The Wait Is Over: PrepXtra Magazine debuts Wednesday

PREPXTRA UPDATE: Have already fielded calls and emails saying newsracks are sold out in some areas, and that the wrong magazine was inserted. If you run into this problem, head on over to the Star-News office at 911 E. Colorado Blvd. (between Lake and Colorado) and purchase it for $1. We don’t have an unlimited supply, so get down here today to get your copy. I’m finding out that home delivery had the right insert and the problem is at the newsstands. Can you guys confirm?

Nobody from the Tribune office will admit that our magazine cover is the best, but it is. Nevertheless, we are excited to bring you the first-ever PrepXtra Magazine, which hits the newsstands and on home delivery Wednesday. This project took all summer, but it was well worth it. As much as it was a lot of work it was also a lot of fun to produce. It’ll be fun from here on out figuring out who we will grace on the cover. Below is Monrovia’s Nick Bueno, arguably the most notable returnee, who also was the only underclassman to grace the cover with four other seniors (Dietrich Riley, Mitchell Crockom, Isaac Valdez, Max Ruckle) in last year’s special preview section. So far, the magazine is receiving rave reviews within our newsgroup. I’m confident our advertisers and readers also will be blown away. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, our fabulous photographer Keith Birmingham shot the covers. The cover below took a lot of planning, throwing ideas here and there before we decided to go with a black backdrop, two fog machines and four lights. The shoot itself took nearly three hours, and in case you’re wondering, that’s mud on Bueno’s face and jersey. We shot it on a hot day early July in a stuffy locker room at Cliffton Middle School in Monrovia where the Wildcstas were holding summer practice. Our thanks to Bueno for his time and Monrovia coach Ryan Maddox for providing us with equipment and free time in the locker room.

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Football: Muir skirmish could lead to punishment

Two football players from Muir High School face possible punishment after their involvement in a scuffle during a scrimmage against Cathedral last week.

Muir football coach Ken Howard said coaches and school administrators are looking into the matter and added a decision might be made by Thursday on whether the players will be suspended for Friday’s season opener at home against San Gabriel.

The altercation happened early in the scrimmage when teams were split into position groups. Howard said he was with the linemen when the scuffle between wide receivers and defensive backs broke out.

“Right now I don’t want to name names,” Howard said. “But basically some players were (fired up) about playing football. We got a couple of names and we’re trying to figure out what happened.

“I’m still discussing with some of our coaches and administrators the situation. We don’t know if there will be a punishment handed out this week or next week, but there will be a punishment.”

There is film of the scrimmage but not of the incident, which happened much earlier than the 11-on-11 scrimmage, which Howard classified as a “glorified practice.”

“In the midst of the scuffle there were guys running to it,” Howard described. “When you turn around and see the guys running to it, it looks like a bigger incident. But in the whole picture you find out that there were teammates pulling other teammates off of guys, so it didn’t escalate into a brawl or anything like that.”

Howard said the matter will be handled in a serious manner.

“We’re going to treat it as if it happened during a real game,” Howard said. “We ask ourselves, `What’s the punishment?’ We’re figuring out what kind of punishment will be handed down, and we’re going to make it clear it’s something that will not be tolerated.”

Mission accomplished

The scrimmage went on as planned, and Howard said he was pleasantly surprised by the progress.

Senior quarterback Jeffrey Davis, in particular, demonstrated patience in the pocket and speed. Davis, a 6-foot-4 speedster with a strong arm, is replacing Jarron Williams.

“(Davis) did a little of both,” Howard said. “He stood well in the pocket, got off some good balls and when he scrambled he ran pretty good. He showed he can get his reads down and proved confident in the pocket.

“We didn’t know what to expect, but he showed us some really good stuff. It was a pleasant surprise, truly.”

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Football: Two-Minute Drills with Melendez, Tolegian: Roosevelt vs. Alhambra at Moor Field, Friday, 7 p.m.

Aram Tolegian, AKA Chemical A.T., and I will discuss the Two-Minute Drills on video this season, starting today with Roosevelt vs. Alhambra at Moor Field on Friday night at 7. Tuesday I’ll have San Gabriel at Muir. Week 0 is light for us, but we’ll have plenty more to choose from next week, so now’s the time to lobby for your team to be dissected. I’ll have up to three Two-Minute Drill videos next week.

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Star-Picks: Fire up the grill and cook up a little pigskin …

Vacation is over and it’s time to bring out the clipboard and enjoy Friday nights on the sidelines. Year 3 of my tenure begins, and I’m holding onto the reigns a little stronger. This fresh face has some new wrinkles and the body armor needed to dive right into the action. Our weekly Star-Picks kicks off Monday on the blog. I challenged Stang Fan and Goldenarm for picks last year, but I’m unsure if they’re willing to go at it again. I’m sure the 1-9 start from last year won’t be a problem this time around. Later today I’ll have Two Minute drills with Aram Tolegian as we profile the Roosevelt-Alhambra and San Gabriel-Muir games. For now, here are the predictions. Game of the Week votes, anyone?

WEEK 0
Thursday’s Games
Brethren Christian at Pasadena Poly, 3 p.m. — Pasadena Poly
Blair vs. Fulton at Muir, 7 p.m. — Blair

Friday’s Games
Bassett at Keppel, 7 p.m. — Bassett
Roosevelt vs. Alhambra at Moor Field, 7 p.m. — Roosevelt
San Gabriel at Muir, 7 p.m. — Muir
Cerritos vs. Gabrielino at Gahr, 7 p.m. — Cerritos
Westchester at Pasadena, 7 p.m. — Pasadena

Saturday’s Games
Maranatha vs. Big Bear at Big Bear Middle School, 1:30 p.m. — Big Bear
Westview at Bosco Tech, 4 p.m. — Bosco Tech
La Salle vs. Village Christian at Glendale, 7 p.m. — Village Christian

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