Football Rankings: St. Francis takes over No. 1 spot

Despite losing 28-24 last week to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, St. Francis moved up to the No. 1 spot in the latest Star-News top-10 rankings. Monrovia (6-0) may not have much to say about that, especially after its stale 14-12 win over previously unbeaten San Marino (5-1) in last week’s Rio Hondo League opener. The Wildcats were stymied offensively and couldn’t establish any rhythm. The Golden Knights (5-1), on the other hand, got the nod because of their strong effort against Notre Dame (5-1). St. Francis led 14-0 in the first half, and if not for a fumble inside the Notre Dame 10 with less than a minute left, the Golden Knights might have pulled out the upset over the No. 4-ranked team in the CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division, easily the toughest of the 13 divisions in the Southern Section. Bosco Tech (3-3) dropped out of the rankings, allowing Maranatha (4-2) to jump back in at No. 10 after a 3-0 start in the Alpha League. Making the biggest jump was Rio Hondo Prep, going from No. 10 to No. 6 after the Kares improved to 6-0.

STAR-NEWS TOP 10 RANKINGS
Compiled by Miguel A. Melendez

1. St. Francis (5-1)
Can hang with the big boys

2. Monrovia (6-0)
Showdown at TC on Friday

3. San Marino (5-1)
Didn’t lose without a fight

4. Temple City (3-2-1)
Bring on the Wildcats!

5. Alhambra (3-2)
Off to a bad start in Almont

6. Rio Hondo Prep (6-0)
Finally, some competition Fri.

7. San Gabriel (3-3)
Bell Gardens won’t be easy

8. La Caada (2-3)
Not at full strength vs. TC

9. La Salle (3-4)
Bye comes at the right time

10. Maranatha (4-2)
Minutemen back on track

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REVISED: Moors QB takes a beating vs. Schurr … in ’06

NOTE: Apparently the video shown here is from a 2006 Almont League game pitting Alhambra vs. Schurr. I made about six calls to Alhambra coach Gil Ruedaflores yesterday before posting the video to get a comment, but to no avail. He e-mailed late last night to say the clip shows Rob Alaveraz, the Moors QB in 2006. Ruedaflores went on to say Cazz took a shot, but it didn’t bother the Alhambra coaching staff. “He’s a tough a kid,” Ruedaflores said. If this thread continues with bashing and belittling coaches I will shut down the threat. Carry on ….

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Football: Cardinal Roger Mahony shows his true colors


Above: St. Francis’ Dietrich Riley (4) intercepts a pass as Cardinal Roger Mahony watches from the sideline during Friday night’s game against Notre Dame.

OK, you’re not gonna tell me you weren’t surprised by what happened at halftime of the Notre Dame-St. Francis game. No, not me taking a good fall with the bench. During halftime, the announcer welcomed Cardinal Roger Mahony. The visiting and home crowds gave Mahony a welcoming applause. When it was done, the announcer wondered who Mahony was cheering for to win, but then suggested Mahony might want to instead keep that answer to himself. Without hesitation, Mahony looked up to the St. Francis crowd and pointed to the Golden Knights sidelines, prompting the standing-room only home crowd to erupt in cheers. Perhaps it was a bad omen. St. Francis lost, 28-24, in the waning minutes.

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CIF-SS Top 10 Polls: Monrovia, Rio Hondo Prep remain atop polls; St. Francis drops to third in Western Division.

EAST VALLEY DIVISION
RANK SCHOOL (LEAGUE) RECORD W/L

1. St. Margaret’s (Academy) 6-1 W
2. Campbell Hall (Alpha) 5-1 W
3. Sage Hill (Academy) 5-1 W
4. Arrowhead Christian (Christian) 5-1 W
5. Maranatha (Alpha) 4-2 W
6. Santa Paula (Frontier) 4-2 W
7. Kern Valley (High Desert) 5-1 W
8. Brentwood (Alpha) 3-3 L
9. Fillmore (Frontier) 4-3 W
10. Sierra Canyon (Alpha) 5-1 W
Other Frazier Mountain (High Desert) 5-1 W
Other Aquinas (Christian) 3-3 L

MID-VALLEY DIVISION
RANK SCHOOL (LEAGUE) RECORD W/L

1. Monrovia (Rio Hondo) 6-0 W
2. San Dimas (Valle Vista) 5-1 W
3. Azusa (Montview) 6-1 W
4. Baldwin Park (Valle Vista) 5-1 W
5. San Marino (Rio Hondo) 5-1 L
6. Paraclete (Olympic) 4-3 W
7. Gladstone (Montview) 5-1 W
8. Arroyo (Mission Valley) 4-2 W
9. Village Christian (Olympic) 6-1 W
10. Pomona (Valle Vista) 5-1 W
Others: None

NORTHEAST DIVISION
RANK SCHOOL (LEAGUE) RECORD W/L
1. Rio Hondo Prep (Prep) 6-0 W

2. Linfield Christian (Big Sky) 6-0 W
3. St. Genevieve (Santa Fe) 7-0 W
4. Chadwick (Prep) 6-0 W
5. Boron (Desert Mountain) 4-2 W
6. Mojave (Desert Mountain) 4-1 B
7. Riverside Christian (Big Sky) 3-2 W
8. Pasadena Poly (Prep) 4-2 W
9. Salesian (Santa Fe) 5-2 W
10. St. Anthony (Santa Fe) 4-2 W
Other Calvary Murrieta (Big Sky) 4-3 W
Other Bellarmine-Jefferson (Santa Fe) 4-3 L

SOUTHEAST DIVISION
RANK SCHOOL (LEAGUE) RECORD W/L

1. Rowland (San Antonio) 6-0 W
2. Charter Oak (Miramonte) 6-1 W
3. South Hills (San Antonio) 4-2 W
4. Burbank (Pacific) 5-1 W
5. Walnut (San Antonio) 5-1 L
6. Bell Gardens (Almont) 5-1 W
7. Crescenta Valley (Pacific) 4-2 W
8. Schurr (Almont) 4-1-1 W
9. Santa Fe (Del Rio) 4-2 L
10. El Rancho (Del Rio) 4-2 W
Other Burroughs/Burbank (Pacific) 4-2 W
Other Alhambra (Almont) 3-2 L

WESTERN DIVISION
RANK SCHOOL (LEAGUE) RECORD W/L

1. Mira Costa (Bay) 4-2 W
2. Alemany (Mission) 4-2 W
3. St. Francis (Mission) 5-1 L
4. Culver City (Ocean) 5-1 W
5. Palmdale (Golden) 4-2 W
6. Leuzinger (Bay) 5-1 W
7. Palos Verdes (Bay) 4-2 W
8. Warren (San Gabriel Valley) 5-1 W
9. Chaminade (Mission) 5-1 L
10. Lynwood (San Gabriel Valley) 4-2 W
Other West Torrance (Bay) 4-2 L
Other Eastside (Golden) 3-3 W
Other Beverly Hills (Ocean) 3-3 W

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Star-Picks: Rio Hondo League showdown at Temple City

The Stang Fan last week: 12-1 in Friday’s games
Melendez last week (overall): 10-6 (66-45-1)

LAST WEEK: The Stang Fan (aka TSF) was on a roll last week. And talk about a roll of the dice — I picked PHS to beat Burroughs; Brentwood to beat Maranatha and La Salle to beat Verbum Dei. Those picks were way off. Alhambra’s loss was a close one but Bosco Tech’s and El Monte’s loss wasn’t so much. And don’t get me started on St. Francis. Great game and all, but they had it. THEY HAD IT! … Just wanted to answer to my boy The Lancer, who unsuccessfully tried getting me to attend La Salle vs. Verbum Dei on Saturday night. I had planned to attend the game after I read your comment. But I wasn’t anticipating a 15-hour work day Friday. By the time I got home at 1:30 a.m. I was exhausted, but I had to get up early to pick up my little sister so I could take her to her first UCLA football game. Sitting under the hot sun didn’t help. I looked at the clock and it was 6:30 p.m. when I texted our correspondent for directions to St. Matthias. In the end, I was just way too tired. I’m sorry to hear Verbum Dei was classless. Yes, classless. Running up the score and the starters still playing late in the game? Unbelievable.

THIS WEEK: There’s no question about it, the game of the week belongs to the Rio Hondo League showdown Friday night. Bring your binoculars and a stop watch because a lot of speed will be on display Friday night at Temple City High when the host Rams (3-2-1, 1-0) take on the No. 1 (No. 2?) Monrovia (6-0, 1-0) Wildcats. Does it get any better than this? This is like Leno vs. Letterman. Jay-Z vs. Nas. Kobe vs. LeBron. Bueno vs. Ruckle. I don’t mean to disregard the rest of the team because we can spend the day dissecting Temple City’s and Monrovia’s roster, but to be honest I’m excited to see how Max Ruckle and Nick Bueno will try to out duel each other. The lone trap is each of them trying to do too much. They must stay the course just like Bueno did against San Dimas and Rosemead and Ruckle against Arcadia and La Canada. This game is so good I’m thinking of bringing my boy who is a huge 49ers fan. He’s a fan of speed, so why not this game, right? For a second … (JUST A SECOND!) … I almost picked Temple City beating Monrovia, but I couldn’t pull the trigger. I’m still a bit confused about what happened with Monrovia last week. Maybe I provided bulletin board material for San Marino. Not sure. Maybe the Titans are just that good. Maybe I need to give them the credit they deserve. I’m all about spreading the love, and maybe after Friday’s valiant effort San Marino deserves a second look. I leave it up to you to try and figure out the best way Temple City can stop Monrovia. Is there an upset in the making after last week’s results? Yeah, try figuring that out. If not for a season-ending injury to Loyola star running back/child-turned-man Anthony Barr, I would have gone to see St. Francis vs. Loyola. Are you kidding me? Dietrich Riley going heads-to-head with Anthony Barr, another stud fielding offers left and right, including UCLA. I’ll take SF by 14.

THIS WEEK’S GAMES — WITH PREDICTIONS

THURSDAY
Muir vs. Crescenta Valley at Glendale, 7 p.m. — Crescenta Valley

FRIDAY
Monrovia at Temple City, 7 p.m. — Monrovia
San Marino at South Pasadena, 7 p.m. — San Marino
St. Francis vs. Loyola at L.A. Valley College, 7 p.m. — St. Francis
Glendale at Pasadena, 7 p.m. — Pasadena
Alhambra at Montebello, 7 p.m. — Alhambra
Blair at La Canada, 7 p.m. — La Canada
Burroughs at Arcadia, 7 p.m. — Burroughs
Mountain View at Rosemead, 7 p.m. — Rosemead
Gabrielino at Arroyo, 7 p.m. — Arroyo
Schurr at Keppel, 7 p.m. — Schurr
Montclair Prep vs. Maranatha at Pierce College, 7 p.m. — Maranatha
Marshall vs. Kilpatrick at PCC, 7 p.m. — Marshall
San Gabriel at Bell Gardens, 7 p.m. — Bell Gardens
Chadwick at Rio Hondo Prep, 7:30 p.m. — Rio Hondo Prep

SATURDAY
Flintridge Prep vs. Pasadena Poly at La Canada, 7 p.m. — Pas Poly
Bosco Tech vs. Verbum Dei at St. Matthias, 7 p.m. — Verbum Dei

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