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