Del Rio League: Coaches say, "Should be interesting"
While some Del Rio League football coaches are hesitant to rank the
teams in preseason, the general implication for 2008 is the same as it
has been for more than a half dozen seasons.
1. Santa Fe
2. California
3. La Serna
4. Pioneer
5. Whittier
6. El Rancho
The only one that was pretty much consensus is Santa Fe. And that
isn't set in stone. Quarterback and receiver positions are being slightly
scrutinized, hence the obvious query concerning the Chiefs ability to
pass successfully, and perhaps exposing their vulnerability.
The Nos. 2 and 3 slots were tilted toward Cal/La Serna, but there
also was support for La Serna/Cal. And add Pioneer anxious to break into the mix.
Whittier and El Rancho can be flip-flopped, too, and both are given
credibility as having potential to finish higher, and certainly the ability to be
spoilers.
The bottom line: it's basically a toss-up. Perhaps not quite as balanced
as last season, but clearly balanced enought to keep everbody interested
and paying attention.
Watch out for whittier next year. There jv team is 8-1, ohh by the way they spanked E.R. on thurs 18-3. they have some really strong talent coming up. also i remember in the 90's ER and Whittier where the power houses. i played for whittier graduated in 94 we went to the championship that year...........Cardinals baby 09
The funny thing is no one is bragging about looking good in the 2nd half, people are mostly happy about moving the ball all over WC in the first couple of series', unfortunately they made some nice adjustments and we could not in that first half. Things look good though, we have a solid qb, a solid line, and some pretty good recievers, I cant wait till week 6.
To all ER FANS,
The only reason you looked descent in the 2nd half was bc WC put in their 2nd string players after the 3rd quarter. Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't it 32 or 33-0 at one point
Last Friday nights game “El Rancho against W.C “was a tough game for the RANCH.
The second half E.R made some good adjustments. They seem to never run out of gas.
Both offense & defense created some good opportunities; capitalize on some plays, others they came up short. Quarterback (Josh Perea) showed a Good arm & can scoot when needed. The offense (E.R) is going to score points no doubt. Player Harshbarger # 34 Big Tate I’ll never be late, is one tough kid,
Always working hard at a number of positions. I really like what I saw Friday night.
El Rancho has had strong teams in the past decade. For whatever reason, has been unable to win big games. You can call it what you want...Radio Factor, Lack of Depth, quality of the program, or circumstances.
Since 2000, here is their record in the Del Rio:
California- (3-5)
Santa Fe- (2-6)
La Serna- (3-5)
Pioneer-(6-2)
Whittier- (7-1)
Its obvious that Santa Fe has dominated the league this decade, with Cal Hi, second, with two league titles. La Serna and El Rancho have been in the middle of the bunch, with Pioneer and Whittier as the cellar dwellers. Those are the facts! Love it or leave it.
~LAP
That was a good West Covina team with an excellent running back, he could not be stopped he was huge. ER has a lot of things to work on and must improve on many things, I think we will be allright though. Good luck to the rest of the Del Rio league, its gonna be a great season.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
West Covina 36 - El Rancho 15
NICE "D" - does that not make any sense?
el rancho,
I find it hilarious that whenever ER loses it is by some divine intervention that the other team won the game. You make excuses to why you lost the game. WOW!!, but when you win on occasion you "spank" teams.
btw in 2000 you did not spank everyone I recall you barely beat a sub-par SF team in OT. So when you talked about skewed opinion or knowing anything about area football you better check yourself before you try and check anyone else.
Again you live in a fantasy world if you go 0-10 and you say your team is not a push-over lol!
and then you go on to say that both SF, Cal and LS have been better than you in the last decade so that puts you at the bottom half. Soooo...you made my point for me. You can keep beating your chest about how beat up on Pioneer and Whittier and how you "barely" lose to other better teams in the league. But your grasp on reality is slim and I strongly suggest you get a feakin clue about your talkin about. So go ahead and put your lil pink lab top away because its time to take you to bed.
Lights out.
Yo, El Rancho: Are you talking about Bret LaVier? Not familiar with Matt LaVier.
Your right it was Matt LeVier not Mitch, I am not making an excuse for losing, what I am saying is that ER has not been the pushover that some people here are claiming. Not even the 2006 0-10 team was a pushover.
Oh my El Rancho,
Wrong LeVier in 2000. Quit with the excuses, every year you lose it's one excuse after another.
It's a game where anything can happen and usually does. You win some, lose some.
el rancho will do good this year hear me out........it is very funny how you say cal hi was already looking play offs and had clinched league. open your eyes you act like if they had nothing to lose they had everything to lose "their perfect season" winning league and being able to say they actually beat everyone in league, but yet lost to a team in league that just spoils everything. in my opinion i would feel ashamed to be called league champs when i know we clearly lost to another team in that league! also i was playing in that game v.s cal hi they were throwing everything they had at us , did not score once on us. they had a chance to come back but still could not capitalize with the supposed king qb "Drew Harris" and el rancho ended the game with a pick, on that defense elrancho is returning Tate harshbarger, jefferson colindres, edwin sanchez, josh perea, marcus aldecoa, marcus galan, victor hernandez, and anthony ayala, these are all key guys returning on that defense that started in that game, good luck capatalizing on that this year. they just lost albert toscano filling in adrian sanchez, they lost thomas labrecque, Filling in brian turner. looks like defense is set to me? does that not make any sense?
but keep doubting el rancho
You obviously don't know crap about area football if you think ER has had bad teams throughout the decade. When you learn a thing or two about Del Rio league and Area football you can talk, but for now just shut up with your skewed opinion. Just because we had one really bad year we are all of a sudden a pushover. ER has not been the doormat of this league, just because of one bad season you cannot fall down that slippery slope. Heres exactly what has happened to ER in league since 2000.
2000 - 2nd place
ER blew a lead against Cal Hi after Mitch LeVier caught a bomb from Andy Gonzalez and lost the league title that night. Spanked all other league teams.
2001 - 2nd place
A thriller against SF that was lost on an incomplete pass in the red zone from Felix Esqueda to Dustin Enriquez. Unexpectedly laid an egg in week 6 against LS and then took down Whittier, Cal and Pioneer with ease.
2002 - 2nd place
Lost a tight game to SF in week 6, spanked LS, spanked Whittier, shut down Ricky Reyes and beat Pioneer on a sophomore Vince Pelayo 70 yard TD reception.
2003 - 3rd place
Lost game on the last play of the game. After Tony Hernandez threw a pick to SF's Greg Claborn Erick Bellinger went 50 yards for a TD with less than a minute to play to break up the tie and beat ER. After starting 0-2 in league absolutely spanked an undefeated 7-0 La Serna team, spanked Whittier, and spanked Pioneer to get into the playoffs.
2004 - 3rd place
ER led 14-0 and let SF catch up after AJ Toscano was absolutely eating them up and unexpectedly was taken out by Willie Reyna. Lost game in OT when SF's Diego Centeno kicked a field goal to win it. Jonathan Allen and Johnny Espinoza from ER were injured in this game. Lost next weeks game to LS after so many injuries, and spanked Pioneer, Cal Hi and Whittier.
2005 - 4th place
After SF had not been scored on all year and Angel Molina had not thrown a pick all year, ER played SF tough all game, scored 2 tds, and picked off Angel Molina 2 times. Spanked Pioneer and Whittier and lost in a thriller to a Matt LeVier led Cal Hi team. Lost to LS in week 10 when Willie Reyna had essentially thrown in the towel on the season.
2006 - 6th place
A year where ER could just not make that last push. Lost to LS in a close game where ER had a chance to tie after a recovered onside kick, but came up short at the end of the game. Lost to Whittier when attempting to tie the game from the 1 yard line with 1 second to play, ER was stopped and lost. Lost on a last second field goal to Pioneer High school. Led a Nick Grigsby led Cal Hi team for 3 quarters and lost the game by a TD in the 4th quarter. Lost to 35-0 to Santa Fe in week 10 when we had no hope or anything left after so many heart breakers.
2007 - 3rd place
Dethroned the 6 time champs in OT with a Marcus Aldecoa TD. Had a bad game against LS. Stifled Whittier with a powerful defense. Blew the Pioneer game when Doug Soriano missed a FG. Beat the leaugue champs at home 13-6 when no one game ER a chance. Should have been league champs had it not been for a missed fg.
So tell me in this decade when has ER been a pushover??? We have made the playoffs 6 out of 8 seasons. We have been the only team to give Santa Fe all they could handle during most of their 6 year title run. That is the reality of what has gone on at the ranch, you can try to refute this with your bs but it just is not going to work. No we have not been on the level of SF's program, or Cal Hi's program, maybe LS can edge us out by a close one, but Pioneer and Whittier have been the doormats of this league for the longest time, stop with the BS and look at the reality of things. Had we had Greg Setlich or Gene Parsons or Rick Zepeda since 2001 and never hired Willie Reyna, I am 100 percent sure Santa Fe would not have had 6 league titles in a row. Get educated on Del Rio league and area football and then come talk, for now stay off mommies computer.
el rancho,
Im sure everyone underestimated you last year, especially Cal in that last game. That wont happen this year, these DRL teams will not underestimate ER this year and the games will be over quick just like we are used reading about over the last decade...except of course 2000 which was your last good team.
I remember Palacios, he should have been picked off 4 times in the first half of that game before LS crumbled in the second half. There is no comparison between the two as athletes. I watched them both in football and baseball. Palacios stats were higher than Burke's because he didn't play QB in the first 3 games and still returns as LS leading rusher back from last year, Ibarra started.
The only fantasy that I lived in was the fact that I said ER would have good season last year when everyone said we would win at best 2 games. ER has a great team this season, you can say what you want but you will eat your words.
hey del rio league fan, i think you might be confused about which quarterback you are talking about, i sure you meant the titans quarterback. the one who ran and pased on the lancers in game 10 lasy year.
duh!!,
that was last year.
and el rancho. im not an anything fan. Im a football fan and i dont live in the fantasy land that you live in.
Why is everyone all wet over Santa Fe this season, they were favored last season also and still lost to ER, LS and Cal High.
el rancho,
who is wet over who???, nobody is wet over ER besides you.
When did I say we have the 2 best, I never did, I said 2 of the best, key word being "of." Reading comprehension is a beautiful thing....So now Harshbarger, Turner, Colindres, Sanchez, Galan, Aldecoa are no one on defense all of a sudden?? You are most likely a SF fan right....
I think last year the WDN ranked SF #1 as well? Nothing is going to be easy in this league but Burke allows La Serna an option that no other team has, a big athletic QB that can run or throw. This year, he doesn't have the drama of a QB contraversy that he had to face last year as the starter. If they can block at all then they can beat anyone. They are bigger and faster at the skill positions then anyone in this league. Remember LS 34 - SF 7. Turner was on that team too.
Ok you say they are bad then why is everyone so wet over them this season, contradiction man contradiction!!!
MR. MURRAY.
This pre-season is going to be a challenge in of it self. League Champs a goal for all schools, but if a school can be successful in both . The ramification could lead to a optimum seating in the playoffs. D.R.L is going to be a hard tough battle to win. Right now it looks up for grabs. Who wants it the most . I think the rest of us look to ( dethrone ) Cal . High , maybe its theirs to lose . This is going to be great season - GO RANCH!
heyyyy el rancho,
You dont have the 2 best backs in the league. You dont even have the top 3 backs. That is Turner from SF, Enriquez from Whittier and the returning Cal back (i apologize that i dont recall his name). Your lineman are descent and 1 good defensive player cannot make all the plays.
No one will underestimate ER this year and thats they will probably finish towards the bottom.
As for the pre-season rankings. (I think it would be interesting to read "el rancho" predictions and why he or she puts them there). They dont really mean much because DRL play does not start til week 6 and alot can happen...injuries, other players stepping up, middle of the year transfers (CAL). But here are mine just for fun.
1. Santa Fe- best OL and DL along with the best RB hard to stop. And dont worry about the QB he gonna be ok, he has been around the program his whole life.
2 Cal- not too many returning starters but they all always have talent, they will challenge for the title.
3. LS- Burke maybe the best QB that no one knows about
4. Pioneer- Not much there after Palacios and Botello
5. ER- Ill give them a lil respect bc they work hard and dont given, but not much talent after their SP transfers
6. Whittier- One player, enough said.
elrancho
Stop blowing your wad all over the place! You beat a bad SF team in overtime and a CAL team that had already wrapped up league and caught looking ahead of you. First CIF....and now even the coaches dont repect you!!!!!
Its amazing how El Rancho gets absolutely no respect in this league, all we did was tap both santa fe and cal highs asses last season. We return some good linemen, 2 of the best backs in the league, and one of the best defensive players in the league and yet we are picked to finish last??? What the excuse for this?? let me guess, that we graduated Javier Hernandez a mediocre at best qb who only filled the position until Perea matured. Its ok though, we are getting less respect than the almost non existent respect we got last year and in the end you were all proven wrong.