Quarterback Warren Bryan to lead Damien football effort

Damien quarterback Warren Bryan during football practice at Damien High School in La Verne, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 08, 2017. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

The Damien Spartans will start a new season looking for a little redemption. They were 6-5 last season but dropped the last three games last season, including a first round playoff loss to Downey.

Their playoff path was made a lot harder when they blew a big lead late and lost their regular season to Etiwanda 46-42. That resulted in the Eagles getting a better draw and they indeed won their first round playoff game.

“That was a tough way to end the season,” coach Mark Paredes said. “It was too bad because we had a good season. Unfortunately you usually only remember how it ended.”

Rancho Cucamonga and Upland still loom as a formidable 1-2 punch in the Baseline League. But the Spartans could challenge, mainly because of the presence of senior quarterback Warren Bryan who will be in his fourth year as the varsity starter. He threw for 2,825 yards and 25 touchdowns last year, easily leading all Inland Valley quarterbacks.

One of his main targets returns too. That would be senior Mike McCauley who caught 53 passes for 899 yards and six touchdowns.

Perhaps the biggest task for Parades will be finding a running back that can complement the passing game. Last year’s leading rusher managed just 494 yards on the season.

Among the candidates for playing time there are sophomore Jermaine Barner, senior Brandon Correa and junior Cedric Miley with Barner and Miley also probably seeing time in the secondary.

The other good news for Bryan, his backs and everyone else is that Parades expects the offensive line to be the strength of the team this season. That unit includes junior tight end Kyle Thornton, junior guard Mark Garcia, senior guard Parker Elliot, senior tackle Evan Crockett and junior guard Anthony Carrano.

Key players on defense include senior linebacker Mason Burns and junior corner Zahran Manley. The Spartans also got a transfer in senior Jalen Davis who came over from La Salle.

How the Spartans fare may come down to defense.

“That’s my biggest concern because we’re undersized and we don’t have a lot of depth, especially in the secondary,” Pareds said.

DAMIEN SCHEDULE
Aug. 25 – At Chino
Aug. 31 – Glendora
Sept. 8 – At Claremont
Sept. 15 – Charter Oak
Sept. 22 – At Monrovia
Oct. 6 – Chino Hills
Oct. 12 – At Upland
Oct. 20 – At Los Osos
Oct. 27 – Rancho Cucamonga
Nov. 3 – Etiwanda

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Baseline League honors: Football

Offensive MVP’s – Curtis Price, Sr., Chino Hills; Dylan Thigpen, Sr., Damien; Aaron Manning, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga

Defensive MVP – William Hackenberg, Sr., Chino Hills

First team offense
QB Caleb Arreola, Sr., Chino Hills
QB Angel Matute, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga
QB Andrew Kanatsky, Sr., Etiwanda
QB Warren Bryan, Soph., Damien
RB Nathan Tilford, Jr., Upland
RB Donovan Williams, Sr., Los Osos
RB Darreyon Jones, Sr., Upland
WR Noah Gutierrez, Sr., Etiwanda
TE Tavoi Hoching, Sr., Upland
OL R.J. Stripling, Jr., Chino Hills
OL Matt Kivler, Sr., Chino Hills
OL Liam Ryan, Sr., Damien
OL Ray Matelau, Sr., Upland
OL Cohl Cabral, Sr., Los Osos
OL Nathan Thomas, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga
K Matthew Amrhein, Sr., Damien

First team defense
CB Jaylan Brown, Sr., Chino Hills
CB Cameron Record, Sr., Damien
CB Jaylon Redd, Jr., Rancho Cucamonga
S Kendall Greer, Sr., Etiwanda
LB Anthony Rosales, Sr., Chino Hills
LB Dylan Tucker, Jr., Chino Hills
LB Cole McCarty, Sr., Upland
LB Bryce Youngquist, Sr., Los Osos
LB Cameron Smith, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga
DL Grant Trueman, Jr., Chino Hills
DL Kelon Ferdinand, Sr., Upland
DL Lane Haywood, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga

Second team offense
RB Grady O’Donnell, Sr., Chino Hills
RB Kamari Pleasant, Sr., Etiwanda
WR Vos Price, Jr., Chino Hills
WR Joshua Keith, Sr., Etiwanda
WR David Farmer, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga
OL Miles Dutton, Sr., Los Osos
OL Jonah Latu, Jr., Rancho Cucamonga
OL Connor Garcelli, Jr., Chino Hills
OL Austin Evans, Sr., Damien
OL Evander Achan, Sr., Damien
OL Ratu Faupula, Sr., Upland
OL Siani Malere, Jr., Upland

Second team defense
DB Josh Zappala, Sr., Chino Hills
SS Craig Worthley, Sr., Chino Hills
SS Darrial Busby, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga
CB Thomas Graham, Jr., Rancho Cucamonga
LB Sione Piutau, Jr., Upland
LB Semisi Pahulu, Jr., Upland
LB Mikael Fakhoury, Sr., Los Osos
LB Mikey Rosales, Soph., Chino Hills
LB Nicholas Provenzano, Sr., Damien
LB Aidan Anderson, Sr., Etiwanda
DL Oscar Burgueno, Jr., Chino Hills
DL Isikeli Otuafi, Sr., Upland
DL Sosaia Sekeni, Sr., Upland
DL Mason Vega, Sr., Los Oso
DL Johnny Latu, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga

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Damien running back Dylan Thigpen chooses Idaho

Damien star running back Dylan Thigpen has made a verbal commitment to University of Idaho.

Thigpen led the Baseline League and entire West Valley Division in rushing with 1,855 yards on 260 carries (7.1 avg.). The yardage total was that much more impressive given that the Spartans offense was reliant on him. He was a first-team All-Baseline and Inland Valley selection last year as a junior.

Thigpen has not yet visited the school but plans to do so in the near future. The head coach and recruiting coordinator made a home visit this week and Thigpen liked what he heard.

“I really liked that they had family values and it was a place I could picture myself being,” Thigpen said. “I liked how they treat their athletes and the way they plan to use me in the offense.”

Thigpen also visited Nevada and had been talking to others schools such as Virginia Tech and Minnesota. He is happy to have the decision behind him so he can focus on preparation for college

“I want to work hard on getting bigger and stronger so when I get there I can compete for playing time,” he said.

Thigpen, a resident of Rancho Cucamonga, plans to major in criminal justice.

 

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Baseline League once again to be hotly contested

Non-league games are over. The race for league titles is on and again it is the Baseline League with numerous compelling match-ups looming.

Damien and Los Osos were the bottom two teams a year ago and both of those have shown much improvement over the course of the non-league season. Damien has RB Dylan Thigpen upon who they rely while the Grizzles have a couple of Division I signees in LB Bryce Youngquist (Oklahoma) and OL Cohl Cabral (Arizona State).

Los Osos has also come up on the winning end of some close games so they seem poised when it matters.

Have those teams improved enough to actually contend? They are probably going to be hard-pressed to do so but they’re god enough to pull an upset that could throw a monkey wrench into some team’s title hopes.

The top team a year ago was Upland but the Highlanders graduated a majority of their starters including nine who advanced to Division II schools. Is Upland as good as in years past? Only time will tell. But if the Highlanders are going to repeat, it will take big contributions from those who weren’t the headline performers a year ago.

Rancho Cucamonga is the team with the most returning starters with that group including quarterback Angel Matute, running back Aaron Manning and DB Jaylon Redd. The Cougars also added a top-notch DB in Thomas Graham, who has committed to USC.

Chino Hills the most formidable test for Upland a year ago and looks like it too poised to challenge. The Huskies had newcomer at QB in Caleb Arreola. He was banged up in the Huskies win two weeks ago. His backup is already out for the season, so much of the Huskies hopes hinge on his health and development.

Just where does Etiwanda fit in? The Eagles wee a disappointing fourth a year ago and they have a new and energetic coach in Kevin Davis. The got off to a tough start this season but stayed the course and have momentum going into league play. They face Upland tonight so we’ll see right away what Etiwanda is made of.

The battle for the top spot could take place the last week of the regular season when Upland and Rancho square off. But no doubt, every battle is going to be a big one.

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Damien offensive lineman Liam Ryan attracting offers

Damien High School senior Liam Ryan always thought his future was in basketball because it was the sport he played the most growing up. He only played one year of youth football.

But his sophomore year then-basketball coach Matt Dunn sat him down and told him otherwise. The popular coach, who recently moved over to St. John Bosco, told Ryan he should really think more seriously about football.

Dunn turned out to be right. While Ryan was a starter for a Damien basketball team that won a Division 3 state title earlier this spring, he was more of a role player than anything else.

Meanwhile his stock continues to rise on the gridiron. Ryan, a 6-foot-6, 270-pounder, already has nine offers and we’re still a month away from the first game.

“It really was kind of a surprise. I always thought of myself as a basketball player first,” he said. “I only played one year of Junior All-American football.”

Of course, good offensive lineman aren’t easy to find.

So far Ryan has attracted offers from Washington State, San Jose State, Sacramento State, New Mexico, Nevada, Air Force, Fresno State, San Diego State and Eastern Washington.

The first offer came from Eastern Washington in early May. The week after that he got three more.  That’s when it all sunk in.

“When I got the first it was great because it let me know things were going in the right direction. Then I got three more the next week and it was really kind of overwhelming,”

Ryan hasn’t taken any official visits yet but he is starting to look seriously at his options. He plans to visit Fresno State, San Jose State, Sacramento State and Nevada next week.

A good season this year will land him even more opportunities and with the Spartans playing in the Baseline League for the second year, there will be plenty of opportunities to be seen by higher profile schools.

The Spartans will boast one of the area’s top running backs in Dylan Thigpen so Ryan will be among those up front clearing the way for him.

“I’m really excited for this season,” he said. “I think we’re going to be better and surprise some people.”

 

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Damien looking for better showing second year in Baseline

The Baseline League is noted for tough competition top to bottom, no matter what the sport. But when it comes to football there are few better.

Damien was thrown into the mix last year. It was tough going for the Spartans who settled for fifth, finishing 4-6 overall and 1-4 in league play with that lone win coming over Los Osos.

They’re hoping for a better showing the second time around.

“We definitely learned a lot,” third-year coach Mark Paredes said. “We knew going in that all the teams were good and we had to rise to the challenge. Our guys really know now what they will be up against every week.”

Dylan Thigpen

Paredes and the Spartans do have two strong factors weighing in their favor and both are on the offensive side of the ball. Senior running back Dylan Thigpen is coming off a season that saw him rush for 1,254 yards and 12 touchdowns, which earned him first-team All-Inland Valley honors. He just got his first offer from Idaho.

Liam Ryan

The Spartans also have a couple offensive linemen returning, the most notable being senior Liam Ryan, a 6-foot-6, 270-pounder who also played center for the state championship basketball team in the spring. He has a handful of offers from eight schools including Washington State.

Paredes is also excited about the showing of senior guard Evander Achen.

Last year the veteran coach used two quarterbacks – Will Bryan and Mark Boragine. He has settled on the sophomore Bryan as the starter, with Boragine being his backup but also seeing time at wide receiver.

The Spartans also have a couple of receivers who should figure prominently in seniors Chris Gregg and Cameron Record.

The defense will be led by senior linebackers Nicholas Provenzano and Andrew Hernandez.

The defensive line is the biggest concern right now.

“We’re a lot smaller there,” he said. “That’s not to say we don’t have good players there but we’re smaller and more inexperienced.”

The Spartans open the new season on Sept. 4 against Eastvale Roosevelt, which was just 2-8 last year. The first Baseline contest will be at home on Oct. 9 against Rancho Cucamonga.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sierra League football honors

Athletes of the Year – Adam Goss, Sr., South Hills; Donavin Washington, Sr., Charter Oak; Eric Prevost, Sr., Charter Oak.
Offensive MVP – Zion Echols, Soph., Charter Oak
Defensive MVP – Trent Goens, Soph., Chino Hills

First team offense
QB Brian Meyette, Sr., Ayala
RB Kory Brown, Sr, Charter Oak
RB Brysen Charbonier, Jr., Chino Hills
RB Cecil Fleming, Sr., Claremont
RB Dylan Thigpen, Soph., Damien
OL Jordan Austin, Sr., Claremont
OL Ray Fathauer, Sr., Damien
OL Mike Green, Sr., Chino Hills
OL Alex Haston, Sr., Charter Oak
OL Dominic Johnson, Sr., South Hills
OL Tate Larson, Sr., Damien
WR Josh Dozal, Sr., Ayala
WR Chazz Eldridge, Sr., Chino Hills
WR Baron Franklin, Sr., Claremont
WR D’Angelo Ross, Sr., South Hills
WR Donovan Walker, Sr., Chino Hills
K Tristan Vizcaino, Sr., Damian
ST Tanner Carew, Sr., Damien

First team defense
DB Philip Afia, Jr., Ayala
DB Leroy Cloud, Sr., Damien
DB Carlos Delgado, Sr., South Hills
DB Chazz Eldridge, Sr., Chino Hills
DB Candy Nava, Sr., Charter Oak
LB Mason Behr, Sr., South Hills
LB Jose Bonilla, Sr., Charter Oak
LB Matt Chavez, Sr., South Hills
LB Josh Ferrer, Sr., Claremont
LB Nick Markarian, Jr., Ayala
LB Luke McKay, Jr., Chino Hills
LB Jason Ortiz, Jr., Charter Oak
LB Joe Provenzano, Sr., Damien
LB Anthony Rosales, Soph., Chino Hills
DL David Apodaca, Sr., Charter Oak
DL Khylan Brooks, Sr., Charter Oak
DL Matt Daley, Sr., Damien
DL Ryan Rodriguez, Sr., South Hills
DL Patrick Sanchez, Jr., Damien

Second team offense
QB Daniel Martinez, Sr., Chino Hills
RB Lawon Carney, Sr., South Hills
RB James Carter, Jr., Ayala
RB Craig Myers, Sr., Claremont
RB Brian Phelan, Jr., Ayala
OL Clay Garcelli, Jr., Chino Hills
OL Nico Jaffe, Sr., Claremont
OL Andrew Leadingham, Sr., South Hills
OL Parker Blakeslee, Sr., Claremont
OL Oscar Perez, Sr., Charter Oak
OL Andrew Posner, Sr., Ayala
WR Brandon Burnhem, Sr., Claremont
WR Carlos Delgado, Sr., South Hills
WR Andrew Herber, Sr., Chino Hills
WR Mackenzie Sternquist, Jr., Damien
WR Elijah Taylor, Sr., Chino Hills
K Tristan Gonzalez, Sr., South Hills

Second team defense
DB Alfonso Basurto, Sr., Ayala
DB Todd Green, Sr., Charter Oak
DB Tyrus Lineberger, Jr., Chino Hills
DB D’Angelo Ross, Sr., South Hills
DB Cameron Tyus, Sr., Claremont
LB Jacob Adams, Sr., Damien
LB Cody Darrow, Soph., Ayala
LB Stephen Schaap, Sr., Ayala
LB James Stephens, Sr., Claremont
LB Addison Whitham, Sr., Claremont
LB Conner Wilson, Soph., Chino Hills
DL Elijah Campbell, Jr., Ayala
DL Nick Carrillo, Sr., South Hills
DL Isaiah Flowers, Soph., Ayala
DL Nico Jaffe, Sr., Claremont
DL JP Lanathoua, Jr., Chino Hills

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