Mid Valley Division Predictions: Let’s go to Lancaster, freeze ourselves and watch Monrovia knock off the ‘Clete before double the pleasure vs. San Dimas in final

How long as it been, since Week 3 or Week 4 at least that we knew Monrovia would end up in the Mid Valley Division finals? They won’t admit it, and why would they? But if you saw how the Wildcats manhandled San Dimas with such ease you’ll realize why Monrovia early on became the clear cut favorite to win the Mid Valley Division. Three times Monrovia faced the No. 2 team in the division, first it was Rosemead, then San Dimas and then San Marino in Rio Hondo League action. Monrovia ran circles around the ‘Mead and sent the Saints limping, err, marching back to the 909 licking their wounds. It’s going to be no different this year. You can argue the game might be a bit closer, but how can you when Monrovia shredded the San Dimas defense, and it’s likely the Wildcats will catch more fire now with everything on the line. To be fair, the Saints are a formidable opponent. The Valle Vista League champion has the necessary weapons to pummel opponents, but it’s just not going to happen against Monrovia, who are much too fast, physical and smart to have a let down now. You really think Ryan Maddox is going to let it happen? No. The thing people don’t seem to realize about the Wildcats is they have not played to their full potential and they have yet to unleash their entire arsenal, but guess what? It’s coming, and it’ll come hard, fast and often. The Eastsiders questioned Monrovia’s physicality, conceding the Wildcats did have good team speed. And what happened when San Dimas and Monrovia met? Monrovia not only proved they were fast, but proved they were the more physical team, extending a 27-10 lead at the half to a 36-17 domination. It won’t come easy, but Monrovia prevails.

Top Seeds: 1. Monrovia (10-0), 2. San Dimas (9-1), 3. Azusa (9-1), 4. Arroyo (8-2).
Unseeded Sleepers: Cerritos Valley Christian, Rosemead, San Marino, Baldwin Park.

Top Bracket
South El Monte 3-7 (MVL 3) at No. 1 Monrovia 10-0 (Rio Hondo 1)
Paraclete 6-4 (Olympic 2) at La Puente 7-3 (Montview 2)
Gladstone 7-3 (Montview 3) at Baldwin Park 8-2 (Valle Vista 2)
Whittier Christian 7-3 (Olympic 3) at No. 4 Arroyo 8-2 (MVL 1)
Bottom Bracket
Covina 5-4 (Valle Vista 3) at No. 3 Azusa 9-1 (Montview 1)
Rosemead 5-5 (MVL 2) at San Marino 8-2 (Rio Hondo 2)
La Canada 5-4 (Rio Hondo 3) at Cerritos Valley Christian 7-3 (Olympic 1)
Workman 6-4 (Montview 4) at No. 2 San Dimas 9-1 (Valle Vista 1)

Quarterfinals
Top Bracket

Monrovia vs. Paraclete
Baldwin Park vs. Arroyo
Bottom Bracket
Azusa vs. San Marino
La Canada vs. San Dimas
Semifinals
Monrovia vs. Arroyo
San Marino vs. San Dimas
Championship
Monrovia over San Dimas

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Football: Muir speaks out, bring it on Charter Oak!


From The Best High School Sports Blog …

Charter Oak (9-1) is the defending Southeast Division champion and No. 1 seed, but don’t expect Muir (4-6), which started 0-5 and needed to win its last three game to make the playoffs as the fourth place team from the Pacific League to be intimated when they visit the Chargers in the first round on Friday. Muir has played one of the toughest schedules in the division, losing to Southern Section powers Oaks Christian and Venice. In the Pacific League they lost three games, though just by a combined 11 points, which included a 29-28 loss to fourth-seed Burbank. “It’s another team, they’re not the team of old, that’s a good thing for us,” Muir coach Ken Howard said of Charter Oak. “We don’t mind getting them because now they have all the pressure. They have everything to lose and we have nothing to lose. We have been struggling in the playoffs the last couple years and they won a championship. We’re not going to worry about it, we’re going to show up and give them our best shot.”

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Star Picks: The slate is clean as CIF-SS playoffs begin

Melendez last week (overall): 11-5 (119-62-1)

I’m off today, but I wrote this Sunday afternoon and auto-published the thread today. After all, what’s a Monday without your favorite Star Picks thread? …. Now that you’ve gathered yourself and got up off the ground from all the laughing, lets slap on a serious face and get right down to business …. First, if your site, date and time changes PLEASE call or e-mail me with your changes (miguel.melendez@sgvn.com). There’s nothing like having the wrong dates and sending a correspondent to the wrong high school. Also, there are two potential “Game of the Week” candidates as we get ready for the first round of playoffs. Rosemead seems to have gotten its act together, and could be a dark horse in the Mid Valley Division (Paraclete … not so much). The Panthers visit San Marino, who had an unbelievable weekend. Then you have Muir at Charter Oak. You gotta love how Diamond Ranch last year was an at large team and went all the way to the finals. Will Muir have that kind of luck? Ken Howard is banking on it, and the way the Mustangs played last week in the Tussle — flawless, punishing football — it’s not out of the realm of possibilities Muir knocks off the defending champion. I’m calling it now: Muir 21-13.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE — WITH PREDICTIONS

Rosemead at San Marino, 7 p.m. — San Marino
South El Monte at Monrovia, 7 p.m. — Monrovia
Alhambra vs. Burbank at Glendale, 7 p.m. — Burbank
La Canada at Cerritos Valley Christian, 7 p.m. — La Canada
Muir at Charter Oak, 7 p.m. — Muir
San Gabriel at West Covina, 7 p.m. — San Gabriel
Frazier at Maranatha, 7 p.m. — Maranatha
Gahr at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m. — St. Francis
Desert Christian at Rio Hondo Prep, 7 p.m. — Rio Hondo Prep
Pasadena Poly at St. Genevieve, 7 p.m. — St. Genevieve
La Salle at St. Joseph/SM, 7 p.m. — St. Joseph

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CIF-SS Playoffs: Monrovia, Rio Hondo Prep earn top seeds; Muir and Charter Oak to meet in the Southeast


Monrovia vs. San Dimas in the finals? Paraclete, errr, South El Monte will have something to say about that. We’ll see…

MID VALLEY DIVISION
Top Bracket

South El Monte (MVL 3) at No. 1 Monrovia (Rio Hondo 1)
Paraclete (Olympic 2) at La Puente (Montview 2)
Gladstone (Montview 3) at Baldwin Park (Valle Vista 2)
Whittier Christian (Olympic 3) at No. 4 Arroyo (MVL 1)
Bottom Bracket
Covina (Valle Vista 3) at No. 3 Azusa (Montview 1)
Rosemead (MVL 2) at San Marino (Rio Hondo 2)
La Canada (Rio Hondo 3) at Cerritos Valley Christian (Olympic 1)
Workman (Montview 4) at No. 2 San Dimas (Valle Vista 1)

SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Top Bracket
Muir (Pacific 4) at No. 1 Charter Oak (Miramonte 1)
San Gabriel (Almont 2) at West Covina (San Antonio 2)
Rowland (San Antonio 3) at California (Del Rio 1)
Alhambra (Almont 3) at No. 4 Burbank (Pacific 1)
Bottom Bracket
El Rancho (Del Rio 3) at No. 3 Schurr (Almont 1)
Diamond Ranch (Miramonte 3) at Burroughs (Pacific 2)
Crescenta Valley (Pacific 3) at Santa Fe (Del Rio 2)
Bonita (Miramonte 3) at South Hills (San Antonio 1)

EAST VALLEY DIVISION
Top Bracket

Santa Paula (Frontier at large) at St. Margaret’s (Academy 1)
Sierra Canyon (Alpha at large) at Aquinas (Christian 1)
Bishop Union (High Desert 2) at Brentwood (Alpha 2)
Bottom Bracket
Oak Hills (Freelance at large) at Kern Valley (High Desert 1)
Grace Brethren (Frontier 2) at Sage Hill (Academy 2)
Ontario Christian (Christian 2) at 29 Palms (De Anza 1)
Frazier Mountain (High Desert at large) at Maranatha (Alpha 1)

NORTHEAST DIVISION
Top Bracket

Desert Christian/L (Desert Mountain 3) at Rio Hondo Prep (Prep 1)
Riverside Christian (Big Sky 3) at Saddleback Valley Christian (San Joaquin 1)
Animo Leadership (San Joaquin 3) at Salesian (Santa Fe 1)
Calvary Murrieta (Big Sky 2) at Mojave (Desert Mountain 2)
Bottom Bracket
Bell-Jeff (Santa Fe 3) at Boron (Desert Mountain 1)
Bloomington Christian (San Joaquin 2) at Chadwick (Prep 2)
Pasadena Poly (Prep 3) at St. Genevieve (Santa Fe 2)
CSDR (San Joaquin 4) at Linfield Christian (Big Sky 1)

NORTHWEST DIVISION
Top Bracket

Santa Ynez (Los Padres) at Oaks Christian (Tri-Valley 1)
Harvard-Westlake (Del Rey 3) at Centennial (Pioneer 1)
Mary Star (Camino Real) at Cathedral (Del Rey 2)
Lawndale (Pioneer 3) at Pioneer Valley (Los Padres 2)
Bottom Bracket
La Salle (Camino Real 3) at St. Joseph/SM (Los Padres 1)
El Segundo (Pioneer 2) at Nordhoff (Tri-Valley 2)
Nipomo (Los Padres 3) at Verbum Dei (Camino Real 1)
Oak Park (Tri-Valley 3) at Serra (Del Rey1)

WESTERN DIVISION
Top Bracket

Quartz Hill (Golden 4) at Mira Costa (Bay 1)
Chaminade (Mission at large) at Inglewood (Ocean 2)
Gahr (San Gabriel Valley 2) at St. Francis (Mission 2)
Santa Monica (Ocean 3) at Palmdale (Golden 1)
Bottom Bracket
Highland (Golden 3) at Alemany (Mission 1)
West Torrance (Bay 3) at Warren (San Gabriel Valley 1)
Knight (Golden 2) at Redondo (Bay 2)
Dominguez (San Gabriel Valley 3) at Culver City (Ocean 1)

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Friday Night Aftermath: Muir extends streak to 12 wins over Pasadena; San Marino beats Temple City, finishes second; La Caada beats Temple City in 3OT’s in playoff

CLICK HERE FOR A TURKEY TUSSLE PHOTO GALLERY SHOT BY PASADENA STAR-NEWS ACE PHOTOGRAPHER KEITH BIRMINGHAM

TONIGHT’S RESULTS

Muir 34 Pasadena 12 — All is well in Westside Pasadena.
A season that started in despair for John Muir High School ended with a sweet ring of “The Bell.” John Muir regained its old form and muscled its way to a 34-12 win over rival Pasadena for the 12th consecutive year in the 56th annual Turkey Tussle on Friday night in front of an estimated 4,200 at the Rose Bowl. Jarron Williams, who completed 9 of 21 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored twice on the ground. Senior running back Eddie Tripp proved unstoppable, rushing for 105 yards on 12 carries.

San Marino 19, Temple City 14 — Stevie Yortsos caught three touchdown passes, rushed for 107 yards and made a key fourth-quarter interception to lead San Marino High School to a 19-14 victory over visiting Temple City in a Rio Hondo League showdown on Friday night. “That is huge. Our guys just stepped up,” San Marino coach D.R. Moreland said. “It’s inspiring to watch them play when they play like that against a great team like Temple City. “I’m so proud of our guys. It’s really fun.” The Titans’ victory, the first over the Rams since 1997, created a tie for second in the Rio Hondo League. San Marino (8-2, 3-2) won a coin flip after the final whistle to officially become the second seed for the upcoming CIF-SS playoffs.

St. Francis 32, Chaminade 25 — St. Francis High School quarterback Justin Posthuma was playing with virtually one arm Friday night, but it was enough to lead the Golden Knights to a 32-25, come-from-behind victory over Chaminade in both teams’ Mission League finale. The victory was their first over Chaminade (6-4, 1-2) since 2004 and clinched second place in league for the Golden Knights (8-2, 2-1). Posthuma’s left arm was in a cast, but it didn’t affect him in the second half as he used his right arm to rally the Golden Knights from a 25-7 halftime deficit with two touchdown passes.

La Caada 39, South Pasadena 20 — La Caada did double duty Friday night. First, the Spartans overcame a sluggish first half to capture a 39-20 victory over South Pasadena and create a three-way tie for second place in the Rio Hondo League. Then they defeated Temple City in triple overtime to take the league’s final CIF-Southern Section playoff berth. The Spartans had to wait for Temple City to arrive from San Marino, which won the three-way coin toss after its 19-14 victory over Temple City. Each team got the ball at the 25-yard line. The Spartans broke the tie when quarterback Rocky Moore hit Michael Arkfeld on an out pattern in the corner of the end zone on a two-point conversion

Maranatha 38, Campbell Hall 21 — Maranatha’s Cody Keith passed for 214 yards on 15 of 23 attempts, including three touchdowns, and rushed for 52 yards to lead the Minutemen to an outright Alpha League championship.

Rosemead 37, Gabrielino 14 — Matt Fregoso rushed for 195 yards to help the Panthers pull away with the win.

Alhambra 31, Keppel 12 Alhambra’s Mitchell Crockom had 114 all-purpose yard and two touchdowns to lead the Moors to a CIF-Southern Section playoff berth.

Monrovia 52, Blair 12 — Quarterback Nick Bueno ran for two touchdowns and passed for two scores, Derrick Johnson caught one of those TD passes and ran for another, and Ellis McCarthy caught the other TD pass. The Wildcats led 46-0 at the half. None of the Monrovia starters played in the second half, when there was a running clock.

La Salle 31, Bosco Tech 21 — Michael Alexander threw a 57-yard pass to set up a score and caught a 63-yard touchdown pass, and Antoine Peterson went 57 yards untouched to give La Salle a 31-21 victory.

San Gabriel 36, Montebello 8 — Isaac Valdez went 17-for-24 passing for 273 yards with three touchdowns and an interception to lead the host Matadors.

Rio Hondo Prep 46, Webb 0 — The Kares built a 26-0 first-quarter lead and substituted freely the rest of the way to complete an undefeated regular season and their sixth consecutive Prep League crown. Rio Hondo Prep did not play last week because of Pasadena Poly’s cancellation.

Pasadena Poly 56, Viewpoint 12 — The Panthers returned to the football field after a traumatic two weeks and made it worthwhile, earning a berth in the CIF-Southern Section Northeast Division playoffs. The Panthers didn’t play last week’s game against Rio Hondo Prep because of the head injury of running back Jackson Allan two weeks ago in their loss to Chadwick. Friday afternoon, the 6-4 Panthers wore patches with his number 41 on their jerseys and opened a big lead to clinch third place in the Prep League and the playoff berth.

Chadwick 35, Flintridge Prep 15 — “It was kind of a back-breaker,” Rebels coach Perry Skaggs said. “If we stay close, we get the opening kickoff and can come back. But they made the big plays. They’re too good and too talented.” The Rebels needed a victory to create a three-way tie for second place in the Prep League. Instead, they finish 2-3 in league, 4-6 overall. Chadwick took second at 4-1, 9-1.

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