About Clay Fowler

Clay Fowler is a Dallas native, graduated from the University of Texas and joined the Southern California News Group in 2006.

Ineligible Diamond Bar football player must be creative to get recruited this season

Getting recruited without playing varsity football isn’t exactly a common predicament for a high school junior.

Hull

Hull

That, however, is the situation in which Diamond Bar’s Antonio Hull finds himself after being declared ineligible this season due to an athletically motivated transfer.

There is no doubt that Hull, who was an impact player at running back, quarterback and defensive back as a sophomore at West Covina last season, has the talent to warrant attention from college scouts. He has already received interest from several schools, including Washington, USC and UCLA. The typical stage on which to showcase his abilities simply isn’t available to him this season.

The game film from his all-important junior year will feature Hull playing in a scrimmage or two in addition to some junior varsity games.

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Loaded Los Osos girls volleyball team receives a pair of talented transfers

Alyssa Ybanez, left, transferred from Rim of the World to Los Osos.

Alyssa Ybanez, left, transferred from Rim of the World to Los Osos.

It’s hard to imagine the Los Osos volleyball team getting much better, but that’s exactly what happened this offseason. The team that finished one win shy of the first CIF championship in school history gained two transfers, one of which helped lead her team to a CIF title last season.

Alyssa Ybanez, the 2012 Mountain Valley League offensive MVP, transferred to Los Osos along with 6-foot-1 Aquinas middle blocker Delaney Goodrich. They will join a core of players at Los Osos including the reigning Daily Bulletin Player of the Year, Cal-bound senior Ashten Smith-Gooden and Ashley Kaylor, a first team All-Valley selection last season.

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Rancho Cucamonga employing transfer QB for second consecutive season

OS24-AMATDAMIEN-WL“One and done” doesn’t quite have the same connotation in the case of Rancho Cucamonga High School football as it does college basketball. But the Cougars are incorporating a senior transfer quarterback for the second straight season courtesy of Gage Pucci’s transfer from Damien.

Adam Friederichsen, a transfer from Carlsbad La Costa Canyon prior to last season, completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,849 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions before walking on at Arizona following his lone season at Rancho Cucamonga. Pucci’s numbers in two seasons as a starter at Damien don’t measure up, but the 5-foot-11, 195-pound rising senior will be surrounded by much more talent at Rancho Cucamonga, one of the best two or three programs in the Inland Valley.

As a junior at Damien, Pucci completed 47 percent of his passes for 1,498 yards with 15 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

“He’s learning the offense, picking it up pretty well,” Rancho Cucamonga coach Nick Baiz said. “He’s a leader. He’s a tough kid. I think our biggest issue will be if we can put together an offensive line that will keep him upright.”

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Sunkist champ Summit loses transfer QB, gains transfer QB

Summit starting quarterback Jakob Jordan transferred to Eastvale Roosevelt in December, but it didn’t take the SkyHawks long to fill the void. The two-time defending Sunkist League champions will replace Jordan with Etiwanda transfer Keshon Flemmings.

Flemmings, who will be a junior in the fall, quarterbacked the Etiwanda junior varsity last season. He has turned in a great summer in passing league, according to Summit head coach Cesar Villalobos. Flemmings will certainly have plenty of talent at receiver this coming season in Washington commit Erik Brown and Jordan Washington, who has scholarship offers from Idaho and New Mexico State.

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Damien grad who walked on at USC, finished at Sacramento State, signed by Packers

Ryan McMahon, a safety who walked on at USC following his football career at Damien and played his final two years of college football at Sacramento State, was signed by the Green Bay Packers on Thursday.

Ryan McMahon USC MugMcMahon had multiple scholarship offers when he graduated Damien, but I remember the conviction in his voice five years ago when he explained to me his belief that he could play at a higher level. Apparently that attitude has carried him a long way.

He must have made an impression at the Packers’ rookie orientation camp in May, where he earned an invite to training camp. Of course, he still has a long way to go to make the 53-man roster, but I’m sure there are plenty of people who didn’t envision McMahon ever signing an NFL contract. At the very least, his look in this Sacramento State bio picture looks like something that would fit in Green Bay.

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Upland football team could have eight transfers in fall

The Upland High School football program has attracted its share of transfers over the years, but it may reach new heights this season.

If all players who have transferred from other schools since last season are approved by the CIF-SS, the Highlanders could feature at least eight new faces in the fall.

That figure doesn’t include incoming freshman receiver Nathan Tilford, who received scholarship offers from USC and Arizona State while he was still in eighth grade.

“We work really hard at what we do and if people move in for whatever reason and we’re the benefactor, then I’m happy for that,” said Upland head coach Tim Salter, who is entering his 19th year. “We’re not out there recruiting kids, but I think we have one of the best programs around.”

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Upland RB Payton ruled ineligible for 2013 due to athletically motivated transfer

San Dimas running back Jake Payton will be forced to sit out his senior season after a ruling today that his transfer to Upland was athletically motivated. The CIF-SS denied Payton’s transfer due to a violation of rule 510, according to its website.

forsaleThis is the second high profile football transfer in the Inland Valley to receive this ruling in the offseason. Payton can only hope to have more success in the appeals process than Diamond Bar transfer Antonio Hull. Originally, San Dimas planned not to challenge Payton’s transfer to Upland, but changed its tune this week.

“We had a change of heart, it’s a group decision,” Zernickow told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune on Monday. “My opinion is that you can’t say nothing if something happened.”

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Diamond Bar QB must sit 11 weeks after transfer ruled athletically motivated

Despite CIF recently easing restrictions on transfer rules, football player Antonio Hull was dealt an old school punishment today. The rising junior, whose transfer from West Covina to Diamond Bar in February was ruled athletically motivated by the CIF-Southern Section, lost his second appeal today, according to Diamond Bar football coach Ryan Maine.

Hull will not be permitted to join the team until Nov. 16, eight days after the end of the 2013 regular season. He can play on the junior varsity in the interim, but only if Diamond Bar reaches the playoffs and wins its first-round game will Hull be able to suit up this season for the varsity.

One of the rising stars last season on a West Covina team coming off consecutive CIF-SS championships, Hull split time between quarterback and running back. He would have joined a Diamond Bar offense that returns a trio of juniors including a 2,000-yard passer and two receivers, each with multiple Pac-12 scholarship offers.

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