Football: Monrovia should just size up the rings now…

Print the banner, order the hats and shirts and size up the rings.

Monrovia High School will win the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division championship.

Clean out the trophy case and do away with the nine CIF runner-up plaques.

In the long history of the CIF-Southern Section football playoffs, the Wildcats are the only school to have advanced to nine finals without bringing home a CIF championship.

That ends in three weeks.

Azusa, thanks for coming, but Monrovia will take it from here.

The Wildcats (8-2) will avenge two consecutive losses to San Dimas (6-4) and dethrone the Saints in the semifinals. Azusa (10-0) will be a worthy opponent and, if nothing else, we’ll see a great matchup with a potential shootout.

The taste of a victory for Maranatha (7-3) in the Mid-Valley Division will fuel its drive in 2011 while Covina (9-1) runs into a determined Azusa team in the other semifinal bracket.

The collective talents of Nick Bueno and Ellis McCarthy are enough to give any team the edge. But Monrovia’s supporting cast is what makes them arguably the most dangerous team in the division.

Sophomore George Frazier has the frame (6-2, 200) and pedigree that allows the Wildcats to move pieces within the offense.

Bueno will get his one way or another. He’s passed for 1,258 yards and rushed for 1,226 yards and accounted for 26 touchdowns. Bueno is a defensive coordinator’s nightmare, but when Frazier steps in at quarterback and Bueno moves to slot or tailback, well, that’s just not even fair.

Jay Henderson, Anthony Craft and Luke Williams are playmakers with speed, agility and toughness. Derrin Jenkins has become a show-stopper at cornerback and Derrick Johnson is a punishing linebacker who often directs players to head for the sideline and avoid a bruising collision.

Then there’s Ellis McCarthy. The junior stands an intimidating 6-feet-5 inches and weighs 290 pounds. Opposing teams can double-team and even triple-team the man-child who still has managed to record 11 sacks and counting.

Simply put, no team in the Mid-Valley Division will find a way to contain McCarthy. His pass-rush is textbook, and don’t underestimate his speed. He’s hungry going after the ball and can chase down the run, too.

Monrovia’s relentless pressure establishes the game’s tempo and ultimately its momentum.

Bueno’s ability to balance his arsenal is a huge asset, and he’s proven he can kick it into third gear and run defenses wild with his speed and elusiveness.

Don’t underestimate the pain Monrovia felt losing the way it did to San Dimas in 2009. The Wildcats made a frantic push near the end when rain subsided but to no avail.

The pain followed them through summer ball and into fall camp.

It ends in three weeks.

Monrovia coach Ryan Maddox and his Zen-like approach will make way for elation.

The third-year coach led the Wildcats to the semifinals in his first season and a finals appearance last year.

Is this the year?

It only makes sense.

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Football: Monrovia’s stadium ready; Maranatha, Temple City enjoy a little luck; Any more time changes?

Monrovia athletic director Randy Bell said the school’s new synthetic track will be ready in time for the Wildcats to host Friday`s football game against Gladstone in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division playoffs.

The Wildcats (8-2) played their final two home games at neutral sites (Maranatha and San Marino) because the construction company had only a two-week window at the end of October in which to complete the installation.

The game also has been moved up half an hour to a 7 p.m. start.

Perception is reality?

Monrovia pummeled its Rio Hondo League opponents this season by a combined score of 235-17. That has created a perception that the Wildcats might be heading into the playoffs without really having been challenged.

That’s of little concern to Wildcats coach Ryan Maddox, however.

“From our perspective, it doesn`t really matter what other people think,” Maddox said. “We just have to prove to ourselves and win the games in front of us. As far as perception, we can’t control what people may think about us.”

Feeling lucky

Maranatha (7-3) and Temple City (4-6) received a little luck in finishing second in their respective leagues.

Maranatha finished second in the Olympic League, thanks to Village Christian beating Cerritos Valley Christian 56-27 to create a three-way tie for second place behind Whittier Christian. The Minutemen went from possibly missing the playoffs to winning a coin flip and a head-to-head tiebreaker to host La Puente (8-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. in their first Mid-Valley Division playoff appearance.

Cerritos Valley Christian, which beat Maranatha 70-64 in five overtimes, did not make the playoffs after losing the coin flip.

“When we looked at it, to think we could be fourth and completely out of the playoffs to now hosting a game, it’s very exciting for us,” Maranatha athletic director Brian DeHaan said.

Now that it’s in the playoffs, Temple City will show how much it has improved since starting the season 1-4 when it visits Rosemead (7-3).

“No question,” Temple City coach Mike McFarland said. “It’s a great opportunity to gauge our progress.”

As for how things played out in the Rio Hondo League, McFarland sympathizes with South Pasadena. The Tigers finished 6-4 overall and 3-2 in league but missed the playoffs on a coin flip after finishing in a three-way tie with Temple City and La Ca ada.

“It’s an imperfect process,” he said. “We were just very fortunate that things turned our way. There’s no way of making it a fool-proof process. Someone’s always going to get hurt when there’s an odd man out.”

Time changes

Pasadena Poly’s first-round game against Hamilton at South Pasadena has been changed to 7 p.m. on Friday.

Teams with time changes should e-mail miguel.melendez@sgvn.com.

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Mid-Valley Prediction: Monrovia makes 10th finals count


Southeast, Northeast Division predictions come Tuesday and Wednesday.

Freddy and Steve Ramirez agree: Monrovia will be crowned Mid-Valley Division champion when it’s all said and done. Monrovia will kill one bird with two stones. They’ll beat San Dimas in the semifinals and finally avenge three losses to the Saints over the last two years, including last year’s 12-7 loss in the Mid-Valley Division finals. Azusa will be a worthy opponent. If nothing else, we’ll see a great matchup with a potential shootout. Maranatha’s taste of a victory in the Mid-Valley Division will fuel its drive in 2011. A lot of you will get blown away by the poise, quickness and textbook-play of sophomore quarterback Andrew Elffers. Don’t be surprised if you see this kid play at a major Division I school in a few years. Omar Younger is a beast on the ground. He’s a crashing machine, never fazed by tough collisions. Back to Monrovia … Steve Ramirez has said it all season, Ellis McCarthy gives the Wildcats a huge advantage. The 6-foot-5, 290 pound defensive tackle sets the tone and trickles to every facet of the game, allowing the Wildcats to control the tempo and ultimately their own momentum. Nick Bueno’s ability to balance his arsenal is a huge asset to the Wildcats. He’s proven that when the passing game isn’t there he can kick it into third gear and run defenses wild with his speed and elusiveness. What people forget about Monrovia is its much-improved defense over the last few weeks. Linebacker Derrick Johnson, safety Charlie Cimmarusti and cornerback Derrin Jenkins are just a few of the key pieces anchoring a hard-nosed defense that worked hard in nearly shutting out the Rio Hondo League. Sure, it’s a sub-par league this season for the most part, but these seniors took pride in recording the shutouts. Granted, there was In-N-Out for the taking, but still.

Mid-Valley Division Predictions
Top Seeds:
1. Azusa (10-0), 2. Monrovia (8-2), 3. Arroyo (9-1), 4. Covina (9-1)
Unseeded Sleepers: San Dimas, Whittier Christian, Maranatha.

Mid-Valley Division
Top Bracket

Village Christian (6-4) at No. 1 Azusa (10-0) — Azusa
Temple City (4-6) at Rosemead (7-3) — Rosemead
Bell Gardens (7-3) at Whittier Christian (9-1) — Whittier Christian
La Canada (5-5) at No. 4 Covina (9-1) — Covina
Bottom Bracket
San Dimas (6-4) at No. 3 Arroyo (9-1) — San Dimas
La Puente (8-2) at Maranatha (7-3) — Maranatha
Baldwin Park (5-5) at Schurr (6-4) — Baldwin Park
Gladstone (5-5) at No. 2 Monrovia (8-2) — Monrovia

Quarterfinals
Top Bracket

Azusa over Rosemead
Covina over Whittier Christian
Bottom Bracket
San Dimas over Maranatha
Monrovia over Baldwin Park
Semifinals
Azusa over Covina
Monrovia over San Dimas
Championship
Monrovia over Azusa

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Star Picks: Road to the CIF-SS finals begins Friday

The Stang Fan and I will go head-to-head through the playoffs…

Melendez: 14-4 last week; total 137-45-1
Stang Fan: 14-4 last week; total 146-36-1

The regular season comes to an end, and it looks like Stang Fan will win the competition in his first year. It’s all good. He was a worthy opponent. I struggled picking Rosemead over Temple City. You know what the Rams are capable of doing on the ground with Joshua Simangunsong leading the way. But in the end, I went with experience, and the Panthers last season made the playoffs, albeit it was an early exit. Still, Panthers running back Matt Fregoso last year ran wild against San Marino. He was the lone bright spot in Rosemead’s first-round loss. I like Maranatha over La Puente. Still no word on Chris Cornell’s status for the Minutemen, but you have to love Maranatha’s chances with Andrew Elffers directing the offense. Muir’s win over La Mirada will be no surprise. I’m expecting the Apaches not to let up while Pasadena Poly and Rio Hondo Prep represent the Prep League well. This is the end of the rope for La Canada and St. Francis.

Friday’s games with predictions
Temple City at Rosemead, 7:30 p.m. — Melendez (Rosemead)
Muir at La Mirada, 7:30 p.m. — Melendez (Muir)
La Puente at Maranatha, 7 p.m. — Melendez (Maranatha)
Norwalk at Arcadia, 7:30 p.m. — Melendez (Arcadia)
Gladstone at Monrovia, 7:30 p.m. — Melendez (Monrovia)
La Canada at Covina, 7:30 p.m. — Melendez (Covina)
Hamilton vs. Pasadena Poly at South Pasadena, 7:30 p.m. — Melendez (Poly)
California City at Rio Hondo Prep, 7:30 p.m. — Melendez (Rio Hondo Prep)
St. Francis at Dominguez, 7:30 p.m. — Melendez (Dominguez)

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