Recently in Eisenhower High School Category

Some of the county's best basketball teams are playing in one-day events the next two weekends: Jan. 28 at the SoCal Shootout at Azusa Pacific University and Feb. 3-4 in the Nike Extravaganza at Mater Dei.

I don't have the SoCal Shootout Schedule yet, but here is the one for Mater Dei:

Friday Feb. 3
3:00pm Fairmont Prep (Boys) vs Laguna Blanca (Boys)
4:30pm Rialto (Girls) vs Rosary (Girls)
6:00pm Orange Lutheran (Girls) vs Oaks Christian (Girls)
7:30pm Mater Dei (Boys) vs St. John Bosco (Boys)
9:00pm Mater Dei (Girls) vs Winward (Girls)

Saturday, Feb. 4
Boys Morning Session
9:00am Upland vs Los Alamitos
10:20am Colony vs JSerra
11:40am Ocean View vs Mission Viejo

Boys Evening Session
1:30pm Fairfax vs Eisenhower
3:00pm Westchester vs Capistrano Valley
4:30pm Taft vs Loyola
6:00pm Long Beach Poly vs Orange Lutheran
7:30pm Mater Dei vs La Verne Lutheran
9:00pm Bishop Gorman vs Whitney Young (IL)

The Sun has learned that Eisenhower High School head football coach Patrick Lord has stepped down.
Lord, who played for Ike in the 1990s, went 5-25 in three seasons as head coach, including 3-7 this year and did not make the playoffs in any year.
He had been an assistant at Jurupa Valley before succeeding John Rice as Ike's head coach prior to the 2009 season.

Even though Eisenhower has only won two games in Patrick Lord's first two years as coach, the Eagles are hardly gunshy entering the 2011 season. In fact, Eisenhower thinks that it is in position to turn some heads.

"The number one thing we are thinking about right now is playoffs," Lord said. "We've spent the last two years building up the program and its numbers and we feel that we have a good shot of making a move this year. There's no reason that we can't play at a playoff level."

The genesis of Lord's confidence is based on a couple of factors. The Eagles have 14 starters returning from last year's team that got valuable experience in Citrus Belt League play. But the real ace in the hole for Ike is senior offensive lineman/defensive lineman Lalotoa Laumea, who transferred from Compton High School over the summer.

Laumea (6-4, 246) is being recruited by Colorado, Washington, Fresno State and Colorado State, among others and already has been named a team captain, as his hard work has rubbed off on his new teammates.

The highest county seed is actually Redlands Adventist Academy, which is the No. 3 seed in Division 6-AA. Etiwanda is the leader of the bigger schools, grabbing the No. 4 seed in Division 1-AA, three spots ahead of two-time D2-A champion Eisenhower.

Division 1-AA
First Round (Wednesday)
Corona Santiago at No. 1 Long Beach Poly
No. 16 Los Osos at Knight
No. 10 Roosevelt at Perris
Redlands at No. 8 Montebello
Corona at No. 5 Murrieta Valley
Oxnard at No. 12 Valencia
Leuzinger at No. 13 Chino Hills
Long Beach Wilson at No. 4 Etiwanda
Great Oak at No. 3 Corona Centennial
Lynwood at No. 14 Los Alamitos
Santa Monica at No. 11 Upland
Trabuco Hills at No. 6 Pasadena
Chaparral at No. 7 Eisenhower
Lakewood at No. 9 Thousand Oaks
Bell Gardens at No. 15 Rancho Verde
Rancho Cucamonga at No. 2 Mater Dei

Division 1-A
First Round (Wednesday)
No. 1 Loyola, bye
Arcadia at No. 16 Highland
Rialto at No. 9 Montclair
Santa Fe at No. 8 El Toro
Dana Hills at No. 5 Redlands East Valley
Diamond Bar at No. 12 Cajon
No. 13 Fountain Valley at California
No. 4 Downey, bye
West Covina at No. 3 Capistrano Valley
No. 14 San Clemente at El Rancho
No. 11 Vista Murrieta at Palmdale
No. 6 Silverado, bye
Quartz Hill at No. 7 Crescenta Valley
No. 10 Tesoro at Walnut
No. 15 Warren at Arroyo Valley
No. 2 Aliso Niguel, bye

As per tradition on this blog, the last week brings my team-by-team playoff breakdown. We'll start in the Citrus Belt League, which turned into a clusterbomb last week with Miller's upset of Redlands.

1. Redlands East Valley (7-2, 4-0): Have clinched playoff spot. Will win an undisputed league title and get the No. 1 seed with a win Thursday over Miller. A loss to the Rebels puts REV in the No. 2 spot by virtue of losing the head-to-head tiebreaker.

2. Miller (5-4, 3-1): Can clinch a playoff spot and the No. 1 seed with a win Thursday over REV. If the Rebels lose, they need either Redlands or Yucaipa to lose to avoid a coin-flip. A Redlands win over Fontana and Yucaipa loss against Eisenhower gives Miller the No. 2 seed because Miller owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Terriers. A Yucaipa win and a Redlands loss gives Miller the No. 3 seed, as Yucaipa owns the head-to-head tiebreaker. If Miller loses and Redlands and Yucaipa win, a three-way coin flip for two spots happens because each team is 1-1 against the other two (Miller beat Redlands, Redlands beat Yucaipa, Yucaipa beat Miller).

3. Redlands (6-2-1, 2-2): A win and a Miller win clinches a playoff spot for the Terriers no matter what Yucaipa does, as they own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Yucaipa. A a Yucaipa loss also clinches a playoff spot even if Redlands loses due to the head to head tiebreaker. A win, a Yucaipa win and a Miller loss causes the three-way coinflip for two spots. A loss and a Yucaipa win eliminates the Terriers, as there is no at-large playoff spot in the Inland Division.

4. Yucaipa (5-4, 2-2): Yucaipa gets into the playoffs with a win and a Redlands loss. A win, a Redlands loss and a Miller loss would give the Thunderbirds the No. 2 seed because Yucaipa owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Miller. A win, a Miller loss and a Redlands win causes a three-way flip for two spots. A win, a Miller win and a Redlands win eliminates the T-Birds, as they lose the head-to-head with Redlands. A loss in any scenario eliminates Yucaipa.

5. Eisenhower (1-8, 1-3): Eliminated from playoff competition. Could force a three-way tie for third with Redlands and Yucaipa if it beats Yucaipa and Redlands loses, but would lose the tiebreaker to Redlands.

6. Fontana (0-9, 0-4): Eliminated from playoff competition.

The first year under Patrick Lord wasn't exactly the greatest in Eisenhower football history. The Eagles, behind quarterback Richard Redd, were exciting offensively but couldn't stop anyone on defense, leading to a 1-9 record and a three-way tie for last place in the Citrus Belt League.

But despite that, Lord is pumped. With 17 starters returning from last year's youthful group and an entire offseason to work with, the Eagles feel that their performance in 2010 will show considerable improvement.

"I feel that we've learned a lot and have come more together as a team because of what we went through," Lord said. "I feel like these kids are ready to win and, more importantly, they think they can win."

Inland Empire Basketball is having a banquet to honor the Eisenhower boys basketball team's back-to-back CIF-SS Division 2-A championships on Tuesday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Sierra Lakes Golf Club in Fontana. The black-tie-optional event will feature UC Riverside athletic director Stan Morrison will be the keynote speaker at the event, which will celebrate the Eagles' achievements from the last two years, including their Division II state championship of 2009 and the awarding of the Wooden Award to senior guard Alex Varner.
Entry fee to the event is $30, with checks payable to Inland Empire Basketball.

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

Ryan Clady, the All-Pro third-year offensive tackle for the Denver Broncos and Eisenhower High School graduate, underwent surgery to repair an injured left patellar tendon he suffered while playing pickup basketball and will be out three months according to this story by the Denver Post.

Clady, who was selected with the No. 12 pick by the Broncos in 2008, graduated from Eisenhower in 2004 and was inducted into Ike's initial Hall of Fame class this past October along with seven other Ike alums, including Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott.

Just received a call from Eisenhower softball highlighting their 2-1 victory over Redlands this afternoon, the Terriers' first loss in the Citrus Belt League in nearly four years. Sarah Pineda pitched a five-strikeout, five-hit complete game for the Eagles while April Fultz's two-run second-inning double drove in both runs for Eagles (8-8 overall, 3-2 league). Ike hadn't beaten the Redlands since the 2005 season.

Redlands' last loss in league came on May 3, 2007, when the Terriers lost 1-0 at Yucaipa. Redlands (12-4, 4-1) will host Yucaipa, which is now all of a sudden in first place, at 3:15 p.m. Friday.

Eisenhower boys basketball player Alex Varner and former Colony boys basketball player Tyler Lamb will be honored Friday by the John R. Wooden Award Comittee, as they won the Wooden Awards for Division 2 and Division I respectively.

Varner, the D2 winner, and Lamb, the D1 winner, will be honored at a banquet at the Los Angeles Athletic Club alongside the men's and women's college basketball players of the year. They will also receive a plaque and $300 to go to their school's athletic fund.

The 14th annual County Clash will take place Saturday at Arrowhead Credit Union Park with a baseball tripleheader starting at 1 p.m.

Colton and San Bernardino will start things off with a San Andreas League game at 1 p.m. and will be followed by two Citrus Belt League clashes -- Eisenhower vs. Redlands East Valley at 4 and Carter vs. Yucaipa at 7. Tickets can be purchased at the schools or at the 66ers' box office on Saturday.

This is the first of two County Clashes, with another one set to take place May 8.

Before I start I want to apologize for not posting in the past week. Had a death in the family, so I was out of town on personal business. So I have some catching up to do.

Here are the local all-CIF boys basketball players. Eisenhower dominated the 2-A superlatives, with Alex Varner, Kirby Gardner and Steve Johnson all being honored.

Division 1-AA
First Team
Byron Wesley, Etiwanda, Jr.
Kendall Williams, Los Osos, Sr.
John Gilliam, Upland, Jr.

Second Team
Jordan Daniels, Etiwanda, Jr.
Khalil Kelly, Los Osos, Sr.
Christopher Powell, Upland, Sr.

Division 1-A
First Team
Tyree Harrison, Cajon, Sr.
Derek Brown, Chino Hills, Sr.
Evan Brooks, Colony, Sr.

Second Team
Julian Caldwell, Colony, Sr.
Justin Long, Rancho Cucamonga, Sr.

Division 2-AA
First Team
J.J. O'Brien, Alta Loma, Sr.
Ken Morgan, Summit, Sr.

Second Team
Zeke DeBlase, Victor Valley, Jr.

Division 2-A
Players of the Year: Alex Varner, Eisenhower, Sr. and Kirby Gardner, Eisenhower, Sr.
Coaches of the Year: Steve Johnson, Eisenhower and Marc Hart, Baldwin Park

Second Team
Bryan Bock, Eisenhower, Sr.
Devonte Chattman, San Bernardino, Sr.

Division 3-AA
Second Team
Keauyon Fields, Apple Valley, Sr.

Division 5-AA
Second Team
Zack Cruz, Loma Linda Academy, Sr.
Sammy Santillano, Western Christian, Sr.

Division 5-A
First Team
Courtland Wharton, Aquinas, Jr.

Second Team
Joey Szczepanski, Bloomington Christian, Sr.

Division 6-AA
First Team
Chris Maeerzluft, Hesperia Christian, Sr.
Eric O'Brien, Hesperia Christian, So.

Second Team
Josh Ford, Hesperia Christian, Sr.

Division 6-A
Second Team
Kyle Franklin, Public Safety Academy, Jr.

Just got the e-mail on this from Redlands athletic director Ken Morse. The player of the year wasn't really a surprise, as Eisenhower senior guard Alex Varner - the "closer" in many of Ike's victories this year - won MVP honors.

As for other leagues in the area, please send all-league basketball and soccer teams to tj.berka@inlandnewspapers.com or sports@inlandnewspapers.com.

Most Valuable Player: Alex Varner, Eisenhower, G, Sr.

FIRST TEAM
Bryan Bock, Eisenhower, Sr.
Kirby Gardner, Eisenhower, Sr.
Bernard Ireland, Eisenhower, Jr.
Darius Batts, Miller, Sr.
Marcus Davis, Redlands, Sr.
Matt Green, Redlands, Sr.
Paulin Mpawe, Redlands East Valley, Jr.
Terrell Todd, Redlands East Valley, Jr.
Jonathan Redman, Rialto, Sr.
Cole Hauso, Yucaipa, Sr.
Taijuan Walker, Yucaipa, Sr.

Now we are down to 3 - Eisenhower boys basketball, Summit girls basketball and Granite Hills girls soccer. The latter two pulled off upsets, with Summit winning at Corona Santiago and Granite Hills upsetting CIF-SS Division 2 champion Harvard-Westlake.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Division I
Quarterfinals
Mater Dei 88, Rancho Verde 48
Taft 66, Leuzinger 63
Long Beach Poly 67, Etiwanda 64
Westchester 73, Santa Monica 64

Division II
Quarterfinals
Eisenhower 76, Liberty 57
Compton 69, Hoover 53
Pasadena 49, Murrieta Valley 43
Lincoln 72, Summit 67

Semifinals
Compton at No. 1 Eisenhower
Pasadena at No. 2 Lincoln

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Division I
Quarterfinals
Long Beach Poly 81, Stockdale 50
Summit 63, Santiago 58
Santa Monica 59, Canyon Springs 56
Clovis West 65, San Diego 59

Semifinals
Summit at No. 1 Long Beach Poly
No. 3 Santa Monica at No. 2 Clovis West

Division III
Quarterfinals
Santa Margarita 42, Buena 39
Bishop Amat 70, Agoura 61
Inglewood 46, Muir 41
Mt. Miguel 64, Barstow 40

GIRLS SOCCER
Division II
Semifinals
Beckman 3, Coronado 2 (OT)
Granite Hills 2, Harvard-Westlake 1

Championship
Beckman vs. Granite Hills, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Downey Warren HS

Four county teams - Eisenhower, Etiwanda, Colony and Summit - qualified for the state playoffs, with defending state champion Eisenhower grabbing the No. 1 seed in Division 2. The Eagles get a bye from Tuesday's Round 1, hosting the Mark Keppel-Liberty winner in the quarterfinals Thursday.

Etiwanda is also seeded, as the CIF-SS Division 1-AA runner-up Eagles are the No. 3 seed in Division 1 and host El Camino Tuesday. Summit plays at San Pedro in D2 Tuesday while Colony plays at No. 2-seeded Westchester in D1 Tuesday.

Things are a bit different this year. Instead of playing out the SoCal regional this week - culminating in the SoCal championship on Saturday - the first, second and semifinals will be played this week, with a week off before the SoCal finals March 20 and the state finals March 27. Why they did this, I have no idea.

Division 1
Buchanan at No. 1 Mater Dei
Rancho Verde at Rancho Bernardo
Washington Prep at Leuzinger
Loyola at No. 4 Taft
El Camino at No. 3 Etiwanda
Long Beach Poly at Crenshaw
Santa Monica at Clovis East
Colony at No. 2 Westchester

Division 2
No. 1 Eisenhower, bye
Mark Keppel at Liberty
San Joaquin Memorial at Compton
Damien at No. 4 Hoover
Burbank at No. 3 Murrieta Valley
University at Pasadena
Summit at San Pedro
No. 2 Lincoln, bye

Defending CIF-SS Division 2-A and CIF-State Division 2 champion Eisenhower is selling tickets on campus for Saturday's Division 2-A championship game with Pasadena, set for 12:30 p.m. at Honda Center. Interested fans can buy tickets between 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on campus. The cost is $8 for students and $13 for adults.

And then there were two. Summit and Colony saw their dreams for a CIF championship end last night, but Etiwanda and Eisenhower move on to next weekend at the Honda Center.

Division 1-AA
Semifinals
Mater Dei 94, Rancho Verde 58
Etiwanda 55, Long Beach Poly 52

Championship
No. 6 Etiwanda vs. No. 1 Mater Dei, TBA

Division 1-A
Semifinals
Santa Monica 70, Colony 53
Leuzinger 72, Loyola 59

Division 2-AA
Semifinals
Murrieta Valley 71, Summit 67
Compton 71, Burbank 48

Division 2-A
Semifinals
Eisenhower 82, Damien 74
Pasadena 63, Mark Keppel 48

Championship
No. 2 Pasadena vs. No. 1 Eisenhower, TBA

With three No. 1 seeds in Chino Hills (Division 1-A), Summit (D2-AA) and Eisenhower (D2-A), multiple CIF-SS champions are not out of the question on the boys side. First-round games get going Wednesday except for Division VI-A, which has a wild-card Wednesday before the first-round gets going Friday.

Division 1-AA
Corona at No. 1 Santa Ana Mater Dei
No. 16 Long Beach Jordan at Vista Murrieta
Arcadia at No. 9 Oxnard Pacifica
San Clemente at No. 8 Los Alamitos
Corona Santiago at No. 5 Montebello
Silverado at No. 10 Upland
Lakewood at No. 13 Redlands
Downey at No. 4 Moreno Valley Rancho Verde
Long Beach Cabrillo at No. 3 Corona Centennial
Lynwood at No. 14 Ventura
Trabuco Hills at No. 12 Oxnard
Palmdale at No. 6 Etiwanda
Bell Gardens at No. 7 Thousand Oaks
No. 11 Los Osos at Paramount
Riverside King at No. 15 Palmdale Knight
Temecula Greak Oak at No. 2 Long Beach Poly

After a week off for National Signing Day and disease, the polls are back! The county is representing at the higher levels, as Chino Hills (Division I-A) and Summit (Division II-AA) have joined D2-A No. 1 Eisenhower as top-ranked teams. Should make for some fun when the pairings get released Sunday.

Nothing too crazy this week, as Eisenhower remains No. 1 in Division II-A while Chino Hills and Summit retain the No. 2 spots in D1-A and D2-AA. Saturday will have an interesting matchup, as the SkyHawks host Division I-A No. 4 Cajon.

A few days late, but I thought I'd put these out here for public consumption. Eisenhower remains No. 1in Division II-A while Summit and Alta Loma take the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively, in D2-A. Chino Hills remains No. 2 in DI-A as well.

Denver Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Clady, an Eisenhower graduate, was selected to Sports Illustrated's All-Decade College Football team. Clady, who graduated from Eisenhower in 2004 and played at Boise State from 2005-07 before being drafted by the Broncos in the first round of the 2008 draft. Clady was an inaugural member of Ike's Hall of Fame, receiving that honor in October.

The team, as selected by Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel

OFFENSE
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
T Ryan Clady, Boise State
G Steve Hutchinson, Michigan
C Greg Eslinger, Minnesota
G Duke Robinson, Oklahoma
T Jake Long, Michigan
TE Kellen Winslow II, Miami
WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
QB Tim Tebow, Florida
RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas
RB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma
K Mike Nugent, Ohio State
KR Felix Jones, Arkansas

DEFENSE
DE David Pollack, Georgia
DT Tommie Harris, Oklahoma
DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
DE Terrell Suggs, Arizona State
LB A.J. Hawk, Ohio State
LB Derrick Johnson, Texas
LB Patrick Willis, Mississippi
CB Antoine Cason, Arizona
CB Derrick Strait, Oklahoma
S Eric Berry, Tennessee
S Ed Reed, Miami
P Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor
PR Wes Welker, Texas Tech

COACH Urban Meyer, Florida

This league is pretty easy, as the top two teams are playing for No. 1 and there are two teams playing for No. 4.

1) Redlands East Valley (9-0, 6-0): Receives the CBL's No. 1 seed - and likely the No. 1 seed in the Inland Division - with a victory over Redlands Friday. Gets the No. 2 seed in a loss.

2) Redlands (8-1, 6-0): Receives the CBL's No. 1 seed with a win over Redlands East Valley and the No. 2 seed with a loss. Will likely get a first-round home playoff game either way.

3) Miller (4-5, 4-2): Clinched the No. 3 seed in the CBL no matter what it does thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over the Carter-Yucaipa winner.

4) Yucaipa (5-4, 3-3): Clinches the No. 4 seed out of the CBL with a win over Carter Friday. Likely eliminated with a loss, as the at-large bit is expected to come out of the Southwestern League.

5) Carter (4-5, 3-3): Clinches the No. 4 seed out of the CBL with a win over Yucaipa Friday. 99% eliminated with a loss.

6) Fontana (3-6, 1-5): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

7) Eisenhower (1-8, 1-5): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

8) Rialto (0-9, 0-6): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

Meant to write about this before, but I headed out to Eisenhower High School Saturday afternoon for their 50th anniversary celebration. It was quite an event, with a car show, all the food you could possibly want, live music, student performance and, oh yeah, the naming of the football stadium after Ronnie Lott.

It's the last part which I went out to cover. Knowing that the ceremony would be pretty chaotic, I went early, schmoozing Rialto Unified School District Public Information Office Syeda Jafri well enough to get an invitation into the VIP area, where I schmoozed with Congressman Joe Baca, among others, waiting to get my time with Lott.

Ronnie Lott will be honored at Eisenhower High School as part of their 50th anniversary celebration Saturday, as the Ike football field will be named after the former graduate, who was a Hall of Fame safety for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and New York Jets.

Lott will be honored at a ceremony Saturday night and will be one of eight former Ike graduates inducted into the Eisenhower Hall of Fame during a 6:30 p.m. ceremony according to Rialto Unified School District Public Information Office Syeda Jafri. Five of those are athletes, as joining Lott will be current Denver Broncos offensive lineman Ryan Clady, former Green Bay Packers cornerback Craig Newsome, the late David Lang -- a former running back for the St. Louis Rams -- and former Major League Soccer player Ted Chronopoulous.

Still losing too many games here, as I went 24-10 in this space last week. It's time to kick some butt and take some names. Here are my picks before I head up to Victorville to see some Palm Desert-Silverado action.

Kaiser at Cajon
The champions of the Sunkist and San Andreas Leagues come together for what should be a physical contest. Last year the Cowboys outlasted Kaiser 10-7 in Fontana but I expect to see many more points this time around, as Cajon is averaging 50.6 points per game. It won't reach that mark obviously, but Cajon should have enough firepower in this one.
Cajon 24, Kaiser 14

Redlands East Valley at Orange Lutheran
This game is huge for REV's perception, as the Wildcats, with a win, can not only get a big win as far as San Bernardino County's reputation is concerned, but can also put themselves in the conversation for the state bowls in December. The Wildcats have the explosive offense and physical defense to get the win. I'll go out on a limb and say they will.
Redlands East Valley 28, Orange Lutheran 25

Rancho Cucamonga at Covina Charter Oak
The Central Division champion takes on the Southeast Division champion in a rematch of last year's 14-14 tie, the only blemish on each team's championship resume. This should be a doozy once again and I think it's supposed to be on TV. Rancho looked really good against Carter last week and I think they'll settle this game in regulation.
Rancho Cucamonga 21, Charter Oak 17

Yucaipa at San Gorgonio
This is an intriguing matchup, as both of these teams have explosive capabilities. The Thunderbirds scored four touchdowns from 62 yards or more in their win over San Bernardino while San Gorgonio has put up some lofty numbers with its new spread attack. I'll go with the home team in a thriller that will see lots of points and excitement.
San Gorgonio 33, Yucaipa 31

Palm Desert at Silverado
After a embarrassing Week 0 loss to Gardena Serra, the Hawks have righted the ship, battling Serrano close and defeating Quartz Hill. However, Palm Desert is potent and will be a tough test for Silverado. But what else is new - Silverado prides itself on painful nonleague schedules. Palm Desert has a little too much oomph right now.
Palm Desert 28, Silverado 17

Diamond Ranch at Chino Hills
The last two victims of Colony get to compare wounds this week. But even with the Colony angle ignored, this matchup has made for some classic games over the last couple of years, with the teams splitting meetings. Assuming Ryan Verdugo and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu are going to play, I'm taking Chino Hills here.
Chino Hills 27, Diamond Ranch 17

Vista Murrieta at Los Osos
Not the best matchup for a Los Osos team looking for momentum after consecutive losses to Riverside North and Redlands. Vista Murrieta is scary good, as they went into Colton two weeks ago and had their way with the Yellowjackets. Los Osos can throw the ball, but that won't be enough against the Broncos.
Vista Murrieta 30, Los Osos 16

Palm Springs at Colton
Kind of a repeat of last week, as a highly-rated Eastern Division squad from the Low Desert comes into Colton. The Yellowjackets disposed of former No. 2 La Quinta 23-8 last week and now face a No. 3 ranked Palm Springs team that it beat with a 100-yard fumble return last year. Such heroics won't be necessary this time around.
Colton 25, Palm Springs 13

Apple Valley at Victor Valley
The battle for The Bell has been an Apple Valley-dominated thing recently, as the Sun Devils have won the last five. However, Victor Valley came within a failed 2-point conversion of winning it last year and have ascended to No. 10 in the Eastern Division polls thanks to a 2-0 start. So who am I going to pick? Apple Valley of course. Don Lugo aside, you don't pick against a streak.
Apple Valley 27, Victor Valley 23

Eisenhower at Arroyo Valley
This is the first meeting between schools that are almost within walking distance of each other on Baseline Road. The Eagles have shown some big-play offensive ability with QB Richard Redd and WR Darron Usher, but the defense has been an absolute sieve, giving up 109 points in two weeks. That won't fly against Arroyo Valley QB Michael Yearwood.
Arroyo Valley 45, Eisenhower 26

Other games of note:

Colony 35, Alta Loma 10
Baldwin Park Sierra Vista 38, Western Christian 29
Riverside Norte Vista 25, Carter 23
Aquinas 42, Citrus Valley 0
Corona Roosevelt 43, Bloomington 20
Ayala 28, H.H. Los Altos 18
Chaffey 31, La Puente Nogales 16
Lancaster 30, Oak Hills 10
San Marcos 34, Ontario 17
Hesperia 38, Pacific 6
Serrano 19, Palmdale Highland 13
Barstow 28, Quartz Hill 14
Granite Hills 34, Rialto 20
Rim of the World 36, Bishop 14
Fontana 37, San Bernardino 31
Palmdale Knight 30, Sultana 12
Temecula Linfield Christian 28, Ontario Christian 23
Banning 27, Twentynine Palms 13
Upland 20, Lancaster Eastside 3
Beaumont 20, Yucca Valley 10

Last week: 24-10
Overall: 62-29

Eisenhower High School is recognizing one of its most distinguished athletic graduates on October 17 -- the Eagles will be naming their football field after Ronnie Lott according to Ike athletic director Steve Johnson.

The ceremony, which will happen the weekend of Ike's game with Redlands, is part of the school's 50th anniversary celebration. Lott -- a 1977 Ike graduate, All-American at USC, and NFL Hall of Fame safety for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and New York Jets from 1981-94 -- is expected to attend the ceremony.

"It's exciting for the school," Johnson said. "To have a Hall of Famer like Ronnie come from this school and be willing to come back and celebrate the anniversary for us is something we are pretty happy to be a part of."

The naming of the stadium will be part of the 50th anniversary extravaganza on Saturday the 17th, the day after the game with Redlands.

The process of restoring Eisenhower High School to its status of Inland Empire football power has been an ongoing one, dating to the early parts of this decade. The Eagles haven't been to the playoffs since 2004 and quite frankly, it would be an upset if Eisenhower got close to making it back to the postseason this year with another new coach at the helm.

Gone is John Rice, who resigned after the Eagles went 5-5 for the second straight year. In his place steps Patrick Lord, who played for Eisenhower in the mid-1990s and moves over from Jurupa Valley High School, where he was an offensive line coach.

Former Eisenhower High School football coach John Rice, who resigned in December after three years coaching the Eagles, has found a home on Jeff Steinberg's staff at Miller, joining the staff as a defensive assistant.

"Jeff and I have talked in the past about being on the same staff together if the opportunity presented itself and it was something we were both interested in," Rice said. "He's done a great job of building that program and I'm happy to be a part of it."

Rice, who has served as a defensive coordinator in previous coaching stops, has worked with Steinberg before, albeit briefly. Rice assisted the Miller defensive staff when Steinberg coached the San Bernardino All-Stars in the 2008 Inland Empire All-Star football classic.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I covered the Inland Empire All-Star Football Classic last night, a game that didn't go too well for the San Bernardino boys, who fell 38-7 to Riverside.

The San Bernardino team, coached by Los Osos' Tom Martinez, didn't have the full arsenal that Riverside had, as several highly-touted, Division I-committed players who were scheduled to play during the week dropped out. Among those were Arroyo Valley offensive lineman Michael Philipp - the No. 1 guard in the nation according to Rivals.com, Los Osos QB Richard Brehaut, Cajon CB Marlon Pollard, Upland CB Osahon Irabor and Upland CB Taj Johnson. Upland QB Josh Nunes also didn't play, as a hand injury suffered in the Central Division title game with Rancho Cucamonga hasn't fully healed.

Got some changes in the San Bernardino roster for Saturday's game. If history is any precedence, these won't be the last.

Los Osos QB Richard Brehaut, a UCLA commit who played with Upland QB Josh Nunes (Stanford) in Sunday's Under Armour All-Star Game in Orlando, is out and will by replaced by Hesperia's Ian Harriman. Harriman has efficiently led Hesperia to 20 wins and a Mojave River League championship during the last two years.

Arroyo Valley offensive lineman Michael Philipp, who played Saturday in the U.S. Army All-American Game in San Antonio, also dropped out. Philipp, a four-star recruit and the best guard in the nation according to Rivals.com, is considering schools such as Oregon, Cal, Stanford, UCLA and Oregon State. He'll be replaced by Colony's Joshua Andrews, a first-team all-County and all-Inland Valley selection. Andrews has verbally committed to Oregon State.

A couple of Upland guys dropped out as well, as cornerback Osahon Irabor, an Arizona State commit, and cornerback Taj Johnson, another D-I caliber recruit, are out. They'll be replaced by Miller's Trayvon Ralph - a first-team all-County and all-Inland Valley selection - and Eisenhower receiver Taijuan Martin.

Other players on the original roster that won't play are Twentynine Palms wide receiver Montreal Harris, Etiwanda wide receiver Willie Mebane and Chino kicker Jared Taylor. Replacing them are Los Osos RB Arby Fields, a Northwestern commit, Aquinas fullback J.P. Ragan and Los Osos kicker Josh Repp.

Eisenhower coach John Rice resigned as head football coach because of a desire to spend more time with his family. The resignation was tendered last week according to Rice.

"I made the best decision for myself and my family," Rice said. "The Eisenhower administration, faculty, staff, and students are a fantastic group of people, I wish them the best. At this point, I'll probably seek an assistant coaching position somewhere."

Rice, 47, has been in coaching for 25 years, starting in the San Diego area. He spent time in the Denver area, as a defensive coordinator at Louisville Trinity High School - one of the premier programs in the nation - in Indiana and as a defensive coordinator at Moreno Valley Canyon Springs High School in 2004-05. He became the head coach at Eisenhower, leading the Eagles to an 11-19 record.

Ike was 1-9 in his first season in 2006 and 5-5 the last two years. The Eagles have increased their league victories in every season under Rice, going from 1 in '06 to 2 in '07 to three this past season.

There will be a more in-depth story in Wednesday's Sun.

Eisenhower wide receiver Alex Jefferies left for Fresno State on an official visit this weekend. After spending the weekend on the campus, Jefferies - who had official visits to Utah and Nebraska on his itinerary - knew where he wanted to go to school.

"I commited to Fresno State this morning," Jefferies said. "I wanted to go to a school that really was with me the entire time and showed that they wanted me. Fresno State was always around and I really liked my trip up there."

The Bulldogs indicated to Jefferies that they wanted him to play wide receiver, which seems to be a pretty smart choice. Jefferies has been an all-Citrus Belt League first-team performer the last two seasons, catching 47 passes for 815 yards and nine touchdowns this year. He also ran for 298 yards, playing quarterback at times because of an injury to starter Anthony Lucero.

"I really want to play wide receiver in college," said Jefferies, who was also being looked at as a safety. "I'm just so relieved to get this whole thing over."

With the verbal commitment, Jefferies is forgoing official visits to Utah - which he was set to go on this upcoming weekend - and Nebraska, which offered him recently and wanted him to visit in January. But Jefferies is content with that.

"I'm happy that I'll still be in California," Jefferies said. "It's close to family and I don't have to worry about it being cold."

The interest in Eisenhower wide receiver Alex Jefferies has picked up quite a bit, as Jefferies - who enjoyed a stellar senior season for the 5-5 Eagles - picked up a scholarship offer from the University of Nebraska. Nebraska is the first BCS school to offer Jefferies and they are looking to bring him up for an official visit in January once the Cornhuskers return from their Gator Bowl matchup with Clemson, according to an e-mail sent by Ike coach John Rice.

Rice also indicated that Nebraska is recruiting Jefferies as an athlete, as it has indicated to Jefferies that they are recruiting him at safety and wide receiver. Jefferies has taken one official visit to Fresno State at this point and is taking an official visit to Utah next weekend according to Rice.

Another mediocre week for my picking, as I only went 19-7 in my picks. I'll blame Chino Hills for that...no, actually Chino Hills should blame me for jumping on their bandwagon and causing a flat tire.

Upland at Rancho Cucamonga
Another big Baseline battle, as the team with 3-4 senior Division I prospects this year (Upland) plays the team that will have that many next year (Rancho Cucamonga). Expect lots of passing, lots of scoring and lots of fun. Yeah, it sounds like I'm advertising an afternoon at Knotts Berry Farm, but this one should be a good one. I'm going with the home team because I can't think of any other way to seperate these stud teams.
Rancho Cucamonga 38, Upland 31

Kaiser at Riverside Patriot
It's only fitting that Dick Bruich's last game will be for the Sunkist League championship, something that has been almost taken for granted by Kaiser fans and sportswriters. Like Kaiser, Patriot employs a hard-nosed, downhill running game and a physical defense. But no one plays sock-your-mouth football better than the Cats, at least in the Sunkist League.
Kaiser 23, Patriot 10

Colton at Arroyo Valley
For all intents and purposes, this game is for the final playoff spot in the San Andreas League. Sure, there are some weird coinflips that could happen with upsets and things of the like, but barring a San Berdoo High shocker, this is the game. Colton seems to have a little more momentum coming in and seriously, can you imagine the playoffs without Harold Strauss? Neither can I.
Colton 28, Arroyo Valley 14

Glendora at Ayala
Pop quiz hotshot. You've just beaten your crosstown rival in an upset. What are you going to do? What are you going to do? Host another game with league-championship implications of course. It might be tough for Tom Inglima to get his Bulldogs down from the high of the Chino Hills win but he'll have to, as defending Sierra champion Glendora is no slouch. However, it seems to be a rule in the Sierra League that allows for equal title time in football. So Ayala wins this year and Diamond Bar is the favorite in 2009.
Ayala 31, Glendora 25

Eisenhower at Redlands East Valley
The Eagles played their hearts out last week against Miller, giving the favored Rebels all they could handle before falling 28-21. Unfortunately for Ike, their playoff hopes might have fallen with that game. If Ike can pull an upset on a REV team due for a letdown after the big win over Redlands, then they'll be the biggest Rialto High fans ever - as the Knights have to beat Yucaipa. Unfortunately, it will be too hard to get the first phase of the job done.
Redlands East Valley 23, Eisenhower 9

Colony at Ontario
The Jaguars are a good story this year, as the heroics of quarterback/defensive back Herman Huezo have Ontario in the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Colony was in its infancy as a school back then, but has two CIF titles since the Jags last touched the postseason. The point of all this is even though Colony won't get a Mt. Baldy title, they won't lose to the spunky Jaguars either.
Colony 24, Ontario 6

Victor Valley at Ridgecrest Burroughs
It's pretty amazing that the Jackrabbits, who were winless the previous two seasons before this one, are in a win-and-in situation in this game. It's also amazing that the Burros could either win the league and get the No. 1 seed in the playoffs or miss them entirely based on this game. Such is the life in the Desert Sky League, not usually a bastion for parity. Victor Valley will give it a run, but Burroughs is too tough at home.
Ridgecrest Burroughs 30, Victor Valley 17

Apple Valley at Hesperia
We'll keep it up in the High Desert and take a journey to Hesperia, where the Scorpions can notch their first-ever Mojave River League outright title and set a school record for wins if they beat the Sun Devils. It's been a close-but-no-cigar year for Apple Valley, just to throw a cliche' out there. The Sun Devils have to still be kicking themselves about the second half against Rim of the World, which won't help them upset Hesperia.
Hesperia 35, Apple Valley 20

Arrowhead Christian at Aquinas
The Eagles have been a pleasant surprise, rolling up six wins and setting themselves up for an at-large bid in the East Valley Division playoffs should they lose this game. Unfortunately, should could be replaced by probably, which would ruin the sentence structure but bring up the main point, which is that Aquinas is scary good. QB Tyler Stirewalt put over 300 yards passing on Ontario Christian last week, something he can replicate tomorrow if he chooses.
Aquinas 42, Arrowhead Christian 14

Yucca Valley at Desert Mirage
This is historic, as this is the first time I've ever mentioned Desert Mirage in the main body of this predictions entry. So after I open up a few bottles of champagne, I'll mention how both of these teams are greatly improved and fighting for the last automatic playoff spot out of the De Anza League. Then I'll predict Yucca Valley to win a close one.
Yucca Valley 24, Desert Mirage 22

Other games of note:
Los Osos 31, Etiwanda 21
Alta Loma 21, Claremont 12
Miller 38, Fontana 7
Yucaipa 30, Rialto 14
Redlands 28, Carter 17
Ontario Christian 33, Western Christian 20
Big Bear 28, Desert Hot Springs 10
Barstow 34, Granite Hills 13
Serrano 42, Sultana 0
Rim of the World 45, Lynwood Firebaugh 6
Chaffey 35, Don Lugo 10
Cajon 51, San Bernardino 3
San Gorgonio 34, Pacific 8
Chino Hills 41, Diamond Bar 10
Damien 27, Chino 12
Summit 28, Bloomington 13

Overall record: 183-45-4

I've decided to expound on Monday's article about playoff scenarios this week, going league by league in the Sun coverage area with team-by-team scenarios. I'll start with one of the simpler ones, delving into the Citrus Belt.

1. Miller (9-0, 6-0): Has already wrapped up the No. 1 seed out of the CBL by virtue of its 18-15 win over REV on Halloween. Purely playing for overall seeding in the Inland Division bracket at this point.

2. Redlands East Valley (8-1, 5-1): Has already wrapped up the No. 2 seed by virtue of its 14-12 victory over Redlands last weekend. A win this weekend could give REV a first-round home game in the Inland Division playoffs.

3. Redlands (4-5, 4-2): Has already wrapped up the No. 3 seed, winning all possible head-to-head tiebreakers with Yucaipa and Eisenhower. A win this weekend would help the Terriers avoid a first-round matchup with a team like Rancho Verde or Temecula Chaparral.

4. Yucaipa (4-5, 3-3): The Thunderbirds are in as the No. 4 seed with a victory Friday against Rialto, as it owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with Eisenhower. Yucaipa would still get in with a loss if Ike loses as well.

5. Eisenhower (5-4, 3-3): Having lost the head-to-head tiebreaker with Yucaipa, the Eagles have to defeat REV this weekend and have Yucaipa lose to Rialto to get the No. 4 seed. Even at 6-4, Ike would have very little chance at the one at-large bid in the Inland Division, as either Corona Santiago or Riverside North from the Big VIII or Riverside La Sierra from the Inland Valley League would be chosen before the Eagles.

6. Carter (2-7, 2-4): Eliminated from playoff contention.

7. Fontana (2-7, 1-5): Eliminated from playoff contention

8. Rialto (1-8, 0-6): Eliminated from playoff contention.

The Miller-Eisenhower football game, originally scheduled for Friday at Eisenhower High School, has been moved to Thursday at 7 p.m.

If you know of any other games that have been moved, hook me up with a comment.