian at Citrus -- Robledoo (WC); Ramirez (WC)

SGV Football Standings
Serra League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Miramonte League
Valle Vista League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
Christian League

For quarter-by-quarter updates of tonight's games, click link

Friday's results
South Hills 27, Northview 14 -- The Vikes came out with the tricks and looked like they might hang around for a while, but the Huskies were too big and physical.
Charter Oak 42, Damien 21 -- Hmm, should we start rethinking No. 1? After all, they're undefeated. Impressive Chargers, very impressive.
Baldwin Park 10, El Monte 0 -- After getting humbled last week, Braves defense does it again.
West Covina 20, Los Altos 7 -- Okay, so the Conquerors are the best 0-4 team in the Valley. The Bulldogs didn't play particularly well, but still good enough.
Rosemead 45, Temple City 14 - - Panthers keep smashing area teams, but they get South Hills next.
Rowland 42, Covina 21 -- It's looking more and more like the Raiders are back, beating up on another Valle Vista league opponent.
Ayala 42, South El Monte 21 -- It has to be tough when you can't stop anyone. But then again, they were 0-4 and rebounded last year.
Azusa 47, La Puente 17 -- This is what the Aztecs needed after last weeks hiccup against Aquinas. Back to scoring and scoring big.
Duarte 55, Sierra Vista 39 -- Falcons were losing this early, but came back and rolled a double-nickel on the Dons.
Workman 26, Bassett 14 -- In the wild, wild, Montview, don't forget about the 3-1 Lobos.
Glendora 28, West Ranch 24 -- Drew Kaluzny scores on quarterback sneak with nine seconds left to rally the Tartans to victory.
Nogales 28, Montclair 14 -- Nobles finally get in the win column, and beat a decent team to boot.
Diamond Bar 33, Troy 28 -- After a penalty on its Hail Mary, Brahmas get another chance and win it.
Walnut 14, Arroyo 10 -- This had blowout written all over it, but the Knights hung tough all the way to the end.
Montebello 42, Wilson 14 -- With or without Tim Gilmore, Wildcats need to find a way to slow teams down.
Pomona 21, Gabrielino 14 -- Another Valle Vista league wild-card keeps on winning.

Rosemead-Temple City Video

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1726689973/bctid1834464728

SGV Football Standings
Serra League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Miramonte League
Valle Vista League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
Christian League

The annual Smudge Pot between rivals Bonita and San Dimas takes place next week at Bonita, but the festivities kick off on Friday at Warehouse Pizza in La Verne, where five players from each team will go at it in a Pizza eating contest at 3 p.m. This is the first time the two schools have ever agreed to it, with San Dimas coach Bill Zernickow saying the eating contest switches to Michaelangelos next year. But here's where it gets warm and fuzzy. The five players selected from each team are the top five pledge earners, with proceeds from this contest going to The Special Operation Warriors Foundation, which is a program benefiting all surviving children whose parent died as a result of an operational mission or training accident while assigned to a U. S. Special Operations Command unit. Pizza and a good cause? It doesn't get any better than that. It's open to everyone, so head down there and drop a few bucks for the cause.

Fans at last year's Smudge Pot ...

By Miguel Melendez
Adan and Rosa Alejandre Guillen went through a roller coaster of emotions when they left their native Michoac n, Mexico, some 20 years ago. They were relieved and excited to start a new life in a country where, if you work hard and show dedication, you can amount to anything. There also was a sense of fear, though, of not knowing how to adapt, a bit of culture clash where certain things are much different than what the Guillens were used to.

To continue reading Alejandre, click thread

Also: Notes on Arroyo's freshman quarterback and Duarte coach Wardell Crutchfield's thoughts on winning the Montview League title

This job is awesome, where else can you sneak out at 3 to go watch the Dodgers game. Oh yeah, you can root for the Angels too I guess.

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

South Hills vs. Northview at Covina District Field, 7 p.m.

Charter Oak at Damien, 7 p.m.

Covina at Rowland, 7 p.m.

Azusa vs. La Puente at Citrus College, 7 p.m.

Help: Need your input on next week's big games, of which there are many. You rank the best games, from most important to least. These are the top ones under consideration.

Friday, October 10th
San Dimas at Bonita, 7 p.m.
Charter Oak vs. Etiwanda at Colony, 7 p.m.
Diamond Bar at West Covina, 7 p.m.
Diamond Ranch at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m.
South Hills at Rosemead, 7 p.m.

Hi All,

I just wanted to let you know about my latest entry on Prep Stars: Where are you now? Today I write about former West Covina High School star Walter Thurmond III, who is returning to Southern California on Saturday when his Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans at 5 p.m. at the Coliseum.

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, Damien 24
Oct 10: Diamond Ranch (1-3) at Bishop Amat (3-1)

Hagerty's a great quote, here are some of the things he said in today's notebook.

On the bye week: "We will eliminate it next year. I think high school kids are better when they get to grow every week. When you take the week off and you can only wear helmets, it messes up the routine. I don't like the interruption."

On excitement of 3-1 start: "I don't like to get giddy about anything. They were asking (Alabama coach Nick) Saban about rankings, and his response was, `Do you remember who was ranked first at this time last year? Do you remember who was winning the Olympic marathon halfway through the race?' Winning right now is great for the program, it's great for the players, but I'll be happier if we win when it matters."

On competition: "In all honesty, and this is no disrespect to West Covina, but wins like that don't get us ready for the grind. They're important locally, but it doesn't get you ready for the big-time teams we're going to face at the end. It would be great to be 6-1 when we get to league, but if we end up 6-4, I don't see how you feel good about that. I'd rather be 0-7 and end up 3-7 with a Serra League title. I'd take that in a heartbeat."

On perhaps scheduling South Hills: "That's more up to South Hills. When we played them in the summer (passing league), there were people lining the fences. It never dawned on me how many people thought they could measure something from that. We wouldn't be opposed to it at all."

Fred says: Personally, I think Charter Oak would have the best chance of competing against Bishop Amat next season. Adam Muema will be a senior, and think of the storyline if Thropay's the quarterback. Good stuff, right?