FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Pacific League

By Scott Galetti, Staff Writer

Muir High School was inconvenienced by an unruly visitor in 2006.
The Mustangs appeared primed for a Pacific League championship, but league newcomer Burroughs wrestled the title away.
Muir finished the season
with a 9-3 record, a success by most standards, but the Mustangs came away with an empty feeling after suffering a 44-7 pounding at the hands of Colony in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.
Upstart Burbank enjoyed its first season in the league by finishing third, ahead of Arcadia and Pasadena.
Burroughs and Burbank should pose problems once again this season, but the area teams are primed and ready to challenge for the league title.
By the end of Week 1, it will be easy to gauge what kind of teams Muir and Pasadena will have.
Highlighting Week 1 will be Muir hitting the road to face CIF-SS Northwest Division and state champion Oaks Christian and Pasadena plays host to CIF-SS Western Division champion Dominguez.

Muir

The Mustangs appear to be the odds-on favorite to win the league title.
They return one of the area's top running backs in Willie Youngblood, who was slowed down by injuries during the last portion of his junior season.
Still, Youngblood averaged nearly 10 yards per carry as he rushed for 1,439 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He compiled seven games of over 100 yards, including a 27-carry, 218-yard performance against Burbank.
"He's just a tough, hard-running kid," Muir head coach Ken Howard said. "This is going to be his breakout season."
Junior Reuben Thomas will get the starting nod at quarterback. The transfer from Pasadena has an accurate arm and knows how to move in the pocket.
Thomas will have a plethora of speedy and talented wide receivers, led by senior Ahmere Owens, who hauled in 17 passes for 418 yards and four touchdowns a year ago.
Also eager to make an impact at wideout are Marcus Thompson, Marcus Graves, Austin Daniels, Tremel Clipper and Myles Campbell, a talented junior transfer from St. Francis.
"I think we have the best receiving corps in the area," Owens said.
Owens also said that in Youngblood, the Mustangs have the running back that can take them to the top.
"He's the greatest running back I've seen," Owens said.

Arcadia

The Apaches endured a 5-6 record and fourth-place finish in league a year ago.
Apaches coach Jon Dimalante (83-53) returns for his 12th season at the helm.
His squad boasts senior leadership, as well as the versatile Kevan Walker. Walker led Arcadia in receiving a year ago with 571 yards.
This season, however, he will begin the season calling the numbers. His versatility will play a key factor in how well the Apaches fare.
Eric Willm is expected to be one of Walker's key targets. Willm was third in receiving for the Apaches as a junior with 12 catches for 250 yards.
Running back Troy Amhaz returns for his senior season after finishing second on the team in rushing with 483 yards in 2006.
The offensive line will be anchored by senior center Luis Guillermo, senior offensive tackle Shaun Roos and senior offensive lineman Frank Mejia.
Dimalante said his team has the tools necessary to bring home a Pacific League crown

Pasadena

After finishing fifth in league at 5-5, the Bulldogs have perhaps one of the area's top quarterbacks in senior Tyron Crockom.
A speedy quarterback with a strong arm, Crockom used the offseason and summer to improve on reading defenses after throwing for 2,050 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2006.
Listed at 5-foot-2, senior Michael Harrison has asserted himself as one of the area's quickest wideouts.
"If they've seen him play, they know his stature has nothing to do with how he plays," coach Kevin Mills said. "He plays the game like a big man."
Arness Ikner is a force at receiver and cornerback. He was third on the team last season with 229 yards and a touchdown, and second with two interceptions.
"Arness is our quiet giant," Mills said. "He doesn't get a lot of fanfare, but I know when he lines up on that field, he's going to be tough to cover."
Senior running back Rashad McCord led the Bulldogs in rushing a year ago with 489 yards and nine touchdowns.
"We're going to put the best product out there, keep everything simple and, I think, as the fans leave the games, they're going to like what they see."
This year's Bulldogs are mostly seniors and know the system well.
If the offensive and defensive lines can do their jobs, the Bulldogs could be in for a successful season.
For Crockom, success would include winning league.
"A league championship is real important," Crockom said. "I want to see how it feels to be a league champ." .