Editor’s Note: Star-News reporter Miguel Melendez was given access to Monrovia High School’s football practices, coaches meetings and film sessions during its perfect season and run up to the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division finals. This is the first in a three-part series.
By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer
Is this the year?
Monrovia High School football fans asked that question eight times, and eight times the answer was the same — wait until next year.
In the long history of the CIF-Southern Section football playoffs, the Wildcats are the only school to have advanced to eight finals without bringing home a CIF championship, a sufferable distinction that also makes them lovable to Wildcats fans and alumni who wait for that day like a Chicago Cubs fan who dreams of winning a World Series.
Imagine that, eight runner-up plaques in the trophy case.
They came so close in the 1990s, losing three straight trips to the finals from 1997-1999 under then-coach Steve Garrison. It was so painful it drew comparisons to the Buffalo Bills losing four straight Super Bowls.
So, is this the year? Has there even been a better opportunity?
Monrovia makes its ninth trip to the championship game on Saturday as the Mid-Valley Division’s top-ranked team and sporting a perfect 13-0 record.
The Wildcats will face No. 2 seed San Dimas (12-1) at Citrus College. They handily defeated the Saints, 36-17, back in September.
The man of the moment orchestrating it all is head coach Ryan Maddox, who in just his second season and first head coaching job has the Wildcats on the verge of ending decades of frustration.
The journey started in September, but many in football circles believe the big nail was hammered down on Nov. 27 against Paraclete. That’s when the Wildcats took on the defending champions in frigid tempatures up north, coming away with a 14-3 victory and their first big step toward the ultimate prize.
If the Wildcats knock off San Dimas on Saturday, they certainly will remember the week leading up to the Paraclete game. It started with Maddox taking an hour-and-a-half trip to the Santa Clarita area to pick up film from Paraclete coach Norm Dahlia.
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Maddox didn’t get much sleep after the Wildcats defeated South El Monte, 40-7, in the opening round of the playoffs, but with a goal in mind and work to be done, he had little trouble waking up at 6:30 a.m. on this particular Saturday morning.
Maddox meets Dahlia where the 210 and 14 freeways converge. The drive there is like Maddox himself — calm, relaxed but very business-like. The sun’s just coming up but it’s still rather chilly. Traffic is light and the radio’s turned off, and Maddox is thinking about the week ahead and how he’ll set up practice with school off because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
It’s 8:16 a.m. and defensive line coach Mike Minter is browsing Paraclete’s Web site on one of Maddox’s computers. Minter scrolls down slowly and reads every player’s profile. A manila envelope serves as the mouse pad.
“For this time of the year it’s easy to hop out of bed,” says Minter with a big smile.
Offensive coordinator/athletic director Randy Bell goes through film from the night before. Minter slides over and helps keep defensive stats.
Sitting behind him are assistant coaches Ben Mendoza (kicker), Craig Shuster (defensive backs) and Kevin Robinson (wide receivers), who help identify plays.
The staff breaks down enough game film and have a good idea about what they’ll highlight when the team gets in. Mendoza picks up breakfast and in walks Maddox with film in hand.
Not long after, they received news that Paraclete’s best player, Todd Davis, was ejected the night before after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties levied on him in the first-round game against La Puente. Maddox confirms the news and gets to work.
He’s like clockwork. Not 10 minutes pass since his arrival and already he’s on the board diagraming the week’s practice schedule without hesitation.
It’s 9:51 a.m. and Maddox is still on the board, this time drawing Paraclete’s formations.
Minter is back on the computer going through Paraclete’s roster. He prints their profiles, plans and tapes them in the Wildcats’ locker room in preparation for when they get to Knight High School, the site of the game.
It’s almost 10 a.m. and the room is full of sleepy players, a stark difference from weekday afternoon film sessions when everyone’s lively.
Film session begins and Maddox goes through every play. The starters played only the first half and the second half had a running clock. Still, there’s small things to iron out.
“There’s no need to reach,” Maddox tells wide receiver Dujawn Jones. “I understand you’re trying to get the first down and I see the effort, but when you reach you jeopardize losing the ball.”
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A week passes and Monrovia arrives in Lancaster, where the Wildcats go through a half-hour of walking through formations in the parking lot of Home Depot. The locals are puzzled. Some stop and watch before the Wildcats head inside Home Town Buffet for their pre-game meal.
Just as Maddox had anticipated, the game is a defensive struggle. Monrovia holds Paraclete to a field goal in the first half. The Wildcats start fast in the second half and come out the victor to dethrone Paraclete.
“This is the team we’ve been waiting for all season,” Maddox says, “and this is the team we wanted to beat.”
Thursday: A closer look into Ryan Maddox’s upbringing, his mentors and coaching philosophies, and how it is built a strong work ethic.
miguel.melendez@sgvn.com
