All football, all the time

Miguel, welcome aboard
HERE IS GOOD STORY TO COVER!!!
PHS BULLDOG OFFENSE GUARD BOYKINS WILL FACE HIS COUSIN, ARROYO VALLEY OF SAN BERARDINO DL ALEX BOYKINS IN THE FIRST FOOTBALL OF THE 2008 SEASON!!!
GOOD PART ABOUT THIS MATCH-UP THEY WILL BE GOING HEAD TO HEAD AGAINST EACH OTHER!!!

LC is not being overlooked - just out classed by other programs. Don't be surprised by another poor season since the AD and admininstration know nothing about football. Wheeler could coach if he got the support needed and the commitment needed from all involved. LC will cotinue to suffer from the San Marino syndrom when academics outweigh the participation/commitment to sports.

The Stang Fan,
I HEAR THAT PHS BULLDOGS HAVE A NEW DEFENSE COACH??
FOR BULLDOGS TO HAVE ANY CHANCE OF A WINNING SEASON,IT MUST START WITH BIG D!!!
LAST YEAR DEFENSE COACH DID-NOT TEACH THOSE YOUNG MENS HOW TO PLAY BIG TIMES D!!!
THAT WHY MILLS ALWAY WENT FOR A FIRST DOWN,NO MATTER HOW MANY YARD HE NEEDED!!
HE HAVE NO FAITH IN HIS D LAST YEAR!!!

marshall eagle,

Glad to see you fired up for your boys. Where do you think the Eagles rank in the Top Ten, if at all? And who are some of your top players?

laugh all you want, but my eagles are turnin around. now the new staff and a couple new players there on the fly,, I kno there is alot of haters gone 2 say were still sorry. but nope,, so when we start 2 win dont start fannin... miguel i suggest you start goin 2 all the schools.. all your doin is goin by the last few yrs.. no hard feelings........... go eagles

Miguel,

Welcome to the best football blog on the net. And thanks for the kind words about La Salle. It is true that they are in a new playoff division, but their season schedule and league hasn't changed that much.
The questions about their WSGV ranking will be answered on the field, against Maranatha, the Cats, Rams, Titans, and even Don Bosco.
Two a days begin on Tues!

the real hsfbfn,

I see your point but I'll have to disagree with you that they are or can be the best reciever/secondary squad in the valley. They'll be pretty good, just not the best. Rambeau is a decent player w/ some good fundamentals but hopefully he worked on his foot speed which was lacking last year.

I don't think I would be going out on a limb to say that the linebacker corp at Arcadia will be thier D's strength. Truthfully I don't even know who will be playing outside, but with that monster in the middle that group should be pretty good.

ex-falcon,

I don't care what the papers say, you guys are a west side team in my eyes. You're west of the 605, play on the west's all-star team, and are closely linked with Monrovia. But as Fred says, he's never been able to convince the higher ups to make that switch. I hope you guys make some noise this year, especially against SH. Good
luck!!!

REYES,

If the dogs couldn't stop the run last year with a senior-laden team there is no way they will be able to stop it this year. Yes, they have a couple of good hogs, but again depth hurts them BIG TIME. Haven't heard from the Huckster in a while, but some of the other diehard dog fans have confessed to me that it is going to be a LONG year. I'm talking 3-7, 4-6 if they're lucky, type of year.

stang fan,

arcadia returns 2 key receivers & a kid who did not play last year. I have to catch their names. they looked great during passing league games. But then again, pads could be a different story as we all know.

I think one of the them is Brian Rambeau.

stang fan,

arcadia returns 2 key receivers & a kid who did not play last year. I have to catch their names. they looked great during passing league games. But then again, pads could be a different story as we all know.

I think one of the them is Brian Rambeau.

I cant wait until that game lpalum. But first things first ayala. I cant wait unitl that first friday night. Over there on the eastside there already giving the championship to San Dimas. Football is played on the field not a blog.

the real hsfbfn,

Interesting comment about your reciever/secondary group. Why do you believe they'll be the best in the valley?

the real hsfbfn,

Interesting comment about your reciever/secondary group. Why do you believe they'll be the best in the valley?

WOW, a lot of good feedback from you guys. The HR meeting was about an hour and I'm here in Pasadena now. Freddy was starting to get on my nerves. Just kidding, of course.

More stuff coming soon I promise guys.

OC,

DJ Cole is another RB to look for. Boggs has been doing some work back there too.

WHEN DO HS FOOTBALL TRAINING CAMP BEGIN???

Will PHS BULLDOG HAVE A DEFENSE TO STOP RUN THIS YEAR??
CAN ANYONE TEACH THESE YOUNG MEN HOW TO PLAY BIG D THIS YEAR???

ex-falcon,

Don't you worry about everyone looking past your Duarte Falcons. At least in Warrior Land, we know what you guys are capable of and we understand you have a lot of playmakers.

I am excited about my Warriors playing your Falcons during the last game of the year. If things pan out the way they should, it should be an exciting season finale for both teams.

See you Nov. 14th!

mtown:
Who are the other running Backs?...any word

fball fan,
schedule says SoElmo, I based it on that

Matt,
why does Wheeler have no assistants? No way that will fly......I saw Glendale-Hoover a couple weeks back at practice, two coaches visible but looking similar to what you describe...I just know the LC JV squad had some good dudes and potential....

OC,

Ryan isn't a runningback. He was on JV at corner until after the La Canada game. He became the starting corner on varsity after Golden was injuried

Goldenarm,

Are you sure TC plays South El Monte and not El Monte for their scrimmage?

I saw LC in the summer and they looked like a PE class. Not blaming the kids. What I saw and was told is that Wheeler coached all spring and summer without any other coaches. No fumdamentals. In the RHL I look for Monrovia, TC and San Marino as the top three.

please understnada duarte has play makers. not just jordan. we will be ok this year. The east is not even giving us a chance to compete.everybody beware of the falcons.

David
La Canada had some real talent and some studs on their JV team last year, if these kids are aided by some good coaching, you are right they should not be overlooked, in fact they could make major waves.

LP Alum - good point about SoElmo, I did not include them because I was thinking WSGV linked. You will get your wish somewhat on Sept 5, TC scrimmages SEM. Talk about an eye-opener prelude for contact - those kids can pop. ALSO -as far as blogging - - we have been able to keep it football over here so far - hope it stays that way.

Blair - if Kendall (sp) is still there, I 've heard he has become a monster beast among sub-beasts. Weight room resident. The streets of Dena have heard No peep as far as coaching impact.

We know Temple City and Monrovia look to be #1 and #2 (maybe not in that order) for the Rio Hondo League. However, that has become a default preseason selection, but last year Blair had other ideas.

Is there anyone who knows what's going on at Blair? They still have some talent, right?

South Pas and LC are being overlooked... maybe it's justified, but I would not be surprised to see them make some noise in the RHL this autumn

mtown

You're right. Ryan Soloman is the running back who will be a Jr. this year.

OC,

Hall-Solomon was a senior last year

It's a breath of fresh air to finally come into a blog without anyone "bastardizing" the true nature of these forums. The Tribune blogs get pretty ruthless, but you guys in here always seem to have great, sincere perspectives.

I appreciate the information and hope the Warriors face a few of these top ten teams down the road.

No South El Monte in the top ten? Big surprise for me.

It's close to my favorite time of year. Miguel, welcome aboard. I like your energy so far.

Goldenarm, I pasted a link to an article in last weekend's Wall Street Journal. I think you can appreciate Germany's commitment to athletics...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121763204928806141.html

I hope Maddox lives up to the reputation of teaching good fundamentals. We have missed that aspect of the game for several years. If our guys play with solid fundamentals then the sky is the limit in our small division.

It's close to my favorite time of year. Miguel, welcome aboard. I like your energy so far.

Goldenarm, I pasted a link to an article in last weekend's Wall Street Journal. I think you can appreciate Germany's commitment to athletics...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121763204928806141.html

I hope Maddox lives up to the reputation of teaching good fundamentals. We have missed that aspect of the game for several years. If our guys play with solid fundamentals then the sky is the limit in our small division.

To BigA

What's up Big A. This game should set the pace as to where both teams will end up this year. Now I know you have never had the opportunity to see Williams play, but think back to davis and sparks being his second and third string replacements. That is why I would'nt trade him for Golper in my backfield. My question is who is the QB for Arcadia?.....If you stack a great defense against the run for Arcadia you can completly slow down the big guy running the middle everytime. Williams is not only big but I'm pretty sure he runs a sub 4.6 40 as well. His elusiveness for a big running back in incredible. So you figure that one out. Besides having a great defense coming back, There are a few new faces that began to shine in last years playoff games, Watch the name D.J. Cole and Makenzie Soloman-Hall, two speedsters to stir things up a litte. Both played in the first half of the Arcadia game last year.

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the input. I'm lovin' the feedback and it's most definitely helping the cause over on my end.

Of course, yall know that preseason polls are never 100 percent accurate.

Case in point: Remember the UCLA baseball team getting the No. 1 nod this past season, yet were picked to finish third (I believe) in the Pac-10? Ha, that was kinda funny and as a fellow Bruin follower the bashing was plenty.

I will say this: the top 10 poll I posted won't be the one running in the preview section; it's just something for now and once I'm done talking with coaches I'll tweak it here and there, but I just wanted to give you guys a foundation and let you all go at it.

Thanks for the input. I'll be cranking out the calls tomorrow and Wednesday for sure.

Time to clean Robledo's old desk in Pasadena. It's a bit dusty ;)

Miguel I like the pics. Only time will tell if they are accurate.

Goldenarm...they sell chili cheese fries at the 'Mead? Who knew?!?

No top ten on my behalf need to do some research on the other teams before I put my 2 cents in.

Just look out for the 'Mead.

!!FEAR THE 'MEAD!! !!WAR PANTHERS!!

1. Muir- Tough pre-league schedule ahead of them, but they're out to prove a point.
2. SF- Somehow, Someway, they always find a way to field a good team. Look for them to have a tough time against arcadia again this year because arcadia has a 0 week game against monrovia.
3.Arcadia- Golper leads the pack of a small team, number wise, Their secondary/receivers could be the best in the valley this year.
4.San Gabriel- They could turn heads this year with a solid returning group.
5.Alhambra- Everything is all good when you got Mr. Cockrum rallying for you.
6. Monrovia- Un-proven talent ready to pop, like the housing bubble.
7. Rosemead- I hear this is the year, like every year,
8.TC- They always find a way in the top 10.
9. Pasadena- They lost a ton of talent but "huck" has been saying good things about the young kids coming up, so maybe we are in for a surprise.
10-Maranatha- Only because their QB is going to K-State. WOW!

Notable for top 10: South Pas & Blair

O-cat, NY and Wildcat family,

Hopefully my past high road excuses me from any chance the MOMrovia typo was intentional. I can spell, just can't type. Close proximity of N and M on keyboard.

Peace.

ARCADIA- big line, Golper spotlighted but webbed into a well orchestrated D. Head coach/staff who understand how to win and get the best from their kids.

SAN GABRIEL-Their year, with Keppel as home field.Brain ramming D, hitters everywhere. Stellar passing attack, plenty of depth.

MUIR-potential aplenty, will their pre-league schedule turn their sidelines into a MASH unit or prepare them to bury their competition.Has Tip already beefed up the Stang trenches?

MOMROVIA - Maddox will roll out the best linebacker corp in the valley (sorry Big A)and a "in your face" turnover oriented defense. Williams looks huge. QB was a ? at Bonita, arm strength was there, accuracy was not.

SF - only because Miguel , "el hombre nuevo" at PSN says so. Any man who has the stones to honor his mother above all else is alright by me.

THE MEAD - these guys are ready to swap helmet paint. Their home field of yellow concrete has been reseeded-even JJIMENEZ may walk across it now for some chili-cheese fries

PHS - on behalf of the Huck

La Salle- good people, good program

# 10....TC
the same freshman steamrolled 50-0 at half by Mission Viejo and 43-0 final against Monrovia, have finally arrived under the lights as juniors. They join a handful of returning seniors, mostly defensive - and a matured, scrappy senior QB. As far as the juniors, this group is stacked with heart and grittier than desert sand...but starved of speed. Sounds like a BS Hollywood movie, I know...but their is no quit in these kids...and their cannot be ...to contend in the RHL this year. O-cat, you are right my friend.
Since taking the reigns,Randy Backus will field his best defensive unit to date IN 08. There will be no 45 point run ups game after game against the Rams this year.

The season's success hinges on whether Coach V can get his trenchmen to fight for every inch on every down and REFUSE to be beat. If they don't believe, it won't be pretty.
GO RAMS!!

O-cat
I've been up and down Las Tunas, so far no Broadnax, Do, or incredibly gifted Asian kid seen crossing the street. Nonetheless, we will be there for the opener, chin strap cinched down.

Man, I don't where to begin. So I will begin with mutual respect.

O-cat
I've been up and down Las Tunas, so far no Broadnax, Do, or incredibly gifted Asian kid seen crossing the street. Nonetheless, we will be there for the opener, chip strap cinched down.

Man, I don't where to begin. So I will begin with mutual respect.

Not bad Miguel, not bad at all. For a newbie you did alright...I'll give you a C+/B-. As long as you have Muir, Monrovia, SF, and Arcadia somewhere in the top 5, you are pretty much on target. And I must say, I actually agree with some of the things O-Cat says ("Do you believe in miracles!") Here's my shot at the PSN Top Ten:

1. Muir- There is a lot of HEAT on this team. Ironically, the biggest question this season is at the tailback position. With a superbly talented returning QB and a plethora of skilled wideouts, the RB's won't have a tremendous load in front of them, however the lack of experience does concerm me. But hey, as they say at Muir...just turn over any rock on campus and you can find a decent RB. Three returning hogs should shore up a pretty decent line especially with the returning sophomore Danny Huerta, and the defense is going to be LIGHTENING quick. THe first three games are going to be tough, but they will surely prepare the Stangs for their run through the league and their first crack at the Southeast division in November.

2. SF- O-cat damn near hit this one on the head. W/O Riley SF is in major trouble, but here's the thing....they DO have Riley. No Miguel, SF is not our version of BA. They weren't as good as BA during the last three decades of the 20th century, and they aren't as bad as BA has been the past few years (in terms of their overall records, because BA can still beat SF.) A better comparison would be Damien. Bottom line, Riley is THE MAN!!! As long as he's playing they'll be decent, but truth is they will go 4-6, maybe 5-5, and miss the playoffs again...which is a tough pill to swallow for such a great player as Riley is.

3. Monrovia- I could be completely off-base here but I think Maddox will be a better coach than Garrison. I have never met either man, but something tells me that Maddox could take "his'n" and beat Garrison's "your'n" and take Garrison's "your'n" and beat "his'n." (You gotta love Bum Phillips.) Anyhow, I see a tremendous rebound year for the Cats, and if all of their players weren't "pilfered"...um sorry, if they hadn't "transferred" they would beat San Dimas in the Mid-valley Division final this year. Free Thropay!!!

4. Arcadia- I really think this is going to be a completely average year for the Apaches. They will place third in our league behind Muir and Burroughs, but they will surprise some first-place team in the first-round of the playoffs because of the new realignment. I LOVE Golper, but after him I really don't see anyone else.

5. La Salle- The Lancers have a REALLY good QB in Rettig, which is a great place to start. From what I hear of Coach Petersen (former Stang) the Lancers should do fairly well.

6. Rosemead- I gotta be honest...I'm just putting them here because of what I've read from others on this blog. Yeah, I know...that's pretty lame.

7. Alhambra- Ditto with # 6 but that reciever is definitley a stud.

8. San Gabriel- Steady team, with an intriguing offense

9. TC- Tough year to call for the Rams

10. Maranatha- They are going to fare well in their league and division.

Others- Blair will be the Blair of old. San Marino and SOuth Pas will be average. And yes Miguel...it is absolutely OK to not have phs in the top ten right now. They are going to STRUGGLE this year.

As always.......LET'S GO STANGS!!!!!!!!

How can you say that St. Francis isn't keeping up with the teams in the Mission league? That is obviously a statement by someone who hasn't been following St. Francis football. SF lost to cif champion St. paul 7-3 and the st paul touchdown was a 50 yard run. They beat Alemany and lost to chaminade by 5 points. They have hammered los altos the last two years and should have beaten bishop amat save a bad call by the officials on the winning score. St. Francis will be just fine this year. It's not like the Rio Hondo league is this great powerhouse league so you should probably keep your boasting to a minimum.

O-cat,

I think you may be right...but you never know what Arcadia is going to pull out of their sleeve. Dimalante finds ways to win and that may be the case.

Who is playing quarterback for Monrovia this year? That could be a big questions since teams are going to load the box and stop Williams.

Well Miguel, you almost had it right. It still looks like the same old blue-print from years past with your buddy Fred. Are you guy's Catholic by any chance?....St.Fracis has been a good team but never great in the past 15 years. Bishop Amat is running down that same line even with the consumtion of any great players they seem to discover in other parts of the woods. This is probably one of the hardest years to pick a true #1 candidate for this part of the valley for several reasons. First I have never seen so many coaching changes in the last 2 seasons in all of high school sports combined with off-season school changes from quite a few of the athletes. If I were to rank these schools right now here is how my list might look.

1. Muir (Always athletic and can turn a game around based soley on that athleticism.

2. Monrovia (Ditto with Muir but with question with all of the tranfering of great talent to other school's like Amat, Charter Oak, South Hills, etc...I like the coaching change and I think one of the areas that were missing is the Defense. If their one true star still shines and the defense stays in tact, they could get on a roll they may take them all the way to the finals.

3. Arcadia (Now lets be real, I would never put Arcadia in front of Monrovia, if all is well and eveyone is healthy, I think that Arcadia will give some of the teams a good fight every game this season, But with limited skill players it is hard to see the Apaches winning in a gong away fashion. Putting Todd Golper in a running back would have been a great idea if he had someone that was half as good backing him up. Defense's will eat the Apache's alive if this is their strategy.

4. St. Francis (Now lets talk Catholic schools, Minus Dietrich Riley, Were Looking at La Salle in differnt color uniforms. Keeping pace with the league that they are in has seemingly become impossible. I think that all of the teams above on this list would have stayed compettive in this league. St. Francis is missing the spark that makes these teams great. Consistancy, Injuries could put St. Frances out of league contention and out of the playoffs if they dont start stealing more of the Muir players while they have a chance.

5. Alhambra (Although much is not really known about Alhambra, they seem to be on the right track with some of their skill players, Having a QB that can connect with his skill players is a must if you want to be in the top ten. Looking at their record over the past few years, this might be that breakout year for them to get deep into the playoffs in their division and who knows maybe win it.

6. Duarte ( I didn't know if they fit here in the west San Gabriel Valley but since their players played on the West All star team this year I will include them in this list. Not much is known about the Falcons, but I always say they are one dynamic player from taking it all. This Canada kid should be taken very serious as one of the premier running backs in Southern Cal. He is a Jr. but has the dynamics of some of the best running backs I have seen for a while. That being said, He has the line to match. They average around 6'3 280...watch out for those Falcons.

7. LaSalle (Call it what you want, but this team has surprised many area football fans with it's triumphs and victorys over the past two years. As I said about Duarte, If this school grabbed a running back like Canada. I would put them at the top of my list. It's hard to compete week after week with just a passing game. But If I had to trust a QB Rettig would be the guy I would turn to. Interstingly enough the coaching staff left, I'm wonder if they didn't feel strong enough about their other skill positions not being present. Well time will tell, they may come running back with their tails between their legs.

8. Pasadena (I know this may come as a surprise to some of the Pasadena faithful, But yes this could be the year the Bell is recovered. Dont hold your breath though, cause you could all die. It's never been where the bulldogs have'nt had the talent to will, from what I have observed they have just let ego and cohesivness to shut them down. to many 3 and outs. Work on sustaniable penalty free drives and you will be the talk of Pasadena Again!.....
By they way Mills, the Vietnam War is OVER!

9. Rosemead (Very little known about Rosmead, but what I do know is that unless they come at teams with a well rounded running game and a great passing attack they will run into plenty of nightmares. On paper they look good but very beatable. Lots of loyal fans. Good defensive teams will shut this team down.

10. Temple City (For the sake of the RHL, I will include TC. Somehow,Someway, they may find a running Back walking along Las Tuna's and give him a shot. I think this is probably one of the worst years to try and predict a Temple City reimurgance. Golden Arm has been good to the Wildcats, I'm gong to be good to him. Although I cannot predict the future your chances look as good as any to compete at #2 in the RHL.

Side notes. (As for the small schools, Maranatha should get it's credit because if it weren't for myself knowing a little more about the schools that I have predicted to compete, Maranatha would be on this list from pure Fan support alone. Too Back Blair decided to fall apart after a great year, The potential was their to make a real statement. I hope that they dont become the Blair of Old. GOOD LUCK IN SEPT....I know not every will agree with my choices, but if you can give me your predictions I will double check mine. OC

Miguel,

You got to start somewhere and until the nuts and bolts and maybe a scrimmage or two shakes out...who the hell knows. Your picks are likely as good as the next guy........

Miguel,

Since the Star News area covers many schools in the San Gabriel Valley, perhaps you can post two "Top 10" lists. One for "large" schools and one for the "smalls".

Just a suggestion...

Hey goteamgo,

Thanks for the welcome. I'm trying to settle in, get the blog up and running all the while filling out paper work and stuff.

I hope to get your thoughts on the top 10. Let me have it.

Miguel -

Welcome, and congratulations on the first blog topic on your first day!