Recently in Devon Blackmon Category

Colton all-CIF offensive/defensive lineman John Taylor committed to Sacramento State last night, according to a text message received today by Colton coach Rick Bray. Taylor is the third Yellowjacket to commit to a Division I school, joining linebacker Rodney Hardrick (Oregon) and RB/DB Tyler Ervin (San Jose State). All three players will sign their letters of intent at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday in the Whitmore Auditorium on campus as part of National Signing Day.

Other signing ceremonies that have been announced are Summit's Devon Blackmon, who will sign with Oregon at 11:44 a.m. in classroom G101 on the Summit campus and Redlands' Jordan Smith, who will sign with San Diego State in a ceremony at Dodge Field at 12:30 p.m.

A new wrinkle we added this year, the preseason all-area team wasn't very easy to put together. But I'm sure these guys will make me look somewhat smart.

OFFENSE
QB - Thomas Carter, Sr., Cajon
RB - Dillon Pretzinger, Sr., Rim of the World
RB - Jeremiah Armstead, Sr., Oak Hills
RB - Tyler Ervin, Sr., Colton
WR - Paul Pitts, Sr., Los Osos
WR - Angel Rivera, Sr., Arroyo Valley
TE - Rodney Hardrick, Sr., Colton
OL - Jamal Prater, Sr., Etiwanda
OL - Jordan Smith, Sr., Redlands
OL - Hector Sotelo, Sr., Serrano
OL - Gary Dixon, Sr., Summit
OL - Jesus Cortez, Sr., Chaffey
Util - Devon Blackmon, Sr., Summit
K - Cody Madsen, Sr., Redlands East Valley

DEFENSE
DL - Ethan Hillyer, Sr., Serrano
DL - John Siliga, Sr., Redlands
DL - Devon Lewis, Sr., Redlands East Valley
DL - Kyle Jerkins, Sr., Apple Valley
LB - Devan Hussey, Sr., Colton
LB - Dennis Taylor, Sr., Kaiser
LB - Jamal Wilson, Sr., Miller
LB - Jimmy Musgrave, Sr., Silverado
DB - Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Sr., Chino Hills
DB - Josh Armstrong, Sr., Redlands East Valley
DB - Desman Carter, Sr., Kaiser
DB - Demontae Kazee, Jr., Cajon
Util - Sateki Finau, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga
P - Jake Van Ginkel, Sr., Upland

The building process from an overmatched team of freshman and sophomores to a championship-level force has been a gradual one for Summit coach Tony Barile. But as Summit gets ready for its fifth season fresh off an upset of No. 1 seeded Citrus Hill in the first round of last year's Eastern Division playoffs, Barile sees one thing that the SkyHawks need to do to reach the next level.

"We needed to get stronger," Barile said. "The reason we have lot to Palm Springs the last two years in the playoffs was because we weren't strong enough and we wore down in the fourth quarter. That's the one thing we've been doing this summer - hitting the weight room and getting stronger. We want to be able to outlast our opponents."

Strength is important to the SkyHawks because they have the speed and skill necessary to do damage with a little bit of open space. Athletes dot the Summit roster throughout, led by senior quarterback Devon Blackmon.

Summit quarterback/wide receiver Devon Blackmon has been a household name for college coaches for a couple of years now, holding offers from the entire Pac-10 and several other national name program. After a dynamic performance at the Gridiron Kings 7-on-7 tournament in late July in Orlando, Blackmon has shot up the recruiting rankings, moving from a lofty No. 41 position to No. 20 in the latest Rivals100 released today.

The No. 20 ranking has Blackmon on the cusp of being a 5-star player and makes him one of the highest-ranked players ever to come from the county.

"I've just been working out all summer and looking to perform everywhere I've gone," Blackmon said. "I've been working out with NFL guys, whatever I can to get better. I loved the Gridiron Kings because I got the chance to go up against the best guys out there and I felt I did pretty well. I actually caught a couple touchdowns against the No. 1 cornerback (Akron, Ohio senior Doran Grant).

Blackmon also clarified his recruiting status Tuesday. After coming out with a top 6 a month ago that included USC, UCLA, California, Oregon, Alabama and Florida, Blackmon said that the top 6 wasn't set in stone by any means.

"I was just saying that to get people to stop asking the question," Blackmon said. "It was getting annoying, so I just gave a top 6. I'm open to everybody right now. I like all those schools (the top 6) and Miami, but I'm open to whoever."

The first football recruiting rankings that Rivals.com will make for the 2011 recruiting class have been gradually released this past week, with two county players vaulting into the site's Top 250 with four-star ratings.

Summit wide receiver Devon Blackmon was ranked No. 41 by the site. Blackmon, who plays a variety of positions for the SkyHawks and finished eighth in the state in the 110-meter hurdles at the state track and field meet this past weekend, has been offered by a who's who of college football. Some of Blackmon's 20-plus offers include USC, UCLA, Oregon, Florida, Alabama and North Carolina.

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, a defensive back/wide receiver for Chino Hills, was ranked No. 146. The two-time all-Sun first-team DB has been offered by Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Washington State, Utah, San Diego State and Idaho thus far.

County qualifiers and top alternates for Friday's CIF-Masters Track Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

BOYS
100 meters: Davonte Stewart, Miller. Alternate: Justin Harris, Upland.
200: Josh Mance, Don Lugo; Davonte Stewart, Miller
400: Josh Mance, Don Lugo; Laijon White, Rancho Cucamonga
3,200: Daniel Rosales, Apple Valley; Dustin Fay, Rim of the World
110 hurdles: Devon Blackmon, Summit; Jered Bell, Colony. Alternate: Demi Adegoke, Los Osos
300 hurdles: Darron Usher, Eisenhower
High jump: Aaron Hale, Upland; De'Marrio Brooks, San Gorgonio; Larry Roberson, Granite Hills.
Triple jump: Justin Lovingood, Summit; Jaelen Spencer, Sultana. Alternate: Jonathan Chea, Cajon

GIRLS
100 meters: Brea Buchanan, Ayala; Omunique Thomas, Carter. Alternate: Treasurie Hatten, Victor Valley
200: Alternate: Omunique Thomas, Carter
400: Vanessa Jones, Etiwanda
3,200: Alternate: Melissa Telon, Rancho Cucamonga
100 hurdles: Brea Buchanan, Ayala; Shanice Stewart, Carter
300 hurdles: Ashley Cooke, Colony; Jordie Munford, Etiwanda; Haley Sanner, Cajon. Alternate: Ke'Nya Hardge, Miller
4x100 relay: Summit, Cajon, Los Osos
4x400 relay: Colony, Etiwanda
High jump: Ashley Henry, Rancho Cucamonga
Long jump: Shanice Stewart, Carter; Ashlie Curenton, Silverado
Triple jump: Mayra Carter, Alta Loma; Jenna Nordschow, Ayala
Pole vault: Nicole Larson, Upland
Shot put: Erin Randolph, Yucaipa

The Rivals.com 250 to watch list for 2011 was released Tuesday with a Sunkist League flavor, as Summit QB/WR Devon Blackmon and Kaiser DB Desman Carter both made the cut.

The 6-foot, 175-pound Blackmon, who plays quarterback at Summit but projects as a wide receiver at the next level, has already started to blow up offerwise, as he sports scholarship offers from USC, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, UCLA and Arizona State among others.

Carter, a rangy 6-foot-1, 195-pounder who can play both corner and safety, doesn't have any offers yet but should get some shortly, as he has shown ability in pass coverage and run support. He follows up Jason Shirley (UCLA) and Anthony Brown (USC) as Kaiser players that will likely sign with Division I schools.

According to Scout.com, Kaiser LB Josh Shirley, Don Lugo DT George Uko and Summit junior WR Devon Blackmon are at the UCLA-Kansas State game on unofficial visits. I'm at the Rose Bowl right now, so I'll see if I can somehow spot those guys - along with seeing how much freshman QB Richard Brehaut - a Los Osos graduate - will play tonight.

Year three was a big one for Summit High School. The SkyHawks, after going 2-18 their first two years with teams that were lacking seniors, erupted during their first year with seniors, going 8-3 and making the playoffs for the first time in their young history.

As a result of that, the SkyHawks have decided to ramp up the nonleague schedule a bit. While Fontana and Sultana are repeats from last year's nonleague schedule, Summit is adding Etiwanda, Redlands and Silverado in place of Pacific, Granite Hills and Hemet Tahquitz. That's three playoff teams replacing three teams with combined record of 4-26.

Also from John Rice.

Sunkist League

First Team

Offense
MVP - Devon Blackmon, So., Fontana Summit
First team
QB - Eric Johnson, Sr., Bloomington.
RB - Marquise Boyd, Sr., Bloomington; Anthony Brown, Jr., Fontana Kaiser; Ken Braden, Sr., Riverside Patriot; Andre Franco, Sr., Patriot; Montigo Alfor, Sr., Summit.
WR - Jayson Allmond, Sr., Bloomington; Nick Merancio, Sr., Kaiser; Kevin Washington, Sr., Patriot; Jamaal Anderson, Jr., Summit.
OL - Jeremy Salgado, Sr., Bloomington; David Esquivel, Sr., Jurupa Valley; Emmanuel Wilson, Jr., Kaiser; Christian Martinez, Jr., Kaiser; JR Latuela, Sr., Riverside Norte Vista; Kyle Estes, Sr., Patriot; Demetrius Watson, Sr., Summit.

Defense
MVPs - Simon Martinez, Sr., Kaiser; Josh Shirley, Jr., Kaiser.
First team
DL - Jose Mejia, Sr., Bloomington; Zack Collier, Sr., Patriot; Derrick Washington, Jr., Summit; Tim Parker, Sr., Kaiser; Christian Sandoval, Jr., Norte Vista; Eric Jammeshan, Sr., Patriot.
LB - Adam Ramirez, Sr., Kaiser; Jose Romero, Jr., Bloomington; Justin Johnson, Jr., Summit; Lou Mele, Sr., Patriot; Cody Bryan, Jr., Summit; Dwayne Boyd, Sr., Bloomington; Alec Goodman, Jr., Summit.
DB - Miles Basham, Sr., Patriot; Dennis Taylor, So., Kaiser; Taylor Hollowell, Sr., Jurupa Valley; Carlos Lacefield, Sr., Summit.
K - Luis Yanez, Sr., Patriot.

Second Team
Offense
QB - Richard DeLuna, Sr., Kaiser; Rolland Gibbons, Sr., Norte Vista; Kevin Sullivan, Sr., Patriot.
RB - Curtis Slater, Sr., Jurupa Valley; Anthony Eddington, Jr., Norte Vista
WR - Chris Vasquez, Jr., Bloomington; Tim Mast, Jr., Jurupa Valley; Dontrelle Jackson, Sr, Summit; Isaac Cisneros, Jr., Summit
TE - Erwin Sandoval, Sr., Norte Vista; David Amaro, Jr., Bloomington; Michael Gant, Sr., Bloomington
OL - Daniel Salgado, Sr., Bloomington; Brandin Stevension, Sr., Bloomington; David Togia, Jr., Jurupa Valley; Robert Reyes, Jr., Norte Vista; Oscar Carbajal, Jr., Kaiser; Randy Cardenas, Sr., Patriot; Joe Broda, Jr., Patriot; Ryan Vierra, Sr., Kaiser; Paul Ibarra, So., Summit; Tony Gallegos, Sr., Summit; Gabriel Perez, Sr., Patriot; Ramiro Hernandez, Sr., Patriot.
K - Francisco Picazzo, Sr., Bloomington

Defense
DL - Chad Marcy, Jr., Bloomington; Caleb Calderon, Sr., Jurupa Valley; John O'Brien, Sr., Jurupa Valley; Tildone Walls, Sr., Kaiser; Juan Martinez, Jr., Norte Vista; Angel Tejada, Sr., Kaiser; Keanu Carradine, Sr., Kaiser; John Soltero, Sr., Norte Vista.
DE - Joe Silva, Jr., Kaiser; Andrew Tapia, Sr., Bloomington; Jeffrey Fajardo, Sr., Bloomington; Perry Walker, Sr., Summit; Edson Gonzalez, Sr., Summit; Adam Patron, Sr., Bloomington
OLB - Joshua Allmond, So., Bloomington; Adam Delgado, Sr., Bloomington; Donavo James, Sr., Jurupa Valley; Cameron Vandostendorp, So., Norte Vista; Keenan Braden, Jr., Patriot; T.J. Garcia, Sr., Patriot
ILB - Michael Carranza, So., Bloomington; Danny Kozine, Jr., Kaiser; Matt Saevi, Sr., Jurupa Valley; Abraham Caisedo, Sr., Jurupa Valley; Ryan Beckman, Sr., Norte Vista.
DB - Mario Johnson, Jr., Bloomington; Edward Randolph, So., Bloomington; J'Mac Godlock, Sr., Bloomington; Jamar Robinson, Sr., Norte Vista; Desman Carter, So., Kaiser; Nathan Murphy, So., Kaiser; Josh Brewton, Sr., Patriot; David Hollingsworth, Sr., Summit; Joseph Henderson, So., Summit.