Results matching “bishop amat baseball” from High School Sports Blog -- From The Sidelines with Miguel Melendez

There is no better way to get ready for Wednesday's football preview and the start of the season than Jim McConnell's take on the best football teams in San Gabriel Valley history. "The King" says the 1992 Bishop Amat team than went 15-0 is the best ever. Some have told me the 1969 Blair team with the "Blair Pair," was the best ever. I think the best teams of this decade, bigger, stronger, faster, would stack up well against any of them.

WHAT THE ESGV IS SAYING

Incomplete said: Temple City was over rated. What was Temple City's record against Bishop Amat, Meter Dei, Loyola, Notre Dame, Crespi and St. Paul during their great years? Just asking.

Ramrodder said: All of the above were truly great teams, but no mention of a Hitchcock coached Temple City CIF Championship team? FAIL.

COMING NEXT WEEK: McConnell will divide the 24 teams into playoff brackets and begin our mythical Valley playoffs in earnest with eight wild-card games.

JIM McCONNELL

The best high school football team in the history of the San Gabriel Valley?
Most would say the 1992 Bishop Amat squad. That year's Lancers, under coach Mark Paredes, won all 15 games. They won the CIF-SS Division I title and a special state playoff game to boot. They are the only 15-0 team in CIF-SS history.
However, on further review ...

Football is a team sport, but history teaches us sometimes one great player can lift his teammates to higher levels. History also gives ample evidence that anything can happen in one game.

So, following that wisdom, it would be hard to pick against, as an example, the 1942 Bonita team that starred Glenn Davis. That team went 11-0 and Davis did a little bit of everything. Interestingly, the Bearcats had three other players who played major college football, a quality coach in John Price and a long-standing tradition of winning football games.

Based on sheer numbers, you would have to favor the 1992 Amat team over the 1942 Bonita team in a mythical matchup. Still, as good as Amat was, it never faced the likes of Davis. And you can only play 11 men at a time.

All of this points out how difficult it is to single out one team above all others as the greatest ever.

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CIF-SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION VI CHAMPIONSHIP AT A GLANCE

LA SALLE (25-5) vs. MARYMOUNT (23-4)

Where: Deanna Manning Stadium, Irvine (16 Civic Center Plaza)
Tickets: 9 adults, $5 students and children 5-13.
How they got there: La Salle defeated Malibu, 5-3; def. Campbell Hall, 12-0; def. Arroyo, 6-2; def. South El Monte, 3-2. Marymount defeated Windward, 20-1; def. Mary Star, 12-1; def. Grace Brethren, 5-0; def. Maranatha, 8-0.
Outlook: Despite having the top seed I gotta feel deep down inside La Salle feels they've had no respect throughout these playoffs. They were supposed to be tested heading into their game at Arroyo in the quarterfinals and the Lancers proved people wrong. They were powered by Maddie Herlache's two home runs and Allie Forillo's home run. Then came South El Monte. There was a lot of hype surrounding the Eagles. They were led by Ann Gaber who was batting over .600 in the season. Forillo shut her down with three K's, Herlache came through with two RBI singles that tied and gave La Salle the lead. I guess what I'm trying to say is this is La Salle's game for the taking. They were the underdogs heading into their game against South El Monte but clearly have proved why they are the top seed. Marymount beat a tough Maranatha team, but I just don't see them scoring against Forillo in the pitcher's circle. This will be an invaluable experience for the underclassmen making their first playoff run. Still, talent will overcome inexperience and Herlache and Katie Tripoli will make sure they don't come away empty handed.
The pick: La Salle, 4-0

Note: I plan on blogging live from Deanna Manning Stadium so long as there is a decent press box setup. If you don't see a LIVE BLOGGING thread by 10 a.m. it's likely the amenities weren't available, and who knows if they have us in the sun, making it hard to look at our laptops. But if I do have a thread be sure to check back here for updates, and if you have a question be sure to drop a line in the comment section. So far we're 1-for-1 in this championship-filled weekend. Maranatha defeated Woodcrest Christian in the finals of the CIF-Southern Section Division V baseball championships. Lets make it 2-for-2.

RELATED LINK: La Salle puts it all on the line today (Star-News)

By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer

PASADENA - Little by little, the La Salle High School softball team inched their way to victory earlier this week.

Piece by piece, the Lancers' Maddie Herlache, Allie Forillo and Sterling Shuster lent a helping hand in creating the winning recipe.

They might not have realized it at first or even wished to take full credit, but the Herlache-Forillo-Shuster trifecta is a big reason why La Salle is paying a visit to Orange County today.

The top-seeded Lancers will make their second finals appearance in four years when they take on Marymount today at 10 a.m. in the CIF-Southern Section Division VI championship game at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.

For Herlache, she returns where it all began.

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Photo courtesy of lancerbb.org

The La Salle High administration is retaining Harry Agajanian as the school's head baseball coach, athletic director John Matheus said in a statement release.

Coach Agajanian has met with Principal Pat Bonacci and Vice Principal John Matheus to discuss the concerns within the baseball program and what the future holds specifically for our baseball players. Much of the discussions centered on the philosophy of our baseball program in general, and what La Salle expects from our coaches and players. We believe there is common ground for continued improvement in the direction of the baseball program and look forward having our student-athletes compete towards the best of their abilities while enjoying their high school experience with baseball.

Agajanian was suspended for the final two games of the season for what the school is calling a violation of school policy. School officials confirmed Agajanian's suspension stemmed from a players refusal not to play in a game against Cantwell Sacred Heart. Agajanian sent that player to the bus after his refusal to play, and words were later exchanged. School officials met, and felt a suspension was warranted.

RELATED LINKS

BREAKING NEWS: La Salle's Agajanian suspended (14 COMMENTS)

Bishop Amat shows its support for La Salle's Agajanian (21 COMMENTS)

Robledo posted this on his blog, which I found very interesting.

I always find the second game of the baseball playoffs the most interesting. I remember a few years back watching Temple City's big stud Ryan Tucker pitch game one, pitch game two (started a new week), throw three innings in game three, and come back to start in the semifinals (game four) because it's a new week again. Your No. 1 pitcher can almost carry you to the championship game if that's what you choose to do. Division IV hasn't played since last Thursday, so what do teams like Northview, Bishop Amat and San Dimas due on Tuesday? Do they stay with their No.1's or go to their No 2's like a normal week. Even teams that played Friday have the same decision, especially a team like Sierra Vista, who has a No. 1 in Christian Huerta that could carry them a few rounds. These are do-or-die scenarios, so expect the best to be on the hill if they're available?

It's a debatable theory, really, that if a team has a true No. 1 pitcher they can ride him all the way to the finals.

Maranatha arguably has two No. 1 pitchers in Corey Popham and junior standout Dylan Covey.

Minutemen coach Brian DeHaan, however, is not buying that theory.

"In an emergency situation Dylan would be ready to relieve," he said. "But I've never done that simply for the fact even when a kid throws 100 pitches one day and even on three days rest you have to take care of these kids.

"Even when the magnitude increases you ask him how he feels, but to start another game, again, I've never done back-to-back starts. We won't this year. I firmly believe you have to have two solid pitchers and even a three to compliment those pitchers. I think we have that."

That all the Rio Hondo League teams lost Tuesday (Temple City) and Thursday (everyone else) shouldn't make anyone happy nor should anyone be pointing fingers or start with the exhausting rhetoric of "I told you their league is weak ... "

Fans from the Pacific League shouldn't be jumping with joy that Monrovia got shutout or that La Cañada got routed by Anaheim.

Their success is the West San Gabriel Valley's success and their struggles become ours, too. How well anyone in the WSGV does bodes well on us and if they continue to lose, well, that doesn't bode so well, does it?

Certainly you can look at a team like Arcadia and Monrovia and think, "OK, these two teams have a good chance of making a decent playoff run" but the fact of the matter is that's not going to happy.

It was yet another first round ouster for the Apaches and an abrupt ending for the seemingly surging Wildcats.

That Maranatha -- the lone team to make a finals run last year -- is still alive isn't something Minutemen fans should be proud of, either.

But while we're on this, how does a team like Maranatha continue to make deep playoff runs? Right, right, right, they play in an easy league and a weak division.

That's the kind of answer you'll get from your average knucklehead out there, including John who posted this comment in the last baseball thread:

Nobody saw this coming? Didn't you know the Rio Hondo was terrible? No Mckiernan, No Tucker, it's a horrible league with average teams. Didn't we talk about this, parity of the poor, Arcaida was way overated too, who have they even beat.

I don't think John's ever heard of using a period to end a sentence, but we'll let it slide this time. I do, however, take issue when he says the Rio Hondo is a terrible league with average teams. Which is it, John, terrible or average?

I say neither.

As a whole, the Rio Hondo League was as exciting as it's been in quite a long time. That, however, is not the reason why all four teams were ousted in their opening rounds.

When you compare Monrovia and Barstow's lineups it's clear the Wildcats are the superior team, yet the Wildcats did not play to their potential Thursday.

Barstow's pitcher was good but not great, and Monrovia couldn't adjust and jump on his early pitches, which is where the money was.

Take away the bloop singles and what does Barstow have? Probably a scoreless ball game Monrovia could have broken loose in the middle innings. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

Arcadia overrated? Uh, no. Sure, the Apaches had a few questionable losses, but they were as good as advertised, especially when Bryce Rutherford was on target.

A valley rich in talent should be sending at least two more teams to the semifinals and finals, yet that's not happening.

And the question still begs: how could some of our best WSGV teams not come away with a victory Thursday?

non pacific fan blogger may have been on to something when he posted this:

what good is being best team in the area then going into the post season and getting knocked out in the first round. that's what it seems like all the sports are like in the pacific league. its time for the pacific league teams to start comparing themselves to the best teams in cif rather than just trying to be the best in the area or in our weak league

How does a team go about finding a solution? Scheduling tougher nonleague opponents in preseason? What about slipping a tough nonleague opponent near the end of the season?

When will the rest of the WSGV step up and bring home a plaque or at least the satisfaction of reaching the finals, semis or even quarters!?!?

No one knows.

But at some point it's going to be a snore hearing that the Bishop Amats and Northviews are battling for yet another CIF championship, right?

Coaches, I leave this one up to you.

Bishop Amat coach Andy Nieto and the rest of his team showed its support for La Salle baseball coach Harry Agajanian who was suspended Monday for what's left of the the regular-season in what La Salle officials are calling a violation of school policy. Without going into all the details, school officials can confirm that Agajanian's suspension stems from a players refusal not to play in a game against Cantwell Sacred Heart. Agajanian sent that player to the bus after his refusal to play, and words were later exchanged. School officials met, and felt a suspension was warranted. The Lancers played Bishop Amat yesterday and the coaches taped Agajanian's number on their hats. It was a gesture that surely meant a lot for Agajanian. How classy of your opponent to show support. It shows how well-liked Agajanian is among his colleagues. Agajanian had a meeting today with the principal to discuss his future with the baseball program. We'll have more as it becomes available.

La Salle baseball coach Harry Agajanian has been suspended for the rest of the season for what La Salle High is calling a violation of school policy.

"Coach Harry (Agajanian) is suspended as head coach of La Salle's varsity baseball team until further notice for violation of school policy," La Salle athletic director John Matheus said.

"Unfortunately, the administration just felt that we had to take action and we will discuss it further at the end of the season regarding next year."

Without going into all the details, school officials can confirm that Agajanian's suspension stems from a players refusal not to play in a game against Cantwell Sacred Heart. Agajanian sent that player to the bus after his refusal to play, and words were later exchanged. School officials met, and felt a suspension was warranted.

La Salle has two games left beginning today at home vs. Bishop Amat. They finish Friday at Bishop Amat. Assistant coach Junior Montes will take over as coach for what's left of the rest of the season. Agajanian, who has coached the Lancers the last four seasons, could not be reached for comment. He's expected to have a meeting with the principal today to discuss his future at La Salle.

Note: Please do not leave comments detailing what unfolded or which player was involved, those comments will be removed.

So what do you think of this poll? Here's Robledo's take:

By the way, I was looking at the Star-News baseball poll, and figured I would do an all encompassing baseball poll between our two area's. A top 20 would look like this based on games through Thursday.

1. Bishop Amat (20-5, Tribune)
2. Northview (18-4, Tribune)
3. Glendora (16-7, Tribune)
4. Arcadia (18-4, Star-News)
5. San Dimas (17-5, Tribune)
6. Damien (18-6, Tribune)
7. Bonita (16-5, Tribune)
8. Monrovia (15-7-1, Star-News)
9. South Hills (16-7, Tribune)
10. Charter Oak (15-7, Tribune)
11. Alhambra (15-7, Star-News)
12. San Marino (15-7, Star-News)
13. La Cañada (15-5, Star-News)
14. Temple City (14-9, Star-News)
15. Nogales (19-7-1, Tribune)
16. Diamond Bar (12-11, Tribune)
17. Maranatha (18-5-1, Star-News)
18. Pasadena (13-10-1, Star-News)
19. St. Francis (15-12, Star-News)
20. Bosco Tech (14-6, Star-News)

Above: Bishop Amat's Paul Paez led the Lancers to an impressive, 1-0, win over St. Paul on Tuesday.

The Bishop Amat-La Salle baseball game was moved up from yesterday to today at La Salle, 3:15 p.m. The Lancers are coming off an impressive win over St. Paul earlier this week. Paul Perez was impressive in that outing, helping Bishop Amat (7-3, 2-0) improve its winning streak to five. This is a big game for the Lancers (7-4, 2-1). Ernie Martin is batting .406 to lead La Salle. Watch out for Bishop Amat's Jay Anderson. He's almost batting .600.

Above: Garrett Tuck, Tim Smoley and Bryce Rutherford will lead the Apaches. Friday, February 27, 2009. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Walt Mancini)

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Note: Not sure how many complaints, if at all, our Keith Lair received for his softball preseason top 10 poll. I'm preparing for a few complaints but before my inbox is flooded with e-mails, let me explain the process that went into selecting the 2009 preseason top 10 rankings. Like with every preseason poll (football, basketball, soccer) I consulted numerous area coaches and specifically asked what team was the area's No. 1 team. As you all know, I'm new to the area as the Star-News preps editor and I was not going to pick the No. 1 team simply based on what team returned who. I wanted the coaches to have their say, and they did. The consensus pick was Arcadia. Alhambra, Monrovia and Maranatha each boast a strong returning group. The Moors and Wildcats advanced to the second round of the playoffs and the Minutemen advanced to the divisional finals. That all went into consideration. Sure, the Apaches finished second behind Crescenta Valley in the Pacific League, and Monrovia barely finished ahead of its pack in the Rio Hondo League. Alhambra and Maranatha both finished well ahead of its pack in their respective leagues. In short, the top 10 was put together after consulting area coaches. Of course, this is just a preseason poll so this can all change when the season shapes out. So relax, lets have a good season and see how things unfold.

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The high-pitch "ping" sound is coming to a high school baseball field near you. Yes, it's that time of season when freshly-cut grass is littered with sunflower seeds. And you won't have to travel far to hear or see either two. The Arcadia Elks Tournament begins Friday and will feature plenty of area teams that will battle for San Gabriel Valley bragging rights. Alhambra, Monrovia and Temple City high schools host the annual event. The tournament will feature many of the Star-News' preseason top 10 teams, including pitcher-loaded Arcadia.

Here's the preseason top 10:

1. Arcadia

The Apaches finished 15-11 overall last season and second behind rival Crescenta Valley in the Pacific League.

Arcadia returns nine starters and is led by senior Bryce Rutherford, who amassed 100 strikeouts last season.

The Pacific League co-player of the year is out to prove himself this season.

Rutherford will have a good supporting cast, with junior Garrett Tuck as the Apaches' No. 2 pitcher and starting shortstop and senior Tim Smoley playing first.

"We're hoping Garrett solidifies our pitching staff," Arcadia coach Nick Lemas said. "He's in the middle of our defense and has looked really solid and made great improvements over the last year."

A.J. Smouse will see some time on the mound, too. Offensively, the Apaches will ride Smoley.

Smoley is the career doubles leader at Arcadia and will probably lead the school in quite a few offensive categories by season's end. Smoley batted .400 last year.

"I've been looking forward to this season ever since the end of last year," Lemas said.

STAR-NEWS PRESEASON TOP 10

1. Arcadia
2. Alhambra
3. Monrovia
4. Maranatha
5. St. Francis
6. Temple City
7. Gabrielino
8. San Marino
9. South Pasadena
10. La Canada

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Fred Robledo vents on his Tribune blog. I agree with him.

With the baseball and softball season starting Friday, MaxPreps made easy by yours truly is the best way to follow standings, schedules, rosters, stats and game-by-game results, as long the head coaches in your area don't play the "we don't want to get scouted," card again, and don't post anything. Bishop Amat baseball posted all last year and won their second straight championship. If you're good enough, it won't matter, so stop hiding. There is absolutely no excuse for not posting rosters, schedules and results, but still many of our area coaches do not post anything when this is their responsibility, and they know who they're. So, parents, players and fans, please remind your high school coach to take care of this, which makes it easier for all of us to follow what's going on with your high school teams. Why CIF hasn't made this mandatory is beyond me, because coaches who do post on a regular basis have become punished by coaches who hide their stats, then surprise us with mind-boggling final numbers at the end of the year. It's not fair and it won't be until everyone plays by the same rules. I guarantee before the internet that every coach who once played loved seeing their stats in the paper, especially those who had great high school careers. So, now it's the coaches' turn to do the same for their players, because after all, what do coaches always tell us, "it's about the kids." Okay, then make it about the kids. There is only so much I can do, and last year was a pathetic example of too many coaches not posting anything.

TOURNAMENT ALERT: I need baseball and softball tournament schedules for all area tournaments. Please email baseball schedules to me at miguel.melendez@sgvn.com and e-mail softball schedules to keith.lair@sgvn.com. Also, to report scores call 626-962-8811, ext. 2233 or 2242. You can also email results to scores@sgvn.com, and please make sure to leave a call-back number in case we have questions. Can't wait until the season starts.

This story comes from longtime staffer Jim McConnell, the man we call, "The King" around the office. He writes a weekly Then & Now column. He gives us a bit of history today about high school basketball tournaments. It doesn't involve our area teams but it was such a great read I had to post it. Enjoy.

JIM McCONNELL

MEMO TO: High school basketball coaches and athletic directors.

RE: Basketball tournaments.

MESSAGE: If you are thinking about starting a tournament, do not under any circumstances label it a classic. A 1957 Chevy Bel-Air coupe is a classic. Your puny little eight-team tourney - jury-rigged so that the home team will always be in the championship game - is not.

There's no question today's high school basketball players - boys and girls - are bigger, stronger, faster and can jump higher than those of 50 years ago. But, somehow, the local basketball tournaments have lost a lot of their luster. December just isn't the same for hoop fans.

Back in the 1970s, the area was famous nationwide for the Tournament of Champions. That event, hosted by San Dimas High School, brought together the best teams in the state.

Tournament director Bob Espinoza did a great job of luring the top teams to San Dimas. True, the format meant that host school San Dimas was going to be routed, game after game and year after year. But, looking back, those Saints players can now tell their kids they played against the likes of Bill Cartwright, Bill Laimbeer, John Williams, etc. Who remembers scores?

San Dimas ceased hosting the Tournament of Champions in the 1980s. The T of C is still around, now based in Orange County, but it is no longer the premier showcase of prep talent it once was.

In this area, the granddaddy of basketball tournaments emains the Covina Christmas Tournament. The tourney will mark its 55th year when play gets under way on Dec. 26.

The Rio Hondo League is the only league with every team from the area. The Del Rey League is tough because of Bishop Amat. The Mission, Almont and Pacfic were strong.

Your thoughts.

Maranatha's Dylan Covey named Division VI Player of the Year.

Above: Maranatha pitcher/outfielder Dylan Covey.

It's interesting that the CIF-SS doesn't put out the awards anymore. Now it says don't contact LA84 directly, they're only a presenting sponsor, when it comes to softball and volleyball. I've sent out E-mails trying to get those teams. But there was a website that posted baseball, so here they are.

Here is the All-Del Rey League

Maranatha High School co-coach Kiko Garcia is putting together an All-Star baseball game featuring the top underclassmen in the San Gabriel Valley.

The 2008 Kiko Garcia Sports Training All-Star game will be held on at Alhambra's Moor Field on Saturday, June 14 at 2 p.m.

Practices will be held June 9 and June 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Field at Brookside Park in Pasadena. There will also be practices June 10 and June 12 at 6 p.m. at 369 Fair Oaks in pasadena.
The foundation is set up to help keep kids off the streets through sports and sports training. It plans to eventually branch out to conduct all-star games for other sports.

Bishop Amat too tough in CIF Division V quarterfinals

San Marino's season comes to an end as Bishop Amat scores 13 runs in the first two innings, including 11 in the second, en route to a 15-1 victory over the Titans.

Above: San Marino had a tough day in a 15-1 loss to Bishop Amat. (Correspondent photo by Larry Goren)

My thoughts: Bishop Amat is, by far, the best team I've seen in person this season. They're like a machine with literally no apparent weaknesses.
I did get a kick out of watching Lancers head coach Andy Nieto at the edge of the dugout and as third-base coach.
He could be called the Billy Martin of high school coaching and he knows how to work the umpires, the crowd and the opposing team. He's always chirping at the umps and even got a couple of calls reversed.
If Amat doesn't win the championship, I'd have to call it a disappointing season. Having said that, I don't see anyone beating the Lancers.

Maranatha's game against Lancaster Desert Christian has been rescheduled for Saturday at Brookside Park. The game is officially scheduled for 4 p.m. The worst-case scenario would be if there's bad weather Saturday. Then the game would be played on Monday, yes Monday. What's bad about that is apparently the pitch counts would be applied to next week and not this week.
Stay tuned.

San Marino's game with Bishop Amat is still on after the coaches from both teams surveyed the field. I've been told, even though there's another front coming in, unless there's a major downpour, Game On.
I'd imagine Bishop Amat wants the game played today or tomorrow so Titans pitcher Nick Wilson only has three innings available to pitch.

San Marino's Nick Wilson is one of the reasons the titans are still alive in the CIF-SS Division V playoffs.

Above: San Marino High School's Nick Wilson. (Staff photo by Keith Birmingham.

San Marino ready for latest playoff challenge

Since Bishop Amat is kind of like a minor league team in terms of its talent level, here's what the Lancers have to look forward to at McNamee Field, which is as nice as some lower division minor league stadiums.