July 2007 Archives

It was announced today that Tribune prep sports editor Aram Tolegian has accepted a position with Fox Sports, leaving a big hole in the East San Gabriel Valley. As most of you know, Aram was the first to start the prep sports blog for the San Gabriel Valley newspaper group, and his passion and witty comments created the biggest high school following in California. He is going to be sorely missed, but fortunately his passion has rubbed off on all of us. As a result, I have been asked to become the Prep Sports Editor for the Tribune, ending my five years at the Pasadena Star-News. Scott Galetti, who has done a great job since joining our Star-News staff last winter, is the new Star-News prep editor, so welcome him with open arms. He's a great guy and works his butt off. In the coming days, the blogs will change hands to reflect the new roles, so I would like to thank all of you who made my first blog experience a memorable one. I'm going to miss the Star-News area teams, the coaches, and all our bloggers, but I won't be far away. Our papers work closely together, so we'll see each other from time to time. And of course, you'll be hearing from me on Scott's blog, and I hope that you will join me in our discussions at the Tribune.
This all happened so quick, and with a vacation to Hawaii starting on Wednesday, I'll just say Aloha, and thanks for the memories.

A special thanks to Scott Galetti for covering several passing leagues over the summer while I was on vacation. It's not the best assigmment to be out three and four hours in the grueling heat covering passing tournaments, but he did a tremendous job providing you with a sneak preview for the fall.
And speaking of sneak previews, give me your preseason top ten. This is obviously not a finalized list, but this is the unofficial TOP TEN I'm leaning toward.

1. St. Francis - They always seem to start the season on top, and why not, there isn't another local team capable of beating them. Only a sophomore, will there be a better wide receiver than Dietrich Riley?

2. Muir - I've heard great things about the Mustangs over the summer, and if running back Willie Youngblood is healthy and they find a capable quarterback, I like the Stangs to take back the Pacific League title.

3. Arcadia - I have that much faith in new quarterback Kevan Walker, and Eric Willm is another great returner at wide receiver/defensive back. They also have Troy Ahmaz in the backfield and as many as 12 returning starters.

4. Alhambra - Some might think this is too high a ranking, but you have to love the backfield duo of Shawn Smith and Anthony Brown from a team that went 7-4-1 last season. They also defeated eventual CIF champion Schurr in league action, so who knows, maybe Ruedaflores will go out with a bang.

5. Monrovia - Once again, the consensus Rio Hondo League favorites. There is still a lot to sort out in terms of starters at the impact positions, but the Wildcats have the weapons to be dangerous once again. What coach Steve Garrison admired about La Salle last season was how great its team camaraderie was. The question is, will the Wildcats be all about TEAM. Or will a few knuckleheads mess up the chemistry?

6. Pasadena - Whether you're for or against him, coach Kevin Mills is back after several off-season distractions, and he may have the best quarterback-receiver combination in Tyron Crockom and little-man Michael Harrison. On paper, this IS the best Bulldogs team in over a decade. The Bulldogs aren't just talking about making the playoffs, they're thinking Pacific League title, which is a bit of a stretch.

7. Temple City -- After Sushi Tsai and Dwight Broadnax, who knows, maybe the 6-foot-2, 230 pound Williams Do will be the best of all. In any case, coach Backus has the tough task of replacing Mike Mooney.

8. La Salle - The Lancers are a tough team to rank after losing so many quality starters. But after an appearance in the MId-Valley Division championship and wins over Monrovia and Temple City, let's give them the benefit of the doubt. The Lancers are seriously considering sophomore quarterback Chase Rettig, and Michael Palffy is a quality wideout.

9. Rosemead - Coming off a 5-6 season after going 10-1 in 2005, coach Matt Koffler has a more experienced group returning in 2007. Don't expect Koff to go through another .500 season, and he has a capable pair of quarterbacks ready to challenge for a Mission Valley League title.

10. Maranatha - Minutemen fans might feel snubbed by this, but I'd like to see them beat Rio Hondo Prep before they move up on this list. They proved they're one of the best teams in their division, but have yet to prove they belong with the area's best. They have a veteran group returning, so the expectations are higher than ever.

Staff writer Scott Galetti continues to visit the various training camps throughout the summer.

Question: Who will be the top running back this season?

Above: Alhambra's Anthony Brown has the talent to light up opposing defenses.

Anthony Brown (Alhambra).
Collected 1,058 yards and 15 touchdowns in nine games in 2006. Is expected to be the Moors go-to guy this season.

Willie Youngblood (Muir).
Is expected to once again be the workhorse for the Mustangs after rushing for 1,439 yards and 13 touchdowns a year ago.

Will Do (Temple City).
Has size and the power to run through people. Had 366 yards and four touchdowns a year ago.

Mark Love, (Maranatha).
Led the Minutemen on the ground with 1,659 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2006.

Paul Wilson and Tra Sumler, (Rosemead).
Wilson was the Panthers' ground leader in 2006 with 1,016 yards and six touchdowns, while Sumler showed shades of what he's capable of with 304 yards and two TDs.

Summer is barely a month old, but many area teams are preparing for the 2007 football season. Some have questions at the quarterback spot, while others have their starter set.
Staff writer Scott Galetti continues to visit the various training camps throughout the summer.

Question: Who will shine as signal caller in 2007?

Above: Gabrielino High School's Anthony Zuniga, who will only be a junior this fall, rolls outside the pocket.

Matt Haggard (Monrovia).
Haggard, who led the Wildcats' JV team to a league title last year, is being groomed as this year's starter and the man to replace the departed David Potts. Freshman Josiah Thropay is going to be a player to watch in the future.

Tyron Crockom (Pasadena).
The senior has looked impressive during summer passing league and tournament season.

Kevan Walker (Arcadia).
The Apaches' leading wide receiver last season, Walker has been impressive during the summer.

Sebastian Orozco and Morgan Hatch (Temple City).
According to new Rams coach Randy Backus, both throw the ball extremely well and don't make mistakes.

Steve Cuellar or Anthony Zuniga, (Gabrielino).
The Eagles don't throw the ball a lot, but Cuellar and Zuniga appear ready to battle it out in 2007. If the younger Zuniga is anything like his brother Paul, The Eagles are in good shape!

Sophomore Chase Rettig and Ryan Doeppel (La Salle).
Both players could are capable of stepping in for the Lancers. Rettig threw a pair of 40-yard touchdown passes on Thursday in a three-way scrimmage with La Salle and South Pasadena.

Jonathan Troast, (South Pasadena).
The 6-foot-1 senior has a strong arm and is solid in the pocket.

Ammere Owens and Ruben Thomas, (Muir).
According to Muir coach Ken Howard, both players are in a dogfight for the starting position.
A kid to watch out for in the future is freshman Dennis Rufus. He was extremely sharp in a 24-16 win against Hart at the Claremont tournament. Unfortunately, it's not certain on whether he will be able to play on varsity before his sophomore season because he's not even 15 yet.

Michael Varela, Isac Valdez, (San Gabriel).
Matadors have a spirited fight going on for the starting spot.

East wins 28th annual Hall of Fame game at Bassett High School, scoring on a third-quarter safety to pull out a 14-13 win. It was their sixth straight victory to take a 17-9-2 lead in series.


Above: La Canada's Lavelle Peterson rushed for 116 yards on 13 carries.

The East entered Friday’s 28th annual Hall of Fame game at Bassett high school with a five game winning streak — having won four of its five by less than a touchdown.
In front an animated crowd of more than 3,000, the East found a way to pull it out again, scoring their winning points on a safety with 9:55 left in the third quarter, then held on for a 14-13 win.
Monrovia kicker/punter Sean Kelley, who had a ball snapped over his head in the first quarter that led to an East touchdown, and had a 37-yard field goal attempt blocked in the second quarter because of a bad snap, couldn’t do anything with the third-quarter snap that led to the safety as it skidded through the back of the end zone.
“I haven’t had that many bad snaps in the whole season,” Kelley mumbled to himself.

... Lavelle Peterson had nine carries for 93 yards in the first half, and finished with 13 carries for 116 yards to lead all rushers. The Utah-bound running back was arguably the player of the game.
... Muir's Lance Mitchell had three interceptions, and Duarte's Jermaine Thomas had an interception and returned a fumble 78-yards for a touchdown.
... Covina quarterback Mike McDonough had two interceptions and fumbled twice, but he was still the West's player of the game, rushing for 111 yards and scoring on a two-yard run.

Above: Covina's Mike McDonough coughing up one of his two fumbles.

HALL OF FAME BOX
East 6 6 2 0 -- 14
West 7 6 0 0 --13
East: Jon Joe 4 pass from Mark Mendrum (kick failed)
West: Lavelle Peterson 3 run (Sean Kelley kick)
East: Mike McDonough 2 run (pass failed)
West: Jermaine Thomas 78 fumble return (run failed)
East: Safety.

BONUS COVERAGE: On Saturday morning, visit our Star-News webiste for video highlights from Friday's game.
Also: The Star-News staff has already inputed the entire 2007 season schedule, which is available on the scoreboard page.
LIVE SCOREBOARD AND 2007 SCHEDULES