September 2007 Archives

St. Paul running back Aubrey Haynes picks up yardage in Swordsmen's
40-7 nonleague victory over La Mirada Friday night

Friday's games:

California 20, Schurr 7
Jasper Meza averaged nearly 11 yards per carry (11 for 120 yards),
including a 1-yard scoring run to start the ball rolling, but the
Condors' defense stepped up, again, this time intercepting three passes,
including Drew Harris' fourth of the season, and recovering two fumbles,
one of them by Blake Barragan, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.

Whittier 54, Katella 20
Cardinals' offense continued to roll. Last week, it was Jonathan Quezada
with six touchdowns; this week it was Daniel Enriquez with four TDs and
170 yards on 18 carries. Whittier finished with 321 yards on the ground.
This has to grab the attention of next week's opponent, Whittier
Christian.

St. Paul 40, La Mirada 7
Any questions concerning whether the Swordsmen can stretch the field
vertically were answered on the fourth play from scrimmage when
sophomore quarterback Paul Lopez connected with Ryan Cadwalader on a
49-yard TD toss. Lopez finished with 221 yards that included completions
of 62, 39, and 40 yards with passes that traveled farther through the
air than the receiver ran with after the catch.

Cantwell 36, Villanova Prep 11
Running back Khamari English, the transfer speedster from Monrovia,
scored touchdowns on runs of 55, 36 and three yards as the Cardinals
improved to 4-1. Next up is rival Don Bosco Tech.

Blair 38, Whittier Christian 26
Last week it was St. Margaret's power ground game with Hunter Steffien
that tested the Heralds' defense. This week it was the Vikings' overall
speed and Devin Fuller, who had 143 yards on 23 carries.

Bell Gardens 31, Santa Fe 22
Tough to win if you don't have the ball. Santa Fe lost two fumbles early
and had only 11 plays in the first half. The loss put a damper on
another strong performance by junior running back Aaron Turner, who
rushed just 11 times for 133 yards.

Cypress 24, Pioneer 20
Fumbles hurt the Titans and allowed the host Centurians to
come-from-behind. Pioneer's big-play capabilities were evident in an
84-yard, halfback pass play from Ronnie Palacios-to-Tony
Hernandez-to-Randy Palasios to open the game, and Pepe Quinones' 41-yard
fumble return for a touchdown to start the third quarter.

Arroyo 28, El Rancho 21
Dons came out on the short end of a see-saw battle in which the team's
traded touchdowns. Marcus Aldecoa led El Rancho with 90 yards and QB
Javier Hernandez was eight for 15 for 130 yards and a touchdown.

Warren 22, La Serna 17
Lancers couldn't hold a quick 14-0 lead, and speedster Rudy Jordan,
although finishing with 150 yards, was held to three or fewer yards on
16 of his 21 carries.

HH Wilson 42, Montebello 20
Oilers lead, 7-0, but then defense struggles again, giving up 140 yards
rushing and 99 yards receiving to RB Tim Gilmore, and 296 yards passing
to QB Andrew Tomsio (16-for-20, three TDs).

Thursday's game:

La Habra 49, Villa Park 31
With the Highlanders' defense having an off night (compared to its first
three games), the offense came alive on the arm of QB Chris Morales
(12-16-292-4TDs) and RB Jason Davis, who rushead for 72 yards and a
touchdown and caught a touchdown pass.

Any surprises here?

Roger Murray: Last week: 10-1; Season 35-5
Andrew Campa: Last week: 9-2; Season 29-11

Today's game
Villa Park at La Habra, 7 p.m. Murray (La Habra), Campa (La Habra)
Friday's games
St. Paul at La Mirada, 7 p.m. Murray (St. Paul), Campa (St. Paul)
California at Schurr, 7 p.m. Murray (Schurr), Campa (Schurr)
Whittier Christian vs. Blair, at Pasadena CC, 7 p.m. Murray (WhChristian), Campa (WhChristian)
Bell Gardens vs. Santa Fe, at Pioneer HS, 7 p.m. Murray (Santa Fe), Campa (Santa Fe)
Arroyo at El Rancho, 7 p.m. Murray (Arroyo), Campa (Arroyo)
Katella vs. Whittier, at California HS, 7 p.m. Murray (Whittier), Campa (Whittier)
La Serna at Warren, 7 p.m. Murray (Warren), Campa (La Serna)
Pioneer vs. Cypress, at Western High School, 7 p.m. Murray (Pioneer), Campa (Pioneer)
Montebello at Hacienda Heights Wilson, 7 p.m. Murray (Wilson ), Campa (Wilson)
Cantwell at Villanueva Prep, 7 p.m. Murray (Cantwell), Campa (Cantwell)

Some toughies this week: Cal/Schurr; Arroyo/El Rancho; Katella/Whittier.
Have you any upsets in mind???

Five locals are among the top 10, with La Habra (3-0), La Serna (3-0) and California (3-0) holding firm in the
Nos. 2-3-4 spots. Santa Fe (2-1) moved up to No. 5 from No. 6 after shutting out Huntington Park, 35-0.
Schurr (2-1) is No. 7, up a notch after an impressive 43-33 win over Hacienda Heights Wilson. Pioneer (4-0) also moved up a spot to No. 8 after defeating Gladstone, 34-0.

La Habra, which defeated Westminster, 21-0, appears headed for another Freeway League showdown with Troy (3-0), still No.1 in the division after blasting Don Lugo, 63-33. La Serna and California, who could be contenders rather than pretenders in the Del Rio League race this season, defeated Monteclair, 63-14, and Bassett, 53-0, respectively.

The other local which climbed in the rankings is St. Paul (2-1), which moved two places to No. 5 in the Western Division after blanking Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary, 34-0.

Cantwell (3-1) slipped from No. 3 to No. 7 in the Mid-Valley Division after its loss to St. Paul.

Whittier Christian (2-1) fell two spots to No. 6 in the Northeast
Division after losing to No. 1-ranked St. Margaret's, 35-19.

One thing about the DRL members; Come league play, they'll be beating each other, which hinders their designs for remaining ranked.
With that in mind, how many - and who- among those currently ranked have the staying power to warrant a spot in the final regular season polls?

Thursday's results:
La Habra 21, Westminster 0
The Highlanders' defense continues to dominate while the offense takes a
back seat. Playing efficiently, the program figures to get a boost when
the passing game starts stretching defenses.

La Serna 63, Montclair 14
Don't get too excited about this one, Lancers. Visiting Cavaliers
nowhere near ready to compete at this level. But good players take
advantage of opportunities like this, and Rudy Jordan did just that --
returning two kickoffs 94 and 96 yards, rushing for 115 yards in just
one half plus three plays and finishing with 321 all-purpose yards.

Pioneer 34, Gladstone 0
The 4-0 Titans' defense stepped up to shut down the Gladiators with only
four first downs, and two of them came on penalties. Matt Botello scored
on a 99-yard kickoff return, a 68-yard punt return and caught two
passes, one of them for another score.

California 53, Bassett 0
Condors defense made it easy for offense by allowing the Olympians just
77 yards total offense.

El Rancho 21, Montebello 20
Impressive second half comeback made up for weak first-half performance,
with Marcus Galan's 15-yard run and Doug Soriano's PAT kick with 1:43
left to play making it all worth while. However, playing just half a
game won't get it done in the Del Rio League this season.

La Mirada 28, Paramount 7
After being shut out in their first two games, the Matadores find it's
easier and a lot more fun when they score some points. This time, Devon
Tracy's 201 yards and x touchdowns were the catalyst.

St. Paul 34, Cantwell 0
It was a game the Swordsmen were supposed to win, and they did. Could
the score have been higher? Absolutely, had coach Pete Gonzalez not
called off the dogs in the fourth quarter.

Whittier 41, South El Monte 28
The amazing thing here is that SEM found time to score 28 points, what
with Whittier's Jonathan Quezada scoring six touchdowns amid rushing for
184 yards on just 17 carries and adding 62 yards on four receptions, two
of them for TDs, and teammate Daniel Enriquez rushing for 148 yards on
16 trips. Oh ye, Quezada also kicked five PATs. Is the rest of the Del
Rio League paying attention?

Schurr 43, Hacienda Heights Wilson 33
Junior quarterback Ricky Mendez 21 for 27 for 280 yards and four
touchdowns. Thirty-three points seems like a lot for a defense
to give up, but considering the Spartan defenders had to content with
Wilson's super running back, Tim Gilmore, who had 196 yards and four
touchdowns on just nine first-half carries and finished with 228 yards.

Santa Fe 35, Huntington Park 0
The Chiefs looked more like the Chiefs who are the six-time defending del
Rio League champions as they took advantage of field position to score
most of their points and rode a stingy defense that allowed the Spartans
to cross the 50-yard line only once and record just six first downs.

Saturday's game
St. Margaret's 35, Whittier Christian 19
Great first half for the host Heralds; better to forget the second half.
Great effort on both sides of the ball by Aleks Schwerdt wasted.

It seems that both La Habra and La Serna, ranked No. 2 and 3 respectively in the latest CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division polls, made big statements Thursday evening.

Above, La Habra fans show up two hours before the game and feast at a tailgate party. Two hours later, the Highlanders force five turnovers, four sacks and hold the Lions (1-2) to fewer than 150 yards of offense in a 21-0 win. Do the Highlanders have the area's best defense?

Here, Rudy Jordan returns ONE of TWO 90-plus kick returns for a touchdown on the game's opening kickoff against Montclair. La Serna romped to a 63-14 victory. Who's going to stop the Lancers?

Roger Murray: Last week: 12-1; Season: 25-4
Andrew Campa: Last Week: 10-3; Season: 20-9

Football
Thursday's games
Montclair v. La Serna @ Cal, 7 p.m. Murray (La Serna) Campa (La Serna)
La Habra at Westminster, 7 p.m. Murray (La Habra) Campa (La Habra)

Friday's games
Montebello at El Rancho, 7 p.m. Murray (El Rancho) Campa (El Rancho)
St. Paul at Cantwell, 7:30 p.m. Murray (St. Paul) Campa (St. Paul)
Whittier at S. El Monte, 7 p.m. Murray (Whittier) Campa (Whittier)
Paramount at La Mirada 7 pm Murray (La Mirada) Campa (Paramount)
H.H. Wilson @ Schurr, 7 p.m. Murray (Schurr) Campa (Schurr)
Bassett at California, 7 p.m. Murray (California) Campa (California)
Pioneer v. Gladstone @ Citrus, 7 pm Murray (Pioneer) Campa (Pioneer)
Santa Fe at Huntington Park, 7 p.m. Murray (Santa Fe) Campa (HP)

Saturday's game
St.Margaret v. Whittier Christian @ W. College, 7, Murray(WC)Campa(SM)

A couple of sticklers for the upsets of the week: Paramount/La Mirada and St. Margaret's/Whittier Christian.

.... I know, I know, football dominates this blog like it does every
other blog, but every now and then it needs a break, however brief it
might be, in the action.

Here's a Daily News preseason Top 5 for boys water polo:
1. Montebello
2. La Serna
3. Whittier
4. El Rancho
5. Take your pick from La Habra, California or Santa Fe.

Hope somebody is listening.
And cares.
Enough to share.
.

Schedule
Football
Thursday's games
Montclair vs. La Serna, at California HS, 7 p.m.
La Habra at Westminster, 7 p.m.
Friday's games
Montebello at El Rancho, 7 p.m.
St. Paul at Cantwell Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.
Whittier at South El Monte, 7 p.m.
Paramount at La Mirada, 7 p.m.
Hacienda Height Wilson at Schurr, 7 p.m.
Bassett at California, 7 p.m.
Pioneer vs. Gladstone, at Citrus College, 7 p.m.
Santa Fe at Huntington Park, 7 p.m.
Saturday's games
St. Margaret's vs. Whittier Christian, at Whittier College, 7 p.m.

The week's big game?
For sheer rivalries sake, how about Montebello at El Rancho, or St. Paul at Cantwell Secred Heart (and it's newly sodded field)?
Or maybe Saturday night's game at Whittier College between St. Margaret's, the Northeast Division's defending champion and ranked No. 1 in this week's poll, vs. Whittier Christian, ranked No. 4 in a big jump from No. 8 last week?
It was St. Margaret's that ended the Heralds' fine season a week short of their goal by handing them a 35-21 setback in the Northeast Division semifinals a year ago.
The rest of the area teams in this week's CIF polls:
La Habra, No. 2 in the Southeast Diviison
La Serna, No. 3 (Southeast)
Cantwell Sacred Heart, No. 3 (Mid-Valley)
California, No. 4 (Southeast)
Santa Fe, No. 6 (Southeast)
St. Paul, No. 6 (Western)
Schurr, No. 8 (Southeast)
Pioneer (No. 9 (Southeast)

Nine out of 13 area schools ranked among the Top 10 teams in their respective divisions.
Not too shabby!

After suffering some surprising losses in Week 1, a couple of area teams
made impressive turnarounds this week.
And others made turnarounds not so impressive:

Santa Fe 28, Peninsula 22
Chiefs defense tough in second half, Turner's two TDs spark offense

St. Paul 17, Redondo Union 16
Defense provides time for offense to rally from 16-0 down, Haynes has 148 yards.

La Serna 28, Norwalk 12
QB Ben Burke 6-8-164-3TDs, Rudy Jordan 19-107 as Lancers improve 2-0

Pioneer 29, South El Monte 14
Matt Botello 105 yards and a touchdown to go with a 33-yard scoring reception.

California 33, El Monte 6
Jasper Meza 101 yards (10.1 ypc) and 2 TDs, Blake Barragan 72-yard scoring punt return.

Charter Oak 27, La Mirada 0
Matadores can't win if they can't score.

La Habra 31, South Hills 6
Defense, special teams sparkle as Highlanders play like Division contenders.

Cantwell 40, Bassett 6
Cardinals tuning up for meeting with St. Paul next week.

Bell Gardens 27, El Rancho 16
Dons can't hold third quarter lead, despite Hernandez's 11-21-159-1TD passing.

Rowland 32, Montebello 26
Oilers waste quarterback Eli Mendibles' 61-yard touchdown run.

Downey 42, Schurr 23
Spartans' early advantage erased when Vikings score on four consecutive possessions.

Tonight's schedule:
Whittier vs. Verbum Dei, at Compton Centennial HS, 7 p.m.
Whittier Christian vs. LA Baptist, at Alemany HS, 7 p.m.

From left, La Serna High School (Whittier) DLs Oscar Orosco, Able Ramirez, Joe Cannon, Louie Lozano and Zeid Nesheiwat. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Raul Roa/SPORTS)

I know, I know, it's still early.

It still deserves a mention.

Seven games into the season, the Del Rio League is 6-1.

And the leader is Pioneer (2-0).

And the one loss is six-time defending DRL champion Santa Fe's.

Three of the six league members are ranked among the top 1-0 in this week's CIF Southern Section, Southeast Division (VII) poll: La Serna (3), California (4) and Santa Fe (7).

Two others, Pioneer and Whittier, received votes.

All this is big because the Del Rio League doesn't get alot of support among the voters, in any sport for that matter. This is especially true when it comes playoff time and the brackets are set up.

Last week, the DRL guys outscored their opponents, 156-91, perhaps not the most impressive ratio, but still, that's an average of 26-15 per game. And that's more than just decent in anybody's league.

In this week's CIF-SS polls, eight of the area's 13 teams are ranked among the top 10 teams in their respective divisions. In addition to La Serna, California and Santa Fe, they are: Schurr (No. 2, Southwest/VII), Cantwell (No. 3, Mid-Valley/XI), La Habra (No. 5, Southeast/VII), St. Paul (No. 7, Western/III) and Whittier Christian (No. 8, Northeast/XIII).

In addition to Pioneer and Whittier, La Mirada (Southwest) also received votes. The only area teams left out of the polls were El Rancho, which won its opener over Cerritos, and Montebello, winless in two games.

Which area teams has the staying power to remain in the polls?

Roger Murray: Last week - 9-3; Season - 13-3
Andrew Campa: Last week - 6-6; Season - 10-6

Two games (for some teams, only one for others) into the season doesn't
provide much additional information for prognostigators, but let's do it
anyway:

Santa Fe at Peninsula, 3 p.m. Murray (Santa Fe), Campa (Peninsula)
Has Chiefs' soph Flores earned another shot at quarterback?
Bell Gardens at El Rancho, 7 p.m. Murray (Bell Gardens), (Bell Gardens)
Visiting Lancers might bring Dons back to earth.
California at El Monte, 7 p.m. Murray (California), Campa (California)
Can Urquiza/Meza help Condors forget Grigsby?
Cantwell at Bassett, 7 p.m. Murray (Cantwell), Campa (Cantwell)
Cardinal coach Smolin returns to former school.
La Mirada at Charter Oak, 7 p.m. Murray (Charter Oak), Campa (Charter Oak)
Matadores still nowhere near their potential.
La Serna vs. Norwalk, 7 p.m. Murray (La Serna), Campa (La Serna)
Lancers vs. Lancers: Jordan makes La Serna's better.
Montebello at Rowland, 7 p.m. Murray (Rowland), Campa (Rowland)
Oilers' struggles continue.
Schurr at Downey, 7 p.m. Murray (Schurr), Campa (Schurr)
Almont League pay attention, Spartans are for real.
South El Monte at Pioneer, 7 p.m. Murray (Pioneer), Campa (South El Monte)
Titans are just getting started, and in the right direction.
South Hills at La Habra, 7 p.m. Murray (La Habra), (La Habra)
One of area's best games annually, this time Highlanders' turn.
St. Paul at Redondo Union, 7 p.m. Murray (St. Paul), Campa (St. Paul)
Swordsmen need this one to set the record straight.

Saturday's games:
Whittier vs. Verbum Dei, 7 p.m. Murray (Verbum Dei), Campa (Verbum Dei)
Host's huge losses (56-0, 71-7) give Cardinals hope, but is it enough?
Whittier Christian vs. LA Baptist, 7 p.m. Murray (WChristian), Campa (WChristian)
Heralds should be close to full strength to avenge 2006 37-34 loss.

All the area teams have at least one game under their belts now, and
Friday night's results provided some genuine surprises.
Not necessarily who won and who lost, but the manner by which the
outcomes occurred.

Warren 31, Santa Fe 7
The Chiefs fell behind early and couldn't recover, although sophomore
quarterback Alex Flores was impressive providing a late spark in driving
them to their touchdown. Other than that, at least two interested
observers commented Santa Fe appeared disorganized, and that's not the
normal mark of a Chiefs team, even if it is their first game of the
season.

Fullerton 13, La Mirada 0
Tough to compete without an offense or a defense. La Mirada showed
little semblance of either, although the close score might indicate
otherwise. Fullerton had little trouble running inside or outside
despite getting no help from the its limited passing (five attempts),
which produced just 31yards.

La Serna 51, John Glenn 7
Transfer Rudy Jordan picked up right where he left off last season's
trip with Schurr to the CIF Southeast Division championship, rushing for
181 yards and four touchdowns. QB Mike Ibarra's 6-for-9 for 60 yards
passing (no interceptions) was efficient if not spectacular in
complementing Jordan's and a stingy Lancer defense.

Pioneer 21, Ontario 7
Pioneer pushed its record to 2-0 with another complete game effort.
Trailing 7-6 at halftime, the Titans adjusted behind another heady
effort by QB Ronnie Palacios and another impressive defensive
performance.

El Rancho 17, Cerritos 6
It's too early for cries of "break up the Dons,' but it might be time to
start practicing. El Rancho's opportunistic defense came up with key
turnovers and a clutch stop late in the red zone, and QB Javier
Hernandez passed for two touchdowns. Most important, the Dons are in the
win column, ending a 13-game losing streak.

La Habra 44, Downey 21
It took an unimpressive scrimmage the week before and a sluggish first
quarter Friday night for the Highlanders' to shake the cobwebs of an
offseason. The defense returned an interception and a fumble recovery
for TDs, QB Chris Morales threw for two and RB Jason rushed for another
among his 130 yards on just 13 carries.

California 19, Rowland 6
Getting the first win is always important for a new coach, and in this
case, for the players and community which hated to see the former coach
leave. The efficiency with which the Condors played provides reason for
increased optimism for lies ahead.

Schurr 27, Burbank Burroughs 7
The Spartans' victory should lay to rest the thoughts of those who
figured the defending CIF Southeast Division champions' cupboard is bare
of replacement parts. The defense recorded two sacks, two interceptions,
blocked a punt and did not allow the Indians inside the Schurr 35-yard
line until midway through the fourth quarter.

Whittier 41, Bell Gardens 34 (2OT)
It took Cardinals a bit longer, but their tenacity makes their victory
all the more impressive. You can't coach staying power, it has to come
from within.

Whittier Christian 48, Mammoth 7
Aleks Schwerdt rushed for 178 yards on just 12 carries and scored four
touchdowns, two of them on receptions, to make the visitors' seven-hour
trip home seem a lot longer. The Heralds' offense produced 266 yards by
halftime, which might make lingering memories of last season's potent
production machine a bit more distant.

Thursday's games
Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary 65, Daniel Murphy 0
Not much can be said about a score like this. Second half was played with
running time. The implication is more on the lack of strength of the loser rather
than the strength of the winner. A great start by the Heralds, who obviously
can take advantage of available opportunities.

Northview 40, Montebello 14
Clearly a case of the youthful Oilers not being ready and needing more time.
The season is not lost, only the game.

Keeping in mind the season has only begun, and evidence for evaluations
might be skimpy, comments on the teams' accomplishments, or the lack
thereof, are encouraged from those who feel compelled to share.

Tonight's football schedule (w/Daily News picks):

Burbank Burroughs at Schurr, 7 p.m.: Roger (Schurr), Andrew ( Burroughs).
Downey at La Habra, 7 p.m.: Roger (La Habra), Andrew (La Habra ).
El Rancho vs. Cerritos, at Gahr HS, 7 p.m.: Roger (Cerritos), Andrew (Cerritos ).

Fullerton at La Mirada, 7 p.m.: Roger (La Mirada), Andrew (La Mirada ).
La Serna vs. John Glenn, at Excelsior Adult School, 7 p.m.: Roger (La
Serna), Andrew (La Serna ).
Mammoth vs. Whittier Christian, at Whittier College, 7 p.m.: Roger
(Whittier Christian), Andrew (Whittier Christian ).

Pioneer vs. Ontario, at Montclair HS, 7 p.m.: Roger (Pioneer), Andrew (Ontario ).
Rowland at California, 7 p.m.: Roger (California), Andrew (Rowland ).
Santa Fe at Warren, 7 p.m.: Roger (Santa Fe), Andrew (Santa Fe).
Whittier at Bell Gardens, 7 p.m.: Roger (Bell Gardens), Andrew (Bell Gardens ).

Agree, or disagree?

So, St. Paul should just hang up its season and call it a day.

A 33-0 loss to a team that was favored probably by even more means St.
Paul has no chance for a successful season.

All things being relative, I guess that means Michigan should not
only give up the rest of the season but end its program all together.

C'mon folks, it's one game.

I don't think Servite played as well as it can or will in the future,
but I think St. Paul had something to do with that.

I don't think St. Paul played as well as it can and will in the future,
and I think the Swordsmen had as much to do with that as did the Friars.

St. Paul's problems are fixable. Obviously it's up to those involved
to commit to fixing them, and it's reasonable to assume they will at
least try to.

With that in mind, how about not wrapping up and throwing out the
entire season because of one game, and certainly after the first one.

As Week 1 of the prep football season commences, I'm reminded of that great David Bowie and Queen rendition and which area teams head toward Friday “Under Pressure.”

Santa Fe

The Chiefs open up on the road Friday against Warren. While there has been no doubt about Santa Fe's dominance in the Del Rio League this decade, can coach Jack Mahlstede and the Chiefs thrive after losing several seniors?

Coach Jack Mahlstede

Cal-Hi

The feeling from several returning Condors at last week's practice is that their victory over Santa Fe (which was forfeited later) was legitimate. With Drew Harris, one the Del Rio League's flashiest players returning at QB, can the Condors edge the Chiefs? The Condors' 2007 quest begins at home against a tough Rowland squad.

Drew Harris hands off at practice.

Whittier Christian

The Esteban Camarillo era is over. Without a healthy Nick Camarillo for at least half a season, the Heralds are looking forward to showing that they can not only pass the ball, but win doing so.

Whittier Christian wide receiver Kyle Clark catches a pass during football practice at Whittier Christian High School in La Habra on Wednesday August 22, 2007.

La Serna

A lot of fuss swirled around the arrival of the Jordans, Joey and Rudy. With championship experience comes higher expectations. It will be interesting to see how new coach Margarito Beltran will do filling in for Ken LaVigne.

Rudy Jordan takes a handoff at a recent practice.

El Rancho

The unlucky number has reached 13. Having lost 13 straight games, the Dons' best chance to win may come this week against host Cerritos and new coach Dusan Ancich. What better way for new coach Gene Parsons to show the community that his team is for real then to start off with a win.

Josh Perea, left, and Javier Hernandez, QB's, for El Rancho High School, throw passes during practice.

Who else has something to prove?

This is your chance to sound off on the games you saw and didn't see. I, Andrew Campa, and Roger Murray checked out the St. Paul-Servite game. There certainly was plenty of excitement before the game (with a crowd of over 5,000) and plenty of questions afterward. The guy in the white shirt sure seemed perplexed during Friday night's game.

Servite 33, St. Paul 0

Here are some key stats.

Turnovers: St. Paul 3, Servite 2

Passing Yards and Attempts:
Servite 15-22, 245 yards, 2 TDs & 1 INT
St. Paul 1-12, 13 yards, 2 INTs

Rushing Yards:
Servite: 129 yards
St. Paul: 162 yards

Overall, a 17-point second quarter doomed what could have been a close game.

Here are some game stories-

Roger Murray's game story
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/preps/ci_6777137

My side bar on the game
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/preps/ci_6778494

The OC Register's take on the game
http://www.ocvarsity.com/ocvarsity/sports/football/gotw/b/article_1836962.php

David Flores needed water after spending all night chasing down Servite's DJ Shoemate.

Other Games

Norwalk 31, Montebello 6

Oilers head coach Nishil Shah said before Friday night that he liked opening the season against Norwalk because the Lancers were a straightforward, smashmouth football team. Well, after surrendering over 300 yards defensively, Shah and his team will have to recover before facing an equally tough Northview team next week. The good news is that they'll be at home again.

Here's Rudy Ramos' Game Story
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/preps/ci_6777143

Cantwell 27, Salesian 13

Several Cardinal seniors remember when this was a fierce Santa Fe League rivalry game and treated Friday night's contest with the same intensity. So far, so good for coach Pete Smolin, despite having to open the season with a home game at St. Matthias. Next up for Cantwell is Murphy on Friday.

Here's Michael Velasquez's Game Story
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/preps/ci_6777136

Daily News Game Ball

Pioneer 42, Gabrielino 6

A game ball goes to Pioneer's Ramon Juarez and Matt Botello. Sure, the Titans were playing a weak Mission Valley League foe in Gabrielino, but kudos are in order. Botello, the Titans starting tailback, scored four touchdowns as Pioneer led at one point 42-0 before Gabrielino got on the board with a mercy touchdown. So far, Botello and Tony Hernandez are living up to the preseason hype. Next up for Pioneer is a tough road contest against Ontario, which is coming off a 27-0 win over La Puente.

Here is Keith Lair's Game Story
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/preps/ci_6777138

What's your take?