FOOTBALL: Can you feel the heat?

Getting an early gridiron jump
Pasadena among area prep teams kicking off practice
By Scott Galetti, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 08/13/2007 11:36:35 PM PDT

• Photo Gallery: Pasadena football practice
• Video: Pasadena Football Preview

PASADENA - After weeks of preparation in the weight room and on the field for passing league competitions, a handful of area football teams took the field for the first day of workouts on Monday in preparation of Week 0 games.
Among the teams getting the early jump on what is popularly referred to as "Hell Week" was Pasadena High School.
"I think everybody's anticipated being out here and they worked really hard in the spring and summer and actually looked forward to Hell Week and are anxious to get at it this year," Pasadena head coach Kevin Mills said.
Bulldogs quarterback/defensive back Tyron Crockom was one of those players eager to get back on the field, so much so he spent the morning watching old game films.
"The first day of practice is fun and I couldn't wait to get out here," Crockom said.
The Bulldogs are preparing for an Aug. 31 matchup at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.
The team waited until the afternoon to have its first workout and worked primarily on conditioning.
After going through more conditioning today, it's off to "Camp Mills" as the team will make the weight room its home for the next three days.
"We're trying something a little new because I'd like the guys to have a sense of camaraderie, a sense of self, and I want them to grow into nice young men," Mills said. "Establishing this camp is one way for us to do this.
"We just want to build strong academic young men because I think the athletic part will always take care of itself."
According to Mills, the camp will be conducted to emulate a college camp where players will do film and class study as well as daily practices and conditioning sessions.
"I think it's great because we can get a lot of team chemistry, and it's something like `Remember the Titans' and it's going to make our team better," Bulldogs wide receiver Michael Harrison said.
Crockom was the last to learn about the camp, but once he got the word, he was excited.
"I wasn't here when coach told everybody, so when he told me that we're going to stay at the school in the weight room, I told him `That's good,' " Crockom said.
The Bulldogs finished 5-5 a year ago, including 3-4 in league.
He has an experienced unit this season, but Mills isn't ready to make any predictions for the upcoming season.
"I'm going to put a product on the field and let the product speak for itself," Mills said.
Crockom will be a major ingredient of the Bulldogs' product.
Last season, Crockom threw for 2,050 yards and 20 touchdowns .His No. 1 target will be Harrison, who caught 42 passes for 712 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Other schools with Week 0 games and open camp this week are Monrovia, Gabrielino, San Gabriel and La Salle.
St. Francis doesn't open until Sept. 7, when it travels to Arcadia, but the Golden Knights were on the field for two-a-days Monday.
"This is the only way that we've ever done it. The only reason we're starting practice is because school is starting earlier," St. Francis head coach Jim Bonds said.
According to CIF rules, teams are allowed 25 three-hour practices prior to the first game, including the first scrimmage.
Bonds prefers having just one week of two-a-days.
"I like a longer time to prepare with one practice a day because two practices a day can become tiresome," Bonds said. "You can go hard and have a full 24 hours to rest. That formula has worked out for us."
Gabrielino will open the season at Pioneer on Aug. 31. San Gabriel is on the road against Walnut and Monrovia will host Montclair.
La Salle begins its season on Sept. 1 with a road game against Eagle Rock.

La Salle counts on repeat performance
By Scott Galetti Staff Writer
Article Launched: 08/15/2007 12:45:14 AM PDT

PASADENA - When the gun sounded after La Salle High School's resounding 52-19 loss to Monrovia last season, the Lancers found themselves staring at an 0-5 record.
From that point, things changed dramatically.
La Salle won its next eight games, including a stunning 35-28 victory over Monrovia in the CIF-Southern Section Mid Valley Division quarterfinals.
The Lancers' season ended with a 32-10 loss to Verbum Dei in the championship game.
This year's team is hungry for a repeat trip to the title game.
Lancers coach Ealar Gallagher prefers a one-game-at-a-time approach.
On Tuesday, the Lancers donned pads and helmets for the first time in preparation of their Sept. 1 season opener at Eagle Rock.
Week 0 is a big part of Gallagher's plans.
For one thing, it allows his team the luxury of getting on the field early as well as creating a much- needed bye week during the season.
"Week 0 lets us start a little bit early, and the more acclimated the guys can get to wearing the pads, it gets us ready much sooner," Gallagher said. "That bye in the middle of the season is a good opportunity to recharge the battery and just kind of get your head right to finish
off the second half of the season."
This year's version of the Lancers is young with only four players with experience on offense, including running back David Baier, and two on defense.
They still are a team on a mission to re-create a strong playoff run.
The Lancers didn't have to look far for inspiration.
Senior defensive end/defensive tackle Brandon France has been right in the thick of things from the beginning.
All this after suffering a broken back against Monrovia a year ago.
"He's a captain because he's earned it," Gallagher said. "He's one of the hardest-working guys in the weight room and out on the field. He's a leader both vocally and by example."
Gallagher believes just the fact that France is on the field makes the other players work that much harder.
"If you see a guy who broke his back and is able to come back with all the difficulty he went through to come back, it makes you believe you can get through a bruised shoulder," Gallagher said.
Added France, "Everyone saw when I went down I was in a lot of pain. But I said I was going to come back and I came back and they all came around and rallied up."

NICE ADDITION
Muir, already boasting a solid corps of wide receivers, appears to have gotten richer.
Junior Myles Campbell has left St. Francis High and reportedly is working out with the Mustangs.
If Campbell clears the CIF transfer rule hurdle, he could make an instant impact.
In three games last season, Campbell caught seven passes for 95 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown against Crescenta Valley.

TEAMS READY TO GO
Monrovia will begin its first day of workouts today.
The Wildcats compiled a 9-3 record in 2006 and finished second in the Rio Hondo League.
San Gabriel also will begin preseason workouts.
The Matadors open up the season on the road against Walnut on Aug. 31, while the Wildcats will host Montclair.