October 2011 Archives

There were those who thought Santa Fe High School football coach Jack Mahlstede was a little crazy to take on a nonleague schedule that featured one of the top teams in Arizona, and. three of the better units in the CIF-Southern Section.
But there was a reason for his madness and the Chiefs showed it
Friday night, getting 140 yards rushing and three touchdowns from Joey Davis to take a big step toward the Del Rio League title with a 23-8 victory over 2010 champ La Serna. The Chiefs can wrap up the title with wins over Pioneer and Whittier, which shocked California, 28-14. Elsewhere, La Habra coasted to a 42-7 victory over a Buena Park, which was supposed to be its toughest challenger in the Freeway League. Over at St. Paul, the Swordsmen's playoff hopes took a hit with a 21-14 loss to Serra. Now St. Paul must beat St. Francis, a 31-14 loser to Chaminade, for what should be the final playoff spot from the Mission League.
Here's a brief rundown of Friday's games:
No. 1 La Habra 42, Buena Park 7 -- The Highlanders are continuing their annual cakewalk through the Freeway League. At this point, there seems no stopping La Habra toward a fifth consecutive CIF-SS title.
Serra 21, No. 2 St. Paul 14 -- The Swordsmen's season now comes to next week's home game against St. Francis, which will decide the final playoff slot from the Mission League.
Santa Fe 23, No. 3 La Serna 8 -- Two words - Joey Davis, who rushed for a 140 yards to lead the Chiefs, who can now taste the Del Rio League title. Only Whittier and Pioneer are in the way. How far can the Chiefs go in the Souteast? I think they can go far.
Whittier 28, California 14 -- This one was a shocker, which will make a mad scramble for the final two playoff slots from the Del Rio League, where La Serna is second with one loss and El Rancho, Cal, Whittier and Pioneer all tied for third with two losses.
El Rancho 31, Pioneer 13 -- The Dons took care of business at home to stay in the playoff hunt, which will now be a mad scramble.
Schurr 27, Keppel 0 -- The Spartans stay in the playoff hunt with an expected win. Next up is rival Montebello, which should be a defensive war.
Alhambra 7, Montebello 6 -- The Oilers have one of the better defenses in the Almont, then there is Montebello's offense.

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Here is this week's area rankings:
Rankings are with previous rank and record.
1. (1) La Habra (4-3) -- The Highlanders, as expected, continue to dominate the Freeway League. Buena Park comes calling this week, but expect more of the same.
2. (2) St. Paul (6-1) -- The Swordsman rebounded from the lost to Chaminade by blitzing Cathedral. Serra and St. Francis are next and St. Paul needs at least a split to earn a playoff spot. Can they do it?
3. (3) La Serna (6-1) -- The Lancers made enough plays to hold off El Rancho last week. They'll need a better effort to slowdown hard-charging Santa Fe.
4. (5) La Mirada (4-4) -- The Mats, riding a three-game winning streak, are up to third in the Suburban. They take a week off before facing rival Mayfair next week.
5. (6) Whittier Christian (5-3) -- The Heralds, who are idle this week, showed they are a player in the Mid-Valley after beating previous No. 1 Maranatha.
Others: 6. (7) Santa Fe (3-4); 7 (4) ;California (5-2); 8. (8) El Rancho (4-3); 9. (9) Cantwell (4-3); 10. (11) Montebello (4-3); 11 (10) Schurr (1-6); 12. (13) Pioneer (1-6); 13. (12) Whittier (3-4).

This season, I will give my predictions for all the area games from week to week. Want to play? Just add your projections and keep your tally and see how you match up.
Record (season total, last week): Ramirez (52-30, 7-3).
Last Week: It was another decent week, getting victories by picking Santa Fe over California and La Serna over El Rancho. But I missed on Whittier Christian's upset over Maranatha,, Montebello's win over Bell Gardens and Pioneer breaking into the win column with a win over Whittier.
This week: It's showdown week, with the winner of Santa Fe and La Serna likely winning the Del Rio League, and La Habra most-likely facing its toughest Freeway League opponent when it hosts Buena Park. I like the Highlanders and the Chiefs to reign surpreme.
Here are this week's predictions:
WEEK 8
Friday, Oct. 28
La Serna vs. Santa Fe at Pioneer HS, 7 p.m. - Santa Fe
Buena Park at La Habra, 7 p.m. - La Habra
Serra at St. Paul, 7:30 p.m. - Serra
Whittier at California, 7 p.m. - California
Alhambra at Montebello, 7 p.m. - Alhambra
Pioneer at El Rancho, 7 p.m. - El Rancho
Schurr at Keppel, 7 p.m. Schurr
Saturday, Oct. 29
Cantwell-Sacred Heart at Bosco Tech, 1:30 p.m - Cantwell

Above: Joey Davis and Santa Fe were off and running in beating California, 31-10. (Staff photo by Keith Durflinger)

Another big night for area teams, with the highlight being Santa Fe blitzing California, 31-10, and La Serna holding off El Rancho, 31-28, to set up a battle for Del Rio League supremacy next week. The other big win Friday was Whittier Christian upsetting previous Mid-Valley No. 1 Maranatha, 24-21. La Habra, St. Paul and La Mirada all had big wins.

Here's a brief recap of tonight's games:
No. 1 La Habra 49, Fullerton 10 -- The Highlanders, getting three touchdowns from Brett Bartolone and 13 tackles from Aaron Porter, rolled the Indians. Anyone getting the idea that La Habra might not lose again?
No. 2. St. Paul 38, Cathedral 0 -- The Swordsmen, getting 263 yards passing and three scores from quarterback Paul Telles, needed this win and they got it with ease. Now it gets difficult with games against Serra, St. Francis and Harvard-Westlake, two of which are at home.
No. 3 La Serna 31, El Rancho 28 -- The Lancers did their part to set-up next week's showdown with Santa Fe, bu it wasn't easy. The Dons died hard, driving inside La Serna territory late before Justin Ballesteros intercepted a Joe Sanchez pass to seal it.
Santa Fe 31, No. 4 California 10 -- Four words: Joey Davis and Christian Mahlstede. Both seniors buried the Condors in an avalanche of big plays to sink Cal. Davis had 226 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns, while Mahlstede finished with 156 yards receiving, making three acrobatic catches.
No. 5 La Mirada 59, Cerritos 0 -- The Mats scored their third consecutive blow-out win against another Suburban League cellar dweller. QB Gerry Myres threw for 108 yards and two TDs and Johnny Hills rushed for 103 and two scores to lead La Mirada, which has a bye before closing the season with Mayfair and Norwalk.
Whittier Christian 24, Maranatha 21 -- Who's No. 1 in the Mid-Valley now? It won't be the host Minutemen, who were blitzed by the Heralds. The win puts Whittier Christian in the discussion for the division title.
Pioneer 20, Whittier 7 -- The Titans, who rushed for 200 yards, scored their first win of the season and kept their slim playoff hopes alive.
Montebello 33, Bell Gardens 21 -- The Oilers, who have been led by their defense, finally showed some offensive bunch in defeating the Lancers. Marcus Portillo rushed for 208 yards and three scores to lead Montebello.
Cantwell 49, Mary Star 0 -- The Cardinals shot down the Stars to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. Corey Collins rushed for 182 yards and three TDs.

(SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz)

By Steve Ramirez
MONTEBELLO -- It wasn't pretty, but Alhambra coach Lou Torres isn't about to give it back.
Not when his Moors are in first place and undefeated in the Almont League.
Sebastian Espinosa returned a blocked field goal 65 yards for a touchdown and visiting Alhambra held Schurr to 82 yards to lead the Moors to an 18-8 victory Thursday over the Spartans in an Almont League game.
Alhambra, also getting a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Joshua Mendoza, improved to 6-1 and 2-0 in league. Schurr, which got a 1-yard touchdown run from Bradley Powell, slipped to 1-6 and 1-1.
"We knew it would be a defensive game," Torres said. "We were like heavyweights. We just kept punching."

I just received word that Whittier High School's homecoming football game against Pioneer will be Friday at 7 p.m. at Whittier College. I didn't want to confuse anyone who was hoping to attend.

Staff photo by Leo Jarzomb

Each week I will rank all 13 area football teams. Here is this week's rankings (which include previous rank and record):

1. (2) La Habra (3-3) -- The Highlanders move to the top spot, mainly as a result of St. Paul falling to Chaminade, but it's also tough not to reward a team for a 39-0 victory in which it yielded just three first downs.
2. (1) St. Paul (5-1) -- The Swordsmen drop a spot after a 31-6 loss to Chaminade that saw St. Paul gain 295 yards, but get just six points on four trips into the red zone.
3. (4) La Serna (5-1) -- The Lancers move up to No. 3 after steamrolling Whittier. This team continues to look like it can win another Del Rio League title.
4. (3) California (5-1) -- Cal, which continues to play solid defense, was a bit sluggish in a 17-7 win over Pioneer. It will need to be more fine-tuned against preseason league favorite Santa Fe this week.
5. (6) La Mirada (3-4) -- Back-to-back routs have the Mats back in the top five. Truthfully, this is a team that has played better than its record, with two of the losses coming to the top two teams in the area. All four losses have come to teams ranked in their respective divisions.
Others: 6. (8) Whittier Christian (4-3); 7. (9) Santa Fe (2-4); 8. (7) El Rancho (4-2); 9. (5) Cantwell (3-3); 10. (13) Schurr (1-5); 11. (10) Montebello (3-3); 12. (11) Whittier (3-3);
13. (12) Pioneer (0-6).

Above: St. Paul football players David Cabral, left, and Tyler Carrillo are the third and fourth members of their families to be impact players for the Swordsmen. (Keith Durflinger / Staff Photographer )

By Steve Ramirez
SANTA FE SPRINGS -- David Cabral and Tyler Carrillo are St. Paul High School legacies.
The seniors are the latest in the line of their respective families who have not only played football for the Swordsmen but excelled while doing it.
Cabral, the team's fullback, is the fourth Cabral to put on the Blue and White, joined by his father, Lou, who is also an assistant coach, and brothers Nick and Louie.
Carrillo, who starts at tight end, is living up to the tradition of brothers Andrew and Matthew, who also played tight end. Matthew Carrillo also played at Mt. San Antonio College and Old Dominion.
"It's a great feeling," said Carrillo, who figures to be a key player for the Swordsmen when they host Cathedral in their annual homecoming game at 7:30 p.m. Friday. "I can't really describe it. I used to watch my older brothers play, and now it's my turn.
"I was the ball boy, and can remember watching them play. They are the reason I wanted to come here."
Cabral would also like to become the fourth member of his family to play for a CIF-Southern Section title.
His father helped win the Big Five Conference title in 1981, with brothers Nick and Louie playing in divisional title games, respectively, in 1998 and 2007. Louie helped St. Paul secure its last CIF-SS title, the Swordsmen beating Palmdale for the Western Division championship.
"I just want to keep that tradition going," Cabral said. "I remember coming here and wondering, `How am I going to be playing with guys that are so big?' But when I got here, they taught me how to just play football and not be scared, no matter how big, how fast, these guys are, and that's what I'm doing."

There will be a lot at stake when the Whittier Christian High School football team travels to Maranatha for a 7 p.m. Olympic League game Friday.
Both teams are ranked among the top 10 in the CIF- Southern Section Mid-Valley Division, and the winner will take a step forward toward the league title.
Pride, though, will also be on the line for coaches Sergio Gradilla of the Heralds and the Minutemen's Peter Karavedas, who was an assistant at Whittier Christian last season.
"We've talked about this since he got the job," Gradilla said. "Now, it's here. I don't think it makes it more difficult (knowing one another). It's going to come down to which team can step up and execute."

This season, I will give my predictions for all the area games from week to week. Want to play? Just add your projections and keep your tally and see how you match up.
Record (season total, last week): Ramirez (45-23, 7-3).
Last Week: It was a decent week, getting victories with Chaminade over St. Paul and Santa Fe over El Rancho. I missed on Schurr getting its first win against Bell Gardens; Montebello losing to San Gabriel and Cantwell losing to Bishop Montgomery.
This week: It's another big week in the Del Rio League, with Santa Fe hosting California for first place. I'm going with the Chiefs in what should be a close game. I also like La Serna to put El Rancho in an 0-2 hole, while St. Paul should rebound against Cathedral.
Here are this week's predictions:
WEEK 7
Thursday, Oct. 20
Pioneer vs. Whittier at California HS, 7 p.m. - Whittier
Friday, Oct. 21
El Rancho vs. La Serna at California HS, 7 p.m. - La Serna
California vs. Santa Fe at Pioneer HS, 7 p.m. - Santa Fe
Cathedral at St. Paul, 7:30 p.m. - St. Paul
Alhambra at Schurr, 7 p.m. - Alhambra
Montebello at Bell Gardens, 7 p.m. - Bell Gardens
Cantwell-Sacred Heart at Mary Star of the Sea, 7 p.m. - Cantwell
La Habra at Fullerton, 7 p.m. - La Habra
Whittier Christian at Maranatha, 7 p.m. - Maranatha
Cerritos at La Mirada, 7 p.m. - La Mirada

Well, we should have a new No. 1 in the area, after St. Paul dropped a 31-6 setback at Chaminade and La Habra returned to form with a 39-0 win over Sunny Hills. We also Santa Fe strut its stuff in a 39-21 win over El Rancho. And how about Schurr, which may have been 0-5 in nonleague play, but they are 1-0 in the Almont League.
Here's a brief recap of Friday's Games:
Chaminade 31, No. 1 St. Paul 6 -- The host Eagles turned the Swordsmen as blue as their field, although this one was a bit closer than the score. The Swordsmen had 295 yards, but only got two fields goals on four drives inside the Eagles' 20. But overall, it was just too much Logan Scott, who threw for 197 yards and three TDs, and running back Terrell Newby, who had 180 yards rushing with one TD.
No. 2 La Habra 39, Sunny Hills 0 -- Nothing like a return to Freeway League play to bring the Highlanders back to form. Sean Sparling threw for 175 yards and two TDs to lead La Habra, which should be back atop the area ratings next week.
No. 3 California 17, Pioneer 7 -- Gabriel Lozano rushed for 151 yards, including a 70-yard TD run and the Condors set up an early-league showdown against Santa Fe next week with a victory over the Titans, who are now 0-6.
No. 4 La Serna 35, Whittier 6 -- OJ Medina rushed for 155 yards and three touchdowns and the Lancers showed they will battle to keep the title they won last season. Whittier lost its third consecutive game after starting 3-0.
Bishop Montgomery 24, No. 5 Cantwell Sacred Heart 21 -- Didn't see this coming, especially after the Cardinals looked efficient in last week's 45-21 win over Whittier Christian. But Cantwell, tying it with five minutes left, made a nice rally before being done in by Jonathan Kim's 20-yard field goal with nine seconds left.
Santa Fe 39, El Rancho 21 -- So much for how being outscored 151-0 in three games would effect the Chiefs' psyche. Coach Jack Mahlstede said his team would be ready to rock-n-roll by league, and Santa Fe proved it with an 18-point win. The Chiefs got two interceptions in the fourth quarter, one for a TD by Marcos Gomez to improve to 2-4 and 1-0. They now prepare for Cal, which will be one piece of the Del Rio League elimination tournament.
Schurr 7, Bell Gardens 0 -- How 'bout the Spartans? Schurr, ,after struggling in nonleague play are now tied for first in the Almont League. Bradley Powell's 47-yard jaunt in the first quarter was the only score.
San Gabriel 48, Montebello 17 -- Three weeks ago, the Oilers, aftr starting 2-0 and challenging Arroyo before losing on a late TD, looked like Mid-Valley contenders. But they are now 0-4 after being blitzed by the Mats.
La Mirada 55, Glenn 27 -- A nice victory for the Mats, who after opening the Suburban League with a loss to Bellflower, need to keep on winning. Andy Gramajo was big tonight, rushing for two TDs.
Whittier Christian 54, L.A. Baptist 0 -- The Heralds took care of business Friday. Next up is a trip to Mid-Valley No. 1 Maranatha, which also adds intrigue with Minutemen coach Peter Karavedas being a former Whittier Christian assistant. Ryan Morales led the Heralds with three TDs on Friday.

How good is the St. Paul High School football team?
The Swordsmen, who have opened the 2011 season with five consecutive victories, are about to find out.
St. Paul, ranked No. 1 in the CIF-Southern Section Western Division, begins Mission League play Friday when it travels to No. 2 Chaminade, which is 4-1 and coming off arguably the biggest victory in its history.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in West Hills.
"This one really counts," St. Paul coach Marijon Ancich said. "They compete against some of the best teams in Southern California. They are really athletic and fast.
"The only headache is, can we get everyone ready to go?"

By Steve Ramirez
The book on California is to stop the Condors' vaunted running game, which has accumulated 1,311 yards and 12 touchdowns in five games.
But the Condors, who open Del Rio League play at Pioneer at 7 p.m. Friday, can also take to the air, which was evident last week when Drew Castro completed 5 of 5 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-7 victory over Montebello.
"The thing is when guys come up and play run, the play action is there for us," California coach Jim Arnold said. "Drew was 5 for 5, but two touchdowns - I'll take that any day."

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Any of the SGVN prep sports blogs.
Who: Bishop Amat assistant coaches Daylon McCutcheon and Rodney Sermons AND THREE SURPRISE GUESTS!

Here's this week's Whittier Daily News Elite 13 football rankings, which as St. Paul at the top for the second consecutive week:
Note: Rankings include rank, last week's ranking and record.
1. (1) St. Paul (5-0) -- How good are the Swordsmen? We get a better barometer this week when they open up Mission League play with a trip to Chaminade in a battle of the top two teams in the CIF-SS Western Division. St. Paul has won its five against teams that are a combined 6-22.
2. (2) La Habra (2-3) -- The Highlanders should be well rested after one of their worst efforts in recent years -- a 41-6 loss to St. John Bosco. I don't expect them to lose for a while, especially in Freeway League play, which begins Friday against Sunny Hills.
3. (4) California (4-1) -- The Condors, with a defense that has yielded just 56 points in 5 games, might be the frontrunner in the Del Rio League title chase. They get Pioneer this week before facing Santa Fe next week at Pioneer High School in what might be a championship decider.
4. (5) La Serna (4-1) -- Don't sleep on the Lancers, who will definitely be in the mix with running back OJ Medina and linebacker Craig Jones leading the defense.
5. (6) Cantwell (3-2) -- The Cardinals had their best offensive production of the season in a 45-21 victory over Whittier Christian last week. They will need it in the coming weeks as they get into the meat of their Del Rey League schedule.
Others: 6. (7) La Mirada (2-4), 7. (8) El Rancho (4-1), 8. (3) Whittier Christian (3-3), 9. (9) Santa Fe (1-4). 10. (10) Montebello (2-3), 11. (11) Whittier (3-2), 12. (12) Pioneer (0-5), 13. (13) Schurr (0-5).

This season, I will give my predictions for all the area games from week to week. Want to play? Just add your projections and keep your tally and see how you match up.
Record (season total, last week): Ramirez (38-20, 6-1).
Last Week: I had my best week of the season, with my lone setback going for Whittier, which was hammered by Salesian.
This week: The week is highlighed by the game of the week in the CIF-SS Western Division with No. 1 St. Paul visiting No. 2 Chaminade, plus the opening of Del Rio League play. The Swordsmen are 5-0 for the first time in recent memory, but Chaminade is coming a monster 36-32 victory over rival Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. I'm going against the local, and picking Chaminade, which will be a home and has a bigger signature win than the Swordsmen. The first week of Del Rio League play features league favorite Santa Fe calling on El Rancho. As good as El Rancho (4-1) has played and as bad as the Chiefs (1-4) have played, it's hard to pick against Jack Mahlstede's boys, so I won't. Chiefs in a close one. I also like La Serna over Whittier and CalHi over Pioneer.
This week's predictions
St. Paul at Chaminade, 7:30 p.m. - Chaminade
Santa Fe at El Rancho, 7 p.m. - Santa Fe
Whittier vs. La Serna at California, 7 p.m. - La Serna
California at Pioneer, 7 p.m. - California
Bishop Montgomery at Cantwell-Sacred Heart, 7 p.m. - Cantwell
La Habra vs. Sunny Hills at Buena Park, 7 p.m. - La Habra
Los Angeles Baptist vs. Whittier Christian at Whittier College, 7
p.m. - Whittier Christian
Bell Gardens at Schurr, 7 p.m. - Bell Gardens
Montebello at San Gabriel, 7 p.m. - Montebello
La Mirada vs. Glenn at Excelsior Adult School, 7 p.m. - La Mirada

What have we learned from week 6? That California is very good. The Condors, who started 0-5 start last season, dominated Montebello, which after a once promising start has dropped three consecutive games. Also around the area, St. Paul stayed unbeaten with a 28-6 win over Schurr, and how about Cantwell rolling over Whittier Christian.

Here's Friday night's recap:
No. 1 St. Paul 28, Schurr 6 -- This sets up No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle in the Western Division next week when the Swordsmen travel to Chaminade, which beat Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks Friday. St. Paul, without its three top running backs, got 135 yards passing and three TDs from QB Paul Telles.
Cantwell 45, No. 3 Whittier Christian 21 -- Who woke up the Cardinals? Cantwell finally put a complete game together. All-everything Corey Collins accounted for four TDs, rushing for 137 and three and also throwing a 46-yard score to Adam Aguirre.
No. 4 California 28, Montebello 7 -- You can put the Condors in the Del Rio League title-chase talk after they totally dominated Montebello, which was held to 138 yards, 54 of which came on one TD pass. The Oilers were held to 15 yards rushing. Drew Castro threw two TDs and Gabriel Lozano rushed for 100 and a TD.
La Mirada 42, Artesia 0 -- No surprise here as the Mats rolled easy to improve to 2-4 and 1-1 in the Suburban League. Kevin Dillman passed for two first-half TDs and ran for a third as La Mirada led 21-0.
El Rancho 35, Fontana 0 -- The Dons, getting 160 yards rushing and two first-half TDs from Josh Lopez cruised. They open up league play vs. Santa Fe next week.
Salesian 41, Whittier 6 -- Suddenly the Cardinals have a two-game losing streak after being overwhelmed by the Mustangs.
Rancho Alamitos 23, Pioneer 7 -- The Titans are still in search of their first win.

Here's this week's Whittier Daily News Elite 13 football rankings, and we have a new school on top of the leaderboard:

Area Football Rankings
Rankings with previous rank, school and record:
1. (2) St. Paul (4-0) -- OK, Swordsmen you have convinced me. You have earned the top spot by deed, following up a big win over Garfield, with a win over Ayala. St. Paul, the area's only undefeated team, should stay here for at least a week with a game against Schurr this week. But then it gets tricky. The Swordsmen open Mission League play next week against Chaminade, which could pit the Westen Divisions top two teams.
2. (1) La Habra (2-3) -- La Habra finally ran out of gas. The Highlanders, after going toe-to-toe against Pac-5 Division heavyweights Servite and Orange Lutheran were no match for St. John Bosco, which rolled the Highlanders, 41-6. They're idle before opening Freeway League play next week.
3. (3) Whittier Christian (3-2) -- The Heralds, who advanced to the Mid-Valley League finals last season, appear to be rolling into form, scoring their second consecutive win last week. They get a challenge against Cantwell this week. But the passing of Daniel Chacon with a the 1-2 running back punch of Johnathan Marquez and Ryan Morales is tough to beat.
4. (4) California (3-1) -- These Condors like to stay on the ground, but no one has guarded the nest better, giving up just 49 points in four games. They get a good test against Montebello on Friday.
5. (6) La Serna (4-1) -- The Lancers take a week off after enjoying a solid nonleague season. Can they win the Del Rio League again? Cal, El Rancho and Santa Fe will have something to say about that, but they will definitely be in the running again.
Others: 6. (8) Cantwell (2-2), 7. (5) La Mirada (1-4), 8. (9) El Rancho (3-1), 9. (7) Santa Fe (1-4), 10. (11) Montebello (2-2), 11. (10) Whittier (3-1), 12. (12) Pioneer (0-4), 13. (13) Schurr (0-4).

MONTEBELLO - When it came to figuring out how to defend the Cantwell Sacred Heart football team this season, the focal point by opposing defenses usually centered on how to stop senior Adam Aguirre.
Corey Collins was an afterthought.
He's not anymore.
Collins, by deed, now has everyone's attention, stepping up to become one of the top go-to receivers in the area.
"With all eyes on Adam, it was going to be set up for him," said Cantwell coach Kip Taylor, whose Cardinals are 2-2 heading into a small-school showdown against Whittier Christian on Friday night at Whittier College. "He's turned out to be a great asset for the team.
"A lot of teams were (scheming) for Adam and leaving Corey alone. Now they are finding out, `Hey, we have to guard No. 1 now.' He's having a great year."
You can read the rest of the story about Collins here

St. Paul High School's Paul Echeverria was expected to be the Swordsmen's money back this season.
He was the guy who figured to get the tough yards in short-yardage situations and around the goal line.
But because of injuries, he's proven to be a more valuable commodity, becoming a key cog for St. Paul, which has started the season 4-0 and is ranked No. 1 in the CIF-Southern Section Western Division.
"He's just a tough kid," said St. Paul coach Marijon Ancich, who is in his final season after more than 30 years and three stints at the school. "He goes right after people."
You can read more about Echeverria, and a notebook item about California's 3-1 start by clicking here.

This season, our high school football columnist Aram Tolegian and I will go to head-to-head in giving our predictions for all the area games from week to week. Want to play? Just add your projections and keep your tally and see how you match up.
Records (season total, last week): Ramirez (32-19, 7-3); Tolegian (35-16, 7-3).
Last Week: It was an even-Steven week. Aram got me by correctly picking St. John Bosco over La Habra and Paramount over Whittier, but I rallied by with predictions of Whittier Christian over Salesian and Huntington Park over Pioneer.
This week: We have some nice cross-area matchups, highlighted by California traveling to Montebello and a small-school battle between Whittier Christian and Cantwell Sacred Heart at Whittier College. I like the road team in both.
Aram will provide his picks later.

California at Montebello, 7 p.m. - Ramirez (California); Tolegian ()
Whittier Christian vs. Cantwell-Sacred Heart at Whittier College, 7
p.m. - Ramirez (Cantwell); Tolegian ()
St. Paul at Schurr, 7 p.m. - Ramirez (SPaul); Tolegian ()
Artesia at La Mirada, 7 p.m. - Ramirez (La Mirada); Tolegian ()
El Rancho at Fontana, 7 p.m. - Ramirez (El Rancho); Tolegian ()
Rancho Alamitos at Pioneer, 7 p.m. - Ramirez (Rancho Alamitos) ; Tolegian ()
Salesian vs. Whittier at California, 7 p.m. - Ramirez (Whittier); Tolegian ()