FOOTBALL: Star-News Gazing - A look into the Future, Week 9

Scott G
How come the area rankings arnt up i mean i know the cif ones arent up becuase of the fires. but i belive all the area teams played

P Finchamp

Thank you and everyone for the kind words about David. He really is a great son and a grat gift from God. We are truely blessed. Congrats on Trevor. I hope he get's to play at the next level, with those grades i'm sure there are many teams who would love to have him. God bleass and good luck

MHS fan--

Your comments are very kind, thank you. I can tell you Trevor respects David enough to have been furious that RH Prep ran at him on the goal line. I suspect these men are cut of the same cloth and would be best of friends. Trevor continues to amaze me with a grace and modesty beyond his years. I assure you he acknowledges David's talent and is happy to see David get his due, and if not David his buddy Taylor Dinius at RH Prep. It's a great tribute to a fellow we would love to have playing for RHP, our best to him.

I don't see Scott running with anything on TJ. Plenty of talented running backs in the SGV and his father can be controversial on occasion on the blog. He is a good story in my opinion if you like 4.0 gpa, running backs that also kick and play linebacker. I'm partial and love the kid.

P Finchamp

Any thoughts on our story about David Vander Laan? I know you guys have enjoyed playing Maranatha for 4 years now. I know he really respects your son trevor and was wondering what trevor thinks him? I'ld love to see a write up about trevor and his plays for next year . Lets see if Scott will pick this up and run with. Good luck with the rest of the season

Anonymous and for you other Muir lovers who haven’t played in the bowl, it’s a special thing, it’s a feeling you can’t describe! Pasadena High School hasn’t been in this position to play for the Pacific League Title in over 21 years, so I know for our players to be playing for the title will be a great thing! No, a wonderful thing! My brothers played in the bowl as well as my father and for my son to be playing in his finial Tussle will be special and if you cowards know anything about us you know deep in your hearts “WE ARE COMING”! This will be the first time, in a long time since I had this quiet confidant feeling! LETS GO DOGS! LETS GO!

Scott
Is flintridge prep vs RH prep going to be the game of the week?
will you be attending the game ?

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”!

BTW, Scott G. don't think I didn't notice that you are starting to pull away from Calpreps. Good job! Although, you should be up by a few more considering you at least SEE these teams. Lol!!! I'm sure you'll be up a good 10-12 games by week 14.

Picks of the week;

Alhambra over Keppel (if the sun rises Alhambra should win)

SG over Montebello (they will not give this game up like their rivals to the west)

SF over Chaminade (this pick goes completely against my ealier opinion of SF, but the way they have been fighting through adversity lately I think they will pull this one out.)

Rosemead over Arroyo (After Arroyo's 4th quarter meltdown last Friday they will not have enough mojo to pull this one out over a decent Rosemead team)

Arcadia over Burroughs (After an emotionally tough game vs. PHS on MONDAY, and with an EXTREMELY short week to prepare for Arcadia, look for the Apaches to roll over the Indians, plus after Friday's embarassment, Arcadia is going to look to embarass someone else)

Pasadena over Glendale (look for Glendale to hang close with the dogs during the first half for the reasons mentioned about the Arcadia/Burroughs game. However, in the second half the dogs athleticism will take over and they win with a comfortable margin)

Muir over CV (I'm not overly concerned about this game, BUT in years past CV has put up a serious fight with the Stangs, especially when they play the week before the Tussle. All in all, the Stangs win by a few td's)

Blair over SP (the karma of the "Blair Pair" will dominate throughout and Blair wins big)

SM over Monrovia (The roller-coaster ride that is the MHS season continues to roll. I'm picking SM in a close one primarily because of the "turmoil" that appears to be spreading throughout M-town and the fact that the game is at SM)

TC over LC (Do runs wild and TC heads into the rivalry game next week fighting for at least a "tie" in the RHL, even though Blair should be the champ if they win out)

I went to 5 of John Muir league games this year and I think this might be their best defense. They have an undersize defensive line but all of those guys have a lot of speed. Its very hard to run the ball outside the tackles and in the middle these guys should make all league this year. Including their defensive line rotation.

I want to give props to #44 the defensive end for John Muir High School He's a tough player to go against I played against him this year and he never gives up when he's out their playing.

sfhs92:
We would love for you to be on the schedule to. I heard the offer has been turned down but I cant confirm how true that is. I honestly think you guys have had teams better than this in rescent years, but I am impressed by the way you played Loyola. Take care of Riley I like that kid

I like Blair for their aggression on defense. They don't sit back and wait for the runner to come to them, they close ground and make the stick. Their D line penetrates and can create confusion in the backfield.
TC (primarily Escobedo)put up big rushing yds against them, but the Vikes are an improved team from that game.
Reyes and Blair's recieving corp can score on most any short reception, so So Pas will need to close that down to be effective. Blair's left / right toss can be defended against but eventually a cut back or defensive lapse could spring a foot race - and most defenders will be losing that race. So Pas was beaten by TC - but only by a kickoff return with 30 seconds or so in the 4th. They have a respectable team - this is not a walk in and walk out with a victory game for Blair. This should be a very good game to be in the stands for. I believe Blair has too many weapons and a solid D. So. Pas's best hope is in creating turnovers by taking chances defensively - then pray Blair might unravel. Like I said, too many weapons.
Blair 40
So Pas 13

Why do you care so much about Maranatha? If you really didn't care you wouldn't comment.

Monrovia and San Marino is an exciting match up. I think the 'Cats will get a win.

Blair runs past South Pas.

Arcadia handles a worn out Burroughs team.

Pasadena's QB could throw for 600+ yards against Glendale.

Muir will have the reserves in by halftime against CV.

Williams Do and Temple City EXPLODE on La Canada.

Has the Rio Hondo League ever been this insane?

This is one of the best St Francis teams in years. I know the record doesnt indicate it but they have dealt with a difficult schedule and have been without their starting qb for the last three games and probably the remainder of the season. Coach Bonds and his staff have done an awesome job this year. One more win and the Golden Knights lock up a playoff berth and possibly a league title. Stang Fan your commentary on the Knights is often right on however like the old saying goes its not the size of the dog in the fight its the size of the fight in the dog. Also congrats to Muir on an awesome win over Arcadia. Id like to see Muir and SF schedule each other agian.

Moors look to open up the offense this week getting ready for Schurr and the Playoff's.....

Alhambra 45 Kepple 0

Nothing I enjoy more than reading Maranatha fans complaining about the lack of coverage by the Star-News.

What a bunch of whiners...

Due to the fires, CIF is not putting out rankings this week.

Friday's Headline
Brentwood tramples Maranatha
Then again who cares

anyone got the CIF rankings for this week?

the biggest game this week is the SF Chaminade game if Sf wins they clinch a playoff berth and can win legue in two weeks agianst st paul

As long a Monrovia complains on 87 out of every 89 plays coaches and players included they will never get to the next level. Football is played with your arms and legs and not your mouths.

As long a Monrovia complains on 87 out of every 89 plays coaches and players included they will never get to the next level. Football is played with your arms and legs and not your mouths.

It should be interesting to see what the Star-News coverage is like for the only game on Thursday and the biggest game of the year for the Alpha league.
Scott? No excuses this time. You gonna be there with cameras and fanfair???
Glad to see you have confidence in the Minutemen. Hopefully they won't let you down.
Hope to see you and Go Minutemen!!!

Anon 8:12 - your analysis is incorrect. If SM wins their next two games, they would finish no lower than 3rd at 3-1-1, and the Monrovia/TC game would decide the last playoff spot (assuming Blair wins their next 2 games to finish 4-1). All those are big if's, but this year anything seems to be possible.

S Pasadena isn't cutting it, so I'm taking the Vikings 35-7 on this one. The Blair running should be very effective against the Tigers. The defense for Blair should also be a factor, after holding Monrovia down they should contain South Pas. I hope that they win the RHL and do something in playoffs, they have made it thus far.

I'm pretty sure that if there is a tie at the end of the season among RHL teams, then there is a one quarter tie breaker to be played at a neutral site the Saturday following the completion of the regular season. We almost had to do that in 1994. We would have had to play at TC as the neutral site. I remember a guy on their staff asking us to please win so he could avoid doing the Saturday morning field set up. Fortunately we kicked the crap out of Blair by putting up ~38 points in the first quarter. Those were sad times at Blair.

San Marino could win there next 2 games and still get shut out of the play-offs because the RHL has no tie-breaker.

This Friday's Blair-SoPas game could be interesting. San Marino beat Blair earlier this year, but then Blair beat up on Monrovia. I think SoPas and San Marino are fairly evenly matched (we'll see in a couple weeks)...so this one could be closer than expected. SoPas's offense has never gelled this year. They don't seem to be putting up the points they should. I expect a Blair win because SoPas has not stopped a good running back yet, but it is definitely a trap game.

THE GAME OF THE NEXT 2 WEEKS WILL HAVE TO BE BLAIR HIGH SCHOOL VIKINGS!! CUZ, AFTER DECADES OF LOSING AND SHIZZLES, THEY HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN THIS HECTIC RIO HONDO LEAGUE JOINT!! TO ALL MY LOCAL VIKING FANS, I HOPE TO SEE' Y'ALL THERE THIS FRIDAY AT P.C.C. ! JUST 2 MORE GAMES.. WE FAVORED 28-14! THIS FRIDAY AGAINST SISSY GIRLS FROM SOUTH PASADENA MEOWS! LETS DO THIS BLOODIE LOCZ! WESTSIDE! GO BLAIR VIKINGS GO!!

The Flintridge Prep-Rio Hondo game Friday is a very interesting match up. These are the only two area programs to bring home CIF Championships in recent history with FP winning in 2003 and Rio reaching the winner’s circle in 2005.
Flintridge scored 45 points against the 4th ranked team in its division last week and gained ZERO yards passing….how’s that for a running game? Rio Hondo is always well coached and is ultra competitive even in its “off years.”
I’m not suggesting this should be the game of the week but it could be more entertaining than most of the other “big school” games this weekend.

The game-of-the-week should most certainly be SF.vs. Chaminade. THis game will more than likely decide the league champion. There is no other game in the area as big or as important.

Like the game vs. Los Altos I was COMPLETELY wrong about the Alemany game. I just knew that without their starting qb and playing away that SF would lose, and they didn't. They played hard and fought through their hardships.

Along with Monrovia, SF is an extremely difficult team to read. The bottom line is however, that the SF boys don't quit. They play through adversity and with resiliency and that is VERY admirable to this outsider looking in.

Again, they have no harsher critic than myself, as you SF fans can attest to, so you must know that I'm not expounding on their great play because I'm a fan. Quite the contrary in fact.....it's because I thought that they'd lose those games and get dominated and they didn't. So for the second time this season I will eat my crow SF fans and I congratulate the players for their hard work and tough play. BTW, you WILL make the playoffs this year.......I see you guys beating St. Paul's, but still not sure about the Chaminade game.

Muir is gonna destroy Cresenta valley, and pasadena wont be able to keep up with Muir. Their defense is stingy from the looks of it. Monrovia is gonna need some help if they wanna get just 2nd place in league. They had their shot last friday against blair and didnt come to play, they assumed they would have the game handed to them. So if they wanna have a shot at an invite to the playoffs, they gotta start this week against san marino, and they must get a win easily

Scott:
Thanks for the vote of confidence for our game this Thursday - it should be a great match-up for all the marbles -we definately need to bring our A game - Go Minutemen!!

Let's hope so Scott. I'm confident that without Williams we still had more weapons than La Salle. We still need to be able to put it together. Can't just show up and collect a win.

Golden: Thanks for the heads up. It happens automatically sometimes.

Scott
i got the "comments under review" when posting this am. It was a follow up to NY on respect for SM.

Maybe it was cyber-eaten or are you weilding the Editorial axe this morning?

Anon: Thank you so much for explaining that. Now it makes sense.

NY: Thanks for clearing up what you meant. It's no disrespect toward San Marino. I feel Monrovia, with Williams, should have the edge in this game. The Wildcats have a few more weapons on offense. Can they stop Trawick, now that's another story.

ScottG,
They only play 9 games because the most of the private schools have a one week field trip to some off site location - usually out of the state - if not country in October.

new york
I saw the TC/SM game Friday-Titans no doubt DESERVE RESPECT.
The game was a headbanger in the 1st half, 7-6. 2nd half- A muffed punt and a couple crucial pass drops hurt SM. Employing an offshoot of the single wing with Williams Do alone in the shotgun backfield - ignited the TC offense and blew the game open.
SM is extremely well coached and displayed solid OandD line play. Those who are cheap shotting them either have not seen the unit play or dislike the team for reasons other than their on field performance. Fridays game was good football, period.

Generous toward us Monrovians. Three months ago I thought we could sleep walk through the RHL, but that would require us to get out of bed. SM has beaten La Salle and Blair. I never believe in the transitive property as applied to football, but I think SM deserves a little respect in this situation.

Muir blew arcadia out it was 50 -14 when tha starters was in.Muir is a great and will kill tha dogs.tha dogs dnt have a good enough offense to beat Muir.Muir D is a shut down defense everybody gets 2 tha ball. Hs will not be able 2 pass for 400 yards against Muir dbs, #3 and #2 are lock down corners and #8 and #20 are rangeing all over tha field.I dare you 2 pass against this team Muir dbs will have a field day against tha dogs it will be just like taking candy from a baby.

Congrats to Tip Sanders and the Blair Vikings for a big win over Monrovia. Now they are tied with TC and Monrovia with 2-1 records in the Rio Honda League. However the Vikings beat both teams which puts them at the top if they win their next two games.

Anon 10:38: I'm sure this will be an interesting game.
Flintridge and Rio Hondo Prep are definitely seem to be the class of the league with Chadwick a notch behind.
Whether the league as a whole is strong, the jury is out.
By the way, why does the league only play nine games? Is that a carry over from the 8-man days? I thought only 8-man played nine games. Just curious.

what 2 teams are going to be the game of the week

scott,
Please come watch the flintridge Rio Hondo game. So u can find out how good the prep league and flintridge prep is. Prep has a great defense, great running backs and o-line. Come and see the game for your self.

Prep Supporter: Stay tuned.

Scott,
Are you going to be at the Flintridge Rio Hondo game?

Generous? Please explain NY.

Galetti,
Very generous.