September 2011 Archives

Valley Christian, Paramount and Norwalk earn their first wins of the season.

See the P-T Football Scores for Week 4

Poly wins big - downs Compton 41-14. 'Rabbits led only 17-14 at one point.
Lakewood holds off Wilson, winning 42-28.
Cabrillo drops a bomb on Jordan, rolling to a 53-18victory

Stop holding your breath Jackrabbit fans. Your boys have put it together late and lead Compton 36-14

Compton was within 17-14 of Poly, but the Jackrabbits just scored to take a 24-14 lead in the fourht quarter.

The comeback kids of Wilson are at it again. The Bruins trail Lakewood 35-28.

Cabrillo's Stewart is for real, as he's tearing up Jordan. The Jags lead 39-12

The Lancers lead the Bruins 21-14. Which is just perfect for the comeback Bruins, who have played better in second halves this year.

Poly only led Compton 14-8 at halftime.
Meanwhile, Cabrillo is all over Jordan in what seemed like a pick e'm game, leading 26-6 at halftime.

Linebacker Noah Hernandez returned an interception 82 yards with less than a minute left in the first half to give Bellflower a 7-0 halftime lead over La Mirada in the Suburban League opener for both.
La Mirada had moved into scoring position as halftime approached, but quarterback Gerry Myers' pass was intercepted by Hernandez, who ran down the Matadore sideline and avoided Myers' tackle attempt near the La Mirada 40.
Bellflower gained just 71 first-half yards, the bulk of which came on a 62-yard run by Travis Newberry. Quarterbacks Swain Williams and Daniel Luque attempted only three passes in the half and completed none.

Two-time defending Suburban League champ La Mirada takes a 15-game league winning streak into tonight's Suburban opener at home against Bellflower. The Matadores are just 1-3, but that win came last week against La Serna and was easily their best performance of the season. Bellflower is 2-2, with a pair of quality efforts and a pair of ... not so much.
"Whether we're ready or not, it's here," Bellflower coach Derek Brown said of the opening of league play. "We're gonna have to be prepared."
Browns said LB Rodney Purvis and DB Isaac Lee got banged up last week vs Troy but should play tonight.
Glenn and talented RB Steven Reed take a 2-2 record into tonight's game with Cerritos at Gahr High. The Dons are 0-3 and got a chance to heal a little bit with a bye last week. Since coach Chad Reed resigned just days before the season began, there have been some defections from the squad, but interim coach Shonyta Pouncey is thrilled with the kids who have stayed.
"Those guys are Dons," he said. "They are true to this school and this football program."
Both Artesia and Norwalk are looking for their first win tonight. Norwalk (0-4) gave Colony a good battle last week. Artesia was a bit shell-shocked against Gahr's air attack last week but is much better prepared for the start of league than a year ago, according to coach Joe Veach.
"We've played four pretty good teams (Huntington Park, Whittier, Wilson and Gahr) and it's been a good test for us heading into league," he said.
I'll be at the Bellflower-La Mirada game tonight. Check back later for updates from the game and postgame thoughts.

It's time to pick some "more" winners.

Poly at Compton - Poly
Lakewood at Wilson - Lakewood
Cabrillo at Jordan - Jordan
Norwalk vs. Artesia - Norwalk
Bellflower at La Mirada - La Mirada
Glenn vs. Cerritos - Glenn
Paramount vs. Whittier - Paramount
Dominguez at S.D. Lincoln - Dominguez
Downey at Oxnard - Downey
Warren vs. La Serna - La Serna
Lynwood vs. Glendora - Glendora
Valley Christian vs. Ontario Christian - Valley Chr.
St. Anthony vs. Brethren Christian - St. Anthony
Centennial vs. Morningside - Centennial
Calvary Chapel vs. Campbell Hall - Campbell Hall
Firebaugh at Hawthorne - Hawthorne
Avalon vs. Windward - Avalon

Los Alamitos has thrown a few points on the scoreboard late, as the Griffins have cut the deficit to 38-27 with 3:51 left in the game.

Santa Margarita is finishing up on proving that bigger is indeed better, as the Eagles' powerful offensive and defensive lines outmatched Los Alamitos' speed and finesse on Thursday night.

It's 38-14 in favor of Santa Margarita midway through the fourth. Los Al led 14-7 before wearing out in the first quarter.

This loss will drop the Griffins to 4-1 on the year. Back to work for Coach Barnes and staff as they get ready for Edison in Sunset League opener in a couple of weeks.

The Braves bounced back from their only loss of the season with a huge 41-6 win at La Habra on Thursday night.

A big night from WR Bryce Treggs. He goes off for 8 receptions for 189 yards, including TDs from 89 and 47 yards out in the first half.

If you are reading this, then you are probably not at the big Los Alamitos vs. Santa Margarita football game at Vets Stadium.

But if you want to see it, check it out on Fox Sports Primeticket.

And by the way, the Griffins are up early, leading 7-0

Look who's No. 1! And look who's in the rankings for the first time.

P-T TOP 10
Football
1. Los Alamitos (4-0) ... High-scoring Griffins jump up into the No. 1 spot, but can they stay?
2. Poly (3-1) ... 'Rabbits show they are close to top of Pac-5 in loss to Mission Viejo.
3. St. John Bosco (3-1) ... Braves suffer first loss, need to refocus with tough schedule ahead
4. Lakewood (3-1) ... Still lots of questions surround Lancers. Answers coming shortly
5. Mayfair (2-2) ... Will take a week off from hard preseason before kicking off Suburban slate
6. Gahr (4-0) ... One of just four area unbeaten teams, but tough SGVL awaits them
7. Dominguez (2-2) ... Showing a little of what D-High football is all about recently.
8. Centennial (3-0) ... Surprising Apaches look to continue amazing start.
9. Cabrillo (3-1) ... Is a Top 10 the first for Jags. Can't remember another time.
T-10 Bellflower (2-2) ... Bucs getting ready for intense Suburban League season
T-10. Jordan (2-2) ... Panthers are Jekyll & Hyde of area so far.

Over the past couple of weeks, Los Alamitos has seemingly cemented itself as the No. 1 team, while Wilson has come on strong, with wins over Poly and Lakewood, to grab No. 2.

Press-Telegram Girls Volleyball
Top 10
1. Los Alamitos
2. Wilson
3. Poly
4. Lakewood
5. Downey
6. Cerritos
7. Warren
8. Mayfair
9. St. Joseph
10. Firebaugh

See where these teams are in the CIF-SS Girls Volleyball rankings.

Athletes of the Week
Boys
James Garrett, Sr., Millikan
The 6-2, 235-pound power back rushed for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 14 carries to lead the Rams to a 40-16 win over South Gate on Friday night, ending Millikan's 11-game losing streak.

Girls
Rebecca Strehlow, Sr., Wilson
Strehlow, arguably the area's top girls volleyball player, backed up that claim with two fine performances last week. She posted 22 kills in a win over Poly and 25 kills in a victory against Lakewood to lead the Bruins into first place in the Moore League.

If you would like to nominate an AOW, please send an email to dave.werstine@presstelegram.com

The brothers Hamilton and others are making the St. John Bosco basketball team a real contender this season.

See prep basketball guru Frank Burlison's take on the Braves.

Travon Payne has made two excellent first-half TD catches and Long Beach City's football team holds a 26-14 lead over Pierce at intermission.
Payne's first TD came on a 22-yard pass from Ryan Craighead. He caught the ball near the 10, then tight-walked the sideline and dove just inside the pylon to score. On his second score, a 25-yard pass from Craighead, Payne wrestled the ball away from Pierce safety Cody Berry in the back of the end zone.
Payne finished the first half with seven catches for 96 yards and Craighead has thrown for 228 yards. Jerramie Jackson and Joel Panteau each have a 1-yard TD run for the Vikings.

What's up with that?

Warren got TD runs from JR Vaaulu, Josh Callier and Albert Ruiz and led 21-7 early in the fourth quarter. However, Marina rallied back and tied it at 21-21 with 2:03 left in the game.

After the final whistle blew, the refs walked off the field, saying that was the game!!

That's just not right. We'll find out more on how this happened.

Randall Goforth intercepted an Alex Bridgford pass and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown to bring Poly within 17-12 of Mission Viejo with 5:16 to play in the game. The two-point conversion pass failed.

Zach Christensen kicked a 28-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give Mission Viejo a 17-6 lead over Poly.

Poly and Mission Viejo are taking the field to begin the second half, with the Diablos holding a 14-6 lead over the Jackrabbits before several thousand at Mission Viejo.

Poly's Hayden Hunt connects with a 27-yard field goal with 2:15 left to play in the half and the Jackrabbits are within 14-6.

Jordan High and visiting Dominguez are tied 8-8 at halftime of Friday's nonleague game.
The Panthers took advantage of a muffed punt near midfield early in the first quarter, scoring on a 48-yard pass from Hudson Romain to Rahshead Johnson. Dominick Bell ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
The Dons answered late in the first after a shanked punt. On the first play from scrimmage, Dwight Woodson found Sylvester Winston over the top for a 37-yard score. Dominguez lined up for a one-point try, but a bad snap forced holder Brandon Beaver to scramble until he found William Johnson open to tie the score.
Both teams have struggled on offense. Jordan has 75 total yards and has committed nine penalties for 50 yards. Dominguez has just 58 total yards and Winston's TD catch is the Dons' only reception of the half.

Alex Bridgford hit Brandon Neville on a 6-yard TD pass with 6:36 to play in the first half. With the extra point, MIssion Viejo has a 14-3 lead over Poly.

Hayden Hunt kicked a 25-yard field goal with 1:02 left in the first quarter to pull Poly within 7-3 of Mission Viejo.

Snoop Dog, the rapper extraordinaire and Poly High, is taking Poly in tonight's Jackrabbits-Mission Viejo football game. No duh! But he also went on to rip the Diablos.
See Snoop's message and the O.C.'s take on it.

Mission Viejo's Alex Bridgford hit D.J. Wilson on a 27-yard TD pass with 10:15 to play in the first quarter. It came on fourth down and after Poly quarterback Chaiyse Hales fumbled away the ball on the first offensive snap of the game. Score is 7-0 Mission Viejo.

Here we go with the Week 3 picks. Going for 100 percent this week.

Poly at Mission Viejo - Mission Viejo
Lakewood vs. Leuzinger - Lakewood
Wilson at Paramount - WIlson
Millikan vs. South Gate - Rams...of Millikan
Cabrillo vs. Capistrano Valley - Cabrillo
Dominguez at Jordan - Jordan
Compton at Corona Roosevelt - Compton
Mayfair vs. Valley Christian - Mayfair
Norwalk at Colony - Colony
La Mirada vs. La Serna - La Serna
Bellflower vs. Troy - Bellflower
Glenn vs. Cypress - Cypress
Gahr at Artesia - Gahr
Downey vs. Fountain Valley - Ftn. Valley
Warren vs. Marina - Warren
Lynwood at Lancaster - Lynwood
St. John Bosco vs. Loyola - SJ Bosco
Firebaugh vs. Garey - Garey
Calvary Chapel vs. Arrowhead Christian - Calvary Chape
Avalon at Hope Centre - Avalon

The other day we told you that Wilson pitcher Chase DeJong made the American 18U baseball roster for the upcoming COPABE AAA/18U Junior Pan American Championships.

Well, the Bruins hit a double as freshman Chris Betts made the 14U roster.

The tournament is scheduled in Novmember in Colombia.

P-T TOP 10
Football
1. St. John Bosco (3-0) ... Schedule gets really tough now for the Braves. Can they hang?
2. Poly (3-0) ... Seems to be best in Moore League, but a Pac-5 contender?
3. Los Alamitos (3-0) ... Offense keeps putting up BIG numbers.
4. Lakewood (2-1) ... Good team but a ways off from last few years.
5. Mayfair (1-2) ... Looks to be runaway favorite in the Suburban League
6. Gahr (3-0) ... Offense AND defense have been good, but schedule has been weak
7. Dominguez (1-2) ... Lots of talent but also lots of problems. SGVL is wide open
8. Centennial (3-0) ... Small +  fast = no losses
9. Bellflower (2-1) ... Bucs appear good enough for possible upset special in Suburban
10. Jordan (2-1) ... Could the Panthers be the second-best team in the Moore League?

Wilson High is looking for a new varsity girls water polo coach.
Assistant principal Williams Salas confirmed Tuesday that the position is open but wouldn't give any details about how the position became open. Tony Martinho is the boys water polo coach at Wilson and has coached the girls since the program began in 1999. A source that wanted to remain anonymous confirmed Martinho will continue to coach the boys.
Several messages left for Martinho were not returned.
Anyone interested in the position can contact Salas at (562) 433-0481, ext. 6135.

With a couple of wins on the season, St. Anthony and Glenn are close to breaking into the Top 10 in their respective divisions. St. John Bosco, Poly and Los Alamitos are holding tight in the Pac-5, and Centennial is moving up in the Northwest Division.

See where the local teams sit in this week's CIF-SS Football Rankings.

Athletes of the Week

Boys
Derek Stewart, Sr., Cabrillo
The Jaguars quarterback was a double-threat in a 56-36 win over North Torrance on Friday. He was 18 for 22 for 271 yards, four TDs and a 2-point conversion through the air, and also ran for 60 yards and two more scores.

Girls
Erin Freeman, So., Warren
The Bears' No. 1 singles player had a near-perfect week. Freeman went 3-0 in wins over Millikan, Keppel and Lakewood, dropping only four games in the process. She is 15-0 on the year.

Thanks for those of you who have nominated AOWs so far this season. If you would like to nominate an AOW, send an email to dave.werstine@presstelegram.com by noon on Mondays.

Wilson High right-hander Chase DeJong, the 2011 Dream Team co-Pitcher of the Year, was chosen as one of the 20 players to represent the country at the 2011 COPABE AAA/18U Junior Pan American Championships in Cartagena, Colombia on Nov. 17-27.

Los Alamitos High's girls volleyball team came in as runner-up at the prestigious Durango Fall Classic over the weekend, losing its first match of the season to Louisville Assumption.

Three Griffins - senior outside hitter Alijah Gunsaulus, sophomore middle blocker Crissy Jones and senior opposite/setter Jaylen Villanueava - received all-tournament honors.

Los Alamitos faces Mira Costa on Tuesday in the South Bay in a showdown of two of the top programs in SoCal.

Long Beach City scored three touchdowns in the third quarter and has made a game of today's matchup with Cerritos.
The Vikings cut was a 38-7 halftime deficit to 38-28 entering the fourth.

A pair of Cerritos College quarterbacks have thrown for 301 yards and four TDs in the first half, and the Falcons are routing host Long Beach City 38-7 at halftime.
Brandon Denker has thrown for 189 yards and all four scores. He completed 11 of 13 passes and threw TD passes to Garion Manning, Tristan Henderson, Jeff Lavulo and Lindsey Anderson, all in the first quarter. The Falcons led 31-0 after the first.
In the second quarter, Morgan Fennell added 112 passing yards and led Cerritos on another scoring drive. Fennell extended the drive with a 16-yard run.
Long Beach turned the ball over four times, including first-quarter fumbles that led directly to two touchdowns. Ryan Craighead has thrown for 108 yards but has also been intercepted twice. LBCC's lone score came o a 5-yard pass from Craighead to Mike Evans.

Bellflower High's defense didn't allow a second-half point, its offense controlled the clock and its special teams scored the winning touchdown Friday in a 21-14 victory over host Paramount.
Three Buc turnovers led to a 14-7 halftime deficit, but two touchdowns in an eight-second stretch of the third quarter spurred Bellflower to victory. Quarterback Swain Williams ran in from 6 yards to tie the game at 14 with 7:59 left in the third, and Isaac Lee scored after a Paramount fumble near the end zone on the ensuing kickoff.
Led by seniors Lee, Dijon Barnes and Jose Ochoa, the Bellflower defense made big plays when needed. Paramount was stopped on fourth down deep in Buc territory twice in the second half, denying the Pirates the opportunity to tie the score.
With the victory, Bellflower retook ownership of the Glory Days Sportsmanship Bowl, the perpetual trophy awarded to the winner of the Bellflower-Paramount game every year. Last year, Paramount beat the Buccaneers 14-13 at Ron Yary Stadium.
Deon Moore had a good game for Paramount. The senior caught a 23-yard TD pass in the second quarter and nearly ran back a punt late in the game. Jahlon Wright added a 70-yard interception return for a TD in the first quarter.

Robert Burdette scored on a 15-yard TD run to give Lakewood a 35-29 lead over Mayfair at Bellflower High.

Kendall Rodgers scored from 11 yards out and Alex Boy kicked the extra point and Lakewood pulls to within a point, 29-28, of Mayfair at Bellflower High.

A 33-yard TD pass from Christian Woo to Aaron Minor with eight seconds left in the first half gives Mayfair a 29-21 lead over Lakewood at Bellflower High.

Bellflower High's football team turned the ball over three times in the first half and trails host Paramount 14-7 at halftime of their nonleague game.
The Buccaneers have thrown two interceptions and fumbled once deep in Paramount territory. The first interception was returned 70 by Jahlon Wright for a score and a 7-0 Pirate lead on the final play of the first quarter.
Bellflower looked poised to tie the game early in the second but Ryan Hundley fumbled inside the 10.
Paramount added a 23-yard TD pass from Xavier Williams to Deon Moore for a 14-0 lead. The Bucs scored in the final moments of the first half on a 6-yard run by Hundley.
Check back later for more on this game.

A Brock Dale to Malik Gilmore 41-yard TD pass and extra point by Alex Boy brings Lakewood to within 23-21 of Mayfair with 2:17 left in the second quarter.

Brock Dale threw an 18-yard TD pass to Jeremy McNicols and Alex Boy added the extra point to pull Lakewood within 17-14 of Mayfair with 4:29 left at Bellflower High. Seconds later Jerry Smith returned the kickoff 93 yards for a score. The PAT kick failed because of a bad snap, but the Monsoons lead 23-14.

Keenan Wright intercepted a Brock Dale pass and returned it 45 yards for a TD with 8:27 to play in the first half. The extra point gives Mayfair a 17-7 lead over Lakewood at Bellflower High.

A 4-yard TD run by Jerry Smith and PAT kick by David Grkinich gives Mayfair a 10-7 lead over Lakewood with 8:45 to play in the first half.

Kendall Rodgers scored from six yards out and Alex Boy kicked the extra point to give Lakewood a 7-3 lead over Mayfair at Bellflower High.

David Grkinich kicked a 29-yard field goal for Mayfair as the Monsoons take a 3-0 over Lakewood with 3:44 left in the first quarter at Bellflower High.

New Compton football coach Don Markham is now the old Compton football coach. Markham, an icon in the sport, resigned from the position for several reasons according to an IE report.
Check out why Markham stepped down.

A couple of really good games that could go either way. Which ones are you picking?

Week 2 Schedule
Friday
Poly vs. Narbonne - Poly
Lakewood vs. Mayfair - Lakewood
Wilson vs. Artesia - Wilson
Millikan at Redondo - Redondo
Cabrillo at North Torrance - North Torrance
Compton vs. Dominguez - Dominguez
Norwalk vs. St. Paul - St. Paul
La Mirada at Bishop Amat - Bishop Amat
Bellflower at Paramount - Bellflower
Glenn at Bassett - Glenn
Cerritos at Gahr - Gahr
Downey vs. Schurr - Downey
Warren at Jordan - Jordan
Lynwood vs. Centennial - Centennial
St. John Bosco vs. Santa Fe - SJ Bosco
Los Alamitos at West Adams - Los Alamitos
Valley Christian at St. Bernard - St. Bernard
St. Anthony vs. Fairmont Prep - St. Anthony
Firebaugh at Roybal - Firebaugh
Avalon vs. Rolling Hills Prep - Avalon

Athletes of the Week
Boys
John Ross III. Jr., Jordan
The wide receiver/corner back made quite an impression on the Panthers' win at Granada Hills Kennedy on Friday night. Ross caught eight passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns, and on the other side of the ball caused a fumble and picked off two passes, return one for a TD.

Girls
Esther Lee, Jr., Los AlamitosThe Griffins' star golfer came back strong after missing her team's loss to Poly on Wednesday because of a bee sting, firing a 3-under-par 33 in a 212-232 victory over Wilson at Old Ranch Country Club on Thursday.

* - If you would like to nominate an AOW, please send the information to dave.werstine@presstelegram.com no later than noon each Monday.

The Pac-5 Division has a strong continget of local teams. St. John Bosco is No. 3, Poly is No. 9 and high-scoring Los Alamitos comes in at No. 10 this week.

Also, Centennial moves into the Norhtwest Division rankings.

Check out his week's

CIF-SS Football Rankings

A 70-yard interception return by linebacker Matthew Rowe and PAT kick by Hayden Hunt gives Poly a 32-12 lead over Carson with 11:45 to play in their game at Veterans Stadium.

A 4-yard touchdown run by Gerard Wicks and PAT kick by Hayden Hunt with 4:13 left in the third quarter gives Poly a 25-12 lead.

A 13-yard touchdown run by Gerard Wicks and two-point conversion run by Jeff Turley with 3:57 to play in the first half gave Poly an 18-6 lead over Carson, but the Colts came back and cut the lead to 18-12 on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Kevin McMahon to Darreus Rogers with 1:32 left.

Poly sacked Carson quarterback Kevin McMahon in the end zone for a safety with 7:43 left in the first half and then the Jackrabbits got a 46-yard touchdown pass from Chaiyse Hales to Richard Smith and two-point conversion run by Jeff Turley with 7:29 to play for a 10-6 lead over the Colts

Kevin McMahon connected with Darreus Rogers for a 68-yard touchdown with 10:51 to play in the second quarter for a 6-0 Carson lead over Poly at Veterans Stadium. The Colts took a 15-yard celebration penalty and then could not complete the 2-point conversion.

Time to match wits once again...

Poly vs. Carson - Poly
Lakewood vs. St. John Bosco - SJ Bosco
Wilson vs. JSerra - Wilson
Millikan vs. Aliso Niguel - Aliso Niguel
Cabrillo vs. Lynwood - Cabrillo
Jordan at Granada Hills Kennedy - Jordan
Compton at Sylmar - Compton
Mayfair vs. Los Alamitos - Los Alamitos
Norwalk vs. Cypress - Cypress
Artesia vs. Whittier - Whittier
La Mirada vs. La Habra - La Habra
Bellflower at Los Altos - Los Altos
Glenn at Pioneer - Pioneer
Cerritos vs. Morningside - Cerritos
Gahr vs. Northwood - Gahr
Dominguez vs. Redlands East Valley - REV
Downey vs. La Serna - Downey
Warren vs. Santa Fe - Santa Fe
Valley Christian vs. S.M. St. Joseph - St.Joseph
Calvary Chapel vs. Western Christian - Calvary Chapel
Avalon vs. Excelsior Education Center - Excelsior
St. Anthony vs. Animo Leadership - St. Anthony
Firebaugh vs. Boron - Boron

P-T TOP 10
Football

1. St. John Bosco (1-0) ... Has a tough game vs. Lakewood and tougher games ahead.
2. Poly (1-0) ... 'Rabbits proved themselves with win at Sac Grant. Old-school matchup vs. Carson next.
3. Los Alamitos (1-0) ... Griffins put up 70 points vs. Norwalk. 70 points? Wow!
4. Lakewood (1-0) ... New coach, new QB get first test of the season vs. SJB.
5. Mayfair (1-0) ... Mr. Smith & Co. downed Downey, not it's on to Los Al?
6. Dominguez (0-1) ... Highly regarded Dons have lots to prove after poor start.
7. Bellflower (1-0) ... Bucs look like challenger in Suburban League.
8. Gahr (1-0) ... Gladiators threw for 490 yards in opener. Will they hit 500 this year? Bet on it.
9. Downey(0-1) ... Vikings are a work in progress. Their better days are a month or so ahead.
10. Paramount (0-0) ... Pirates kick off the season Thursday at Western.

An interesting nonleague girls golf match is set for today at Big Rec Park, featuring three of the better players in the area.
Moore League favorites Wilson and Poly will play Los Alamitos and Fountain Valley at 2 p.m. Wilson features senior captain Alexis Hayes, who advanced to the state regional round a year ago. Poly is led by junior Jamie Gracie, the defending Moore League individual champion. Los Al's Esther Lee may be the top player in the area. She advanced to the state finals a year ago and could win herself a state individual championship before she's through.
The same four teams will meet at Old Ranch Country Club today.

Poly High football coach Raul Lara is not one to get too excited about an early-season

victory, or too bummed out about an early-season defeat. But Monday he couldn't help but be

quite happy about the way his Jackrabbits overcame a turnover-plagued first half to win at

highly touted Sacramento Grant in Saturday's bell-ringer for Poly.
"We had four turnovers - three interceptions and a fumble - going into halftime," said

Lara, whose team emerged with a 24-23 victory over Grant, which beat Poly 25-20 in the 2008

Open Division state championship bowl game. "We played a pretty bad first half, probably our

worst in a long time. But we were only down (six) points (at 17-11). I told them that if we

limited our mistakes we would be all right, and we did."
The Jackrabbits' offense - propelled by a fine running attack led by Manusamao Luuga's

115 yards and Gerard Wicks' 93 - did not turn the ball over in the second half and upset a

team that was ranked No. 9 in the state by MaxPreps' Freeman Rankings; Poly was No. 19. The

Pacers dropped to 15th this week, the Jackrabbits moved up to No. 7.
Make no mistake, this was a huge victory. Lara did not downplay it one bit.
"The boost of winning that, of course it's going to give us confidence," he said,

"especially against a great opponent like Grant. We talked about it going into the game, 'We

are the underdogs, those guys are ranked higher than us,' and this and that. 'We have

something to prove.'
"And what a great atmosphere. The place was packed crazy. It was a great game experience

for our kids. Going to Grant and how the kids hung in there and got it done. To me, it was

remarkable."
The Jackrabbits (1-0) will play host to Carson (1-0) on Friday at Veterans Stadium. The

Colts are ranked No. 42 in the state.

Lots and lots of girls volleyball teams from the P-T area are in the initial CIF rankings. And Los Alamitos, Downey and Firebaugh are No. 1. Check out the
CIF girls' volleyball poll.

Ceritos College's football team joined Long Beach City and ECC Compton on Saturday by losing its season opener. Cerritos traveled to L.A. Harbor and lost to the hard-running Seahawks, 28-23.
Harbor, ranked 16th in the state entering the game, rushed for 349 yards and four TDs. The Falcons' lone highlight was sophomre tailback Thomas Gray, a transfer from Harbor. Gray rushed 13 times for 127 yards.
Down by less than a touchdown, sixth-ranked Cerritos moved into Harbor territory three times in the fourth quarter but never scored. With under 2 minutes to play, sophomore Morgan Fennell was intercepted on fourth down.
Earlier Saturday, LBCC and Compton both suffered shutouts, 42-0 and 24-0, respectively.

It went from bad to worse to how much more worse can this possibly get for the Long Beach City College football team in Saturday's 42-0 loss to visiting Golden West.
Five LBCC turnovers led directly to 29 Rustler points and the special teams struggled all day, mishandling two snaps and allowing a punt return for a score.
Long Beach's defense played admirably but was put in impossible situations all day by the offense and special teams. Following turnovers, stalled drives or special teams mistakes, GWC began drives at the Long Beach 25, 14 and 46 and its own 48 and 47. In the second half, LBCC limited Golden West to nine points and held the Rustlers scoreless inside the 20 twice.
The Vikings visit Orange Coast next week.

Long Beach City College has allowed two touchdowns directly off turnovers and another on a punt return and trails Golden West 33-0 at halftime at Veterans Stadium.
The Rustlers have scored on a 50-yard fumble return by St. Anthony High graduate John Graves and on a 39-yard interception return by Chris Fiscua. Shortly before halftime, Donny Ruggles took a punt back 46 yards.
LBCC has just 35 first-half yards and three first downs.

A pair of first-quarter turnovers have put Long Beach City's football team in an early hole against Golden West.
GWC's John Graves returned a Joel Paunteau fumble 50 yards for a score and a fumble snap on a punt led to another score for the Rustlers, who lead the Vikings 20-0 in the first quarter at Veterans Stadium.

Friday's season opener between Mayfair and Downey featured a pair of YouTube-destined performances, one from Mayfair's Jerry Smith and another from Downey quarterback Dallas Jones.
Great things are expected of Smith in his senior campaign, and he didn't disappoint in the Monsoons' 38-28 triumph. Smith scored four times, rushed for 185 yards and ran a kickoff back 99 yards after the Vikings had closed to within three points (24-21) late in the first half.
"He's a great athlete, a great player," Downey coach Jack Williams said.
He ran the ball just seven times but scored on runs of 15, 49 and 79 yards and averaged 26.4 yards per carry.
And it wasn't just a display of pure speed. Smith broke at least two tackles near the line of scrimmage before his 79-yard TD, and showed tremendous vision on both the kickoff return and the 49-yard run to find open space.
Lopez toyed with Mayfair's defense for much of the game and finished with 401 total yards, including 225 on the ground. Out of the shotgun formation, he had 11 runs of 10 yards or more and three over 20. Like Smith, he made more than one defender whiff and lowered his shoulder when necessary.
"We didn't do a very good job of breaking down and containing him," Mayfair co-coach Woodie Grayson said. "He's very crafty at getting out of trouble."
Lopez completed 17 of 26 passes for 176 yards, and found five different receivers.
After falling behind by 17 points in less than 7 minutes, Downey gave Mayfair a fight to the end. The Vikings had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth, but Misael Samaya's 44-yard field goal attempt fell short. Two plays later, Smith broke his longest run of the night and put the game away.
"Our defense is so young and inexperienced," Williams said, "but the kids played their hearts out."

Senior Jerry Smith has scored three touchdowns, including a 99-yard kickoff return, for Mayfair, which leads Downey 31-21 at halftime.
Smith has also scored on runs of 4 and 49 yards.
Downey has been led by senior quarterback Dallas Lopez, who has rushed for 134 yards and thrown for 59 and a score.

Much like the players and coaches at high schools all around the area, the P-T prep staff can't wait for football season to begin tonight.
Like the teams, we've done our preseason preparations, put in hours of hard work. A week of writing previews and features and capsules has resulted in a left hand injury, and I'd estimate my stat-keeping and typing skills to be about 85 percent right now. But there's no way I'm sitting this one out.
I'll cover tonight's Mayfair-Downey game. With athletes like Jerry Smith and Jabari Ruffin on the field, this should be fun to watch.
Check back later for a halftime update and post-game thoughts.

Long Beach City College SID Chris Ruiz said Thursday that Saturday's season-opening football game against Golden West will be broadcast live at www.socalcollegesports.com.
Mike Zepeda and Jeff Stoyanoff will call the game, which begins at 1 p.m. at Veterans Stadium. Zepeda and Stoyanoff broadcast Tuesday's "Celebration of Life" ceremony/men's soccer game at Cerritos College and did an outstanding job.

Here's your chance to show us - show everyone - you know local prep football.
Or that you at least know more than me....

WEEK 0
Locke at Lakewood -- Lakewood
Millikan at Gahr -- Gahr
Centennial at Compton -- Compton
Cabrillo at San Clemente -- San Clemente
Jordan vs. Santa Margarita -- Santa Margarita
Mayfair at Downey -- Downey
Norwalk vs. Los Alamitos -- Los Alamitos
Artesia at Huntington Park -- Huntington Park
La Mirada at St. Paul -- St. Paul.
Bellflower vs. GG Pacifica -- Bellflower
Glenn vs. Santa Ana Valley -- Glenn
Dominguez vs. Crespi -- Dominguez
Warren vs. Burbank -- Burbank
St. John Bosco vs. Mission Hills -- SJ Bosco
Valley Christian vs. Campbell Hall -- Valley Christian
St. Anthony vs. Downey Calvary Chapel -- Calvary Chapel
Firebaugh at Van Nuys - Van Nuys
Cerritos at Gabrielino -- Cerritos
Poly at Sacramento Grant -- Grant

Chad Reed offered his resignation Wednesday as Cerritos High head football coach after an internal ABC Unified School District investigation into allegations Reed mistreated a player, ABC Unified deputy superintendent Mary Sieu confirmed Thursday.
Sieu wouldn't go into specifics about the complaint but did say it was lodged last week. After a meeting between the parents, administrators and Reed on Wednesday, Reed offered to resign.
"It was something the parents felt was inappropriate," Sieu said.
Reed is still employed as a teacher at Cerritos and no further action is planned, according to Sieu. No criminal charges have been filed.
In two seasons under Reed, the Dons went 3-9 in the Suburban League and 4-16 overall. Cerritos went 0-10 the season before Reed was hired, and he said prior the 2009 season his biggest challenge was to change a culture of losing that surrounded the football program. The Dons went 1-9 during his first season and challenged for a playoff berth last year with a 3-7 mark.
Co-athletic director Robert Adams said assistant coach Shonyta Pouncey will take over the program on an interim basis.
The Dons open their season Friday with a nonleague game at Gabrielino High in San Gabriel. Kickoff is 7 p.m.