FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Almont League

By Scott Galetti, Staff Writer

The Almont League could be called one of the most competitive leagues in Southern California.
It's a league where just about anything can happen. Last season, everything imaginable did happened.
For starters, Alhambra lost at Bell Gardens, 16-6, but rebounded two weeks later to beat Schurr, 55-22.
The three teams finished tied for first place, with the Moors (7-4-1) receiving the league's No. 1 seed, followed by Bell Gardens and Schurr.
Bell Gardens got knocked out in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division playoffs by California and the Moors were escorted out of the playoffs by Santa Fe, 43-7, in the second round.
That left Schurr standing alone, and the Spartans plowed through the field and beat Santa Fe to win the division championship - their first title since claiming the Southeastern title in 1980.
Schurr and Bell Gardens should be tough once again this season, but the Moors are out to settle some unfinished business.

Alhambra

Gil Ruedaflores has been patrolling the Alhambra sidelines since 1989.
Entering his 19th and, perhaps, final season, Ruedaflores has 104 wins. His team would like nothing better than to send their coach off with an Almont League and Southeast Division championship.
"There's a lot of good teams in our league and everyone strives for the same thing every year: To win a league championship. So in that sense, that's our same goal," said Alhambra assistant coach Manny Ruedaflores, who has been running the program in an interim role. "Being healthy and getting ready to take the next step after the championship is where it starts."
Alhambra's meal ticket begins in the backfield with senior running backs Anthony Brown and Shawn Smith. Smith rushed for 1,301 yards and 17 touchdowns last season.
"Shawn Smith is an excellent student in the classroom and an excellent player on the field," the elder Ruedaflores said. "He contributes offensively and defensively, so that's a luxury."
Injuries, on the other hand, forced Brown to sit out three games. Still, the speedy back compiled 1,058 yards and 15 TDs.
"Anthony brings the senior leadership and three years of experience," Ruedaflores said. "He never leaves the field."
Senior offensive guard Jonathan Silva plans on providing big gaps for the duo. Silva set the school squat record of 570 pounds and benched 330 during the offseason.
His presence alone could take the weight off the shoulders of Brown and Smith, as well as senior quarterback Robert Olivares, who was a wide receiver last season.

San Gabriel

The Matadors (3-7) finished fourth in league a year ago. The team, however, was able to stay competitive in some games against tough opponents.
It's that competitiveness that has Matators head coach Keith Jones excited.
With a solid corps of offensive and defensive linemen returning to complement a solid base of skill position players, the Matadors expect to be playing in the postseason.
"My entire offensive line and defensive line is coming back, so we're pretty solid up front and we can rally around that." Jones said. "Whether or not it's first, second or third, the ultimate goal is to make the playoffs and see what how far we can go from there."

Keppel

The Aztecs couldn't overcome a rash of injuries and limped to a 0-10 campaign a year ago.
Second-year head coach Luis Garcia was still encouraged by what he termed as a no-quit attitude. He's hoping if his team can keep that mindset and enthusiasm, wins will follow.
Evan Bachman is expected to be the starting quarterback and the team welcomes back senior running backs Robert Gonzalez and Keath Sakihara and wide receiver Tim Lin.