FOOTBALL: Mustangs Stampede
Muir crushes Arcadia, 50-28
Muir's Willie Youngblood collected 259 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Mustangs to a 50-28 win over previously unbeaten Arcadia. (SGVN Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SXSports)
By Scott Galetti Staff Writer
PASADENA - After a humbling 23-20 loss to Franklin on Sept. 14, Muir High School's football team refocused its sights on becoming the best team in the West San Gabriel Valley.
The Mustangs put together five consecutive lopsided victories to set up Friday night's Pacific League showdown with Arcadia.
Then, behind a solid team effort, the Mustangs made a statement with a 50-28 victory.
"The guys wanted it, and we're trying to get back on the map to where everybody knows that we want to dominate the Pacific League," Muir coach Ken Howard said.
Muir (6-2, 5-0) dominated Arcadia (7-1, 4-1) in every aspect of the game and outgained the Apaches 457 yards to 363.
"It's just a matter of the determination from the kids, and they've been working hard to deserve the Pacific League title," Howard said.
The Mustangs did what few teams have done against the Apaches this season - run the ball at will. Willie Youngblood riddled the Arcadia defense with 259 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
"Everybody wants to aim at us, but we have to go in and let other teams know that we're making a statement," Youngblood said. "Hopefully, we'll move on to bigger and better things."
In the meantime, Youngblood and his teammates are treating every game as if they're the underdogs.
"Even though we're still winning, we still have to fight like we're losing," Youngblood said. "Our backs were to the wall and we came out just swinging."
Youngblood helped administer the knockout punch with touchdown runs of 5 and 29 yards in the second quarter to give the Mustangs a 36-14 lead.
The Mustangs defense got into the act on interception returns of 25 and 50 yards by Mitchell Garner and Chris Dunlap, respectively to make it 50-14.
"Our defense is improving every game that we play," Youngblood said.
Arcadia took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Kevan Walker to Brian Rambeau.
Muir scored the next 23 points to put the Apaches on their heels.
Youngblood then put them away with his TD runs.
"Our game plan was to get it to Willie and get him rolling into the playoffs," said Mustangs quarterback Reuben Thomas, who was 9-of-12 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Mustangs wideout Ahmere Owens hauled in five passes for 79 yards and two TDs.
Muir's defense held Arcadia running back Troy Amhaz to 76 yards on 15 carries.
Walker was 7-of-16 passing for 83 yards, one touchdown and the two interceptions.
Backup quarterback Forrest Reed was 6-of-10 for 131 yards and a 50-yard touchdown pass to Walker.
"Muir deserves a lot of credit," Arcadia coach Jon Dimalante said. "They played like a championship team and we didn't.
"Tonight, they were a better football team."
Thomas hit Owens from 32 yards out to tie the score 7-7 late in the first quarter. His 3-yard touchdown run gave Muir a 17-7 halftime lead.
He later hooked up with Owens for a 19-yard TD to begin the rout.
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
Stang4life,
I forgot, when did you play left bench for Muir?
Anonymous = Coward,
Muir has a great defense no doubt, but to say their DB’s are good or great is a stretch. Franklin was running right by them and Arcadia should have tried to pass more, because they were beating the DB’s in that game. I like the “out loud” confidence Muir has, but we are not Arcadia and this anit no regular game. The Muir faithfuls wanted PHS to lose to Burroughs, because they didn’t want the Dogs to go into the TUSSLE and fight for the Pacific League Title. Muir doesn’t want any added pressure to the game or for PHS to have any extra incentives, because to be honest the Dogs don’t have anything to lose, but everything to gain. The pressure is all on Muir! The Defense, Arness, Trump and Tyron are going to go crazy on November 8th! Let’s Go Dogs! Let’s Go! Oh, I know who you are “Buster on the Hill”!
oops sorry about the double post..trouble with this posting thing...GO STangs
befor ei go, you know what really ticks this mustangs nerves, why does everyone keep saying " the mustangs were a better team that/friday night"
ha! nothing could be further from the truth, the mustangs ARE a better team, arcadia simply played bad teams...beating st francis doesnt count...we know damn well st francis is having a very down year compared to the past so talking about arcadia like they are all that..because they are not...the mustangs just exposed them......you gave up 250 yards on 25 carries/ by the way thats 10 yards a pop for you apaches. and to make matters worse muir is not that big upfront...so yea, get up off your high horse and smell the scent of the REAL Football.
goodnite and go mustangs!!!
laugh out loud at the excuses, stop crying over spilled milk, did arcadia think they were going out for a picnic at muir, you should practice because you have a game, stop being little babies and take your whipping like real fans...
GO MUSTANGS...and to all the dogs around, WATCH out its dog hunting season again!!!!
some one tell me who is the man on PHS team is Trumpet doing his thing and how about Crockum
Look everyone the stangs is back
Rancho verde is here
But after seeing both teams its hard 2 say who will win
Stangs had a very good game
Playing number 1 Arcadia
They have great players
And they make plays
Number 22 is a playmaker
33 is a playmaker
23 playmaker
I saw 2 juniors take an int back 2 the house
Saw 44 lay a hit on number 22 of Arcadia
The 8 nice pick
Over all its gonna get good come playoffs
But don't sleep on Colony
Arcadia fans:
It is what it is. Muir is a much better team than Arcadia. If these two teams lined it up 10 times Muir would win all 10. They completely demolished Arcadia in almost every aspect of the game. With that said, Arcadia is still a really good team that can accomplish a lot of things this season and I look forward to see them representing the Pacific League well in the playoffs. BTW, I love when you guys beat up on the dogs.....it's feels almost as good as when we do it!
On a side note......please stop using the "no practice" excuse. What makes you think Muir practiced? The parents in the stands said their boys had to "practice" in the big and little gyms the entire week. Are you trying to tell me that Arcadia didn't practice at all? I highly doubt that. I'm sure they were in the gym just like Muir was, I'm sure Coach Dimalante is smart enough to realize that he had to practice "somewhere" for the biggest game of the year. Good luck the rest of the year, and again, do your thing in the playoffs.
LET'S GO STANGS!!!
coach brewster of minnesota is a great coach hes just having a tough 1st year like most new coaches.
i think walker will uphold his commitment. i hope so at least i think he can come in next year and give a MUCH NEEDED boost to the very very subpar receiver core of ucla. did you see my bruins against wash. state last night?? man we have no offense. he will come in and shine in his freshman year in my opinion and im honored to have finally see this kid play on friday night. he's a special special athlete and can play either side of the ball in college. hell he can probably return kicks too.
much luck to you mr. walker
Arcadia didnt practice, arcadia mentally was not prepared,(whatever it was it doesnt matter) Arcadia is a good football team that just didnt show up to play. Hats off To Muir, obviously the better team friday night... Say anything you want about arcadia but they are still an outsanding football team. Muir just showed that they can be an even better team
apaches will rebound regroup and dominate burroughs and CV
Anon: (Seems like I'm always answering an annonymous post) Up to this point, we've been doing one video game a week, splitting between the Tribune and Whittier Daily News schools.
The Star-News' turn was last week, so we did the Pasadena-Arcadia game. As it turned out, it was an exciting all-around game.
We will be doing the Turkey Tussle as well.
Let's be honest, this game didn't live up to the hype.
so far this year the prep staff has been doing a great job covering the games. but the decision not to have the video staff at the #1 vs.#2 game was a big mistake. i know it's hard to cover all of the schools but man i wanted to say that one on video.
whats wrong with coach brewster?
Walker and Eric Scott seem to be the only bright spot in that UCLA coaching staff. I'm guessing they won't be but who knows.
Will Walker uphold his commitment to UCLA when the coaching staff of which his dad is a part of is fired after this season?
I think he'd flourish at UCLA either way... at least they haev talent and decent coaching, unlike Minnesota (with a fraud of a coach)
walker is a beast!
Do not worry come playoffs #18, #22, #5, #12, #11, #2 and #9 plus all the rest will be ready and waiting for all comers.
Yeah what happened to #18 and #22 i'd heard so much about them?
Walker playing his heart out? He sure was but he wasnt the only one. There were a few other individuals out there as well.
it was great to see walker back at receiver. i forgot how GREAT..and i emphasize great..of a receiver and athlete he truly is. he showed explosiveness, hands, and most importantly, heart..out there on that field friday night. he played well at QB (2 of his 3 picks were his receivers faults) and we once again respected him at CB only throwing to his side twice. my hat goes off to him as he was the only arcadia player playing his heart out until the end. the stangs just dominated. he'll be a great player at ucla!! usc sucks!!!
stangs league champs
Dwayne,
many of muir seniors have been on varsity since the 10th grade. In the last 2 years muir went to the playoffs and put up a good fight. I think theses seniors are ready to turn some heads. Aracdia is just 1 example how mentally ready they are.
No video of Muir-Arcadia.
There will be video of the Turkey Tussle.
i want to ask every one on here a question . should coaches at any level grab on players with any force because they make bad plays or in any type of situation ?
Scott when will we get the video of Muir/Arcadia?
It always cracks me up to see you guys try to attcak our program. If we lose were a bad team if we win you'll say "You guys will lose in the playoffs" or "you guys have bad grades." If your gonna post and disrespect muir at least identify your school and list how they stack up against the stangs. And for the smaller programs that take shots at us i hope you realize muir has an enrollment which is similar to alot of your schools, however we stood in division three for a very long time and competed with top programs like notre dame, and played POWERHOUSES in non-leage like Loyola, Bishop Amat, and POLY. And Muir Hasnt got a ring but the last three teams muir lost to in the playoffs won it all. If your gonna post lets talk numbers... not emotions this is a sports blog not a gossip board
How quickly we forget. Colony 45 Muir 7. Colony returns 9 Starts on Offense and 8 On Defense. They also have Championship experience less forget That. So talk if you may about Rancho Verde. I will take Colony over both teams. Muir will do what they do leave it all on the field against PHS, as they alway do.
Stang Nation:
Where have you guys been all year long? I'm so FIRED up to see some fellow Stangs here on the blog. I knew that the Stang Nation would one day rise up and delude the PSN blog with their respective takes and you guys have definitely done that this weekend.
In terms of the game, last night was by far the most complete game of the season. The run game was monstrous, the passing game was effective, the line play was PHYSICAL, the defense was just FAST, even the special teams were decent (they called back an ELECTRIFYING punt return by the fastest kid in the SGV, Ahmere Owens). I can't say enough about last night's game and how impressed, not only I was, but everyone in the stands and on Montana St.
As far as Arcadia is concerned they are still a really good team, anyone who says they aren't is just wrong. Are they a great team? No. Are they a semi-final team? No. Were they overrated? No. I think the real question is, was Muir underrated? Muir's loss to Franklin threw a car-sized monkey wrench into the ranking process. If not for that fourth-quarter melt down I'm sure Muir would have been in high consideration for the #1 spot long ago. Am I saying Muir is now this invincible team that will steamroll its way into the playoffs? No. However, I do believe that we pose a problem for a lot of teams in the Central Division. And BTW, Rancho Verde is the team to beat, not Colony.
NY:
It's GREAT to see you back in the mix here, the blog isn't nearly the same when you are out on strike. BTW, i thought the same thing when I say today's paper, but honestly that kid has been carrying the ball like that for three years now and he's only fumbled 3-4 times in that time span. Interestingly enough he seems to hold the ball like that only when he's about to punish an oncoming defender. I hate it too, but apparently it hasn't hurt him.....yet.
Rancho Verde yes-Colony-no.
Hey All you Pac. League fans when the playoff start. It will be the same. Colony Titans will win the Central Div. Again.
Stang04: I think the only difference of opinion that we may have is whether or not Lynwood is a good team.
There's no doubt that Muir is a solid team.
I understand were your coming from scot in 2002 muir started 0-5 in non confrence play but went on to win a share of the pacific and we had a very tough schedule. I dont take anything away from the arcadia program, I admire there commitment to put together a descent program year in and year out. There win over St. Francis is big. It would be ignorant and moronic to say that isnt a solid program over there. However I do think we have proved we can dominate when we are at our best, and i'm enthused about the rest of this season. I respect your outlook, I just had a small difference in opinion
i saw a mention of a cif title? what a joke
No. 7 is Mitchell Garner, who took a pick back for a TD.
I've attended roughly 50% of Muir games since the 83 or 84 season. Sure the level of talent at Muir is less than it was through the glory years of the 80's. Part of the reason the PUSD is not committed to public education. Thus the school is half the size it was 25 years ago. Many kids are enrolling at surrounding schools outside the district. That being said Arcadia has an enrollment of roughly 3000 and they suit up about 30 kids.
This Muir team is small as usual and lacks depth but they certainly have speed and quickness.
The thing about Fridays game was Muir mentally showed up and played with emotion and enthusiasm. I did'nt see the same effort from this overrated Arcadia team at all.
Hopefully, Muir can stay eligible for the playoffs and take care of a CIF title. Anyone know about Youngblood being recruited and who is number 7 for Muir since the school rarely has even the most basic pairing sheet?
Anon 7:18: Is there any particular reason why you'd ask if I was there?
Stang04: I brought Lynwood up because of their schedule. A 1-6 record can be deceiving against teams with a combined 34-11.
My post was in reference to the post about Arcadia playing patsies.
If you go by that thinkings, Muir played Oaks Christian and a couple of average teams before league.
The moral to this story is Muir was definitely the better team. Enjoy that instead of belittling Arcadia.
i think muir defense has proven them self!!!
scott where you at the muir arcadia game?
This is nit-picky, but I hope Youngblood learns how to hold the ball properly. Looking at these pictures, that ball is definitely not secure. That could be something that hurts the team in the playoffs. Take a look a Tiki Barber before and after Coughlin took over.
Why do people constantly use this blog to attack our KIDS! They just played a great game and now you wanna bring up grades and all of these myths about players getting kicked off before the playoffs. The post attacking youngblood was childish last week. He has played in EVERY muir playoff game. I dare you to name another school in the pacific league with more scholarship athletes than muir. And guess what to get a scholarship you need GRADES! And even if we do have some KIDS that are troubled, that is nothing to pick fun at.. grow up.
Stewart,
Stangs did not make it past the first round in 1994 CIF. Arcadia made it to the 2nd round. They finished better than muir season wise. Lets not hope the stangs lose half there team to grades this year.
Lets get one thing straight John Muir has been the best team sensne I went to school and tore arcdia up in 94 and back then Arcdia was never talk about when it came to pacific league champions This was just another statement game to let the dogs know things that have not change and thinking of the dogs I had one of my best games of the year against them to in 94 and if you don't think so ask their coaching staff
scot your usually on point and i dont think anyone should talk bad about arcadia's schedule but lynwood is 1-6 that is not a "very good" team. But like i said arcadia has a good program I just think muir has proven to be the best in the area by far. The Franklin loss still urks me to this day.
FBFan: Your team won, enjoy it.
We're you the better team, obviously.
At the same time, I don't think you should be bad-mouthing Arcadia's schedule.
Let's compare.
I know you can't take comparative scores too seriously, but here goes.
Aracadia beat St. Francis, which beat Alemany, which beat Franklin, which, you know, beat Muir.
Arcadia's win over SF was listed by Calpreps as a good win, while Muirs loss to Franklin is listed as a bad loss.
Arcadia also beat a very good Lynwood team that has lost to Notre Dame (7-1) and Servite (6-1).
and who is your team cookie
arcadia did not practice tuesday wed and thur and just sat around because of the air while the stangs from what i understand were both indoors and outdoors running plays and staying in shape.
the true score to this game was 50-14 Arcadia scored the last two touchdowns on the third string. This was the biggest margin i seen between these two teams. I think we seen how good muir can be whe they execute. If they can maintain this level play they will make alot of noise in CIF. I dont think Arcadia respected muir coming into this game. Were alot different from that other Pasadena School. Kevin Walker is a very impressive athlete and number 22 is a tough kid
Muir came ready. Arcadia did not.
Arcadia played poorly. Muir played with desire.
Muir executed. Arcadia did not.
Simple as that.
Good win Muir, lets rep the Pacific league in the playoffs
all of you fools talking this and that for whatever team, do you realize that nobody from the pacific league will do squat anyways in the playoffs? getting past the first round a cause for celebration??
Ar(fakia) is just like South Florida, a team that did not belong at the top. They are an average team, that got a couple lucky wins. Their true colors came out on friday night.
Congratulations to Muir. You came to play.
Hey ARC... NO One In The Area Practiced Tues, Wed, Thurs!!!!!!
All Apaches Lay Down
A lose is a lose, nothing more. Let's see how arcadia responds the rest of league and CIF. Now, that's the true test. Stangs get all the credit for playing really hard, much harder than arcadia. But, arcadia overrated? No, there's a lot of season left and the playoffs.
Schedule enough patsies and play in a mediocre pacific league and you naturally become #1. Then comes a quality team like Muir and the cream rises to the top. Arcadia has been overated all year.
GET READY FOR THEM DOG CUASE WE COMING IT ALL
last week i gave arcadia credit about being a classy program. Please dont make excuses. You guys have a great group of kids they were just simply beat. My hat goes off to Walker, I would have loved to see him in blue and gold
the way Youngblood ran tonight, they could of practised for weeks for this one game and it would not have made a difference! plus 22 said he wanted the Muir. be carefull what you ask for. he got all he can handle tonight
just give credit where its due. Arcadia was out coached and out played
the stangs had walk throughs (indoors) all this week. no pads. so stop making excuse for getting beat like a slow donkey up and down the field all night. the apaches just dont have the talent. you arent as good as the stangs. end of discusion!
stangs or die!
apaches did not practice tuesday,wednesday, or thursday.just letting you all know.no excuses for this bad of a loss but something to consider.i believe muir still practiced? just what i heard...anyways...GO BULLDOGS! beat muir at the rose bowl nd apaches get share of the league title (assuming burroughs nd cv go well)