FOOTBALL: Hall of Fame game is not enjoying Fiesta
The annual Hall of Fame All-Star game, to be played at Bassett High School on June 27 is taking a hit from the second-year upstart Fiesta game.
Above: Muir's Willie Youngblood.
Among the defections to the game to be played at City Section school LA Wilson, are Muir's Willie Youngblood and possibly Arcadia's Kevan Walker. What has usually been a East San Gabriel Valley vs. West San Gabriel Valley has become more of an East vs. whoever's left. Considering legendary former Muir coach Jim Brownfield hepled start the Hall of Fame game, it's sad that Muir and Pasadena kids would rather play in a game that's only been around for two years. The other interesting twist is that one of the coaches of the other game is a San Gabriel assistant.
Last year's game at Bassett drew an overflow crowd and I expect the same this year.
What Fred wrote:
Where's the loyalty?
The Hall of Fame All-Star football game is on Friday, June 27 at Bassett High School. A night later, the second annual Fiesta Bowl is at L.A. Wilson High on June 28. Why did the Fiesta, knowing th date of the Hall of Fame, schedule their game a day later? And even worse, the Fiesta is watering down the Hall of Fame East roster with Star-News area kids normally in the Hall of Fame, and now it's become a tug-of-war, with Star-News kids forced to choose. It's come down to coaches recruiting against each other for the best players. I have no problem with the Fiesta Bowl, It's the City vs. Southern Section kids, and a great idea. But the Southern-Section kids are primarily Pasadena area-players, so that game should have been scheduled a week earlier, two weeks earlier, anything, so that they're not competing. It's a shame when I see Muir and PHS kids skipping the Hall of fame for the Fiesta, especially since it was Muir's legendary coach Jim Brownfield who practically put together the Hall of Fame and still has so much to do with it. I know he's disappointed, and this could have been avoided had players and coaches from the East side remembered how good the Hall of Fame had been to them. Or maybe it's simply that the Pasadena-area kids are tired of getting beat up by the Tribune-area kids. Maybe they've had enough. If anything, if these all-star games continue playing the same weekend in the future, new boundaries need to be created.
East Team
Head coach: Ray Hernandez, La Puente
Players, School, position
Angel Acevedo, Baldwin Park, FS
Mike Acosta, Garey, FB/LB
Drew Annas, San Dimas, WR
Matt Baca, Ayala, QB
Domaminc Blanco, Charter Oak, LT/G
Chris Burns, California, G
Jose Castellon, California, C
Ben Counce, Azusa, DB
Ryan Cress, Sonora, WR
Robert Diaz, Northview, LG/LT
Jon Earnest, South Hills, FB
Michael Edwards, Glendora, WR
Kevin Estipular, Ayala, LB
Oliver Estrella, Nogales, TE
Joseph Garcia, La Puente, LB
Richard Gurrola, Gladstone, DB
Mikey Harrell, Charter Oak, WR
Ryan Henson, West Covina, WR
Mike Howard, Charter Oak, LB
Jason Knowles, Northview, RB
Damon Kuklinski, South Hills, LB
Nick Longoria, Los Altos, DL
Jose Martinez, Garey, FB/LB
Aaron Michaelis, Bonita, OG
Shelton Miles, Diamond Ranch, RB
Oscar Molina, Baldwin Park, DE
Steve Molina, Ganesha, RB/LB
Andre Ortega, Pioneer, LB
Brandon Parham, South Hills, QB/WR
Carlos Rios, La Puente, WR
Robert Rodriguez, West Covina, P/PK
Ramel Rose, Chino, WR
Charles Shorts, Covina, LB
Julian Silva, Bishop Amat, TE
Kanaan Snowden, Charter Oak, RB
Isaac Tucker, West Covina, RB
Mike Valdez, West Covina, C
Marcus Wagner, Bishop Amat, RB
Ray Washington, Charter Oak, DB
Alonzo Webb, Bassett, RB
Tanner Zylstra, Bonita, TE
Hugo Zuniga, La Puente, DL
West Team
Head coach: Erick Escamilla, South El Monte.
Players, School, position
Alex Valdez, Schurr, DB/WR
Jelani Blunt, Eagle Rock, QB/DB
Darius Reese, Duarte, QB/CB
Kevan Walker, Arcadia, WR/FS
Jonathan Mendoza, South El Monte, RB
Jonathan Troast, South Pasadena, QB
Chris Harris, Duarte, RB/CB
Sammy Garcia, Verdugo Hills, RB/LB
Fernando Gonzalez, Monrovia, WR/FS
Geno Stoney, Verdugo Hills, WR/DB
Dushine Smith, Alhambra, RB/DB
Kyle Morgan, St. Francis, RB/FS
Mark Love, Maranatha, RB/DB
Raul Pintada, Schurr, DB
Rudy Jordan, Schurr, RB/DB
Parker Haleen, Crescenta Valley, TE/LB
Jesus Campos, Bell Gardens, RB/LB
Juan Casillas, Lincoln, FB/LB
Williams Do, Temple City, TB/LB
Ryan Diaz, Boscho Tech, WR/S
Patrick Greene, Monrovia, WR/LB
Willie Youngblood, Muir, RB/LB
Deonta Woodrod, Cantwell, FB/LB
Clay Sierra, Crescenta Valley, WR
Darwin Barcelis, Eagle Rock, RB/LB
Juan Perez, South El Monte, TE/DE
Joseph Eddy, Rosemead, LB
Daniel Scheper, St. Francis, DE/OT
Eric Becher, Temple City, DT/DE
Tanner Farwell, Crescenta Valley, C
Arshak Abramyan, Glendale, OG/NG
Lars Guillermo, Arcadia, DT/C
Chris Tosello, La Canada, OL
Setefan Loau, Lincoln, C/DL
Travis Shafer, El Rancho, OL/DL
Oscar Hernandez, Salesian, OL/DL
Paul Lindsay, Verdugo Hills, LT/DT
David Morris, Marshall, WR/FS
Tommy Cogburn, South El Monte, WR/DB
Donnie Fields, Arcadia, OL/DL
Vicente Torres, Montebello, OL/DL
Gabriel Moreno, Alhambra, OL/DL
Zane Archer, Glendale, WR/LB
Mario Cruz, Glendale, TE/LB
Edwin Baldelomar, Alhambra, OL/DL
Andrew Barrera, South El Monte, OL/DL
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About this blog
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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. |
Practices are at SEM HS. True, it might have been better for the coach and location to be more familiar to the players in the west SGV, but I watched practice yesterday and the coaching staff is great. I heard from an Alhambra dad whose son made the choice not to play in the Fiesta game that they went after, and got, the skill players, but were less successful with OL/DL. The game obviously did not have to be scheduled when it is so it's assumed that the Fiesta people are making a point of forcing players to make a choice. Where's the value in that?
The Hall of Fame has lost some luster. We used to sell-out Citrus college. Now it is at Basset High School.
Huckster has a huge point. A Pasadena area coach would attract the players. Having a coach from South El Monte seems completely out of left field. I did not realize that SEM was even within out boundary. Have practices been at SEM HS? That's a bit out of the way, right?
Has Coach Dimalante from Arcadia ever coached this game? It would have made sense to have Coach Sanders (WSGV Coach of the Year) or even Coach Garrison coach this game. At least Garrison has a HOF Game victory against the east from 1998.
Freddy, you are so right.
Scott, looks like that's something we have to do next year, just like the basketball game, we have to hype it all up big-time.
Tribune/Star-News Hall of Fame game would be beautiful! Now we are on to something!
I hear ya, thats why I like you Huck, honest as usual. Wish they could play in both, that's why organizers should have this game on different weekends, then we wouldn't have this problem.
maybe the coaches should let them play in both games and maybe it will be a different story.
Fred I tried to tell my son and some of his buddies the ESGV team was way better than the city team, but apparently there has been some trash talking amongst them boys. I personally don’t think the city teams are that good, with the exception of maybe one or two of them.
Maybe next year we should call in the Tribune/Star-News Hall of Fame game, then the boundaries will be set in stone.
BTW, I have no problem with the Huckster, he's Pasadena football tradition, but I am disappointed.
That City team isn't better than the East team, I can tell you that.
I know Freddy, but many know the areas by our coverage areas. Bottom line is I agree that the kids from this area should respect the tradition of the game.
Those are Trib/Star-News boundaries Scott, the Hall of Fame is East and West of the 605.
What’s the coaching selection process on these all star games? I’m not saying it’s about the coach, but if it would have been one of the coaches I mention just maybe the locals would have played in that game. Nothing against coach Escamilla, but if our Dena kids would have played it would be a matter of how many points the West would have scored and won by! I’m with you Freddy, I wanted to be ESGV vs. WSGV I told my son he should have gotten the boy’s together and put a whipping on the East, but hey these kids wanted to play against Crenshaw, Dorsey, Taft ect……
One thing Huckster is correct about is that Escamilla isn't a West-side guy. He's from your area Freddy. That still isn't a good enough reason to skip out, however.
Great, so this is about the coach, Huck. If you don't get the coach you want you skip town, that's not what you do when you don't get what you want. Escamilla is a great coach and South El Monte had a great season, don't punish him for it. He's on your side of the 605, so what's the big deal. About kicking the WSGV's booty, guess we'll never know now. But the East hasn't done a good job of it the last few years, so go play in the other game and get your "W"
Freddy, Freddy, Freddy, to say that our players are scared is just mind blowing! I seen some of the top talent in the ESGV and I really think the WSGV would have kick some booty this year in the “Hall of Fame Game”. If the Hall of Fame, committee would have selected some coaches from the West side of the 605, then just maybe a lot of players would have played in the game! Coaches like W. Crutchfield (Duarte), K. Howard (Muir), K. Mills (PHS), J. Bonds (ST. Francis), J. Dimalante (Arcadia) and T. Sanders former (Blair) coach would have attracted the best the west had to offer! To be honest, some of the ESGV players our Pasadena player at least 7 to 10 of them which was the best in the east, so being scared is just ludicrous! Just to name a few of the West roster playing in the other game:
Willie Youngblood (Muir)
Amher Owens (Muir)
Tyron Crockum (PHS)
Arness Ikner (PHS)
Trump Harrison (PHS)
Trey Walls (PHS)
Devin Fuller (Blair)
Kevin Walker (Arcadia)
Donnie Fields (Arcadia)
I just named a few and missed some of the other kids from Alhambra, San Gabriel and other surrounding schools who have some true all star talent. I wish they played in the annual East vs. West Hall of Fame game too, I thought it would have been a great game this year.
I know it sounds like I'm whining, but the defections to the Fiesta Bowl are disappointing. Especially at Muir, c'mon, this is Brownfield's game. What are you guys thinking?
You know what, let them go play the Fiesta Bowl, we have Tommy Cogburn that would out shine them anyways. That is probably why they don't want to play, not enough playing time!!! They would probably hurt the team anyway!!!