If only they played ...

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I cant believe the NHL is going to risk losing one of the best players in his prime to the nHL

Perhaps some of those bloggers on here with administrative insight can weigh in on the pre-season scheduling process as well as the league allignments.

My understanding is that coaches and athletic directors set the pre-season schedule. I have no idea what approval process goes into determining the members of each league.

I think the decision for Monrovia not to play Muir or PHS comes at the local level (principal, atheltic director, maybe even district office but no higher than that).

new york;

I am assume CIF has the final say on who plays each other.

For example, why is Hoover and Keppel keep on loosing against power house schools? I think that the losing schools should play each other during non-league and maybe create a league for schools to compete each other after a 5 year drought.

new york;

I am assume CIF has the final say on who plays each other.

For example, why is Hoover and Keppel keep on loosing against power house schools? I think that the losing schools should play each other during non-league and maybe create a league for schools to compete each other after a 5 year drought.

new york;

I am assume CIF has the final say on who plays each other.

For example, why is Hoover and Keppel keep on loosing against power house schools? I think that the losing schools should play each other during non-league and maybe create a league for schools to compete each other after a 5 year drought.

'Dawg,
Do you think that the CIF currently does not allow some games?

Newyork,

I agree with you with our rivalry games. But, we could have more if CIF allowed some schools to play each more often.

Awww. The Permian Panthers. MOJO! I suppose Muir vs. PHS is our version of the Permain vs. Odessa matchup. Southpas vs. San Marino is a longstanding rivalry as well.

In New Jersey they are fanatic about archrivalries, which are always played on Thanksgiving Day.

What local rivalries, other than PHS/Muir, have been uninterupted for a substantial period of time?

How do we as fans, coaches, and parents request CIF to allow the rivalry games to take place?

In Texas, Permian HS plays Odessa HS yearly and some of those rivalries go back to the 40's & 50's. My brother resides in Miami, FL and he says that the best HS games he has witnessed in Miami between all of the high schools.

We need to place SGV on state map with regards to state potential championship teams!

Dawg

It really is too bad that the actions of a few knuckleheads prevents a couple great potential rivalry games from being played.

Where is the Olympic league volleyball all-league or any all-league info for that matter? Am I missing it or is it not listed on the PSN site?

New York;

You are right about the might stangs and the cats playing a few years ago. I need to dig into my brain to remember those 2 games..

whew!!! those were some highly speedy games huh>?

Dawg

Fred J;

I agree that 23 years is enough to let go and move on. It would be nice to see M-town play PHS!

Being in the line of work that I am in, Crime does not have a schedule, nor does it have feelings. Shootings take place all of the time.

Being pro-active and having proper security and more police officers at the games, would be great for the fans and the players. Wow, some counsins would actually play each other during an M-town & PHS game.

We need to discuss this with both cities and their police agencies.

Dawg

Regarding MUIR's greatest atheletes:

Lets NOT forget Terrell "Famous" Amos, Chad Brown, Ricky Ervins, David Potts, Mcgarathy, Saladin and all of his siblings, Moody Mashunga, Derrick Holmes, and where do I stop. I maybe a Bulldawg til death, but Muir has always HAD great talent. Will these players, NO one in SGV can compete! Not even M-town.

Dawg

Fan,
Don't knock the value of two cents, especially your own. I like the insight you bring about the Pacific League.

So who from the West SGV will win CIF next year? Do you think the Pacific should be realligned again, perhaps to the Southwest Division (Los Altos, Charter Oak, South Hills, Mayfair, Trabuco Hills)?

NY,
Good point dude. I don't even know why I brought that up because Monrovia had some stars, too. I was just throwing around my worthless 2 cents upon this subject.

gknights, I hate to differ, but I must! This year the Bulldogs would have had their hands full with the Lancers. A team that can beat TC, Monrovia, Verbum Dei and have its way with the Frontier League competition, would have beaten the Bulldogs.

Fan,
Not for nothing, but the recent Monrovia-Muir games were played after Ainsworth and Harris had graduated as well. Perhaps Monrovia caught the same cold that Muir did.

NY,
Nothing against Monrovia, but Monrovia played muir after the post- Sultan McCullough, Anthony Kelly, Ricky Crockett, and LaShaun Ward days.
Since then, Muir teams have been average in terms of talnet.

Fred,

The schools should play eachother at a site where schools kids don't have to claim turf.

For example, Monrovia v. Muir at San Marino high.

Bulldawg, you're right about the reasons Monrovia won't play Pasadena schools anymore, but isn't it about time they move past it and get these games going again?
Bloggers, what do you think? Would this still be a problem today?

'Dawg,

M-Town and Muir split a two game series about 6 years ago.

TC vs Muir

Monrovia vs Muir

La Canada vs PHS

Muir vs Arroyo

Monrovia vs Glendora

Arcadia vs La Canada

***** TC vs Orange Lutheran

TC vs Dorsey

Muir vs Dorsey

PHS vs Santa Monica

These will be great games to watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monrovia will NOT ever face PHS or Muir due to a shooting incident @ M-Town High School back in 1984. During a game vs PHS, a shooting incident took place behind the Monrovia stands and a female student was shot in the leg. Ever since this incident, Monrovia has not played against Pasadena high schools.

Dawg

Golden Bear,
La Salle has made some great progess since the last time they played PHS. The problem with asking for a game with the Bulldogs is that they have been making just as many improvements over the years. With the new fired up coaching staff and their always solid talent they would still be too much for the Lancers.

To elaborate on crazyqube's comment that a weak schedule leads a team down a "rosy path of false expectations" (very verbose!!!) I cite as an example this last season Cantwell-Sacred Heart. They started the season at 6-0, then ran into La Salle (who was 1-5 at the time) and were beaten soundly 35-7. They then lost 2 of their last three games, finished 4th out of 5 teams in the Camino Real league, and did not make the playoffs, even though they finished the season at 7-3. A tougher non-league schedule would have made them better prepared for the likes of La Salle, Verbum Dei, and Mary Star.

in 2003 La Salle played PHS and tied. in 2004, we played them and got whooped, but that year was gallagher's first year, and we were all sophmores.
I could see a Battle for Sierra Madre Blvd. it would attract alot of area hype, and strengthen La Salle's schedule. Maybe a trophy should be in order...an Axe or something gilded.
I dunno about next year's la salle team, I only played with bill and baeir (Sp?) but don't discredit them for the future, I could see a definately a good rivalry, it'd bring alot of attention to the area, just like a muir/sf game.

P Finchamp:

I totally agree with you on your theory that RHP would play a larger Temple City-esque school tough for the first half, but then succomb to the larger squad.

No disrespect intended towards anyone, but I don't understand how Maranatha fans can call for a Maranatha-La Salle match up when they are yet to beat RHP.

Finchamp, you are right about La Salle, they embodied that theory. Many times you see teams in the preseason lose to high caliber teams and you start to wonder about their capability to win.
It can hurt, but all growth takes some pain. Rio Hondo has had a quality Football program and should step up their level of competition.
There is an issue I see, where coaches and programs in the SGV are lacking and would like to discuss. There is very little participation in the different football camps that abound in the Southland by our teams.
I had the opportunity to attend some in the past. I saw many coaches taking numerous players to these camps. Coaches should take their talented athletes to showcase and develop, for instance at the Nike Combines or Pete Carroll's USC Camp. This summer, Verbum Dei had 6 players attending the USC Camp, La Salle had 1, there were no others from the SGV. Was it a coincidence they fared so well and the players level of play was optimum? What football players learn at these camps is invaluable. They get to perform at a high level and transcend their experience to their team. It raises the bar for all. There are a number of them through out the spring and summer.
I hope in the future, if there are nay coaches reading this blog that they incorporate some of these camps as a compliment to their training scheme.

Paul: I for one have not called for a La Salle v Maranatha game in the near future. Maybe a few years down the road when Maranatha has grown to a student body of over 800 and has a developed football program. What I have called out for now is we should be playing Pasadena Poly in the preseason along with you and Flintridge Prep. Maybe a preseason game against a larger school like Blair or So Pasadena would be a good gauge to see where we’re at going into league play.
We don’t need a La Salle match now, we’ve got a great rival in Rio Hondo Prep to contend with for the present.

crazyqube

This year's La Salle team is the best evidence of what you are saying. RH Prep rarely goes soft in the preseason however I hope they take Arrowhead Christian (76-0 in '06) off the schedule and replace with an El Monte, Hoover, S. Pasadena, Keppel, Blair or Glendale (just thinking out loud).

Finchamp, you are right that a robust pre season it can lead to injuries, but that is how you best sharpen the sword! A weak pre season however,leads teams down a rosy path of false expectations, not having their mettle really tested. This is specially important if you have a tough leaugue or you plan to make playoffs. You need a high caliber of opposition to gauge your team. However, you can also break your sword! A team needs good coaching and well conditioned athletes to make it work.

Okay here's your breakdown on RHP vs. Temple City. The Rams win the match-up 8 out of 10 times. It was mentioned in the blog earlier this year that RH Prep could probably play the better area teams for the first half of a game before becoming overwhelmed. A roster of 24 young men, most of whom play both ways, is too small to stay with squads that can substitute and rest players.

Coaching at TC and RHP is among the best in the area. RH Prep wins if they execute everything well and they have proven that they can do that. As evidenced this year, the Rams can simply "ram" the ball down your throat with a guy like Broadnax. RH Prep has seen the likes of Broadnax in playoffs and we had our own version a couple of years ago with Goodwell.

Most 8-2 teams are content with their performance for the year. The guys at RH Prep were not. Dare I say that two consecutive losses at RH Prep marks the longest losing streak in YEARS!!! The guys will be spending 6 weeks together this summer. Chances are that next year's team is as big as we have seen in a while and more motivated too.

Fantasy match ups provide great speculation. I am quite pleased to see RHP continue a reasonable pre-season schedule that doesn't offer a higher prospect of injury that might come with match-ups like Temple City, La Salle or Duarte. And while the fans at Maranatha keep making noise about a meeting with La Salle, I suggest they take a poll of the team and see if THEY FEEL ready for that kind of match-up.

The Battle for the Treasure of Sierra Madre would be a geat match up: La Salle vs. Pasadena HS. It would be as NY suggested a good substitution for Monrovia and/or TC. However, the tougher the pre season is, the better you will do in your League, that is why the Lancers scheduled City schools, TC and M-Town.It also brought up the level of excitement playing the local teams!
Next season the top teams in the Division will lose a lot of talent so it will be interesting to see who rises to the top.
In La Salle's case their O and D line is almost completely graduating for except one (Bil Preston). It will be very important to fill those big holes left by Quigley, Hilland and Jimenez. They bring back talent at the skill positions and have a freshman QB, that will challenge the post. They have Baeir and Palffy coming back with lots of playoff experience.
The Minutemen will have to wait to play us again, and they may not like their wish to come true. As far as I can recollect, the Lancers have always given the Minutemen a good old fashioned drubbing on the grid iron. By the way, that was the original Battle for Sierra Madre Blvd, since in hose days Maranatha was a stone's throw from La Salle. It definetely gave you bragging rights, since most of the kids on both sides of the ball had grown up knowing one another and playing against each other in the parochial football league, soccer, etc.

Lancervideo,

I am certainly not suggesting any type of shady influence regarding players transferring from West to East. However, there are definitely a handful of talented athletes who grew up in the West and end up moving or transfering to schools in the East.

I really can not speak to individual students' situations. However, James Davis grew up in Monrovia and attended Los Altos the past couple years. People on this blog have mentioned that he was there for family purposes which makes sense. I assume that the sustained success that Los Altos football has had may have made it an easier decision to attend that school versus some other versus find a way to stay in Monrovia during some less stellar years. Davis may not even be a good example.

Another example, I beleive, is Tyler Hokenhull on West Co. I think he played at Muir before. Charter Oak has had Pasadena natives in the past as well.

Aram, Fred's counterpart in the East, has referred to the schools I originally mentioned as "commuter schools." The fact of the matter is that it is easier than ever for kids to attend a high school outside of their home boundaries. If schools have sustained academic and athletic success and a track record of sending kids to college on athletic scholarships, then of course those schools become an enticing proposition.

My point, is that if our local schools solidify our programs and go head-to-head and beat Eastern schools, then perhaps our natives will see that the grass is green at home as well. Of course, this would take significant community efforts as well.

Jim M.
That would be so funny to see that game. But it just a good joke and dream, because La canada would never be so bold as to schedule a game against PHS or Muir. But on the other hand Blair did schedule a non-league game against Beverly Hills. That one still makes me scratch my head.

For me, I would love to see La Canada and Rich Wheeler play Muir and Pasadena High Schools. I would pay good money to watch Wheeler have to shake hands with both coaches after the game and say "nice job" after he got his a___ handed to him.

I would love to watch that next year especially if the games where played at Muir or Pasadena City College.

It would be so much fun to see the look on his face as he went to the bus.

Jim M.

Alhambra has a good pair of running backs for the fall. But last year They had brown on FSN as one of the top area backs and he got injured around week three and didnt come back till late. I think this past year was good for monrovia because we didnt have alot of key injuries. Even if we did as everyone knows the cats stay loaded with talent. I would have to say it would be a good game between monrovia and alhambra, I probably wouldnt have said that a year or two ago.

Lancervideo,
Thats exactly what newyork is saying. I mean Davis could have been afour year starter at monrovia, but Im sure he kney that schools on the east side of the SGV go farther than the first round of the playoffs. I think muir and monrovia and even temple city should schedule some teams on the east side of SGV.
I think that monrovia will be ok in the skilled positions, I do have concern with the line both offense and defense and the quaterback position. I would like to have Monrovia play Charter Oak again. I know the cats were destroyed both times when they played, but I think it would of been different this past season. As far as this upcoming fall season...... I'm going to go out on a limb and request to see Monrovia vs. Glendora or San Dimas

New York, you said this:
"I don't know why Muir schedules so many City teams. In addition to a game against Monrovia and St. Francis, I'd like to see Muir at least play a team from the East Valley, maybe West Co, South Hills, Los Altos or Charter Oak. Maybe those teams in the East would stop stealing our talent if teams in the West would rise up and beat them."
Just curious as to what this means. These schools are public, so are you saying that WSGV players are moving into their districts, and out of Monrovia and Pasadena?

Fred
You mentioned awhile back you were going to post the All-League Teams, are you still going to do that? I would like to see the rest of the Mission League awards. Also, when do the All-CIF awards come out?

dont sleep on monrovia, they have some good talent over there. the question is what is garrison going to do with it?

For all the saint francis and Loyola faithful out there... i believe that that rivalry will finally hit the football field again next year. Our area should try to bring as much attention to that game as the Turkey Tussle receives. This would be great for recruiting and be a showcase of the area's best talent. I'm sure most of you will agree

Arcadia v. Alhambra would be great. In the 60's Alhmabra played in the pacific league. I was told that those games were classic ones. With Arcadia being on point next year with tons of seniors and Alhambra will Brown and Smith, it would be a great match up.

I was happy that Monrovia and Arcadia renewed our rivalry. I would also like to see Monrovia regularly play Muir or PHS. We could drop Montclair from the schedule for a strong local team like Muir. Now that we are in the same division as La Salle, we should consider dropping them as well. Perhaps Arroyo wants to renew our game that was such a big rivalry in the 1960's.

I don't know why Muir schedules so many City teams. In addition to a game against Monrovia and St. Francis, I'd like to see Muir at least play a team from the East Valley, maybe West Co, South Hills, Los Altos or Charter Oak. Maybe those teams in the East would stop stealing our talent if teams in the West would rise up and beat them.

SF Alum
Like the St. Francis-Loyola matchup suggestion. I know we have a lot of area players at Loyola, so it would be nice to have them here for a game or too. I enjoyed their battles with Muir earlier this decade.

Certainly, there are a lot of intriguing matchups. This season, Monrovia could have competed with Muir or St. Francis, but next fall, I don't see how the Cats could stay with either of them. In my opinion, Muir has the best player returning in Willie Youngblood. I also like the backfield duo at Alhambra with Brown and Smith, they should be a load.
I think both Muir and PHS should each take on a Rio Hondo League opponent, or at the very least PHS should take on La Salle. We need more games that excite the area. You can still do what Monrovia, Muir and St. Francis have done. They all take on difficult nonleague opponents, like Monrovia-West Covina, Muir-Oaks Christian, and St. Francis against a handful of teams. But they should at least schedule a good local nonleague game.

this upcoming fall New York

Fred,
Is the question who would win this upcoming fall, or who would have won this past fall?

Monrovia and Alhambra played a series just a couple years back. I think Monrovia won both matchups, but we may have split. I'm not sure. Monrovia will lose a few guys this year to graduation, but we always have plenty of talent. Our challenge will be the off-season development and inseason execution. We can reload just fine if we want to.

Muir vs. St. Francis would be interesting. It would have the makings of the old Miami vs. Notre Dame matchups.

Fred-
Very thought provoking thread. I will give you one, how about SF vs. Loyola? This is a great old rivalry that is back on again every other year. Any thoughts on that game for next year? Loyola had a down year, but I am sure they will reload and be ready. Also, I heard alot about Monrovia this past year. How would SF do against them? I understand they have some very good athletes over there.

Fred: I said “Down the road in a couple of years a La Salle v Maranatha match would be classic� No, not now, we’re not there yet. We’ve got enough on our plate now with the Rio Hondo Prep matchup.

TomS, Don't know if you're ready for La Salle just yet, but I would love to see a Poly-Maranatha matchup. We need more area games. Why play a Twin Pines when a Poly game is in your backyard for the taking.

Fred: I’ve been touting a Maranatha v Pasadena Poly for the last couple of months. Someone mentioned a couple of weeks ago that it is on next years preseason schedule. This will give us the opportunity to crown, at least for now, a Pasadena area small school champion between RHP, Flintridge Prep, Pasadena Poly and Maranatha.
I like your wish for a South Pasadena game. Would be good to see how we match up against a Rio Hondo League team. We need to toughen up the preseason and drop at least Twin Pines and maybe Cal School for the Deaf.
Down the road in a couple of years a La Salle v Maranatha match would be classic.