FOOTBALL: Star-News Gazing - A look into the future, CIF Quarterfinals

What a joke. The Moors are not even the 2nd best team in the "ALMONT"

SLOWPAIN,

STOP SAYING THAT ALHAMBRA IS THE SECOND BEST TEAM IN DIVISION 7....IF THEY WERE THE SECOND BEST TEAM THEY WOULD STILL BE PLAYING....BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR!!!

Hold on there Moorhater.. Did it ever occur to you that we are still playing?? I guess that is the difference SG plays for League titles (which Schurr has at least a tie in 5 straight)We play for RINGS!!!!! next year play for the RED PATCH not the green one.. good thing it's basketball season or wrestlin which ever you do..

Hey Moors: what are you going to do next year? When the only two players you have are gone!!!! You even lost to Schurr...

*you

Alhambra is way far from being in the top 2 teams of division 7. And I think I can remember that the Matadors actually made it to second round.

Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure I said it before but it's spelled Matadors your MOORON.

LOL.... DONALD "DUCK" SAN GABRIEL "MASADORS" GIVES UP A BIG 45 IN THE FIRST HALF....DAM!!!!!!!!!!!! THATS BAD.. LET'S SEE SAN GABRIEL VS. THE 2 BEST TEAMS IN DIVISION 7

LA HABRA 59 SG 14
ALHAMBRA 42 SG 18

SAN GABRIEL NEEDS A "NEW" D CORD. SO THEY CAN COMPETE..

LOL SEASON OVER...CANT WAIT TO SMASH YOU AGAIN DONALD DUCK...LIKE I SAID "NO" FILM TOMORROW....LOL

La Salle Afficianado,

keep both hands on the ball-it is going to be foggy and damp down there tonight.
You guys are a class act - good luck tonight

The La Salle game, as mentioned, is at Channel Islands High in Oxnard. Hopefully not more than 65-70 minutes on a Holiday Friday night from Pasadena.
We watched Mr. Woods last night on film, he is very explosive, and difficult to contain. Also he is a ball magnet, like #30 for La Salle Michael Palfey, who is always around the ball, especially when it is loose. Against Azusa the ball was fumbled by the Azusa QB, and before anyone in the stands could see the ball, Palfey was running the other way to the end zone with the rock.
Should be a great game.

How about it Cats, Rams, and Vikings, let's take over the Mid-Valley Division and keep both semi-final games in the WSGV. Remember that they will be played on different nights, so everybody can see both next week.

Even though santa clara's qb was playing tight end at the begining of the year, he is pretty solid. He throws a nice deep ball. He is about 6'2 240 and they like to run an option with him and their other big back, who's about 6'1 250. Their qb has gotton a scholarship offer from utah to play tight end. This game will be tough for la salle.

Regarding the La Salle-Santa Clara game,

I don't think you people realize how good Cierre Wood is. He was the California Sophomore state player of the year last year. That means he is the best player in the state in his grade. He has offers from BCS programs and you think La Salle is going to be able to stop him. I know La Salle's defense with #9 and their safety Palffy are tough kids, but this kid Wood is legit. As a junior, to have offers from BCS programs is amazing!

Good luck La Salle! I'm rooting for you although I don't think your going to pull this one out, sorry guys.

minute men will bring it on friday thats the game to be at

The la salle game is at channel islands HS.

OHH YEAHH MUCH LOVE to the San Gabriel Valley Teams.

MUCH LOVE. go TC, M-TOWN, BLAIR, LS, PHS, and whoever else I missed. yeahhhh get excited cause its time to show the other teams out of town how SGV teams play.

ONCE A DAWG, ALWAYS A DAWG!!!!!!

DENA DAWG 4LIFE!

SO PROUD TO BE A PASADENA
DAWG!

GOODLUCK PHS!!!!!

Muir fan, yes, Muir grad yes, Stang 4 life, yes. I just don't live in Pasadena anymore, but I was there for 25 years.

MW,
you are packin one state of the art sense of humor for the patriarch of blues.
Slide down to TC and bring your harp, we will be needing all the inspiration possible.

Where is wstcstscout? I think his comments where a plant with regard to the La Salle/Santa Clara game. It is no secret Wood can pass a little. Maxpreps shows his stats as having 2/3 TD passes. The other "scouting advice" wstcstscout provides is bovine scatology.

Now, Anon had some great info about thier QB having played TE earlier in the season.

How far a drive is it to this game? :)

I may have to stay local and see our TC boys roll the Italian Clergymen.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!
May all your teams play to their potential.

Good Luck Blair Vikings and PHS bulldogs!
GO DENA TEAMS!

Let's get another WIN Vikings and show everybody that we WILL be playing in December!!! GO VIKINGS!!!

Say it isn't so.Mike Parisi as PHS Baseball Coach. Have you lost your mind? Its got to be a rumor. PHS, if you are totally unaware of his past, please call some one and find out. If you hire this guy you will be soooo sorry. He is not the one you want coaching your high school age son.Mike is all about Mike.

History Fan,

The Vikings got here by walking their boats from Lincoln Ave. to the lower part of Morengo! Smile.....

Yours Truely!

How did the Vikings get their ships into Pasadena?

I CAN HONESTLY SAY THE TRUTH HURTS AND MAN IT DOES ...MISSED PAT AND A MISSED FIELD GOAL AND WE LOSE...DAMMM!!!!!! I CAN HOESTLY SAY WE "BEAT OURSELVES" WE DOMINATED THAT GAME VS. LA SERNA AND LOST..THATS THE TRUTH...I CAN SAY THAT AND LE SERNA KNOWS THAT GOT LUCKY... BUT MAN SAN GARIEL WILL NOT HAVE THIS PAIN IM FELLING BECAUSE THEY WILL GET "ROCKED" "SMASHED" "SPANKED" ALL OF THE ABOVE..THERE WILL BE "NO PAIN" IT WILL BE A BLOW OUT AND WE'LL SEE "DONALD DUCK" AND "GOOFY" ON THE SIDELINES THROWING CLIP BOARDS AND GETTING YELLED AT BY "GEORGE BUSH"....LOL DONALD YOU CAN GO BACK TO WORK ON SATURDAY MORNING AT DISNEYLAND...TO ALL THE SG PLAYERS "NO FILM" SATURDAY MORNING I REPEAT "NO FILM" SATURDAY MORNING..COACH DONALD DUCK....LOL

LA HABRA 42 SG 10

GAME OVER!!!!!!!

BYE #1/#11/ LOL

Annonymous:

In refernce to LaSalle vs Santa Clara, LaSalles passing game will put a team like Santa Clara on edge all night if the QB is having a good game. Cierre Woods is a great running back but I think for that area he stands out even more, LaSalle has faced some very good running teams and taken advantage of the meetings. This should be a good game and whoever gets off first should win.

Hal Lamaster a Muir fan,
Thank-you for said something good about Blair and PHS.It good to see someone from Muir not hated!!! Once again Thank!!!

How is Parisi a candidate of the PHS baseball coaching job when Adonis Harrison is already their coach?

SCOUTING REPORT FOR LA SALLE
Santa Clara has a sophomore fullback 6'2 240 and a couple of tackles about 290 each. Good luck stopping the Wood & Co run game. Wood will just kinda trot behind his blocks then break out and make everyone else on the field look slow. But on the bright side their passing game is horrible. I think their current QB was playing tight-end at the beginning of the season. They throw it less than 10 times a game. Good luck La Salle.

Josh Lowden (MHS-Wildcats) is only in the 10th grade. Watch out RH league...these next 2 years are going to be hell for you. Lowden is possibly the best football player making it BIG in the next 2 seasons. Chad Brown was not as good as Lowden when he was a sophmore.

ATOMIC DAWWG

wstcstscout,

Thanks for the scouting report on Mr. Woods. I will pass it on to the La Salle coaches.
I guess he can pass also, he really is a multiple threat.
How is the Santa Clara O line. Do they open up holes for him, or does he just do it with sheer talent?

The St. Margrets/Maranatha game this friday night will be one of the greatest prep games of the year. With an evaluation of the CIF brackets, this game will decide the CIF Champion. An increadable rivalry has developed within only 12 months. Maranathas one point loss last year in the CIF finals, coupled with a pre-season blowout which took out 2 key Maranatha players for the season is going to prove to be a physical battle. St. Margarets will be favored, but look at Maranatha to show some heady coaching and some talented young play makers to make this a game to watch.

I like the Blair story. If they win out, Gamal may want to make a full length movie about their success story. Pasadena's version of Hoosiers, "Vikings!"

Pasadena High has put it all together at the right time. I thought they played Muir as tough as nails. I'm a big Muir fan (still sad from last week) but I could see that the Bulldogs had something special going on in the Tussle. This is not the normal Bulldog team that goes into the Rose Bowl and rolls over and plays dead. I really believe they are not done.

And I have good vibes with Monrovia, winners of 5 of their last 6. The task ahead is daunting. Healthy and hungry... a good combination. Go WSGV.

/makes popcorn and waits more while listening to some Howlin’ Wolf

Oh the dogs begin to bark, hound begin to howl
Ooh watch out strange kind people, cause little red rooster is on the prowl

/ding ding, Muddy steps in the ring,

Wstcstscout,

I hate to say it but I think you may be wrong with your assessment of LSHS vs Santa Clara and how La Salle should play this game. In fact, I believe you are horribly wrong. Deep passes while Santa Clara blitzes? Deep passes while Wood patrols the deep secondary as a safety? Interesting… I have never seen you post before about any SGV school yet you are now the local expert? I am not trolling or calling you out. Just a simple observation from a guy who likes our SGV teams. Your skills as a scout I question but not your skills of deception. Since you know so much about La Salle, how is your local knowledge of Blair? How do you think they should play this game? Who are their play makers? What style O do they run? What about TC?

/leans back in chair and wait for a response.

Looking at Bishop Diego's roster on Maxpreps, it does not read much different than many SGV schools with enrollment far larger. 200 - 240 lb linemen, a couple of tall dudes and the usual hodgepodge of mid-sized kids, some of which are probably standout players. Somebody said the school consisted of 300 students...this seems unlikely?? Are many of these players fortunate enough to be in a system early on and gain valuable experience and playing time and therefore be "coach ready" once suiting up for Bishop Diego?

Blair's D has steadily improved and looked pretty strong to start with. Word is they are playing more disciplined - which was really the only weakness they showed against TC - a tendency to freelance in the defensive backfield, get out of position then utilize closing speed to make up for the sloppiness. I read somewhere that Tip and crew have addressed this and the unit is covering both the run and pass even better than early season. They also have several hitters on D - which I saw (and heard) in person at PCC against the Rams. They should notch another "W" in already a great season. Good luck to the Vikings -

SG PULLS OFF THE BIGGEST UPSET IN THE PLAYOFFS!!!

Blair 34, CVC 20. Win or lose, the Blair Vikings are winners in my book. For over 30 years the Vikings were the doormat of Pasadena. Both Muir & PHS would show them no respect. But now with a very good coach and a solid team, they have proven to be a team not to mess with. Coming from a former Mustang, hats off to Vikings. You can wear now your jerseys around Pasadena with pride. Maybe next year Blair can show up in either Muir or PHS pre-season schedule.

I've seen Cierre Wood and he is indeed for real. A top 2009 RB prospect vs. a top 2010 QB prospect, should be a good game, unless La Salle tries to sit on the ball to keep Wood off the field. He only needs a couple of touches per quarter for Santa Clara to put up points. He will score more than twice, LS corners will have to make some plays and stay clear of downfield blocks.OL's will need to force him between the tackles. LS has a good chance if they trade touchdowns by going to the air. It wouldn't surprise me to see La Salle's QB throw the ball 40-50 times in this one. LS should scout Airforce to defend the triple option...or Santa Clara's version of the triple option which is put #24 in motion and let him run. Prediction: If LS unleashes their QB, 48-42 La Salle, if they try and defend Wood before the game starts, 48-21 Santa Clara.

Sidenote: Look for Wood to break some long runs every play.

Look for LS RB's to break some long runs in the 2nd half when their secondary is scared of having bombs drop over their heads.

Parisi's not the head coach, but he is a candidate who has interviewed for the position, I've confirmed.

What's the info on Parisi? Is this the same Parisi who played at AHS in the 80's?

OJ may not have much free time in the coming years to be the Pasadena High golf coach.

''MOORHTR''

It is a shame that brown and smith, such talented running backs had to go out the way they did in the first round. they deserved way better. but why in the world are you hating bro, i dont see San Gabriel in the playoffs every season, DOES ANYBODY? HAVE I MISSED ANYTHING? yeah we may have a ''one and done'' every year but at least we make a big dance appearance every year. OH BY THE WAY, GOOD LUCK WITH LA HABRA, MAKE SURE UR BUS HAS SOME COMFORTABLE SEATS ON THAT LONG RIDE BACK HOME!

Somebody asked about soccer bolgs, Why don't all 3 soccer fans just exchange phone numbers and talk amoungst themselves.

MOORS:
Good thing it's Basketball season!!!! 1st round again.. I do feel bad for Brown and Smith, But like I said all year "TWO MAN TEAM" HA! HA! HA! HA! Can you still pull my card?????

I think you are right reyes.If our defense become a legit defense and stop team running against them and force team to punt the ball back to offense.There will be no team in CIF playoff that can beat us!!I think CS will watch the tape of the game against Chaffey.
I see them playing a zone defense against our offense to stop the pass!!
That will allow PHS to open up the running game with that great house of pancake offense lines!!
GO Dogs WIN, WIN!!!

PHS can beat Canyon Spring!
Cougars got a good QB that can run and pass,the kid got good speed.So the key will be can PHS defense vs CS offense.Key will be getting to their QB he is the heart of the team.I for once would like to see our defense stop the run and force team to punt!!
As you can see more our offense have the ball ,it would give us more chance to score everytime!!
Cougars defense is ok.
But there is no-way they can our offense, everytime we have the ball!!
If we don't make any turover on offense,we can beat anybody!!!

Watch out for the vikings because they have cured those kicking woes and have a legit kicker now

Anon 10:03,

Nobody has said that beating Santa Clara and Mr. Wood will be easy.
The Lancers know that they will have their hands full on Friday night.

The toughest test Santa Clara faced was probably Hueneme.
When Pacifica (Oxnard) opened a few years back it hurt Santa Clara, but I hear that Channel Islands and Hueneme lose players to Santa Clara.
When I first saw Santa Clara HS it reminded me of La Salle-brick buildings,classy parents, good kids, etc....

La Salle Fans,
Woods is a gonna be a D-1 player. he already has offers from sc, notre dame, florida, nebraska, oklahoma, and texas. Santa Clara is beatable, but its not gonna be as easy as you think to even slow down woods.

On a chilly night at Hueneme High, in a game dubbed "The Frontier League championship game," Cierre Wood conjured the spirit of Ronny Jenkins.

Wood ran for 370 yards, six touchdowns and two two-point conversions, including the game-winning score from 61 yards out with 43 seconds to play, as Santa Clara High came from behind to beat Bishop Diego, 42-41, on Friday night.

"We would not be denied," said Wood.

On the night the junior broke Santa Clara's single-game and career rushing records, Wood carried the ball just 23 times, had a 54-yard reception, completed an 8-yard pass, punted twice and held Isaiah Miramonte's game-winning extra point.

"He would not be denied," said Bishop Diego coach Tom Crawford.

It is the top rushing performance in county history by a back not named Jenkins, Kackert, Ebell or Keiaho.

Only 10 performances, including Jenkins' then-national record 619 yards on 30 carries for Hueneme against Rio Mesa High in 1995, piled on more yardage. None came on 23 or less carries.

Only Kackert (48) and Jenkins (46) scored more than the 40 points he tallied.

Wood has rushed for 1,244 yards and 17 touchdowns through seven games, averging 12.8 yards per carry.

"He takes your breath away every time he touches the ball," said Crawford, who elected to kick onsides and pooch kicks instead of putting the ball in Woods' hands each kickoff.

Wood rushed for 248 yards and four touchdowns as Santa Clara (5-1-1, 2-0) built a 28-14 lead with 2:38 left in the second quarter.

At one point in the second quarter, he had scored touchdowns of 34, 24 and 67 yards and two conversions on five consecutive carries.

"It's amazing, thrilling, the best I've ever seen," said Santa Clara linebacker Daniel Garcia.

It was almost all for naught, as Bishop Diego (7-2, 2-1) outscored the Saints 27-0 over a 21-minute span from the second to fourth quarter.

"We were down," said Garcia, "but we found our feet."

Wood used his feet to drive through three Cardinals on fourth-and-goal from the Bishop Diego 6, pulling Santa Clara within 45 with 5:26 to play.

The Saints got the ball back two minutes later on their own 8. Seven plays later, they were on their own 39 with 57 seconds left when Wood exploded off right tackle Tom Torres' outside shoulder, cut back across the grain into space and got one last block inside the Cardinals 5.

"We never stopped playing," said Wood. "You have to beat us to the final whistle."

Bishop Diego scored three touchdowns in little more than four minutes in the third quarter to build a 41-28 lead. Aaron Skinner had a 14-yard run, a 71-yard screen pass from Christian Winnewisser and Shane McCarthy returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown.

"This was a good experience for the whole team," said a heartbroken Winnewisser, who completed 16 of 32 passes for 272 yards and four touchdowns.

Sophomore fullback Svondo Bradley carried 14 times for 88 yards for Santa Clara, who survived 19 penalties for 166 yards, including a flurry of illegal procedure and pass interference penalties.

"There was something that was different about this game," said Crawford. "I can't say enough about how hard both teams played.

"One team was going to heartbroken, one team was going to be exhilarated."

"Wood just proved why he's a state player of the year."

Bishop Diego has already seen enough of Wood.

Last year, he ran the wrong route, but was in the right place at the right time to pull in a deflected Stephen Raab pass on fourth-and-two for a 22-yard game-winning touchdown with 2:08 left in the Saints' 10-6 win.

"It wasn't really lucky," said Wood. "I just happened to be in the right spot."

The play kept the Cardinals from an unbeaten Frontier League season.

Afterwards, Crawford told friends he had two more years of nightmares of Wood to survive.

One down, one to go.

Santa Clara 42, Bishop Diego 41

Frontier League

hey MuddyWaters
Ive seen Cierre woods play and he is the real deal. He can run the ball great, catch the ball and play defense. He running ability is amazing, we will see him play for a big time college like usc or florida.

who has this santa clara running back even faced... has he faced a legit defense.. la salles defense is hot right now.. they have allowed only 40 points in the last 5 games... they are stepping up at the right time.. la salle needs to stick with the basics and tackle.. you contain and stop this guy and u win.. go la salle it will be a tough hard fought battle but u can do it

If I had to choose the hardest hitter on the team, I would say that Sophmore Josh Lowden is the most aggressive and has the most sacks, he's quick and strong and smart as a linebacker and definetly in line as a D1 prospect. Patrick Green is probalbly the most consistant defensive player on the team and rarely misses an assignment. Kendall Boggs has the leadership role being that he started his freshman year at Varsity, I truly did not realize that he is only a Jr. He should be 1st team RHL Saftey.

Against TC - Lowden stood out, at least in the eye of this TC fan.

O Cat,

Who is there hardest hitter???

Annoymous:

Monrovias defense is full of studs starting with it's interior line,Patrick Green, Kendall Boggs, Josh Lowden, Jeff Wallick, these guys play their hearts out every game. Paraclete will have their offensive hands full going up against them. I would'nt be surprised if 2 or three of them are voted all CIF at the conslusion of the season.

Baseball, say it isn't so...Did Pasadena really hire Parisi from Arcadia? Wow, coke snorting, pedofiles, and snaking out your former team can still get a job after all that? Galetti, this is a reporters dream...go and get an article.

Way to go TIP. Way to bring us back to life. Come on all you old & young Vikings and lets get behind them. I KNOW THAT WILL WOULD BEAT P.H.S.!! HANDS DOWN !!!!!

muddy waters,
here is hoping TC wasn't "born under a bad sign" or needs to sing the EC Slowhand version..."if it wasn't for bad luck, I would'nt have no luck at all.
I hear Bishop Diego has a D that plays smart and aggressive..TC needs to hit the ground running - with the O-line laying down the law right off the bat. The team was pumped last Friday - a totally different looking bunch. After the whoopin by Monrovia - that shows resilence and some huevos to boot. At least at home - we won't be hearing "Williams Due the ball carrier". I thought the next thing was gonna be be "Johnny Escobedue the ball carrier".

I know monrovias defense has been doing good lately.... are there any studs???

muddy waters,
I was at the flintridge prep/santa clara game and saw cierre wood run. I know la salles defense is stronger then the rebels' but he was barely ever touched. I think he had 8 total touches for 195 yards and 3 touchdowns.

NY -
Sorry...
All IS well, despite the inconsistent season. The Cats have turned their season around, after a 1-4 start.
As for Friday, send the mojo.

philly b, why do you just guess you want la salle to win?

The La Salle Quarterback Club meets on Wed. night, we will watch film of Santa Clara's Mr. Woods then. I will post my unbiased, expert view of his talents after that.
Go WSGV!

Good luck to all of the local high schools I hope all of our teams win in the second round especially for the midvalley division. If our teams win this week then we can get rematches which will make this year more interesting. does anyone know about paraclete, all I know is that their undefeated but who have they played and beat in their pre-league schedule. also what is Bishop Diego's record this year and who have they beaten and are they real good. Like I said I want TC, monrovia and Blair and I guess La salle to win this week

Oh, never mind… More on RB Wood.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-sondheimer17nov17,0,6770143.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-highschool

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/oct/27/wood-is-unstoppable-in-santa-clara-win

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/03/no-headline---sc7fcsantaclaragame03prp-fc/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/10/santa-clara-captures-frontier-crown-again/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/17/wood-santa-clara-dominate/

blair will go all the way we are we have beat the best

Good luck to all the SGV schools. It is great to see so many still playing and doing well.

Blair destroys Valley Christian: Speed Kills. Enough said.
TC beats Bishop Diego (Italian Clergymen): D and Do do the job.
Monrovia falls to Paraclete: Sorry boys…
Maranatha drops a close one to St Maragret’s: Ouch…
Pasadena wins a close one over Canyon Springs: No turnovers here and you win.
La Salle vs Santa Clara: Bring your mojo bag and some chicken bones to roll. This kid Wood is apparently the real deal. Keep their O off the field and control the tempo with quick hitters will keep you in the game. I am prayin for you boys.

BTW: Anyone seen this RB Wood from Santa Clara? Is he really that good? I would like your opinion on his skills.

Hal, if Pasadena gets a victory this week they will be playing at the Home Depot Center on 12/7/2007! I respect Colton and Rancho Verde, but having them here at home for the Semi’s with a chance to play for all the marbles would be great and that's why I like our chances! I do like your analytical picks.

Hey Campy,
No hedging. You guys are too good for that. Good luck Friday.

Hey all you Lancers, good luck this weekend fellas, take it to Santa Clara. From your big boy AJ #70.

Coin Flip Results for Next Round for local teams(let's all win this round first):

If Pasadena defeats CS -
They will be at home in either event on 11/30 (vs Colton or Rancho Verde)

If Monrovia defeats Paraclete -
They will be on the road in either event on 11/30 vs TC or Bishop Diego

If Blair defeats CVC -
They will be on the road on 11/30 to play La Salle, or at home if they play Santa Clara.

If TC defeats Bishop Diego -
They will be at home in either event on 11/30 vs Monrovia or Paraclete.

If La Salle defeats Santa Clara -
They will be at home in either event on 11/30 to play Blair or Valley Christian

If Maranatha defeats St.M -
They will be on the road in either event on 11/30 vs Calvary Murrieta or Whittier Christian

As you can tell I am an optimist, assuming all local teams will win.

let's get that tc/m-town rematch in the semi's, like we wanted in the past years.

i like your picks hal. tc is ram tough baby.

Observantcat:
i think that "short midget" plays center for them as well. i have to give it up to blair. they have played very well with a very small team. As O-cat said though every point is going to count and their field goal team could get exploited at any time.

I'm not drunk yet,
I am just hoping for a Monrovia/TC rematch in the CIF semis. To get there will require a couple of HUGE upsets. I think both teams have it in them.

The Maranatha game could be a blow out for St. Margaret's (again), but I'd like to see the Minuteman pull off a shocker at home.

Paraclete has dismantled all comers averaging 42 points a game and allowing just 12. But I like the way Monrovia is playing. They are coming together at the right time, and, at home, I think they have a chance.

When will the magic run out for Pasadena? I think they have another week in them. Then they see either Colton or Rancho Verde.

And congratulations to Burroughs for giving Colony all it could handle. 13-10.

Somebody asked about playoff sites. The designated home team can play at their home field, or another site, until the finals. The Final Mid-Valley game will be on a neutral field near the home team's school. Last year the Verbum Dei-La Salle final was at Centennial High in Compton.

Hey Scott- where's the soccer blogs/articles?

All these people keep talking how good these running backs are.How about these off.linemen.I know Do,Williams,Smith and Fuller are good but give a little credit to the big boys up front.Who do you guys think has the best Line ?

I think Hal might have hit the holiday cheer a little early.

Pasadena beats Canyon Springs. (Tyron Crockom again does his best Mike Vick impression.)
La Salle gets run over by Santa Clara
Bishop Diego finds out that Temple City is Ram Tough. TC wins.
The Blair Express rolls against Cerritos Valley Christian
Monrovia will learn that them boys from the Antelope Valley are tough. They will have to play their best game. They will and will upset Paraclete.

Maranatha pulls out a close against St. Margaret's
La Habra all over San Gabriel

Galetti,

Come on now! RonW. is wise. Sticking with Maranatha last week and going against CalPreps pick of Boron is what got you to 9-4 instead of 8-5.

Maranatha has a great team with heart and a desire to hit.

I think you will see a close very physical game on Friday with Maranatha coming out on top.

Scott,

Don't be too fast on your St. Margaret's pick. The first game against MHS has to be thrown out for obvious reasons -

After looking at the ratings of the teams they have faced this season I like the way the Minutemen match up.

I think MHS would have prefered to meet St. M in the finals like last year, but coming off a strong 4th quater come from behind win against a very physical Boron team in the first round - the team is ready.

Go Minutemen !!!

valley christain isnt that good. blair should win. they had alot of personal foul calls against us. there not that disaplined. there recevier are tall but very slow. but there line is pretty strongand there rb is trash.

Blairs game will probably be the toughest to win considering they have to do it all on big plays. Their FG kicker is a Midget who also punts. This has not worked into Blairs best interest, as the playoffs continue every team will play its best ball or lose. The kicking game becomes more and more important especially if it allows you to win by that 1 or 2 points. Scott is right about TC & Monrovia and I think these two teams have a good chance to advance and might end up playing each other in the Semi's. Who knows Blair might just prevail and go on to meet the winner of LaSalle or Santa Clara and I could be a real nice RHL showdown for the real RHL Championship!

WE CAN'T LOSE ANYMORE WE BEAT THE BEST TEAM IN THE PLAYOFFS THERE IS NO ONE THAT CAN STOP US EVERYONE SAID MUIR IS GOING TO KILL US LOOK WHAT HAPPEN THEY PLAYED A GOOD GAME BUT THE COWBOYS CAME OUT ON TOP ANSWER THIS WHO CAN STOP US.

ALHAMBRA OWNS ALL!!!!!

Paraclete is NO JOKE.
They have a collective football motor that is ROLLING.
The Cats can hang, but the effort must be superior.

Anon 1020

BOLD STATEMENT...gain a name and come back after Friday so we all can hail your football knowledge.

My thoughts are this. La Salle has the passing game that can get the job done and, like last season, is playing its best ball of the season at the right time.
Monrovia has one of the best backfield tandems in the West Valley and, as long as Williams is healthy, can keep in the game.
In Temple City's case, they can be tough on defense. They were actually controlling the line before Do's injury against Alhambra and, although I'm not sure the outcome would've been different, the score sure would have with Do.
And I also saw Temple City slow down Blair, not an easy task.
People thought I was nuts picking Pasadena last week as well.

Great post from goteamgo - I too am curious and would love more of your reasoning regarding your selections.
Also Scott - are all the games around here at the home fields or offsite -but closer to the home team? Thanks and go Minutemen!

Scott -

There has been some "doom and gloom" comments on the blog about how Monrovia, TC, and La Salle do not have a chance. Can you enlighten us on what you see from your perspective to choose these teams over the oddsmakers?

Paraclete we know is 11-0, but people do not know much about them - maybe their record is intimidating?

Bishop Diego will be on the road at TC, which plays into TC's favor - their style is similar to La Salle, which TC defeated.

Santa Clara has an all everything RB, but I have to believe La Salle knows this, and will adjust their game plan accordingly - they are a well coached and disciplined team. Last year in the playoffs they played Fillmore who's entire offense was built around a single RB, and they adjusted, and prevalied (granted, that RB was not of the caliber of the Santa Clara back, but still pretty good).

I'd like Monrovia, TC, and La Salle to win, but I am curious as to the basis for your selections - you must see something others do not.

CALPREPS prediction of 34 -13 whipping of the TC RAMS...at home??
If our defense comes out hard-headed like last week - TC will notch another win.

Wildcats over Paraclete
14-13.