FOOTBALL: Alhambra could pass on the run in 2008
Alhambra High School appeared in the Crescenta Valley passing tournament and showcased some lightening speed.
Above: Alhambra wide receiver/defensive back Mitchell Crockom.
Above: Alhambra coach Gil Ruedaflores, center, talks to his team at the Crescenta Valley tournament.
Here's a look at the 2008 Moors.
Alhambra High School saw its first action of the summer during the Crescenta Valley passing tournament at the Glendale Sports Complex.
The Moors (7-4 in 2007) will enter the 2008 season without the lightning-quick running back combination of Dushine Smith (1,285 yards and 14 touchdowns) and Anthony Brown (1,188 yards and 19 TDs).
Although replacing those players won't be easy, change could be good for the Moors.
"The difference in the team is that we're not going to be as run-oriented as last year," Alhambra coach Gil Ruedaflores said. "We're going to open it up."
Ruedaflores plans on taking advantage of what could be a huge advantage at wide receiver - speed.
Junior to be Mitchell Crockom possesses speed, and then some.
Crockom, who led the Moors in receiving a year ago with 375 yards and five TDs, showcased that speed both at wide receiver and at defensive back at the CV tournament.
"My expectation for Mitchell is when it's time for him to make plays in crucial situations, he's able to do it with his talent and knowledge of the game," said Ruedaflores, who will be entering his 20th season. "The most important thing is his feel for the game. He knows where he has to be and knows who he has to beat."
Quarterback
Fellow junior Darrian Cazarin has a year of experience under his belt at quarterback after throwing for 420 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago, as well as a lengthy playing relationship with Crockom.
"Mitchell has a lot of confidence in his quarterback and they've worked a lot together, that's the key," Ruedaflores said. "They won a championship together and they almost won it as tenth graders so they have that formula that they need which is confidence."
The Moors coach feel Cazarin is ready to step up and have a solid junior season.
"Darrian's a hard worker, he always watches film, he's a good student of the game and he's a good leader," Ruedaflores said.
Wide Receiver
Joining Crockom at wideout will be sophomore Vai Peko, another speedster who will also see action at running back, and Bryan Gonzalez, who is also the team's kicker.
"We have a good core of receivers and simply because one of our receivers may be double-teamed, that'll open up the running game a little bit," Ruedaflores said.
Peko's uncle, Domata Peko recently signed to play with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Running Back
Ruedaflores isn't worried about running back, although he acknowledges that things will be different with Daniel Imaa and Kaleo Branco.
"We've got linebackers playing running back, so it's three yards and a cloud of dust," Ruedaflores said. "Daniel Imaa is a Division I linebacker whose being recruited by a lot of colleges and he's a fullback, and Kaleo Branco is another linebacker that has 4.6/4.7 speed.
"We just need five yards from them, not like Anthony and Dushine where they would get 40."
Line
Christian Ramirez, Jeremy Lewis and Andrew Salas will provide the bulk on the offensive line.
Look for the Moors to try to beat teams via the pass this season.
"Our plan is to establish a good running game with a good passing game and play 50-50," Ruedaflores said. "We need to be able to run and throw 50-50 and not put all the pressure on the quarterback."
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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. |
crockum is amazing in track as well. he's the only reason our varsity track team might have a chance next year!
crockum is amazing in track as well.
I usually just lurk here, but reality "check" your MLA handbook. If you're going to crack others for their grammar and punctuation, check your own first. Caps at the beginning of sentences, apostrophes between contractions and possessive nouns.
Elementary, my dear reality check.
To All,
Riley has indeed been offered a ride to USC. This came from the inside. Let's talk football and fun, not hate. OUT!
Goldenarm,
It probably all depends on how great of shape Golper is in.
My guess is he comes out of the backfield part time, the other part he is playing in the slot like he did last year.
Their's no doubt he will be playing D full time.
When legendary coach Gil Ruedaflores retires, who is going to take over head coaching duties?
Big A
Do you anticipate coach D utilizing Golper part time out of the backfield.... full time D?
Or just too early to say?
Big A,
I totally agree with you buddy,you hit it right on the money.Now that's reality!
Riley may not run a 4.4 but he sure has heck doesn't run a 4.8. Obviously, must have had a bad day or a slow surface. Riley probably runs in the low 4.6's to high 4.5's.
Riley is a relatively good sized kid. I'm not surprised USC offered him based on his untapped potential as a football player. The kid is an absolute stud who is very, very talented. A 6'2 190 pound safety is a very good sized kid, especially as a 10th grader. Being so, USC must have offered him on the belief that he is going to grow to be 6'2 210 pounds in college and be a roaming free safety who puts fear into the hearts of receivers.
Relax and enjoy the summer!
Thanks GoldenArm!
i've played plenty more than just one down. I just want to know where you played your football.
guy, my facts are straight from scout.com and rivals.com. dont get mad at me, they are the ones who reported the numbers.
do you coach at usc? are you the recruiting coordinator there? how in the world would you know what "they" are looking for?! did you play at usc? do they call you before offering every scholarship?
dude, your sentences get very incoherent at the end, maybe because you write in anger. do you really love the alhambra program so much that you take that much offense to my comments? are you a coach there?
lastly, CAN I PLEASE GET A SPACE AFTER A PERIOD?!
what are they teaching at alhambra?
Reality joke,
If you only knew who I was and i'm not stupid enough to give you the satisfaction.This will be the last time I respond to your idiotic B.S.What's funny to me is that you back all your statements up with you so called facts and you really have no clue buddy.and you probably never played a down in your life,right? RIGHT? what's even funnier to me is how you claim that Riley runs a 4.8 and my boy runs 4.9 or whatever you said cause I can give a u know what about your reality cause obviously your living in your own lil box.Pretty freaky actually.Anyways back to my 40yd point,trust me buddy if Riley really ran a 4.8 like you swear by,and at the same time your telling USC offered him a scholarship,thats would be a joke.They would never offer a 10th grader soon to be a junior,any type of scholarship running a 4.8 40yd So my point is that its only obvious Riley is way faster than the 4.8 your swearing by and and was not electronic time.So your facts don't mean anything to anyone but yourself.With replies like yours just takes the fun and excitement out high school football.
justafan, you played d-1 ball? where? what is your name? did you graduate from that school? please put at least one space after a period, preferably two.
so let me get this straight, you (contributing members of this pasadena news blog, as well as those lurking in the background) actually want a blog to be filled with spelling and blatant grammatical errors?
you guys actually want blog posts to be filled with inaccuracies and made up facts?
what is the point of hyping a high school kid, a kid who just finished his sophomore year in high school at that?
my original point was always this, alhambra is not a football power. as long as the present football coach has been there they have been a .500 team in a lower echelon division. they've averaged 5 to 6 wins a season for 18 to 20 years. they play in the almont league and that is not like they play in the trinity, the serra or even the mission league for that matter.
just like you have the right (used loosely) to hype up a team, I have the right (used even more loosely) to bring them back to reality, hence my handle.
justafan, please don't committ the crime and expect not to do the time. you just abuse the english language like no other and then get hurt or offended when you get called out on it. the people want facts, and they want them correct and valid in the argument. they don't want the kids 100m hurdles when we were discussing 40yd times.
justafan, you said you actually played d-1 football. how are you so familiar with the high school combines of 2008? from what i recall, they were almost non-existent and certainly not at the level of what they are today. what do you know about their credibility? please tell us!
goldenarm, why do you have to go there man? passive aggressive sarcasm, is that how you live your life? i hope not. are you still hurt that i corrected you? i've already apologized for the way i did it. it was not the classiest way to start posting again. my first post was under "sickofgoldenarmslies" and any sleuth can figure out that "glendog" and "justafan" are the same poster as well.
im sorry of my brashness or of my bluntness. but i feel many blogs are just filled with content that simply dumbs america down. it takes just a few seconds to check for spelling or to re-read something for grammar and as an adult we can all at least do that. i totally understand if thats not the direction this particular blog wants to go in. im a little shocked that more than one poster would actually like this blog to be filled with spelling and grammar mistakes.
reality check...in a delusional sort of way,
We collectively bow, awed by your mastery of the English language.
Such punctuation and literary genius has not been seen since the era of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Blessed are we who await your next correction. FOOTBALL cannot arrive soon enough.
Mr. Reality Check,
or shall I say Mr.Harvard Law grad. or maybe English Professor over at Yale Univ.I'm sick and tired of you trying to insult peoples intelligence on a simple High School football blog.I'm not trying to earn my degree or earn points or approval from an uppity scholar like you.So if my 14-15 yr old intelligence disturbs you or offends you in any way,simply do not read them.My loyalty is to Alhambra and I am not a relative of Mitchell.I believe he is one of the most talented kids in all of Cali for that matter,and I'm just a fan.And just for the record I myself played D1 football back in 92' so I know a little bit about combines and there credibility and how fast a kid is.
just for records, my loyalty lies with st. francis, not arcadia.
im just sick and tired of the quality of writing that goes on in these blogs. spelling, simple grammar and the lack of actual facts.
justafan, maybe i can relax a little bit more, but you need to learn or take more time in spelling, punctuation as well as reporting sound facts that you can PROVE!
my intent was never to put down a local athlete. especially one in high school. but guys, lets not overly stroke egos of to be 11th graders. justafan, if you arent crockom or his immediate family, whats the point of all the unnecessary hype?
the reason for my first post was to clear up a post that was flawed with an inaccuracy that the blog poster tried to pass off as a fact. i simply corrected him (in retrospect, i guess i could have been nicer. i mean we are all mature adults here right?) as well as giving proof of my facts with a link to a reputable website.
we aren't 14 or 15 years old here, right?
so let's not bring this blog down to that level by writing the way 14 or 15 years old talk.
Don't worry guys i'm allergic to haterade,and I wish all three athletes the best of luck.All I know is that I was at the scout.com/underarmour combine in person,and witnessed both Crockum and Riley tear it up in the one-on-ones against superior D1 db's the best in California.That is why they both earned 1st team wr's for the combines' top prospects for 2010!
justafan,
I agree with most of your points, particularly stopwatch hand held 40 times. In most cases though, they remain the standard, and have been known to be friendly.
Big A,
great news for D Riley
Apparently just the simple "good luck to the Moors " is enough to pull out the bolt cutters and hack into the cooler of haterade.
For those of you who are reading comprehension impaired, no where do I COMPARE Golper to Crockom, or question anyone's skill or speed. Justafan - at least check the facts before you grind the ax. Grab the link Big A provided or listen up for any Combine scheduled in the area and see for yourself.
As "reality check" stated, and any athlete knows - you get the time you run, not the time you CAN run. Scout.com is a statistical Fort Knox, highly respected for accuracy and integrity.
I find it encouraging that in Crockom, we in the SGV have another upcoming, promising athlete to support and follow. Golper has got his ticket, earned it and should be amazing to see this year coming out of the backfield for the Apaches.
Dear realitycheck,
like i said buddy i'm not taking anything away from Golper i'm sure he's a stud.Deitrick Riley Is a stud too.I'm an alhambra guy and i'm just very excited for Mitchell cause he's a stud too.As far as the 40yd,i only trust electronic times,rather than hand time.If golper runs 4.69 electronic time than he has excellent speed for a linebacker.At the scout.com/underarmour combine,i was there in person,and it was not electronic time.Kids were there running and jumpin in sneakers and baseball caps.Mitchell goes 10.87 in the 100mtr and until he runs electronic time 40yds out here in cali,when he runs at the rivals combine next year then hopefully you'll agree with me.But you are 100% right as far as the 40yds making the player a better ball player,I totally agree with you on that.Just excited for this coming season and good luck too all three athletes.
justafan,
Golper didn't compete because of an ankle injury as was written in the write up after the camp.
As a sophomore he ran a 4.68 at an underclassmen combine. So as a sophomore a 4.68, and he measured in a 6'0 221. Now he a legitimate 6'1 225 pounds and is probably stronger, faster, and quicker than he was as a sophomore. So subtract his 4.68 to probably a 4.54-4.64 range.
40 times don't make a great football player, it helps but it doesn't complete him.
Riley and Crockum will be great this upcoming season and will have division one offers as Riley just got his first from the big-time program of USC. Congratulations to him and his family!
Here is the link to support my facts:
http://www.nationalunderclassmen.com/calistats2007bylastname.htm
Dear reality check,
obviously your a die hard arcadia fan and i am a Moors fan.I never meant to push your buttons enough to respond with a 3 page essay.and i never doubted the fact that Golper,or Riley where both D1 players.Infact I told you I seen Rliey in person and he's gonna be a great d1 wr.Mitchell is also gonna be a great D1 wr and he's got two years left to play,qas does Riley.Both will dominate their leagues and hopefully you'll get a chance to see Crockum's 4.9 speed in the play-off's.Relax buddy i'm just a fan........
Todd Golper's Rivals page.
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=71315&sport=1
justafan please change your handle to justanidiot
guy, you really think companies like rivals.com and scout.com would post and keep illegitimate facts up on their websites?! (40 times are probably the most popular number associated with a football player)
these companies have been in business for almost 15 years doing exactly this: holding combine like events and talent showcases and then ACCURATELY reporting the numbers!
cmon, maybe crockom is faster than a 4.9, maybe not. But until he runs faster, he runs a 4.9, thats it.
for what its worth, riley picked up a scholarship offer to USC.
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=84941&sport=1
Maybe the SGV isnt so bad afterall. To my knowledge Arcadia has sent at least 1 D-1a/aa guy the last 3 years and I am pretty sure St. Francis' streak is even longer than that.
another fact 100 wins spread out over 20 seasons averages out 5 wins a season. you decide how awesome of a career that is. how long did it take garrison at monrovia to get to 100?
huuum = stupid and annoying. who types huuum with 3 u's into a blog entry anyway?
"Dewayne Walker loves Mitchell,and thats just the facts....Go Moors!!!!!" -justafan
how is that a fact? did walker send crockom a hallmark card that reads:
Dear Crockom,
I love you.
Love,
Coach Walker
then you sign off with a go moors, like the alhambra program wants to associate themselves with a post so stupid and filled with spelling and grammatical errors, ellipses, a huuum with 3 Us, no spaces after commas and exclaimation points as well as sentences that end in multiple question marks.
hahahahhahaha!!!
p.s. i wasn't comparing golper's tackling ability to crockom's catching ability. just 40 times.
Mr.goldenarm lies,
Heres a lil food for your thought.first of all your comparing a linebacker to wr's!Golper's a legit Lb.and where did u find his 4.6 40yd time buddy??? cause according to scout.com he did not run...huuum i wonder why???
if you honestly think this Golper kid has got more speed than Crockum or Riley, that its obvious your info is way off...Mr. goldenarm or even Galetti,both witnessed Crockum's speed in person along with every other coach at the cv tourney and Mitchell's nickname turned into the "Man Child",and might even be playing with golper at UCLA cause coach Dewayne Walker loves Mitchell,and thats just the facts....Go Moors!!!!!
....and by the way golden arm,you do not lie buddy your right on the money-Mitchell Crockum and Deitrick Riley were both on the 1st team all scout.com/underarmour top prospects for 2010 wr's,so obviously both kids can fly-Ive seen them both in person,and both have tremendous speed...as far as the Golper kid i've never seen him i'm sure he's great too but I can't call it-I call it how i see it! Was he even at the combine? I'm not sure....
Yo Golden arm lies???
The last time Crockum ran a 4.9 was probably in the 4th grade...This year in track in pr'd 14.4 in the 100mtr high hurdles,and 10.87 in the 100mtr.....if u know anything about speed,you know those numbers were miss prints,infact a couple coaches sent emails to source 2 correct that-both kids,both Mitchell and Deitrick ran high 4.5's 4.6's! last year as a freshman at the michigan camp,Mitchell ran a 4.63 electronic time...so please believe that those two kids will be the top two wr prospects for 2010! Congrats to both athletes.
Golper is no freak, he is a gifted athlete with a strong work ethic.
As far as Crockom, thank you for your finely crafted correction. My error, guess I can't read a chart, I listed the Shuttle time.
BTW, Golper DNC at the last Combine due to injury.
golden arm, either you like to lie or you can't read a chart.
Crockom ran a 4.91.
Is this your source?
http://scoutcombines.scout.com/3/2008_LosAngeles.html
If so, the first column after the HT and Wt is the 40.
Riley is on that list as well. He ran a 4.8.
Is it just me or does Alhambra do less with so much talent year in and year out. I know the head coach has 100 wins but he's been at it for 20 years!
They've had a WR go to Michigan and two supposed stud RBs last year.
Last year's team almost lost to Glendale.
Here is food for thought. I am looking at the list and see Arcadia's Todd Golper. He is 223, more than 40 pounds heavier than Riley and Crockom. He ran a 4.6. Is he just a freak?
Looking at the schedules, I had forgot the weird 07 San Marino had. They started the season 4-0, including a meat hook job on Mark Keppel 75-0. They then lost to San Gab, and tied floundering LC 7-7. The following week they rose up to beat eventual RHL champ Blair.
Following the victory over Blair, they dropped 3 straight to TC, Monrovia and finally got whacked by So Pas to end their season.
I remember the Titan loyal were out in force at season start, being 4-0. In the end I still think they were better than their record would indicate. With changes and additions to the coaching ranks, they may turn some of their close losses into W's this year. I am anxious to see the PSN forecast and player breakdown for ALL area schools. Fall ball starts the 23rd for TC........ soon it will be time to dig the cup out of the sock drawer.
No results. I just went out to do reports on the teams.
SG,
Does your CV tournament article state the tourney results? Or is that info still to come? Thanks
Now that I see you mention that name Scott, did Michaels Hrrison go to play anywhere?
I agree w/ u goldenarm-
A kid they had a couple years ago,ZION BABB,who's over at Michigan,was pretty awsome returner and special teams guy-this crockum kid has lots more upside than Zion did at his age.That is a scary thought.He will have a break-out year if he can stay healthy.
The first thing that came to mind when I saw Crockom at the same venue where I saw Pasadena for the first time a year ago, is that this kid can beat anyone at any time like Michael Harrison, Arness Ikner and the rest of the Pasadena receivers. He'll be murder against single coverage.
Crockom could be devasting as a kickoff/punt returner as well, definitely a TD threat on any kick - with 4.5 speed.
50-50 offense sounds great in theory...making it work consistently against good defensive teams takes an entire unit jelled together. Best of luck to the Moors.