Duarte’s Victor Nureldeen, left, reacts with teammate Devyn Washington (11) after catching a pass for a touchdown against Gladstone. The Falcons won, 45-0.
Staff photo by Keith Birmingham

THURSDAY’S RESULTS
PACIFIC LEAGUE
Arcadia 14, Glendale 6
GLENDALE — There was a time when the Arcadia High School football team just wore down the opposition with a punishing run game.
The Apaches showed Thursday they still possess that threat.
Joshua Benson rushed for 111 yards and Arcadia ran for 197 to score a 14-6 victory over host Glendale in a Pacific League game.
The Apaches, also getting 70 yards passing and a touchdown from Joey Harmon, improved to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Glendale, getting two field goals from Martin Marin, slipped to 2-4 and 0-3.
Arcadia coach Andrew Policky: “That’s kind of our thing to be able to run the football and control the clock. We only suited 27 kids tonight, so we wanted to win the time of possession battle.”
– Steve Ramirez
@steverramirez on Twitter

MONTVIEW LEAGUE
Duarte 45, Gladstone 0
Isaiah Scott threw for 196 yards and Sam Edwards scored two touchdowns to lead Duarte, which improved to 3-3 and 2-1. The victory keeps Duarte in the race for the league title after losing to Azusa two weeks ago.
Duarte coach Jason Martin: “We knew this was a pivotal league game. This puts us back in a position to be in playoff contention now. We have to stay the course and make sure we’re doing the things we’re supposed to be doing. We have to stay consistent and be better mental football players.”

Tops in the west valley:
No. 1 La Salle (13-2)
Del Rey League a respite
No. 2 Flintridge Sacred Heart (9-3)
Harvard-Westlake scored sweep
No. 3 South Pasadena (8-1)
Ended La Canada’s league streak at 69
No. 4 Pasadena Poly (7-1)
Had week off
No. 5 Mayfield (8-0)
Let’s see how Cubs do in Ayala tournament this weekend
No. 6 Gabrielino (13-3)
Last five matches 3-0 sweeps
No. 7 San Gabriel (11-1-1)
Played Keppel in league on Tuesday
No. 8 Arcadia (8-4)
Crescenta Valley (3-1) on Thursday
No. 9 Westridge (11-3)
Returns to league play on Tuesday
No. 10 Monrovia (7-6)
Will play La Canada Thursday

Others:
Duarte
Alverno
St. Monica

Staff photo by Keith Birmingham

STAR-NEWS SUPER 23 RANKINGS
1. St. Francis (5-0) — The Knigths made it clear who the best team in the area is, routing previous No. 1 Monrovia, 48-14. St. Francis, after starting 5-0 with four blow-out wins and one solid victory over Damien, now looks like a player in the aways tough Mission League. Can they handle powers Serra and Chaminade, we’ll find out.
2. Monrovia (4-1) — There was doom and gloom by many for the Wildcats after last week’s blowout loss. But Monrovia is still the best in the Mid-Valley Divison and can match Temple City as the only two programs in the area to win four consecutive CIF-SS titles. They are still in solid position to reach a regional bowl.
3. Muir (4-1) –- The Mustangs opened Pacific League play with back-to-back blow-out wins, now comes the tests as they face Burroughs and Burbank, two traditional contenders. I like Muir, which should run the table en route to the league title.
4. Rio Hondo Prep (4-1) — The Prep League title is the Kares to lose. It will hard to pick against them after looking solid to this point, with the only loss being two points to Northeast No. 1 Mission Prep.
5. San Marino (4-1) –- If there’s a challenger to Monrovia in the Rio Hondo League, it’s the Titans, who have been an offense juggernaut. All signs point to a showdown vs. Monrovia on the final week .
6. La Salle (3-2) –- The Lancers are the favorite in the Del Rey League and likely will only be challenged by Bishop Montgomery.
7. Pasadena Poly (4-0) –- The Panthers feature one of the better running attacks in the area. They are No. 2 in the Northeast Division and could challenge Rio Hondo Prep in the Prep League.
8. Rosemead (4-1) –- The Panthers have won four consecutive games since opening the season with the loss. They are Arroyo’s chief challenger in the Mission Valley League.
9. Gabrielino (4-1) –- The Eagles enjoyed a solid nonleague slate fo the second consecutive season. Can they prevent another slide in league play? We find out on Friday when they travel to Mission Valley League favorite Arroyo on Friday.
10. Arcadia (3-2) — The Apaches are coming off one of their better games in a rout of Hoover. But their season and advancement to the playoffs will be determined by how they fare vs. Crescenta Valley and Burroughs.
The Rest: 11. Maranatha (4-2), 12. South Pasadena (3-2), 13. La Canada (3-2), 14. Duarte (2-3), 15. San Gabriel (1-4), 16. Temple City (1-4), 17. Flintridge Prep (0-5), 18. Pasadena (0-5), 19. Keppel (1-4), 20. Alhambra (0-5), 21. Marshall (1-4), 22. Bosco Tech (0-5), 23. Blair (0-5).
LEADERS
PASSING
1. Eli Snyder, Maranatha, 109 of 186, 1,672 yards, 11 TDs
2. Tyler Gangi, St. Francis, 67 of 119, 1,112 yards, 13 TDs
3. Joey Harmon, Arcadia, 70 of 117, 871 yards, 3 TDs
4. Elijah Peters, Gabrielino, 46 of 91, 718 yards, 5 TDs
5. Johnny Bollinger, Rio Hondo Prep, 35 of 62, 600 yards, 8 TDs
6. Deshawn Potts, Monrovia, 29 of 58, 458 yards, 4 TDs
7. Robbie Fueling, La Canda, 18 of 62, 401 yards, TD
8. Dejon Williams, Muir, 16 of 24 for 375 yards, 3 TDs
9. Michael Bowman, Pasadena Poly, 23 of 41, 302 yards, 5 TDs
10. Steven Nava, Rosemead, 21 of 35, 275 yards, 5 TDs
RUSHING
1. Kurt Scoby, Monrovia, 871 yards, 10 TDs
2. Baile McDavid, Maranatha, 676 yards, 7 TDs
3. Griffin Carter, Pasadena Poly, 600, 10 TDs
4. Stefan Smith, Flintridge Prep, 515 yards, 7 TDs
5. Nate Tayco, Rio Hondo Prep, 513 yards, 8 TDs
6. Joe Mudie, St. Francis, 508 yards, 5 TDs
7. Alec Zavala, Rosemead, 479 yards, 6 TDs
8. Michael Valenzuela, Alhambra, 314 yards, TD
9. Areg Nazarian, St. Francis, 313 yards, 3 TDs
10. Angel Lopez, Rosemead, 272 yards, TD
RECEIVING
1. Darron McWhorter, Maranatha, 35 rec., 567 yards, 6 TDs
2. Xavius Boone, Maranatha, 34 rec., 514 yards, 2 TDs
3, Dylan Crawford, St. Francis, 22 rec., 426 yards, 6 TDs
4. Joe Mudie, St. Francis, 18 rec., 329 yards, 4 TDs
5. Nick Cantos, Arcadia, 17 rec., 278 yards, TD
6. Aidan Yamada, Maranatha, 15 rec., 277 yards, TD
7. Mark Pachorek, Arcadia, 21 rec. 272 yards
8. Christopher Montoya, Gabrielino, 16 rec., 271 yards, 2 TDs
9. John Carroll, St. Francis, 18 rec., 238 yards, 2 TDs
10. Isaac Holguin, Rio Hondo Prep, 5 rec., 192 yards, 3 TDs

Keith and I are matching our knowledge of the area and high school football by offering our picks on the area’s games.

LAIR: 84-15 (10-2 last week)
RAMIREZ: 82-17 (12-0 last week)

Last week: Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then, and last week was my turn as I turned in a perfect week, highlighted by St. Francis’ big win over Monrovia. I picked up two wins on Keith with that one, and also picking Heritage over Flintridge Prep.
This week: The Almont, Mission, Mission Valley, Olympic, Prep and Rio Hondo leagues all begin regular season play. Some of the top matchups include Gabrielino at Arroyo in the Mission Valley League and San Marino at South Pasadena in the Rio Hondo League. I like the Knights and Titans in those encounters.

Week 6 schedule and predictions
WEEK 6 SCHEDULE
Thursday’s games
Montview League
Gladstone at Duarte, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Duarte); Lair (Duarte)
Arcadia at Glendale, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Arcadia); Lair (Arcadia)
Friday’s games
Almont League
Schurr at San Gabriel, 7 p.m — Ramirez (Schurr); Lair (Schurr)
Alhambra vs. Bell Gardens at Moor Field, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Bell Gardens); Lair (Bell Gardens)
Keppel at Montebello, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Montebello); Lair (Montebello)
Del Rey League
Verbum Dei vs. La Salle at LA Southwest College, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (La Salle); Lair (La Salle)
Bosco Tech at Bishop Montgomery, 6 p.m. — Ramirez (B-Monty); Lair (B-Montomery)
Mission League
St. Francis at St. Paul, 7:30 p.m. — Ramirez (St. Francis); Lair (St. Francis)
Mission Valley League
Gabrielino at Arroyo, 7 p.m — Ramirez (Arroyo); Lair (Arroyo)
Mountain View at Rosemead, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Rosemead); Lair (Rosemead)
Olympic League
Village Chr. at Maranatha, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Village Chr.); Lair (Maranatha)
Pacific League
Muir at Burroughs, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Muir); Lair (Muir)
Hoover at Pasadena, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Pasadena); Lair (Pasadena)
Prep League
Pasadena Poly vs. Flintridge Prep at Occidental College, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Poly); Lair (Poly)
Chadwick at Rio Hondo Prep, 7:30 p.m. — Ramirez (Rio); Lair (Rio Hondo)
Rio Hondo League
San Marino at South Pasadena, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (SMarino); Lair (San Marino)
Monrovia at Temple City, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (Monrovia); Lair (Monrovia)
Blair at La Canada, 7 p.m. — Ramirez (La Canada); Lair (La Canada)
Saturday’s game
Nonleague
Webb vs. Marshall at Pasadena, 1 p.m. — Ramirez (Webb); Lair (Marshall)