November 2011 Archives

P-T TOP 10
Football
Final
1. Poly (10-2) - Good season, but 'rabbits just couldn't beat the big boys in Pac-5
2. St. John Bosco (8-4) - Braves showed they could play with everyone in 2011
3. Lakewood (7-4) - Lancers were solid, but step below Poly and rest of Pac-5
4. Los Alamitos (6-4) - Griffins went downhill starting with loss to Edison, never recovered
5. La Mirada (8-4) - Play in Southeast semifinal. Who would have guessed after woeful start
6. Dominguez (7-4) - Dons never really clicked the way many thought they would
7. Centennial (8-4) - Another solid coaching job by Nolan, who had "little" to work with
8. Mayfair (7-4) - First-rouind playoff loss left Monsoons with bad taste
9. Bellflower (7-4) - Bucs in three-way tie for Suburban title is a step in right direction  
10. Cabrillo (7-4) - First-year coach Brown guided school's first  7-win season

Boys
Danny Martinez, Sr., St. John Bosco
Martinez shrugged off illness to become the first Braves athlete to win a CIF State individual cross country championship, or any other as a matter of fact. He covered the 5K Woodward Park course in Fresno in a school-record time of 15:11 to win the Division III title and lead SJB to second place in the team standings.

Girls
Jaylen Villanueva, Sr., Los Alamitos
The senior opposite hitter picked up her game, leading the Griffins to a 3-1 win over Corona del Mar in the SoCal Division I Regional girls volleyball semifinals with 16 kills. The UC Santa Barbara-bound Villanueva posted six kills in a sweep of Bakersfield Centennial earlier in the week.

To nominate an AOW, send the info to dave.werstine@presstelegram.com by noon on Monday

Boys
Jachin Jenkins, Jr., Centennial
The Apaches quarterback came back strong after two early interceptions, throwing for 239 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for another as Centennial defeated Bishop Montgomery 60-10 in the first round of the CIF-SS Northwest Division playoffs.

Girls
JoJo Schnabl, Sr., Los Alamitos
The North Carolina-bound outside hitter was a strong presence for the Griffins in their CIF-SS Division 1AA championship victory over rival Newport Harbor. Schnabl led Los Al with 14 kills and 18 digs in a 25-17, 26-24, 25-23 win.

A 50-yard pass from B.J. Denker to Robert Abeyta that would have put Cerritos College at the 2-yard-line with under 2 minutes to play was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty, and Mt. SAC held on to beat the visiting Falcons 17-14 in Saturday's SCFA final.
Trailing by three points, Cerritos began its final drive at its own 14 with 3:58 left in the game. Allie Long had runs of 16 and 11 yards to move the Falcons toward midfield, and the Falcons faced third-and-3 from their own 48.
Quarterback B.J. Denker eluded the Moutie pass rush and rolled to his left when he saw Abeyta open near the 10. Denker launched the ball down field, and Abeyta caught the ball despite being covered by three defenders and was tackled at the 2. The Falcons appeared poised to take the lead and advance to their first state title game in program history.
But Abeyta was flagged for pushing off the defenders to create space for himself, nullifying the play and moving the ball back to the Cerritos 33. Denker threw an incompletion on third down and was intercepted on fourth down, allowing Mt. SAC (11-1) to run out the clock.
The loss snapped Cerritos' six-game winning streak and ended its season at 8-4. It was the second consecutive year the Falcons lost to Mt. SAC in the SCFA final but a far cry from last year's 51-0 rout.
The Mounties are the two-time defending state champs and will visit City College of San Francisco (11-0) on Dec. 10 to play for the state title. The game will be a rematch of last year's title game, which Mt. SAC won, 34-7.

Cerritos College's football team trails Mt. SAC 17-7 at halftime of its SCFA final at Hilmer Lodge Stadium.
The third-seeded Falcons (8-3) scored on a 49-yard pass from sophomore quarterback B.J. Denker to Robert Abeyta on their first drive. On the play, Denker was chased to his right, but the left-hander threw against his body and found Abeyta with single coverage down field. That tied the score.
The top-seeded Mounties (10-1) scored TDs on their first two drives but were held to only a 30-yard field goal after that. Quarterback Cameron Deen threw a seven-yard TD pass to Alonzo Agwuenu on the first drive and Christian Bobo scored from the 2 on its next for a 14-7 lead.
In the same game a year ago, the Falcons trailed 31-0 at halftime and lost 51-0.
The winner of today's game will play the Northern California champion Dec. 10 for the state title.

It was certainly fun covering last night's CIF-SS Northwest Division second-round playoff game between visiting Lompoc and Centennial. I'm from Northern Santa Barbara County and covered hundreds of Lompoc games - football, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, etc. - while working for the Santa Maria Times. And even though it's been nearly 11 years since I've worked there, I saw a few familiar faces on the sideline, including colleague Al Hunt, the North SB County correspondent for the Santa Barbara News Press.
The Braves have always traveled well, and fans in blue easily out-numbered the Apache supporters on the other side of the field. Before the game, they let out a big cheer when the Centennial PA announcer graciously welcomed the visitors from Lom-pock, and an even bigger one when he quickly corrected himself and pronounced the coastal town's name properly - Lom-poke. It's a common mistake, and one they're used to.
It was also fun talking with Al and Cal Hi Sports' Ronnie Flores about the best football player to ever come from Lompoc High, Napolean Kaufman. Kaufman was the fastest high school running back I've ever seen and one of the nation's top recruits as a senior in 1990 - my first with the Santa Maria Times, He eventually signed with Washington, where he joined quarterback Mark Brunell, a Santa Maria St. Joseph High grad. Kaufman then played six years for the Raiders before injuries ended his career.
As for Friday's game, Centennial (8-4) played with plenty of guts and desire - it scored the game's first TD - before Lompoc's strong running attack and deep roster eventually wore the short-handed Apaches down. QB Jachin Jenkins (15-23-1, 205, 2 TDs) and WR Tyree Davis (11 catches, 172 yards, 2 TDs) both had outstanding games and definitely had the Braves' sideline concerned. Coach Jimmy Nolan's kids can be proud of their effort against the defending Northwest Division champs, who are 12-0 this season and have won 19 consecutive games.

La Mirada was the only winner among three other area teams in Friday night's second round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

The Matadores defeated Arcadia 31-28 to move on in the Southeast Division playoffs. They will face top-seeded West Covina in the semifinals.

The season came to an abrupt end for Poly, which dropped a 49-16 decision to Santa Margarita in a Pac-5 Division matchup.

In another Pac-5 game, St. John Bosco was on the wrong side of a 42-24 score against San Clemente.

And in the Northwest Division, top-seeded Lompoc topped Centennial 28-15.

A 60-yard touchdown run by Ryan Wolpin has given Santa Margarita a 35-16 lead over Poly with 5:34 to play in the game.

Quarterback Johnny Stanton rushed for his fourth touchdown of the game, this one from five yards out for a 28-16 Santa Margarita lead over Poly with 11:50 left in the game.

Gerard Wicks scored on a 15-yard touchdown run to pull Poly within 21-16 of Santa Margarita with 3:56 to play in the third quarter at Veterans Stadium.

Hayden Hunt kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to pull Poly within 21-9 of Santa Margarita at Veterans Stadium.

Johnny Stanton scored his third rushing touchdown, this one from 18 yards after it appeared he would be tackled in the backfield, giving Santa Margarita a 21-6 victory over Poly at Veterans Stadium.

Quarterback Johnny Stanton scored his second touchdown of the game, this one from eight yards out to give Santa Margarita a 14-6 lead over Poly with 9:33 to play in the second quarter.

Quarterback Johnny Stanton scored on a 4-yard run and John McGrory's PAT kick was good to give Santa Margarita a 7-6 lead over Poly at 6:12 of the first quarter.

Gerard Wicks scored on a 46-yard touchdown run to give Poly an ealry 6-0 lead over Santa Margarita at 10:42 of the first quarter at Veterans Stadium. This is the quarterfinals of the Pac-5 Division playoffs. The two-point conversion pass failed.

It was not a good night for area teams in the first round of the CIF-SS, as ust four (Poly, SJ Bosco, La Mirada and Centennial) of 14 locals won Friday night.

Here are the scores...

Pac-5 Division
Poly 49, Newport Harbor 14 ... Will face Santa Margarita
San Clemente 42, Lakewood 6
Servite 41, Wilson 3
Mission Viejo 51, Cabrillo 22
St. John Bosco 33, Alemany 28 ... Will face San Clemente

Southeast Division
La Mirada 35, Crescenta Valley 30 ... Will face Arcadia
La Serna 47, Mayfair 34
Diamond Rach 35, Bellflower 33
West Covina 38, Norwalk 8

Western Division
St. Francis 45, Paramount 28
Righetti 31, Downey 24
Ventura 41, Dominguez 14

Mid-Valley Division
Azusa 35, Valley Christian 14

Northwest Division
Centennial 60, Bishop Montgomery 10 ... Will face Lompoc

Here it is, the final P-T Girls Volleyball Top 10 of the season. And to no real surprise, Nos. 1 and 2 will be playing for CIF titles this weekend.

P-T TOP 10
Girls Volleyball
Final
1. Los Alamitos
2. Downey
3. Wilson
4. Lakewood
5. Poly
6. Mayfair
7. Warren
8. Cerritos
9. Firebaugh
10. Valley Christian

P-T TOP 10
Football
1. Poly (9-1) - After easing through Moore League, wins will be harder to come by in playoffs
2. St. John Bosco (7-3) - Tough games don't stop for Braves, who get Alemany in 1st round
3. Lakewood (7-3) - Sorry Lakewood fans, but Lancers won't last long in the playoffs.
4. Dominguez (7-3) - With healthy team, Dons could make some noise in the playoffs
5. Los Alamitos (6-4) - Best team in the areat NOT to make the playoffs
6. Mayfair (7-3) - Monsoons always seem to make a playoff run and this year is no different
7. Bellflower (7-3) - Bucs have had hard time against better teams in the division
8. Cabrillo (7-3) - Best season in school history will end Friday night
9. Paramount (5-5) - SGVL champs received tough first-rounder in St. Francis
T-10. Centennial (7-3) - Apaches face Bishop Montgomery in battle of Northwest Top 10s
T-10. La Mirada (6-4) - Matadores got No. 4 seed in Southeast Division playoffs. Wow!

Athletes of the Week
Boys
Royce Moore, Sr., St. John Bosco
The standout tailback rushed for a career-high 179 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Braves over Orange Lutheran 48-28 and into the CIF-SS playoffs for the first time since the school joined the tough Trinity League in 2006.

Girls
Esther Lee, Jr., Los Alamitos
The Griffins star golfer placed third, out of more than 120 players, at last week's CIF-WSCGA Southern California Girls Individual Championships. Lee's 73 over the 18 holes at The Golf Club at Rancho California was just three shots off the lead.

On Monday it was confirmed Saturday's Central Championship Bowl between Long Beach City College and Golden West will be played at Orange Coast's LeBard Stadium at 6 p.m.
Long Beach won the Central Division's West Conference and is 5-5. Golden West finished runner-up in the East Conference and is 6-4.
In Week 1 of the season, Golden West blew the Vikings out at home, 42-0.

The CIF-SS Football brackets have been set. Take a look at all the teams in all the divisions in the CIF Football Package.

OK, this is the last of the updates as the CIF has released its final football pairings of the day.

Mayfair, Bellflower and La Mirada tied for the Suburban League title, but it was La Mirada that was given the league's No. 1 bid.

The Matadores also got the No. 4 seed in the tournament and will play host to Crescenta Valley in the first round.

Mayfair got the league's No. 2 spot and will play host to La Serna, and Bellflower has a road game at Diamond Ranch.

Norwalk, the Suburban League's 4th-place team, drew top-seeded West Covina as expected.

The pairings for CIF-SS's top division, the Pac-5, are out. And they weren't very nice to the Moore League

Moore League champ Poly was given the No. 3 seed and will host Newport Harbor, the third-place team out of the Sunset League, in the first round.

Wilson beat Jordan to claim fourth place in the Moore League a couple of days ago, and the prize for the Bruins was a matchup at No. 1-seeded Servite.

Cabrillo, in the playoffs for the first time in several years after taking third in the Moore, also got a very tough first-round matchup at No. 2-seeded Mission Viejo.

Second-place Lakewood is also on the road, at San Clemente, runner-up in the South Coast League.

And last but not least, SJ Bosco, in the playoffs for the first time since joining the Trinity League, is at Serra League champ and No. 4-seeded Alemany. Tough draw for both teams.

With all the pairings coming out today, figured this was a good time to show everybody the final CIF Football rankings

The next round of pairings were released, including the Western and Northwest divisions.

In the Western Division: SGVL champ Paramount will host St.Francis, Downey is at Righetti, No. 2 from the PAC-7 League, and Dominguez has to travel to No. 4-seeded Ventura, winner of the Channel League.

In the Northwest, Centennial, No. 3 in the Pioneer League but No. 8 in the division travels to No. 4-ranked Bishop Montgomery.

Quick observations: St. Francis is historically pretty darn good and is a tough draw for Paramount.Ventura has to be disappointed, getting at Top 10 team in the first round. Centennial vs. Bishop Montomery is a very tough first-rounder for both teams, not to mention No. 1-seeded Lompoc is potennially next.

As expected, Dominguez,which tied for first with Paramount and Downey in the SGVL but ended up in third place after a coin flip, received an at-large bid to the Western Division playoffs. The Dons, who have been the division's Top 10 all season, were the only area team to get into the playoffs via an at-large bid.

In the first bunch of playoff pairings released, Valley Christian, No. 2 from the Olympic League, was sent on the road to Montview League champ Azusa for the first round.

Long Beach City College football coach Mike Reisbig still isn't sure if his team will play in next week's Central Division Championship Bowl.
On Saturday afternoon at Veterans Stadium, the Vikings suffered a 28-9 loss to Citrus in the final regular-season game for both teams. That dropped LBCC to 4-1 in the Central West Conference, where they can finish no worse than a tie for first place with Moorpark. And since the Vikings beat Moorpark in their head-to-head meeting, they are considered the conference champion.
But the problem lies with LBCC's overall record, which fell to 5-5. Southern California Football Association rules state a team must be at least 6-4 to qualify for a bowl game, although SCFA commissioner Jim Sartoris said earlier this week winning the conference would assure the Vikings a bowl berth.
"A 5-5 team does not got to a bowl," said Reisbig, clearly frustrated his team didn't remove any doubt as to its playoff status, which a victory over the Owls would have done. "It's written right in the SCFA constitution. You've gotta be (at least) 6-4. We're 5-5."
Reisbig said he's seen stranger things happen in the past, and won't believe his team is in the postseason when he sees it listed in this morning's bowl pairings.
"It's all gonna come down to a panel of people in Sacramento who decide who goes where," he said.
LBCC was hamstrung before the game even began when a shoulder injury suffered last week kept quarterback Ryan Craighead from playing a single down. Backup Marcus Montero threw for 208 yards but never got Long Beach's high-powered offense in gear. The Vikings had five consecutive three-and-out possessions in the first half and were a paltry 1-for-12 on third-down conversions.
With Long Beach's offense unable to sustain any drives, its defense quickly tired, and Citrus (3-7, 3-2) took advantage with its running game. Ricky Johnson ran for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns, mostly on toss sweeps, and the Owls rushed for 212 yards.[ep
Citrus also pulled off three successful fake punts - on direct snaps to an up man - that set up two touchdowns.
"The defense played well but we didn't defend the punt," said Reisbig. "When you give up (three) fake punts, you're gonna beat yourself."
Trailing 21-3 early in the fourth, LBCC appeared to get back in the game when safety Ariel Arguello recovered a fumble at the 1 and ran it all the way back for a score. But well behind the play, LBCC incurred two personal fouls which nullified the touchdown and brought the ball all the way back to the Vikings' 9.
LBCC turned the ball over on downs six plays later, and Citrus put the game away on a 37-yard screen pass from Rocky Moore to William Clark.

With starting quarterback Ryan Craighead on the sideline nursing an injured shoulder, Long Beach City College trails Citrus 21-3 after two quarters at Veterans Stadium.
LBCC has already clinched the Central West Conference title and is guaranteed a berth in next week's Central Division Championship Bowl no matter Saturday's outcome. Freshman Marcus Montero drew the start at QB and has struggled to get the offense going. Montero has completed just five passes for 52 yards and the Vikings are 0-for-7 on third-down conversions.LBCC also closed the first half with five consecutive three-and-out possessions.
Long Beach was beaten twice on fake punts - with direct snaps to an up man - and each time it led to an Owl touchdown. Ricky Johnson scored from 2 yards away with 1:40 left in the first quarter and added an 11-yard TD run with 4:57 left in the half.

The first half also featured 14 penalties - seven on each side - for 111 yards.

Well, folks, that's 11 weeks of high school football, as the regular season came to end Friday night.

SJ Bosco is on its way to the playoffs and so are a host of other local teams. CIF playoff pairings will be announced Sunday, so check back then to see who will be playing who.

Oh, and one late result: Avalon beat Pacific Lutheran 52-20 to open up the 8-man Division I playoffs Friday.

See all the Week 10 results on the Prep Scoreboard

St. John Bosco is closing in on it first trip to the playoffs since joining the Trinity League. The Braves lead Orange Lutheran 28-15 in the third quarter.

La Mirada demolished Norwalk, keeping a three-way tie for first in the Suburban League.

Quarterback Rene Medina has thrown two touchdowns and St. John Bosco holds a 28-15 halftime lead over visiting Orange Lutheran in Trinity League play Friday.
Medina has thrown for 196 yards and TDs to Bryce Treggs (43 yards) and tight end Nick Lehman (22). Dalis Bruce added 53-yard TD reception on a reverse pass by Treggs. Senior Royce Moore has 105 rushing yards and scored fro 21 yards out in the second quarter.
The Braves (6-3, 2-2) will wrap up the Trinity's third-and-final automatic playoff berth with a victory.

The final week of the regular season began Thursday night with a bevy of meaningful games.

In the Moore League, Poly and Wilson won key games.

In the SGVL, Dominguez topped Paramount in the SGVL, but finished third via coin flip. Downey was second.

To see all the happenings, check out the Prep Football Scoreboard

Southern California Football Association commissioner Jim Sartoris confirmed Tuesday that Citrus College forfeited three games, including a Central West Conference game, dropping the Owls' record in conference to 2-2 and clinching the title for Long Beach City.
Long Beach sports a spotless 4-0 record in conference play and has secured the conference title no matter the outcome of Saturday's game against Citrus. If Moorpark defeats L.A. Harbor on Saturday, and LBCC loses to Citrus, both would finish with 4-1 records, but LBCC holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with its 35-12 victory over the Raiders.
Long Beach (5-4 overall) will represent the West Conference in the Central Division Championship Bowl and will play the East winner, likely unbeaten Riverside (9-0). Long Beach hasn't played in a bowl game since defeating Allan Hancock 49-37 in the 2005 American Bowl.
According to Sartoris, Citrus discovered it had used an ineligible player in victories over West L.A., San Bernardino Valley and Harbor and reported the violations itself.
Saturday's game kicks off at 1 p.m. at Veterans Stadium.
At Cerritos, the Falcons clinched at least a tie for the National Northern Conference title and a berth in the Southern California playoffs with last week's 41-19 victory over Bakersfield.
Cerritos is 6-3 overall and 4-0 in conference with Hancock (6-3, 2-2) coming to Falcons Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday. Even if the Falcons lose and second-place El Camino (8-1, 3-1) beats visiting Ventura, Cerritos will win the conference based on its 42-21 victory over El Camino in October.
And as a National Division champion in the three-tiered SCFA, Cerritos is guaranteed a berth in the four-team SoCal playoffs. The other likely playoff teams are El Camino from the Northern and Mt. SAC (8-1, 4-0) and Palomar (6-3, 3-1) from the Southern Conference. Like Cerritos, the Southern champion will qualify automatically for the playoffs. The other two playoff teams will be determined by the Power Rating Index, which awards teams points depending on their divisional affiliation and strength of schedule.
Last year, Cerritos got all the way to the Southern California championship game before losing to eventual state champ Mt. SAC.

Kirk Diego, the longest tenured football coach in the Moore League, was informed earlier today that he will not be back with the Millikan High team next season.

Wins and losses played a part in the decision.

The Rams have had a real slide the past two years, going 1-9 last year and 1-8 so far this year. They are just winless in the Moore League over the last two years. Millikan's last league win - 14 games ago - was a 35-34 win over Poly on Oct. 23 2009.

Millikan wraps up the season vs. Compton (a game the Rams could win) on Thursday.

It's hard to judge Diego's job since Millikan is certainly not a great football destination for aspiring players in the Long Beach area, not with Poly, Lakewood and even Los Alamitos close by.

Millikan is losing a good coach and a better builder of quality young men.

For more, see Wednesday's Press-Telegram

P-T TOP 10
Football
1. Poly (8-1) - Should wrap up Moore title vs. little brother Cabrillo, look to playoffs
2. St. John Bosco (6-3) - Two 8-points losses has Braves in must-win game vs. O-Lutheran
3. Lakewood (7-3) - Gets to rest up in final week, prepare for playoffs
4. Dominguez (6-3) - Even with the oops last week, Dons can still win SGVL title
5. Los Alamitos (5-4) - Out of playoffs after nice start; Los Al still better than most in area
6. Cabrillo (7-2) - Has a chance, albeit small, to grabe share of Moore title with win vs. Poly
7. Mayfair (6-3) - Loss last week leaves logjam atop Suburban standings
8. Bellflower (6-3) - Bucs had bye last week, but still managed to take share of first place
9. Paramount (5-4) - Pirates can win first SGVL title since '99 with win vs. Dominguez
T-10. Centennial (6-3) - Back-to-back losses have Apaches in big game this week
T-10. La Mirada (5-4) - Big win vs. Mayfair has Matadores in first-place logjam

Athletes of the Week
Boys
Dallas Lopez, Sr., Downey
The dual-threat QB led the Vikings to a 36-35 comeback win over Dominguez on Friday. Lopez threw for 205 yards and three TDs and ran for 202 yards and two more scores as Downey rallied from a 35-14 fourth-quarter deficit.

Girls
Jessica Gonzales, So., Poly
The fleet-footed sophomore led the Jackrabbits to an unprecedented eighth consecutive Moore League girls cross country title, finishing the Heartwell Park course first, by just one second, in a time of 18:36.

It might not look like it, but Los Alamitos High is still the team to beat in the CIF Southern Section Division 1AA girls volleyball playoffs.

When the CIF pairings were released Saturday afternoon, the Griffins, who had been ranked No. 1 all season, were seeded second after losing last recently to Edison, which was awarded the top spot in the Sunset League, the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, and a first-round bye.

Meanwhile, Los Alamitos (30-3) will have to play a first-round match against Palos Verdes (15-16). First-round matches are set for Tuesday, second-rounders on Thursday and the quarterfinals on Saturday. Start times are 7 p.m.

"At the end of the day, whether we were seeded first or second, it doesn't watter," said Los Alamitos coach Dave Huber. "We still got to beat everybody to get there. Being No. 1 is a nice confidence thing for the girls, but at the same time it can put a target on your back."

But the most important thing for the Griffins is "we know we are one of the top teams going in," said Huber, whose team is looking to win its first CIF title since 2005 and state title since 2006.

The Griffins lost just three matches, to Louisville Assumption in the finals of the Durango Tournament, Rosary in a nonleague match and then to Edison, a team Los Al had beaten three times prior (the first two via sweeps). The losses to Rosary and Edison were as much mental as anything, and Huber is hoping it serves as a wake-up call.

"It will refocus us if nothing else," Huber said of the Griffins' most recent loss. "I hope it gives us some motivation. We don't want to feel that way again like we did when we lost to Edison. I hope we can use it as a positive."

Also in Division 1AA, Moore League champion Wilson (16-8) is hoping to make some noise despite a tough draw.

The Bruins will open at home against Rosary (17-10), then could face Thousand Oaks in the second round a possibly Los Alamitos in the quarterfinals. Wilson began the season with a 3-0 loss to Los Al and fell 2-0 to Thousand Oaks at Durango.

"It is, without question," said first-year coach Carlos Briceno off his team's tough playoff road.

But Briceno believes his team, which he feels has matured much since early in the season and has come on strong as of late, can avenge those losses.

"I hope that will transfer over to CIF," Briceno said of his team's good play down the stretch. "When we have just one match, we seem to do OK. But when we are at tournaments, their minds seem to wander. If we can stay in the moment, I think we have the talent to beat anybody. I'm expecting good results from the girls. ... I see us being able to get to the round where we play Los Al. I'd like to get back to that point and see what happens."

Fellow Moore Leaguers Lakewood, Poly and Millikan didn't receive great draws either.[ep
Second-place Lakewood (17-11) hosts Chaminade (9-15) in the first round, with Edison (24-5) looming next. Defending CIF champ Poly (1912) travels to Redondo (21-15), with No. 3-seeded Dos Pueblos up next for the winner in the second round. And Millikan (9-2) is on the road at No. 4-seed Mira Costa (19-11) in its first-round match.

Defending CIF-SS Division 2A champion Downey is at the head of the class again this season.

The Vikings (23-5), winners of the San Gabriel Valley League, were given the top seed as expected and received a first-round bye. They will host the La Serna-La Quinta winner Thursday night.

It's definitely new territory for Downey, with a bull's-eye on their back.

"I'm excited," coach Andrea Sims said. "It's a new phase for us. We've never been defending CIF champs or anything like that before."

Warren (22-8), second in the SGVL, opens with a home match against Santa Fe (7-16), and league mates Gahr (13-11) is on the road at Fullerton (8-8) and Paramount (9-9) is at Burbank Burroughs (22-5).

In another Division 2A first-round match, Valley Christian (13-10) is at Oxnard (15-17).[ep
Suburban League co-champs Mayfair and Cerritos come into the Division 3AA playoffs ranked Nos. 9 and 10, respectively. But their draws weren't so close.

The Monsoons (16-7) will host San Bernardino in the opening round and won't see a top-four seed before the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the Dons (20-5) received a first-round home match against Highland (11-5), but likely will have to square off against second-seeded nemesis Pasadena Poly in the second round.

La Mirada (11-10) is at Ridgecrest Burroughs (17-8) and Norwalk (7-8) is at Santa Ynez (18-10) in other Division 3AA first-round affairs.

After a successful season in which it placed second in the Santa Cruz League, St. Anthony (12-8) was given a Division 4A first-round home game against Holy Family (14-8-3). St. Matthias (8-9) is at fifth-ranked Pacifica Christian (22-6) in another first-rounder.

In Division 5AA, No. 8-ranked Downey Calvary Chapel (13-9) opens the playoffs on the road at Riverside Christian (11-8), and Avalon (9-9) travels to Nuview Bridge (14-3).

Firebaugh (17-0) was seeded first in Division 5A, as the Falcons look to defend their title. They received a first-round bye and will host either Le Lycee or Shandon in the second round.

What an interesting Friday night, especiallyl in the San Gabriel Valley League. Dominguez and Paramount needed to win to set up title game showdown next week. Well, one of the two lost!!!

There was also a big surprise in the Suburban League.

In two of the bigger games, St. John Bosco came up just short again and Valley Christian's Olympic League title hopes were dashed.

For all of the scores, check out the Prep Football Scoreboard

Ryan Wolpin scored on a 28-yard run to give Santa Margarita a 28-20 lead over St. John Bosco with 6:33 to play at Saddleback College.

Royce Moore scored on a 63-yard run to pull St. John Bosco within 21-20 of Santa Margarita with 57 seconds to play in the third quarter.

Quarterback Johnny Stanton scored his second touchdown run, this one from 43 yards, to give Santa Margarita a 21-13 lead over St. John Bosco with 1:33 to play in the third quarter at Saddleback College.

Royce Moore scored on a 4-yard run to bring St. John Bosco within 14-13 of Santa Margarita with 4:03 to play in the third quarter at Saddleback College.

Alex Suchesk scored on a 31-yard run to give Santa Margarita a 14-6 lead over visiting St. John Bosco with 4:28 to play in the second quarter at Saddleback College

Bryce Treggs intercepted a pass thrown by Johnny Stanton and returned it 90 yards to pull St. John Bosco within 7-6 of host Santa Margarita at Saddleback College. The extra point kick was blocked.

Quarterback Johnny Stanton scored on a 10-yard run to give host Santa Margarita a 7-0 lead over St. John Bosco with 9:09 to play in the first quarter at Saddleback College.

With just two weeks left in the regular season, things are getting interesting as the State Bowl Game matchups are getting closer and closer.

Poly and St. John Bosco are ranked in Division I, and are the only area teams in the rankings.

To see the entire rankings for all division, check out the Cal-Hi rankings

Dominguez coach Willie Donerson said at the beginning of the season if OL Lacey Westbrook would have been healthy that he probably would have been recruited a lot more heavily and commited like some of his teammates.

Since Westbrook got back on the field recently, the Dons' offense has turned it up - a lot!
And it didn't take long for the recruiting trail to heat up, and earlier this week he committed to UCLA.

More on Westbrook's available on Greg Biggins' story.

Look who's No. 1

P-T TOP 10
Football
1. Poly (7-1) ... Waltz through lower end of Moore Leauge continues for Jackrabbits.
2. St. John Bosco (6-2) Narrow loss to Servite drops Braves to second, but not by much
3. Lakewood (6-3) ... Are 6-3 in the standings but 7-2 on the field. Still No. 2 in Moore  
4. Dominguez (6-2) ... Dons have won 3 in a row. This is the team we've been waiting to see.
5. Los Alamitos (5-3) ... Oops. Big slip vs. Newport Harbor could have big ramifications
6. Mayfair (6-2) ... Win over La Mirada on Friday locks up Suburban title for Monsoons
7. Cabrillo (7-2) ... First 7-win season for Jags. Congrats!
8. Bellflower (6-3) ... Bucs come up short vs. Mayfair once again. See 'em in playoffs?
9. Centennial (6-2) ... Apaches drop ball on undefeated Pioneer League season
10. Paramount (4-4) ... Not many teams are running the ball like the Pirates

Athletes of the Week
Boys
Carlwayne Gable, Sr., Paramount
The senior running back rushed for a game-high 167 yards and two touchdowns on a dozen carries to lead the Pirates to a 42-28 road victory over Downey in a key San Gabriel Valley League game Friday.

Girls
Bali Leffall-Young, Jr., Cerritos
The Dons' middle hitter had a solid week. She posted 12 kills and six blocks in a win over Norwalk, had 11 kills and six blocks in a sweep of Mayfair that lifted Cerritos into a first-place tie in the Suburban League, and then was chosen all-tournament at the Chadwick Tournament.

Two-time Mayfair Dream Teamer Jordan Aboites took his official trip to Arizona State over the weekend to see where he'll be playing baseball for the next four years.

The Monsoons standout took a tour of the school, the baseball facilities and was a guest at the Sun Devils' football team's victory over Colorado Saturday night. He also ran into former Wilson Dream Team and current ASU baseball standout Zach Wilson.

"I had a great time and was impressed with everything I saw out in Tempe this weekend," Aboites said. "The crowd was really into the football game. I can't wait to be a part of this university, but I'm going to do everything I can to help Mayfair win as many baseball games as I can this year."
- Brian Baiotto