Recently in Recruiting Category

Upland wide receiver Kenny Lawler, Miller linebacker Reshawn Hooker and Colony athlete Bryan Harper were all named to Rivals.com's California top 100 when the website released its rankings Tuesday. Lawler was the highest ranked of the three at No. 32, as he is rated a four-star on Rivals. Lawler verbally committed to Arizona State in February but is considered a soft commitment to the Sun Devils as this point, as he is listening to offers from the likes of UCLA, Colorado, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon State, SMU and Arizona.

Hooker, a three-star linebacker, checks in at No. 49. He comes to Miller from Arroyo Valley High School, where he earned third-team All-Sun honors a year ago. Hooker currently has 11 offers from the likes of Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, Purdue, San Jose State, UCLA and Washington State.

Harper, who transferred to Colony from Carter in the offseason, was ranked No. 94 by Rivals. The three-star athlete, who was a quarterback last year for the Lions, committed to Washington June 28 over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, Montana and New Mexico State.

Colony athlete Bryan Harper committed to the University of Washington Tuesday according to a Rivals.com article. Harper, a 6-foot, 180-pound athlete who transferred to Colony after playing quarterback at Carter the last two seasons, chose the Huskies after a recent trip to the school with teammate Robert Wagner. The three-star prospect also had offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, Montana and New Mexico State.

Harper is the second county player to pledge to the Huskies this month, joining Cajon defensive back Damontae Kazee. Kazee, a first-team all-Sun selection last year, formally introduced his commitment to Washington June 13 after being a silent commitment for a while according to Scout.com.

Cajon quarterback Thomas Carter, the 2010 All-Sun Most Valuable Player, will sign with Portland State, according to a text I received from Carter Tuesday night. Carter, who passed for 1,853 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 584 yards and five scores in leading Cajon to a San Andreas League title and a berth in the CIF semifinals, is up at Portland State today to finalize his scholarship before flying down to Arizona for Saturday's SoCal/Arizona all-star game.

A little outside of my normal reach, but I just got an email from IEBP club basketball coach Keith Howard saying that former Damien guard Chris Adams has committed to the University of San Francisco. Adams, a 2010 graduate of Damien, has played for the last year at Mack Academy in Charlotte, N.C. Local fans might remember him from the 2010 CIF-SS Division 2-A semifinal against Eisenhower, as he valiantly scored 34 points in an 82-74 loss to the eventual CIF champion Eagles.

Miller two-sport athlete Jake Costantino signed with Lewis and Clark college in Portland, Ore. a couple weeks ago, according to a phone call from former Miller coach Jeff Strycula. Strycula said that Costantino will play both football and baseball at the college.

Rialto's do-everything forward Brittani Walker will sign with La Sierra University in a ceremony in the Rialto High School Gymnasium according to a phone call I received from Knights coach Michael Anderson. Walker, who was the glue do Rialto's CIF-SS championship and CIF-State runner-up team, averaged 8.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.1 steals this past season.

Even though National Signing Day for the football class of 2011 was only two weeks ago, 2012 recruiting is going at full force, with Upland wide receiver Kenny Lawler making a verbal commitment to Arizona State Monday according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Lawler, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound incoming senior, led the Highlanders in receiving a year ago with 42 receptions for 887 yards and nine touchdowns. He joins Osahon Irabor, a 2009 Upland graduate who started the second half of this past season at cornerback as a redshirt freshman, in Tempe.

Miller sprinter Davonte Stewart will sign a letter of intent to run at USC at Friday at noon at Miller High School after committing to the Trojans last week according to Miller athletic director John Romagnoli. Stewart burst onto the scene during the track postseason last spring, winning both the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the CIF-SS championships and finishing second at the state meet in the 200.

Miller also saw quarterback Eric Shufford sign with Weber State last week. Shufford ran and passed for over 1,000 yards this past season in helping the Rebels tie for second place in the Citrus Belt League.

While football got almost all of the National Signing Day coverage Wednesday, Los Osos had two water polo players - Dominic Vicino and Matt Wong - sign letters of intent to the Air Force Academy. Wong and Vicino were key components in Los Osos' CIF championship team as sophomores in 2008, along with their CIF finalist team in 2009 and this year's team, which lost in the semifinals. Vicino was the MVP of the Southern California High School All-Star game this past season as well.

Wong (left) and Vicino (right) are pictured below along with Los Osos baseball player Cody Rogina, who signed with UC Riverside.

Before we get into this, here's a picture of Los Osos wide receiver Paul Pitts, who was one of three county players to sign with San Diego State today. The picture was submitted by his parents.

Number of signees by high school:

1 tie) Colton 3, Kaiser 3, 3 tie) Chino 2, Chino Hills 2, Etiwanda 2, Redlands 2, Upland 2, 8 tie) Los Osos 1, Redlands East Valley 1, San Gorgonio 1, Summit 1.

Kind of a down year as far as numbers, as REV - which is good for 3 guys a year - only sent Josh Armstrong to FCS Sacramento State. As you would guess, the more successful schools sent the most guys on, as every school with multiple signees went to the playoffs with all but Redlands making it to the second round. The top two schools, Colton and Kaiser, were extremely successful, with the Cats going 12-1 and the Yellowjackets winning the CIF-SS Central Division number.

Crazily enough, the JCs were fruitful this year, with Chaffey sending three to BCS schools and Victor Valley sending 1.

Number of signees by college.

1) Oregon 4 2) San Diego State 3 3 tie) Nebraska 2, Portland State 2, Sacramento State 2, UC Davis 2 7 tie) Boise State 1, Hawaii 1, Montana 1, Nevada 1, San Jose State 1, Texas A&M 1, USC 1, Utah 1, Washington State 1.

Two of the more successful programs of late built on their successes this year, as Oregon and San Diego State have each combined to sign seven county kids over the last two recruiting cycles. The Ducks were especially effective, grabbing the top two kids in the area in Summit's Devon Blackmon and Chino Hills' Ifo Ekpre-Olomu along with Colton's Rodney Hardrick and Etiwanda's Jamal Prater.

With Oregon's surge came the fall from the two LA powers, as UCLA was shutout after cleaning up in 2009 and USC only got Chaffey College's Dallas Kelley this year after grabbing three players last year. And it wasn't for lack of trying, as both schools were after Blackmon and USC made a last-ditch effort to get Chino's Quinton Pedroza, who signed with Utah after decommitting from Arizona State this morning.

San Diego State has been a force in the IE under Brady Hoke and kept San Gorgonio's Paul Rodriguez, Redlands' Jordan Smith and Pitts (pictured above) despite Hoke going to Michigan. It will be interesting to see if Rocky Long can keep up Hoke's momentum, or if the Wolverines start becoming a factor in Southern California again.

Along with the list below, here are a couple pictures of some signings, the first being San Gorgonio offensive lineman Paul Rodriguez to San Diego State. Ajzhana Cordova and Summer Mathews contributed the photo.

And here are Kaiser players (from left) Dennis Taylor, Walter Earnest and Desman Carter, who signed this morning with Portland State, UC Davis and Nevada, respectively. Kaiser coach Phil Zelaya is in the background.

And the rest of the list.

Promise Amadi, WR, Chino -- Hawaii
Josh Armstrong, DB, Redlands East Valley -- Sacramento State (FCS)
Devon Blackmon, WR, Summit -- Oregon
Desman Carter, DB, Kaiser -- Nevada
Joseph Carter, DE, Chaffey College -- Nebraska
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, DB, Chino Hills -- Oregon
Walter Earnest, DE, Kaiser -- UC Davis (FCS)
Tyler Ervin, RB/DB, Colton -- San Jose State
Johntel Franklin, DB, Victor Valley College -- Texas A&M
Rodney Hardrick, LB, Colton -- Oregon
Nate Harris, DB, Chino Hills -- Montana (FCS)
Dallas Kelley, LB, Chaffey College -- USC
Marcus Mason, RB, Etiwanda -- Washington State
Justin Nunes, QB, Upland -- UC Davis (FCS)
Quinton Pedroza, WR, Chino -- Utah
Paul Pitts, WR, Los Osos -- San Diego State
Jamal Prater, OL, Etiwanda -- Oregon
Paul Rodriguez, OL, San Gorgonio -- San Diego State
John Siliga, DL, Redlands -- Portland State (FCS)
Jordan Smith, OL, Redlands -- San Diego State
Daimion Stafford, DB, Chaffey College -- Nebraska
Dennis Taylor, LB, Kaiser -- Portland State (FCS)
John Taylor, OL/DL, Colton -- Sacramento State (FCS)
Jake Van Ginkel, K, Upland -- Boise State

According to Rivals.com, Chino wide receiver Quinton Pedroza has switched his commitment to the University of Utah from Arizona State and has faxed in his letter of intent to the Utes. According to colleague Clay Fowler, Pedroza was mulling over a late offer from USC along with offers from Utah, where he visited two weekends ago, and Arizona State, which he committed to on Jan. 13 after a visit.

Either this blog or Fowler's blog will have the latest.

Redlands High School got an 11th-hour commitment last night when all-CIF defensive tackle John Siliga committed to Portland State. Siliga signed his letter of intent alongside Redlands teammate Jordan Smith, who signed with San Diego State, at midfield of Dodge Stadium.

"I decided last night," Siliga said. "They offered me at the beginning and have stuck by me this entire time. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go that far from home but Portland State is a great place for me."

Smith was styling for his signing, sporting a black SDSU hat with shades, a red Aztec t-shirt and black pants. After a whirlwind couple of weeks that saw Smith almost reopen his recruitment after former San Diego State coach Brady Hoke left for the Michigan coaching job, Smith was happy to finally ink with the school he's been committed to since June.

"It's such an honor to be able to play college football," Smith said. "To have your school paid for for four years is unbelievable. I can't wait to get down to San Diego State. I was a little nervous with the coach Hoke situation, but (new SDSU coach Rocky) Long talked to me on the phone, went over my options with me and now I'm excited."

County football players that will signing National Letters of Intent with Division I schools today as part of National Signing Day. Let me know if I've missed anyone.

Promise Amadi, WR, Chino -- Hawaii
Josh Armstrong, DB, Redlands East Valley -- Sacramento State (FCS)
Devon Blackmon, WR, Summit -- Oregon
Desman Carter, DB, Kaiser -- Nevada
Joseph Carter, DE, Chaffey College -- Nebraska
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, DB, Chino Hills -- Oregon
Walter Earnest, DE, Kaiser -- UC Davis (FCS)
Tyler Ervin, RB/DB, Colton -- San Jose State
Johntel Franklin, DB, Victor Valley College -- Texas A&M
Rodney Hardrick, LB, Colton -- Oregon
Nate Harris, DB, Chino Hills -- Montana (FCS)
Dallas Kelley, LB, Chaffey College -- USC
Marcus Mason, RB, Etiwanda -- Washington State
Justin Nunes, QB, Upland -- UC Davis (FCS)
Quentin Pedroza, WR, Chino -- Arizona State
Paul Pitts, WR, Los Osos -- San Diego State
Jamal Prater, OL, Etiwanda -- Oregon
Paul Rodriguez, OL, San Gorgonio -- San Diego State
Jordan Smith, OL, Redlands -- San Diego State
Daimion Stafford, DB, Chaffey College -- Nebraska
Dennis Taylor, LB, Kaiser -- Portland State (FCS)
John Taylor, OL/DL, Colton -- Sacramento State (FCS)
Jake Van Ginkel, K, Upland -- Boise State

Just got off the phone with Kaiser coach Phil Zelaya, who said that three players will be signing National Letters of Intent to Division I schools tomorrow at the school at 9 a.m. Signing will be defensive back Desman Carter (Nevada), linebacker Dennis Taylor (Portland State) and defensive end Walter Earnest (UC Davis).

San Gorgonio also has announced the signing time for offensive lineman Paul Rodriguez, who will sign with San Diego State. Rodriguez will sign with the Aztecs at 8 a.m. tomorrow at San G in room C-34.

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.

Etiwanda running back Marcus Mason committed to Washington State after getting a recent offer from the school and taking an official visit to the campus last weekend according to Rivals.com and Scout.com. Mason ran for 1,623 yards and 15 touchdowns and is the second Etiwanda player to commit to a Pac-12 school. He joins offensive lineman Jamal Prater, who committed to Oregon over the summer.

Chino wide receiver/defensive back Promise Amadi went through a wild ride this past week, committing to Hawaii on an official visit this past weekend after making a soft commitment to New Mexico State the weekend before. The situation is detailed further in Clay Fowler's blog here.

Either way, the commitment makes him the second Cowboy player to verbally commit during the past month, joining Arizona State commit Quentin Pedroza - who is still getting attention from Utah and USC. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior was a second-team all-Sun utility selection, as he caught 46 passes for 790 yards and 10 touchdowns while running for another 503 yards on 50 carries and 14 scores. Amadi also had 30 tackles and five interceptions in helping the Cowboys to an 11-1 record and a Mt. Baldy League championship.

Straying over into Clay Fowler's territory a bit with this post, but Damien sophomore pitcher/outfielder Christopher Kohler verbally committed to USC yesterday according to his parents, Michelle and Richard Kohler. Kohler, who is a lefthanded pitcher and a centerfielder, gave his commitment after a visit to USC.

"Christopher has been a huge Trojan fan all of his life, so this wasn't a hard decision," Richard Kohler said. "Because of his age they can't do anything but send us mail and questionnaires. We visited there a couple of times, they offered and we accepted."

Kohler, who doesn't turn 16 until May 4, is one of the top Southern California prospects in the class of 2013, getting USC's attention during a showcase this past summer at the Dodgers' spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz. While USC was his first scholarship offer, Kohler was getting attention from almost every notable baseball school on the West Coast, most notably UCLA, UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State.

Speaking of football recruiting, Bloomington Christian will be hosting a seminar by the National Collegiate Scouting Association at 7 p.m. on January 31 called "College Recruiting Simplified."

The keynote speaker for the seminar is Derrick Mayes, a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks from 1996-2000, winning a Super Bowl ring with the Packers in 1996. Mayes, who attended Notre Dame, serves as the NSCA's Athletic Recruiting educational speaker.

People not affiliated with Bloomington Christian who wish to attend the seminar can contact Tiffany Menzione at (312) 624-7437.

Colton senior running back/defensive back Tyler Ervin made a verbal commitment to San Jose State this weekend on an official visit to the school, according to a text message I just received from Colton head coach Rick Bray. Ervin was a first-team all-Sun selection this past season, rushing for 1,436 yards and 13 touchdowns offensively while accumulating 34 tackles and three interceptions on defense.

The 5-foot-10, 167-pound Ervin chose the Spartans over offers from Utah State, Hawaii and Nevada. He becomes the second Yellowjacket to commit to a Division I-FBS school, joining tight end/linebacker Rodney Hardrick, who committed to Oregon.

Yucaipa star junior soccer player Kodi Lavrusky verbally committed to Stanford last week, according to a call received tonight from Thunderbirds soccer coach Sheila Huggins. Lavrusky is already the school's all-time leader in goals scored, having scored 92 after getting a hat trick in tonight's 4-1 victory over Redlands. She is a two-time All-Sun first-team pick, being named the Most Valuable Player as a freshman in 2009.

Chino wide receiver/defensive back Quinton Pedroza verbally committed to Arizona State Saturday according to this article by Rivals.com. Pedroza, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete, was a first-team all-Sun selection at wide receiver, caught 54 passes for 1,078 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Cowboys this past season. Pedroza chose the Sun Devils over Utah and Utah State.

After a banner postseason in which he ran for nearly 800 yards and eight touchdowns en route to helping his team to a CIF-SS Central Division title, Colton running back/defensive back Tyler Ervin.is getting more attention on the recruiting trail.

Ervin, a first-team all-Sun utility player, has recently picked up offers from Wyoming and San Jose State to go along with previous offers from Nevada and Utah State. Ervin has a couple of official visits planned, as he's heading to Nevada on Jan. 14 and Utah State on Jan. 21.

"Everyone is even right now," Ervin said. "I'll know some more after I take some visits and see what everyone has to offer."

Ervin is also talking to UCLA and Arizona State, although neither school has offered. He indicated that those schools would vault to the top with an offer.

A few days after being part of Colton's first CIF-SS championship football team since 1978, Yellowjackets linebacker Rodney Hardrick made a verbal commitment to Oregon after an in-home visit with the Ducks Monday night according to Rivals.com.

Hardrick, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior who played tight end and outside linebacker for Colton, chose the Ducks over offers from Oregon State, Washington, New Mexico and Idaho. He is the second county player to commit to the Ducks, joining Chino Hills defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.

San Gorgonio offensive lineman/defensive lineman Paul Rodriguez verbally committed to San Diego State a couple of weeks ago according to San Gorgonio football coach Ron Gueringer. Rodriguez, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound senior, chose the Aztecs over offers from Washington State and Colorado State.

"He's the first of hopefully many kids that we send off to Division I colleges," Gueringer said. "I'm proud of him and what he did for this program. I know the San Diego State coaches came down a few weeks back to see him play and loved him. They had a great season and it's a great place for Paul to go."

Rodriguez starred on both offense and defense for the Spartans, who went 7-5 this season and finished second in the San Andreas League. San G advanced to the Central Division quarterfinals, where it was ousted by top-seeded Moreno Valley Rancho Verde. Gueringer thinks the Aztecs will use Rodriguez on the offensive line.

"That's where I would guess," Gueringer said. "He has a lot of potential with his frame to be a very good offensive lineman and I think he's an all-area guy at that position."

Redlands East Valley wrestler Chris Mecate and volleyball player Krista Vansant will sign National Letters of Intent tomorrow morning as part of the beginning of the Fall Signing Period. Mecate will sign with Old Dominion in the principal's office at 7 a.m. while Vansant will sign with the University of Washington at 7:30 a.m. in Kurt Bruich's office.

Got a text message from Cajon athletic director Rich Imbriani indicating that senior volleyball player Mackenzie Roddy will be signing a National Letter of Intent to Northern Illinois University at 11 a.m. Wednesday in his office.

Know of any other players signing this week? Drop me a note at tj.berka@inlandnewspapers.com.

Cajon girls volleyball player Mackenzie Roddy has made a verbal commitment to Northern Illinois University according to a call received tonight from Cowboys coach Paula Bougie-Thomas. Roddy chose the Huskies over Cal State San Bernardino.

Summit basketball player Dorian Cason verbally committed to the University of Portland Wednesday according to Keith Howard, Cason's travel ball coach. Cason, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, averaged 12.5 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots a game for the SkyHawks last season en route to all-Sunkist League honors.

With the high school football season in high gear, recruiting of local athletes is starting to pick up as well. That's definitely the case at Colton High School, as several Yellowjackets are jumping headfirst into the recruiting process.

Star running back Tyler Ervin and linebacker/tight end Rodney Hardrick made unofficial visits to Arizona State and Boise State this weekend. Ervin went to check out the Oregon-Arizona State, while Hardrick flew up to see the Oregon State-Boise State clash.
"Rodney was taking care of two birds with one stone, as he's looking at both of those schools," Colton coach Rick Bray said. "It's an exciting time for all of these kids."

Another Yellowjacket receiving a large amount of interest is Devan Hussey, who is being pursued by several Ivy League schools. The University of Colorado has also been around the Colton campus a lot recently according to Bray.

According to an article by the University of California-Berkeley's Rivals.com site, highly-touted Chino Hills defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu has declared Cal and Oregon as his top two.

Ekpre-Olomu, a two-time All-Sun (All-Inland Valley) first-team selection, is the No. 155 ranked player in the country according to Rivals.com and the No. 19 player in the state of California. He is also ranked as the No. 14 player in the state. He told the site that he was planning on officially visiting Oregon this upcoming weekend while scheduling a visit to Cal sometime during the next month. He also indicated that he'd like to have a decision made before the playoffs start in mid-November.

"Hopefully before playoffs start, so I can get it out of the way," Ekpre-Olomu said in the article. "But, hopefully before that."

The article can be accessed here with a Rivals subscription.

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."

Etiwanda offensive lineman Jamal Prater, a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, has verbally committed to the University of Oregon according to an article by Duck Sports Authority. Prater, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive tackle, gave the pledge after an unofficial visit to Eugene on Wednesday according to this article, which is available with a Rivals.com subscription.

Prater is the latest in a recent line of local prospects to commit/sign with the Ducks, who signed Los Osos DE Tony Washington, Colton S Derrick Malone and Colton K Alejandro Maldonado in February. Prater chose Oregon over offers from Oregon State, Washington State, San Diego State and San Jose State.

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.

Redlands kicker/punter Shaun McClain, an all-CIF and all-Sun performer, has signed with Weber State after an official visit to the Ogden, Utah campus this past weekend according to his parents and Redlands assistant coach Kevin Haugh.

McClain chose Weber State over Montana State, who he had temporarily committed to around National Signing Day. He is the fourth Terrier to sign a letter of intent with a Division I school, joining linebacker Jordan Thomas (San Diego State), offensive lineman Justin Corrales (Bryant University) and linebacker Cole Gridley (Valparaiso).

The search for Colton's next football coach is close to reaching its next stage according to Yellowjackets athletic director Harold Strauss. The job, which opened at the end of January, will say open until Tuesday, with interviews set to take place shortly after.

"It's going well," Strauss said. "I wasn't sure how much interest we'd get because of the economy, but we have a good list going. We have 2 or 3 out-of-staters -- one from South Carolina and a couple more from the East Coast -- which is surprising."

Along with the coaching position, Strauss indicated that senior cornerback Jonathan Mack will likely take official visits to Southern Miss and South Dakota State. Mack, who committed to UNLV, has not signed yet, as the Rebels are looking to see if scholarship room can be cleared for him. In the interim, Mack is pursuing other options.

Also, junior linebacker Rodney Hardrick is receiving heavy interest from USC, Oregon and Boise State according to Strauss, with the Trojans expected to offer a scholarship at their junior day later this month.

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.

Would have done this by yesterday, but a nasty cold threw me for a loss. I'm ready to go again though. With that, here's a complete breakdown of local Division I FBS (I-A) and FCS (I-AA) signees.

By school
1. Redlands 4; 2 tie. Colony 3, Colton 3, Los Osos 3, Rancho Cucamonga 3, Redlands East Valley 3; 7 tie. Arroyo Valley 2, Don Lugo 2, Hesperia 2, Kaiser 2, Serrano 2, Upland 2; 13 tie. Aquinas 1, Cajon 1, Chaffey 1, Granite Hills 1, Miller 1, Sultana 1.

Redlands was the surprising winner in this category, as three Terriers - OL Justin Corrales (Bryant University), LB Cole Gridley (Valparaiso) and K/P Shaun McClain (Weber State) were able to parlay strong senior seasons into FCS scholarships. LB Jordan Thomas (San Diego State) was the only FBS scholarship to Redlands, but the Terriers get props for getting their successful kids scholarships.

The teams with three scholarship players are among the usual suspects when it comes to getting kids to Division I scholarships, as REV, Colton, Colony, Rancho Cucamonga and Los Osos have seen an army of players get to the next level recently. REV, Colton and Los Osos all sent their players to FBS school, with each having at least one kid sign with a Pac-10 school. Rancho also had a Pac-10 kid in TE Randall Telfer (USC), while Colony had a Big 12 kid in DB Jered Bell (Colorado).

No real shocks in the 2 and 1 scholarship crowd except maybe Serrano, which had two FBS kids. The Diamondbacks are known for doing more with less, so its no shock that they made a CIF final with two FBS seniors on the roster.

By college:
1. San Diego State 4. 2 tie. Fresno State 3, Oregon 3, USC 3; 5 tie. Montana State 2, Sacramento State 2, San Jose State 2, UNLV 2, Utah 2, UTEP 2; 11 tie. Army 1, Bryant 1, Colorado 1, Iowa State 1, Kansas State 1, Nevada 1, Portland State 1, Prairie View A&M 1, San Diego 1, UCLA 1, Valparaiso 1, Washington 1, Washington State 1, Weber State 1.

On the non-BCS level, San Diego State and Fresno State continue to do work in the county. When Aztecs coach Brady Hoke was hired last year, he told recruits that he was going to put an emphasis on Inland Empire athletes. He's done exactly that, signing 3 SAL kids last year and four county kids this year in Thomas, Serrano DE Everett Beed, Hesperia WR Jay Waddell and Granite Hills TE Bryce Quigley. A fifth, Serrano RB Dionza Bradford, verbally committed to San Diego State before backing out and going with UNLV. So Hoke is getting things done.

Pat Hill has consistently brought local talent into the fold and this year is no different, with Los Osos WR Sean Alston, Arroyo Valley LB Ofa Fifita and Rancho Cucamonga QB Greg Watson all inking with the Bulldogs. Montana State also was a big player in the FCS ranks, getting guys with FBS interest in Don Lugo DB Steve Bethley and Miller RB David Dash.

As far as the Pac-10 goes, 2010 saw a reversal from 2009. Last year, it was UCLA and Oregon State that cleaned up, while this year saw their rivals have success. The Trojans, despite a coaching change, got Kaiser RB/DB Anthony Brown, Telfer and the county's highest-ranked recruit, Don Lugo DT George Uko, to sign. Only an 11th-hour stunner by Kaiser LB Josh Shirley kept UCLA from being swept out of the county.

As for the Oregon schools, the Ducks got two extremely productive defensive players in Los Osos DE Tony Washington and Colton DB Derrick Malone and stole Colton K Alejandro Maldonado from Washington on the last weekend. Last year, it was Oregon State that did damage, with Freshman All-American OL Michael Philipp from Arroyo Valley being the crown jewel.

As far as out-of-region teams, I guess the big winner would be the Big 12 North. Colorado (Colony DB Jered Bell), Iowa State (Hesperia/Chaffey College TE Ricky Howard) and Kansas State (Sultana/Mt. SAC OL Manase Foketi) all signed area players while Nebraska courted several local players as well.

Prior to making the death march down the 10 to LA, I was at Colton, where Colton High School put on an assembly honoring DB Derrick Malone (Oregon), K Alejandro Maldonado (Oregon), DB Jonathan Mack (UNLV), DE Michael Newton (Arizona Western Junior College) and LB Ma'alona Kiliona (University of Redlands), along with softball players April Vasquez and Jessica Lemus.

Several hundred students showed up to honor the athletes, who added to Colton's rich tradition of sending players to college.

"It's something we take a lot of pride in," Colton athletic director Harold Strauss said. "When these kids come into this program, I tell them that if they give me their all in the classroom and on the field, we'll give them our all in getting their college paid for."

Both Malone and Maldonado will be Ducks, with Malone deciding for Oregon in November and Maldonado deciding over the weekend, switching his commitment from Washington.

"It was hard to tell Washington no, but I had to go with what was in my heart," Maldonado said. "When I visited Oregon, I knew that was where I had to be. Washington was nice, but Oregon was perfect."

Malone chose the Ducks over several colleges, including most of the Pac-10 and Nebraska. While he made his decision well before Maldonado made his and was pumped about Oregon already, having his teammate with him made it that much sweeter.

"It's awesome," Malone said. "I've been going to school with (Maldonado) since middle school. Middle school, then high school, and now college together. It's going to be fun and I can't wait."

Mack might have been the happiest of the Division I signees. As of Monday, Mack was unsure if he would sign today, but he secured his ride with the Rebels Tuesday night and was all smiles when he signed his letter of intent today.

"My mom was really nervous, but I had faith that it was all going to work out," Mack said. "I'm really happy right now and it's a big relief."

Just arrived at the Los Angeles studios of Fox Sports Prime Ticket, where I, along with several of Josh Shirley's family members and the Press-Enterprise's Mirijam Swanson, are awaiting the Kaiser linebacker's college announcement.

As for Shirley, he's dressed to impress, with snazzy white dress shoes with gold laces with white dress pants and a white button-down shirt with a black t-shirt under it. He is also loaded with envelopes and National Letters of Intent.

"Anxious," said Shirley simply about his mood at this moment. Shirley also indicated that this decision was more nerve-wracking than any football game he has played to to date.

Also in attendance is Rancho Cucamonga running back Michael Boyd, a friend of Shirley who's also looking to sign a letter of intent over the next

So who will Shirley pick of USC, Miami (Fla), Washington and Arizona? He's done a great job of holding his cards tight and he seems to be still debating the decision as we hang out in the hall of Fox Sports Prime Ticket, but my hunch is either USC or Miami, more than likely USC. But I guess we'll see in less than an hour.

Got off the phone with Redlands athletic director Ken Morse a couple minutes ago and he indicated that the Terriers will hold their Signing Day ceremony at 12:30 p.m. today. Expected to sign are LB Jordan Thomas (San Diego State), LB Cole Gridley (Valparaiso), K Shaun McClain (Montana State) and OL Justin Corrales (Bryant University). Morse wasn't 100 percent on Corrales' school of choice though.

Also, Arroyo Valley will hold its signing ceremony as part of a senior assembly at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. The signees, LB Ofa Fifita (Fresno State) and WR Damon Ogburn (San Jose State), will send in their letters of intent today.

Arrived at Colton High School 20 minutes ago and discovered that cornerback Jonathan Mack verbally committed to UNLV and will sign his letter of intent in a few minutes here. Mack joins safety Derrick Malone and kicker Alejandro Maldonado, who will sign with Oregon, as Division I signees.

Sitting in the Redlands East Valley gym right now after attending the Wildcats' National Signing Day ceremony, which saw DE Andrew Hudson sign with Washington, QB Tyler Shreve ink with Utah, OL David Peterson sign with San Jose State and RB A.J. Fernandez and LB Dillon Curley sign with Northwestern College out of the NAIA.

Arroyo Valley wide receiver Damon Ogburn, who committed to Idaho State after officially visiting the campus this past weekend, has reversed field and committed to San Jose State according to AVHS head coach Marcus Soward.

Ogburn's switch was based on logisitics, as he felt that San Jose State gave him better access to his family in San Bernardino.

"San Jose is about a five-hour drive to San Bernardino and that was the biggest factor," Soward said. "He thought about it and felt that Idaho State was a little too far away from his family."

Ogburn joins DE Keenan Brown, who signed with the Spartans two years ago, as Arroyo Valley players who have gone off to San Jose State. Brown's tale was similar, as he was committed to Utah State before switching to the Spartans in the 11th hour.

Arroyo Valley will have a ceremony for Ogburn and LB Ofa Fifita, who committed to Fresno State, Thursday as part of its senior assembly. Both players will fax their letters of intent to schools tomorrow though.

Colton kicker Alejandro Maldonado, verbally committed to Washington since the summer, decommitted Sunday to Oregon after officially visiting the campus according to Colton athletic director Harold Strauss. The Seattle Times also wrote a story about it, which can be read here.

"He cancelled a trip three weeks ago and was just going to stay with Washington, but we told him that you need to see (Oregon) and make a decision from that," Strauss said. "He went up for a visit this weekend, loved it, and now he's going to Oregon."

Maldonado will be joining teammate Derrick Malone, a safety who committed to the Ducks in November, in Eugene. They'll be signing their letters of intent in Colton's auditorium during second period Wednesday at roughly 8:30 a.m., hopefully joined by cornerback Jonathan Mack.

Mack, who has been offered by Nebraska, Iowa State, UNLV and Utah State, is in limbo right now, as schools who have previously offered may have filled their available slots in Strauss' opinion.

"He went up for an official visit with Derrick to Nebraska in October and everything seemed good, but we haven't heard from (Nebraska coach Bo) Pelini in a while," Strauss said. "We told Jonathan that sometimes its better to reserve a spot because things fill up, but he wanted to concentrate on the season. Things are happening for him all at once right now and hopefully it will work out."

Been working the phones a bit this morning and got information on a few signing-day press conferences. Redlands East Valley will be holding its press conference at the crack of dawn Wednesday, with a 7 a.m. signing with DE Andrew Hudson (Washington), QB Tyler Shreve (Utah) and OL David Peterson (San Jose State) set to be in REV's football office.

Serrano will be holding its signing at 10:30 a.m. in the performing arts room on campus. Set to sign are DE Everett Beed (San Diego State) and RB Dionza Bradford (UNLV), along with a few soccer players according to athletic director Ray Maholchic.

Kaiser linebacker Josh Shirley will be at the FOX studios in Los Angeles for his announcement Wednesday. While the exact time of the announcement hasn't been set yet, Shirley was told to be at the studios at 11 a.m. according to a text he sent me. Shirley is deciding between USC, Miami (Fla), Washington and Arizona.

Kaiser linebacker Josh Shirley returned from an official visit from Miami (Fla) Sunday indicating that he was still undecided on a college choice according to an article published by Miami's Rivals.com site. The article, written here says that Shirley will be choosing between USC, Miami (Fla), Arizona and Washington on National Signing Day Wednesday.

Arroyo Valley wide receiver Damon Ogburn committed to Idaho State today after officially visiting the campus this weekend according to AVHS coach Marcus Soward. Soward indicated earlier in the week that Ogburn was blown away by the Idaho State coaching staff when they visited the campus. The All-Sun wideout was also offered by San Jose State.

Got a text message from Arroyo Valley head coach Marcus Soward this morning confirming the commitment of linebacker Ofa Fifita to Fresno State. Fifita, a three-star prospect according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com, chose the Bulldogs over Nevada, Colorado State, Hawaii and UNLV.

"This feels awesome right now," Soward said. "Ofa actually committed last night. Pat Hill came by the school a couple of days ago and was really impressive. He was a great guy who capitivated everyone - he was joking around with the secretaries and really made a good presentation.

"Fresno State is a very good program that goes to bowls and plays the upper-echelon teams and more importantly, they graduate players. That's what I really enjoyed about what he said."

Fifita visited Fresno State last weekend and was scheduled to go to Hawaii this weekend before pulling the trigger. His commitment marks the third straight year that the Hawks have had a player commit to a Division I FBS school, joining defensive end Keenan Brown (San Jose State) and quarterback Robert Fuller (Utah State) from two years ago and freshman All-American offensive lineman Michael Philipp (Oregon State) from last year.

"When I came here two years ago, my goal was to give kids the opportunity to go to college and hopefully, get them to graduate from college," Soward said. "If they do well and make it to the pros that's great, but getting them a college degree is what I want. There's plenty of talent around here and recruiters are picking up on it. If we hit the books a little harder around here this will continue."

Another Hawk, wide receiver Damon Ogburn, has also received Division I interest and could sign Wednesday. He is down to Idaho State, an FCS school that he is taking an official visit to this weekend, and San Jose State, where he has already visited. Soward expects to know Ogburn's decision Sunday when he comes back from Idaho State.

Fifita's commitment is also the third from a county player to Fresno State, joining Rancho Cucamonga quarterback Greg Watson and Los Osos wide receiver Sean Alston.

This is what we got on the Sun side heading into National Signing Day Wednesday. Let me know if there is anyone that has to be added.

Jamil Austin, RB, Colony -- Portland State (FCS)
Everett Beed, DL/TE, Serrano -- San Diego State
Jered Bell, DB, Colony -- Colorado
Gary Berwick, OL, Rancho Cucamonga - San Diego (FCS)
Steven Bethley, DB, Don Lugo - Montana State (FCS)
Dionza Bradford, RB, Serrano -- UNLV
Anthony Brown, RB/DB, Kaiser -- USC
Ronald Douglas, RB, Chaffey - Sacramento State (FCS)
Ofa Fifita, LB, Arroyo Valley - Fresno State
Manase Foketi, OL, Mt. SAC (Sultana) - Kansas State
Ricky Howard, TE, Chaffey College (Hesperia) -- Iowa State
Andrew Hudson, DL, Redlands East Valley -- Washington
Jim Jones, WR, Aquinas -- UTEP
Alejandro Maldonado, K, Colton -- Oregon
Derrick Malone, DB, Colton -- Oregon
Nick Martin, OL, Los Osos - UTEP
Damon Ogburn, WR, Arroyo Valley -- San Jose State
David Peterson, OL, Redlands East Valley -- San Jose State
Bryce Quigley, TE, Granite Hills -- San Diego State
Bobby Ratliff, WR, Etiwanda -- Washington State
Angel Santiago, QB, Etiwanda -- Army
Kenneth Scott, WR, Colony -- Utah
Tyler Shreve, QB, Redlands East Valley -- Utah
Corey Sims, DB, Upland -- Sacramento State (FCS)
Randall Telfer, TE, Rancho Cucamonga -- USC
Jordan Thomas, DL, Redlands -- San Diego State
Sebastian Tretola, OL, Cajon -- Nevada
George Uko, DL, Don Lugo -- USC
Jay Waddell, WR, Hesperia -- San Diego State
Tony Washington, DL, Los Osos -- Oregon
Greg Watson, QB, Rancho Cucamonga -- Fresno State

Serrano running back Dionza Bradford apparently is back with UNLV, recommitting to the Rebels last week after an official visit to the school that he originally verballed to over the summer.

Bradford, a first-team all-CIF and second-team all-Sun selection, verbally committed to UNLV coach Mike Sanford in July along with Serrano teammate Everett Beed but decommitted in November after Sanford was fired. Both Bradford and Beed committed to San Diego State in December after an official visit to the campus but changed back to UNLV and new coach Bobby Hauck last weekend according to Rivals.com

Beed is still solid with San Diego State after an official visit to Arizona State according to Rivals. com.

Eric Sonderheimer's high school notebook for Monday led off with the story of Etiwanda quarterback Angel Santiago's verbal commitment to Army and the factors that went into that decision. It can be read here.

According to USC's Rivals.com site, Kaiser linebacker Josh Shirley said that he is going to announce his college choice on Fox Sports for National Signing Day next Wednesday. The article, which can be accessed here with a Rivals.com subscription, also outlined his official visit to USC this weekend and his plans between now and National Signing Day.

Shirley confirmed that he is visiting Miami (Fla) next weekend and also confirmed that he's scheduled an in-home visit with new USC head coach Lane Kiffin for the day before NSD. Shirley also discussed his trip, notably his interactions with USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who showed him tapes of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Brooks.

"It was the whole nine-yards," said Shirley. "Just being compared to (Derrick) Brooks is an honor. I think I'd be comfortable on either side - (SAM or WILL)."

We'll continue to keep you posted on Shirley - the top uncommitted prospect left in the county - as we head closer to Signing Day.

Kaiser linebacker Josh Shirley - a top 150 recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com - has kept his poker face pretty well throughout the recruiting process, as it has been tough to get a read on the 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker's intentions.

"I have a lot of schools I'm looking at right now," Shirley said. "I wouldn't say that there's one school that's my favorite right now."

Shirley has been frugal with his official visits, taking one to Washington in October and another to Arizona in November to go along with several unofficial visits to USC and UCLA. But the next two weekends will see Shirley on the road, as he heads to USC this weekend and out to Miami (Fla.) in the last weekend before National Signing Day on February 2.

All-Sun first-team quarterback Angel Santiago, the most potent dual-threat quarterback in the area in my opinion, verbally committed to Army this week according to a text message sent to colleague Clay Fowler by Etiwanda coach Steven Bryce. A writeup in Fowler's blog can be found here. Santiago is the second county quarterback to commit to a service academy in the last three seasons, joining Big Bear's Kriss Proctor, who committed to Navy in 2008 and just finished his sophomore year as the backup quarterback for the Midshipmen.

A day after Tyler Shreve committed to Utah, Redlands East Valley offensive lineman David Peterson committed to San Jose State according to scout.com. Peterson was a first-team all-CIF and all-Sun selection and a three-year starter for the Wildcats, playing primarily at center this year.

Redlands East Valley quarterback Tyler Shreve switched his verbal commitment from Colorado State to Utah after taking an official visit to Utah according to the Salt Lake City Tribune. The story can be found on the Tribune's blog, along with this quote by Shreve.

"The coaches seem like good guys, it's a similar system to what we have at my high school and I enjoyed hanging out with the players," he said. "I could see myself being there in Salt Lake no problem."

Shreve committed to Colorado State in October but will join a surging Utes program fresh off consecutive Top 20 finishes. He'll join Colony WR Kenneth Scott, Riverside North WR Dres Anderson and Norco athlete Joseph Smith as members of this Utah recruiting class.

The recruiting for Arroyo Valley linebacker Ofa Fifita and Arroyo Valley wide receiver Damon Ogburn is picking up steam, as both players have received offers recently according to Hawks coach Marcus Soward.

Soward said that Fifita has just been offered by Fresno State while Ogburn, a fast-riser after a dominant senior season, was offered by UNLV. Ogburn will be on the San Bernardino County all-star team in tonight's Inland Empire All-Star Football Classic at Corona High School.

Both players will be taking an official visit to San Jose State next week, part of a busy January. Two weeks from now, Fifita will head to Fresno State while Ogburn will be at UNLV, while the weekend of Jan. 29 will see Fifita visiting Hawaii and Ogburn visiting Idaho State.

Talked to Serrano defensive end Everett Beed this morning, as he was one of the San Bernardino county all-stars present at this morning's media day. During the conversation, Beed confirmed that him and teammate Dionza Bradford committed to San Diego State after an official visit to the school two weekends ago.

"We're committed," Beed said. "Dionza is all San Diego State. We really liked what they had and we liked that there are going to be four High Desert guys there."

Bradford and Beed join Hesperia WR Jay Waddell and Granite Hills TE Bryce Quigley as Aztec commits. They both initially committed to UNLV but decommitted after the Rebels' coach, Mike Sanford, was fired in late November.

Beed did leave the door open for a future change, as he indicated that he is taking an official visit to Arizona within the next month. However, he reiterated that it would take a lot for the Wildcats to sway him.

"I want to see what Arizona has to offer," Beed said. "But San Diego State is a great place and I'm committed to them."

Cajon offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola made a verbal commitment to the University of Nevada after taking his official visit to the school this past weekend according to an e-mail sent by his father Sunday evening. Tretola, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive tackle, was the linchpin of a Cajon offensive line that led the Cowboys to their fourth straight playoff berth.

Subscribers can read about Tretola's commitment here.

Speaking of Malone, the senior safety made a verbal committment to the Ducks over the weekend according to Rivals.com, just over a month after Oregon offered the 6-foot-3, 195-pound 3-star safety.

Malone, who was considering Nebraska, Washington, Arizona State and Arizona, made his commitment after taking an official visit to Eugene for Oregon's rivalry game for Oregon State last Thursday.

Also, Serrano running back Dionza Bradford and defensive end Everett Beed informed me at the CIF-SS football luncheon that they will be taking official visits to San Diego State next weekend. Both Diamondbacks were committed to UNLV, but decommitted when the school fired head coach Mike Sanford in November.

Got an e-mail earlier today from REV athletic director Rhonda Fouch mentioning a couple more signings of REV athletes to scholarships. According to the e-mail, softball player Leanne Lopez signed with Cal State Northridge while girls basketball player Shelby Kaenel signed with Cal Baptist.

Redlands defensive end Jordan Thomas verbally committed to San Diego State this past weekend, according to Rivals.com. The 6-foot-1, 240-pounder, a three-star prospect according to Rivals, chose the Aztecs over San Jose State.

Thomas joins Colony cornerback Jered Bell, who verbally committed to Colorado last week after paying a visit to the campus in Boulder, Colo., on Nov. 6, according to Colony head football coach Anthony Rice. Bell was drawing interest from Colorado State, among others, but Colorado made his only scholarship offer.

This week also saw Los Osos forward Khalil Kelley sign with University of Pacific. The 6-foot-7 power forward averaged 9.3 points and 7.3 rebounds last season in helping the Grizzlies to a second-place finish in the Baseline League.

A couple we missed in today's paper - and in the blog until now - that we are catching up with include Hesperia softball player Kelsey Byrd, who signed with George Mason, and Rancho Cucamonga gymnast Jordan Williams, who inked with Arizona.

Here's the list we have. Once again, let me know who else we've missed, if any:

This is what we got so far. Like I said, let us know who we are missing.

BASEBALL
Brian Derryberry, Yucaipa - UC Riverside
Scott Frazier, Upland - Pepperdine
Jack Heildman, Claremont - San Diego
Jake Hernandez, Los Osos - USC
Kyle McNutt, Redlands East Valley - UNLV
Griffin Murphy, Redlands East Valley - San Diego
Wyatt Padgett, Yucaipa - BYU
Austin Reed, Rancho Cucamonga - San Diego State
Ernesto Zaragosa, Kaiser - San Diego State

BOYS BASKETBALL
Derek Brown, Chino Hills - San Jose State
J.J. O'Brien, Alta Loma - Utah

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Jasmine Bernard, Etiwanda - UC Irvine
Maiya Michel, Summit - Denver
Ericka Norman, Chino Hills - Sacred Heart
Adrianne Thomas, Summit - Arizona State
Chloe Wells, Miller - Duke

GYMNASTICS
Henrietta Green, Cajon - Iowa State
Jordan Williams, Rancho Cucamonga - Arizona

SOFTBALL
Kelsey Byrd, Hesperia - George Mason
Samantha Dodd, Miller - DePaul
Sarah Free, Claremont - Holy Cross
Jessica Garcia, Redlands - San Jose State
Stevie Goldstein, Aquinas - Loyola Marymount
Jessica Hall, Ayala - UCLA
Erin Jones-Wesley, Los Osos - Long Beach State
Whitney Jones, Upland - Washington
Amy Nece, Redlands East Valley - North Carolina
Alyssia Palomino, Kaiser - Auburn
Natalee Pulver, Etiwanda - Marshall
Talee Snow, Chino Hills - UCLA
Bre'jae Washington, Cajon - Texas

VOLLEYBALL
Delainey Aigner-Swesey, Serrano - Long Beach State
Johnna Fouch, Redlands East Valley - San Diego State

GIRLS WATER POLO
Chelsea Parks, Los Osos - Long Beach State

Just got a call from Redlands East Valley athletic director Rhonda Fouch notifying me of three REV athletes signing during the early signing period. Volleyball player Johnna Fouch will sign with San Diego State Friday at 7 p.m. in the REV ASB room, while softball player Amy Nece will sign with North Carolina early next week, as will baseball player Griffin Murphy with San Diego. Nece is going on an official visit to North Carolina this upcoming weekend according to Fouch.

This is what we got so far. Like I said, let us know who we are missing.

BASEBALL
Brian Derryberry, Yucaipa - UC Riverside
Scott Frazier, Upland - Pepperdine
Jack Heildman, Claremont - San Diego
Jake Hernandez, Los Osos - USC
Griffin Murphy, Redlands East Valley - San Diego
Wyatt Padgett, Yucaipa - BYU
Austin Reed, Rancho Cucamonga - San Diego State
Ernesto Zaragosa, Kaiser - San Diego State

BOYS BASKETBALL
Derek Brown, Chino Hills - San Jose State
J.J. O'Brien, Alta Loma - Utah

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Jasmine Bernard, Etiwanda - UC Irvine
Maiya Michel, Summit - Denver
Ericka Norman, Chino Hills - Sacred Heart
Adrianne Thomas, Summit - Arizona State
Chloe Wells, Miller - Duke

GYMNASTICS
Henrietta Green, Cajon - Iowa State

SOFTBALL
Samantha Dodd, Miller - DePaul
Sarah Free, Claremont - Holy Cross
Jessica Garcia, Redlands - San Jose State
Stevie Goldstein, Aquinas - Loyola Marymount
Jessica Hall, Ayala - UCLA
Erin Jones-Wesley, Los Osos - Long Beach State
Whitney Jones, Upland - Washington
Amy Nece, Redlands East Valley - North Carolina
Alyssia Palomino, Kaiser - Auburn
Natalee Pulver, Etiwanda - Marshall
Talee Snow, Chino Hills - UCLA
Bre'jae Washington, Cajon - Texas

VOLLEYBALL
Delainey Aigner-Swesey, Serrano - Long Beach State
Johnna Fouch, Redlands East Valley - San Diego State

GIRLS WATER POLO
Chelsea Parks, Los Osos - Long Beach State

Its not a Fall Signing Period without some input from the Yucaipa baseball team, which will have two players signing this week. First baseman Wyatt Padgett will sign with BYU while outfielder Brian Derryberry will sign with UC Riverside at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, according to a voicemail I received from YHS athletic director Mark Anderson.

Any other coaches, athletic directors or parents who have athletes signing with Division I schools this week should e-mail me at tj.berka@inlandnewspapers.com or comment on this blog. We don't want to miss anyone.

Cajon High School will have two athletes signing Friday as part of the 2009 Fall Signing Period, with softball player Bre'jae Washington signing with the University of Texas and gymnast Henrietta Green signing with Iowa State. The signings will take place at 10 a.m. in room B-24 on the Cajon campus.

Kaiser pitcher Alyssia Palomino will sign a letter of intent to play softball at Auburn on Thursday, according to an e-mail sent a few minutes ago by Kaiser softball coach John Stevens. The signing will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the principal's conference room at the high school. Wednesday is the first day of the Fall National Signing Period.

Other softball players expected to sign Wednesday are Aquinas pitcher Stevie Goldstein (Loyola Marymount), Chino Hills second baseman Talee Snow (UCLA) and Ayala pitcher Jessica Hall (UCLA). E-mail me at tj.berka@inlandnewspapers.com or comment on this blog if you know of any other signings going down this week.

Lost in the hubbub last night was the fact that Redlands East Valley defensive end Andrew Hudson committed to the University of Washington Friday afternoon. Hudson, a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com, chose the Huskies over a final three that included Arizona and Oregon State.

"I'm just happy to have this over," Hudson said after REV's 28-20 win over Miller last night. "I know where I'm going to college and it's a great feeling."

Hudson joins a virtual army of REV players that have made the trip up to Seattle, as he joins sophomore quarterback Ronnie Fouch, sophomore defensive back Marquis Persley and redshirt freshman running back Chris Polk on the Huskies. I'm at the Rose Bowl right now to work on a story on Polk and Fouch (Persley didn't make the trip) so this adds another possible angle.

The fall national signing period is fast approaching, as it starts this upcoming Tuesday and runs through November 18. During this time, athletes will be signing letters of intent with four-year colleges to play basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, golf and women's water polo.

A few notables who will likely sign starting on Tuesday are Alta Loma boys basketball player J.J. O'Brien (Utah), Summit girls basketball player Maiya Michel (University of Denver) and Redlands East Valley volleyball player Johnna Fouch (San Diego State).

Know of players signing next week? Send me an e-mail at tj.berka@inlandnewspapers.com or message me on this blog.

I didn't have much time after the Colton-Cajon game Thursday, but I did get a little tidbit about Colton defensive back Derrick Malone's recruitment from Yellowjackets coach Harold Strauss.

Malone, who was the star of Colton's 38-9 victory with 249 yards rushing and four touchdowns, including 80-yarders on Colton's first play of both halves, is heading to the University of Nebraska this weekend on an official visit with the Cornhuskers. It will be his first official visit and should be a good one, as Nebraska hosts rival Oklahoma.

As for his other visits, those are up in the air according to Strauss. A couple of teams high on Malone's list - UCLA and Oregon - have picked up contact and are on the verge of offering in Strauss' opinion. Another Pac-10 team, Arizona, has also been talking with Malone a lot lately and could offer.

"He's going to wait to see if some of these other schools offer and go from there," Strauss said. "I know he's been wanting to hear from some more Pac-10 schools so he'll wait to see what they do and go from there."

Los Osos wide receiver Sean Alston made a verbal commitment to Fresno State today according to Rivals.com. Alston is one of the leading pass-catchers in the county this season, hauling in 31 passes for 552 yards and seven touchdowns for the Grizzlies.

Alston is the third Grizzly to go Division I in the last two seasons, joining QB Richard Brehaut (UCLA) and RB Arby Fields (Northwestern). Los Osos is almost assured of getting a fourth by National Signing Day in February, as defensive end Tony Washington holds several D-1 offers at this point.

Football recruiting also is going strong right now as Aquinas quarterback/wide receiver Jim Jones verbally committed to UTEP last week, according to Scout.com.

The 6-foot-1, 177-pound Jones, a first-team all-Sun pick at wide receiver last year, led the county with 64 receptions for 1,307 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has played much of this season at quarterback for the Falcons and has run and passed for eight touchdowns.

With the fall signing period coming up next month, basketball recruiting is starting to pick up. Three county players have made verbal commitments to Division I schools.

Ayala senior Rhema Gardner verbally committed to UCLA earlier this week according to ESPN.com, joining her older sister and former All-Sun first-team selection Rebekah Gardner. The 6-foot-2 Gardner averaged 12.9 points and 11.1 rebounds for the Bulldogs last season.

Chino Hills guard Derek Brown also made his choice according to Scout.com and picked San Jose State after an official visit last month. Brown, a 6-foot-2 senior, won Sierra League MVP honors by averaging 16.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

But it wasn't just seniors who committed this week. Etiwanda junior swingman Byron Wesley, an all-Sun first-team selection at Cajon last year, committed to USC according to Rivals.com. The 6-foot-5 Wesley averaged 18.7 points and 7.4 rebounds as a sophomore.

The U.S. Army All-American Game selection tour is stopping locally a next Monday, as they'll be swinging by Kaiser High School according to a press release sent earlier today. They will hold a ceremony at 11:43 a.m. with a pep rally to announce the selection of a player to the game, which will be held January 9 in San Antonio, Texas. A jersey will be presented to the player.

The release didn't indicate who the player would be, but the easy money is on Kaiser LB Josh Shirley - a four-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. Shirley, who had 17 sacks a year ago and is the anchor of a ferocious Cats defense, has scholarship offers from around the country and is down to a final 8 of USC, UCLA, California, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Miami (Fla.), Arizona and Washington.

This will be the second stop in the IE for the tour, as it stopped at Rancho Verde High School last week to present 5-star DE Ronald Powell with an invitation. Arroyo Valley's Michael Philipp, now a freshman at Oregon State, played in the game last year.

Etiwanda wide receiver Bobby Ratliff verbally committed to Washington State Wednesday according to Scout.com. Ratliff, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound receiver, called the Cougar coaches up to notify them of his decision.

"I told them I had good news, that I was committing to Washington State. I heard in the background a 'Yeah Bobby!' Ratliff said to Scout.com. "It was everything -- the coaches, how close the coaches and the players were, the college town, I just really liked all of it."

Ratliff, who has 20 receptions for 227 yards and two touchdowns this despite missing a game due to injury, was also offered by Nevada, New Mexico, New Mexico State and San Diego State. He joins WR Marvin Jones (California), RB Vince Minor (New Mexico) and DE Ike Nduka (Fresno State) as Eagles who have committed/signed to Division I schools over the past two years.

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.

Chaffey College tight end Ricky Howard, a graduate of Hesperia High School, verbally committed to Iowa State Wednesday night, according to a phone call received from Howard's mother by colleague J.P. Hoornstra.

Howard, an all-Mojave River League performer for the Scorpions in 2006 and 2007, is entering his sophomore year at Chaffey. He's planning on enrolling at Iowa State in January and join the Cyclones for practice next spring.

Rim of the World sophomore shortstop Elizabeth Caporuscio, who helped lead the Fighting Scots to the Mojave River League title this past season, verbally committed to Arizona State according to an e-mail sent by Rim athletic director Josh Hill. Caporuscio was a first-team all-MRL selection for Rim, hitting .510 with three home runs, 26 RBIs and 10 doubles this season.

There is a lot going on in the world of football recruiting, as the May evaluation period is underway. According to Rivals.com, Colton kicker Alejandro Maldonado has verbally committed to Washington while teammates Derrick Malone and Jonathan Mack are receiving intersst from schools such as Nebraska.

Maldonado verbally committed to the Huskies after they saw him practice Wednesday, which he accepted. This is what Maldonado told Rivals:

"I accepted it right away," he said. "It feels really good. It was my first one. I told my mom and dad about it, and everybody is really excited. I would say I'm a soft commitment, but I was told that I could come in there right and be their starting kicker right away."

Malone, a safety, is up to five scholarship offers (Arizona State, Nebraska, Nevada, UTEP and Washington) while Mack, a cornerback, has an offer from the Cornhuskers.

Kaiser defensive end Josh Shirley, a first-team all-Sun player last year, has added offers from Arizona and UCLA to the three other offers he's already received. Shirley - the younger brother of Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle and Kaiser graduate Jason Shirley - was offered by Arizona today and UCLA over the weekend according to this article by Rivals.com.

Shirley has also been offered by San Diego State, Fresno State and Stanford. As a junior, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end had 17 sacks, leading the county in that category.

Rancho Cucamonga tight end Randal Telfer, who already sported offers from Stanford and Tennessee, received another offer tonight, as Michigan's Rivals.com site, TheWolverine.com, has reported that the Wolverines have offered Telfer. Telfer, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound incoming senior, is on the Rivals250 Players to Watch list and was a first-team all-County and all-CIF player for the CIF-SS Central Division champion Cougars last year.

Redlands East Valley defensive end Andrew Hudson, a first-team all-CIF and second-team all-County selection as a junior last season, has picked up an offer from Fresno State according to an article released today by Rivals.com. That article can be accessed here, with a Rivals. subscription likely being needed.

Hudson, who will be competing at 215 pounds at the CIF-SS Southern Division Individual Wrestling Tournament at Temecula Chaparral, had 70 tackles, nine sacks and a fumble recovery for the Wildcats last season. Along with the Fresno State offer, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Hudson is getting quite a bit of Pac-10 love from schools such as UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State and Washington.

Hudson is one of two potentially elite senior recruits that REV will have next season, joining dual-threat quarterback Tyler Shreve.

Here is the complete breakdown of Division I-A and Division I-AA signees per high school and per college.

By High School:
1. Upland 4; 2 tie. Cajon 3; Colony 3; 4 tie. Arroyo Valley 2; Diamond Ranch 2; Etiwanda 2; Los Osos 2; Rancho Cucamonga 2; Redlands 2; Redlands East Valley 2; 11 tie. Aquinas 1; Ayala 1; Bloomington 1; Colton 1; Diamond Bar 1; Eisenhower 1; Kaiser 1; Norco 1; Pomona 1; Roosevelt 1; San Bernardino 1; San Dimas 1; Yucaipa 1.

Obviously Upland was the big winner individually, especially since they had two Pac-10 guys (Josh Nunes and Osahon Irabor) and a Big Ten guy (Davion Fleming). But the city of San Bernardino had seven players (Aarein Booker, Chris Bradford, Daron Griffin, Walter Kazee, Michael Philipp, Marlon Pollard and J.P. Ragan) sign, with Colton's Nat Berhe giving the SAL another signee.

By University
1. UCLA 5; 2 tie. Oregon State 3; San Diego State 3; 4 tie. Fresno State 2; Idaho 2; New Mexico State 2; Northwestern 2; 8 tie. Air Force 1; Arizona State 1; Cal Poly SLO 1; Colorado State 1; Columbia 1; Louisville 1; Montana 1; Navy 1; New Mexico 1; Northern Arizona 1; South Florida 1; Southern Utah 1; Stanford 1; SUNY Stony Brook 1; UNLV 1; Utah 1; UTEP 1; Washington State 1.

A couple things stand out to me. The first one is the dominance of UCLA. Rick Neuheisel seems to recognize the growth of the Inland Empire and made great efforts out here, signing Marlon Pollard, Jayson Allmond, Richard Brehaut, Jared Koster and Brandon Sermons. San Diego State, who "hasn't been out here in years" according to Cajon coach Kim Battin seems to be making an IE effort under new coach Brady Hoke. Oregon State had a big year, while Fresno State continues its steady haul of local talent.

A couple of oddities exist as you go further. One is Northwestern, which picked off Fleming and Arby Fields from the Baseline League despite its location in suburban Chicago. Another is SUNY Stony Brook, who signed Taj Johnson from Upland this year, took Dominick Reyes from Hesperia last year and was in on Daron Griffin. Seems like this Long Island school is a player.

Also, look out for New Mexico State and Eastern Michigan in the future. The Aggies are now coached by former UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker - who is well-versed in the area - while Eastern Michigan is now being coached by Ganesha graduate Ron English. English recruited Southern California well for Michigan while on Lloyd Carr's staff and pulled Titus Teague from Pomona for Louisville while serving as defensive coordinator there this past season. Don't be surprised if the Eagles start coming up in conversation among 2010 recruits.

This is what I got so far. If I'm missing anyone, shoot me a comment or e-mail me at tj.berka@inlandnewspapers.com

FOOTBALL
Jayson Allmond, FB, Bloomington - UCLA
Joshua Andrews, OL, Colony - Oregon State
Nat Berhe, DB, Colton - San Diego State
Aarein Booker, DB, San Bernardino - San Diego State
Chris Bradford, DL, Arroyo Valley -- Montana (I-AA)
Richard Brehaut, QB, Los Osos - UCLA
Quayshawn Buckley, DL, Colony - Washington State
Lance Evbuowman, TE, Bakersfield CC (REV) - UTEP
Arby Fields, RB, Los Osos - Northwestern
Davion Fleming, RB, Upland - Northwestern
Daron Griffin, OL, Cajon - Southern Utah (I-AA)
Obun Gwacham, WR, Ayala - Oregon State
Osahon Irabor, CB, Upland - Arizona State
Alex Jefferies, WR, Eisenhower - Fresno State
Taj Johnson, DB, Upland - SUNY-Stony Brook (I-AA)
Walter Kazee, RB, Cajon -- San Diego State
Jared Koster, LB, Norco - Colorado State
Colin Lockett, DB, Diamond Bar -- San Diego State
Rex Meikel, DL, Yucaipa - New Mexico State
Vincent Minor, RB, Etiwanda - New Mexico
Immanuel Mitchell, CB, Roosevelt - Colorado State
Brock Morris, OL, Redlands - Cal Poly SLO (I-AA)
Ibe Nduka, DE, Etiwanda - Fresno State
Josh Nunes, QB, Upland - Stanford
Craig Payne, DL, Colony - Utah
Michael Philipp, OL, Arroyo Valley - Oregon State
Michael Poage, DL, Redlands - Columbia (I-AA)
Marlon Pollard, DB, Cajon - UCLA
David Quiroga, DB, Ayala - New Mexico State
J.P. Ragan, FB, Aquinas - Northern Arizona (I-AA)
Carlos Savala, OL, College of the Desert (Kaiser) - South Florida
Brandon Sermons, DB, Diamond Ranch - UCLA
Irshad Stolden, WR, Rancho Cucamonga - UNLV
Titus Teague, RB, Pomona - Louisville
Bryan Townsend, OL, Rancho Cucamonga - Air Force
Graham Vickers, OL, Diamond Ranch - Navy
Gary Walker, DB, Redlands East Valley - Idaho

GIRLS SOCCER
Kellie Bohner, MF, Yucaipa - SMU
Hannah Carroll, MF, Redlands - SMU
Jessica Cortez, MF/F, Kaiser - UC Riverside

Sometimes lost in the hoopla of the football signings on National Signing Day are soccer signings. But there will be three local girls soccer players signing this week.

Redlands midfielder Hannah Carroll and Yucaipa midfielder Kellie Bohner, who play on the same club team, will both sign with SMU this week according to Yucaipa athletic director Mark Anderson. Carroll has five goals and nine assists for the Terriers this year while Bohner - Yucaipa's leading scorer a year ago - has missed much of the season with an ankle injury.

Kaiser midfielder/forward Jessica Cortez is also signing this week, as she'll be heading to UC Riverside. Cortez has been the leader of a powerful Kaiser team for the past few years, Cortez has 12 goals and six assists for the Cats this season.

Wednesday morning at Cajon High School will be a busy one, as running back Walter Kazee and offensive lineman Daron Griffin will be signing letters of intent. Kazee, the All-County Most Valuable Player, verbally committed to San Diego State after taking an official visit there over the weekend according to Cajon athletic director Rich Imbriani, while Griffin verbally committed to Division I-AA Southern Utah over the weekend. Griffin, another all-County first-team selection, also made his commitment after an official visit.

The two will be joining cornerback Marlon Pollard, who is expected to sign with UCLA after verbally committing to the Bruins three weeks ago. Pollard was committed to Notre Dame, who is still recruiting him heavily, before he switched to UCLA.

Cajon defensive back Marlon Pollard verbally committed to UCLA after visiting the school on Jan. 10, decommitting from Notre Dame in the process. But that hasn't stopped the Fighting Irish from pursuing Pollard, a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Corwin Brown stopped by the Pollard household last Wednesday to meet with the 6-foot-1, 170-pound all-CIF and all-County first-team selection and will have an in-home with the Pollard family Wednesday night according to Marlon's mother, Rachael Pollard.

"We have a great deal of respect for Corwin and a great deal of appreciation for how Notre Dame has approached their recruitment of Marlon," Pollard said. "We believe in not closing doors and getting all the information possible. Corwin has been up front with Marlon throughout this entire process and wants to put all the information he has out on the table."

Rachael Pollard reiteriated that her son is 100 percent committed to UCLA, with whom Marlon committed to prior to his junior year at Valencia before decommitting after Karl Dorrell's firing for Notre Dame, citing the bond Marlon had with the players and UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel.

"Marlon has a bond with the UCLA players and really wants to stay home and play in front of his family and friends," Rachael said. "That's the reason why we moved back to the Inland Empire to begin with. Our family is out here and Marlon was born in Pomona and played youth football in Rancho Cucamonga. He wanted to come back to where he was from.

"He wants to play in Southern California for coach Neuheisel. (Neuheisel) was very upfront about mistakes he made in his past and very honest about it, which is something we appreciate."

Redlands East Valley defensive back Gary Walker recently committed to the University of Idaho according to REV coach Kurt Bruich. Walker, who was an all-CIF and all-County selection after transferring from Rialto High School last offseason, visited Idaho this past weekend and apparently loved every bit of his trip.

"After seeing Gary early this week, I had an idea of where he was going," Bruich said. "I know that he had a great time up there.

"He's a great pickup for Idaho. He's a special player. He plays fast and when you need an impact play, he'll come up with it for you."

Walker chose the Vandals over teams such as Arizona State and Fresno State. He had been to both campuses, but chose Idaho's instead. He is the third Wildcat to make that choice in recent years, joining kicker Trey Farquhar (2008) and linebacker Andre Ferguson (2007).

"We have a nice pipeline going there," Bruich said. "Gary knows those guys, which will definitely help him out."

Aquinas running back J.J. Ragan, the Christian League Offensive MVP and a third-team all-County performer, verbally committed to Northern Arizona University this past weekend according to Scout.com. Ragan, a bruising 5-foot-10, 215-pound senior, was one of the leading rushers in the County, rushing for 1,293 yards and 17 touchdowns in helping lead the Falcons to a Christian League championship.

The article detailing Ragan's commitment can be accessed here.

Arroyo Valley offensive lineman Michael Philipp, rated the No. 1 guard and the No. 38 player in the nation, has verbally committed to Oregon State, according to Arroyo Valley head coach Marcus Soward.

Philipp chose the Beavers over several suitors, most notably Stanford, UCLA, California and Oregon. The 6-foot-3, 320-pound Philipp took an official visit to Oregon State this past weekend.

"Mike committed yesterday," Soward said. "He didn't have a big speech planned about why he chose Oregon State and why it was the best place for him. He went up there and just felt comfortable. They have a real family environment and he just felt like it was the best place for him. They were straight shooters with him and Mike feels like he can make a real impact."

Philipp is the next in a long line of brothers to emerge in the Division I ranks. Paul Philipp went to Arizona after playing at San Bernardino High while Hans Philipp will be a redshirt sophomore at Arizona after playing at Arroyo Valley.

Soward, who graduated from Arizona State and played defensive back for the Sun Devils in the 1997 Rose Bowl, was happy to see Philipp join the fraternity of Pac-10 football players.

"I was hoping that he would go to a Pac-10 school," Soward said. "The great thing about Pac-10 schools is that they are great academic institutions that also play some great football. The Pac-10 was undefeated during bowls this year, which is a pretty incredible accomplishment."

Michael Philipp joins Hans Philipp (2007), Keenan Brown (San Jose State, 2008) and Robert Fuller (Utah State, 2008) as Arroyo Valley players that have or will sign with Division I programs.

"It's huge for our program," Soward said. "Can you imagine the type of impact a guy like Michael Philipp, a player who is getting a full ride to a Pac-10 school, would have on a freshman? It shows that if you work hard and take care of business in the classroom, you can go off to a Division I college, even a Pac-10 one if things go well."

Redlands offensive lineman Brock Morris, a first-team all-CIF and first-team all-County selection, verbally committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo over the weekend after taking an official visit.

Morris, who was also looking at Army and Portland State, fell in love with the campus and committed right on the spot when asked.

"It was everything I was looking for," Morris said. "It's a great team, great school, great campus. I liked everything about it and I can't wait to get there (August 2). It feels good to have it over and be at a school that I really like."

A lot of the draw toward Cal Poly SLO was their hiring of former Pacific graduate Saga Tuitele as co-offensive coordinator. Tuitele, a standout for the Pirates in the mid-1990s and a graduate of Portland State, was hired this month after spending a two-year stint as the offensive line coach at Army - where he was Morris' main recruiter.

"Having coach Tuitele at Cal Poly is a pretty big deal," Morris said. "He's the one that got me interested at Army and I built a pretty good relationship with him. I can't wait to go and play for him."

Morris is the second Terrier to commit to a Division I-AA school of high academic standing, with all-CIF and all-County first teamer Michael Poage having already committed to Columbia. Both Morris and Poage will sign their letters of intent to make their choices official February 4.

When San Bernardino senior defensive back Aarein Booker went on his official visit to San Diego State this past weekend, he wasn't necessarily thinking about committing. But after spending an entire day on the campus, he knew that he wanted to be an Aztec.
"I was thinking about everything right before I went to bed," Booker said. "When I woke up, I knew what I wanted to do."
Booker, a 6-foot, 180-pound jack of all trades for the Cardinals this season, gave his verbal commitment to San Diego State Sunday morning, becoming the first Division I-A football recruit out of San Bernardino since Paul Philipp committed to Arizona in 2001.
"This is a big deal for us," San Bernardino coach Nick Monica said. "For Aarein to be the first D-I guy we've had in eight years is a pretty big deal for us, especially since we were 2-8 this year."
The Cardinals may have struggled on the field, but none of the blame could be placed on Booker. Along with playing cornerback for San Bernardino, Booker ran for 1,058 yards and even served time at quarterback.
San Diego State is looking at Booker, who is also an accomplished sprinter on the Cardinals' track team, to play at corner. After talking to the Aztec defensive coaches, including defensive coordinator and former New Mexico head coach Rocky Long, Booker was pretty excited about his new role.
"I loved the defense they ran and I loved all the players I talked to," Booker said. "I really feel like I connected with the players and coaches and I really enjoyed the campus."
The trip also included breakfast at the beach on Sunday morning, something his other main suitor, Division I-AA Idaho State, couldn't offer. Booker was planning an official trip to Idaho State this upcoming weekend, but canceled it after committing.

Marlon Pollard had already decided that he was going to come back to UCLA, with whom he had originally verbally committed to before decommitting to Notre Dame, during his official visit on Saturday.

But before the Cajon senior cornerback officially announced that, he had another comeback to take care of first.

"I was playing pool with (UCLA freshman defensive back) Rahim Moore and the stakes were that if I lost, I had to commit right away," Pollard said. "I didn't make any off the break and then he sunk five balls in a row. I thought I was going to lose for sure."

Pollard ended up making the miraculous billiards comeback, allowing him to keep his intentions quiet. But that's not something that Pollard could do for along as Bruin players, recruits, coaches and parents gathered together at head coach Rick Neuheisel's house.

"One of the other guys, I forgot his name, got up and announced his commitment 15 or 20 minutes later and I was like 'What about me, coach? What about me?'" Pollard said. "The coaches let me announce the commitment and everyone was happy."

Most importantly, Pollard is happy with being a Bruin, ending a nearly two-year recruiting saga. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound defensive back committed to UCLA coach Karl Dorrell before his junior year, only to decommit after Dorrell was fired. He then committed to Notre Dame over the summer, but UCLA kept up their pursuit. Stanford also joined in late.

"UCLA has been recruiting Marlon for over two years," said Marlon's mother, Rachael Pollard. "He was the youngest player ever to commit to UCLA. We just felt really comfortable with the players and coaches. We felt it was one big family. I'm very thankful to Stanford and Notre Dame for the interest they showed in Marlon."

Rachael Pollard also cited the job security, or lack thereof, of Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis as a factor. But ultimately, it was where Marlon felt comfortable that won out in her mind.

"It definitely helped that coach Neuheisel is going to be there 3-4 years at the very least," Pollard said. "But if there's one thing I've learned in this process, it's that at the end of the day, it's his decision. As a parent, you have your opinions, but it's needs to be his decision. And Marlon is really happy about UCLA and I'm happy for him. It's a comfortable, family environment with great education opportunities."

With Pollard, UCLA has a big Inland Empire contingent, as he joins Los Osos quarterback Richard Brehaut, Bloomington fullback Jayson Allmond and Diamond Ranch cornerback Brandon Sermons as Bruin committs. That connection, plus bonds he made with other players in the class, was important.

"Richard and I talk a lot," Pollard said. "I also have a pretty good relationship with (Carson TE) Morrell Presley and (La Puente Bishop Amat CB) Sheldon Price. I can't wait to play with all those guys."

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.

After talking to UCLA commit Jayson Allmond at the conclusion of the Inland Empire All-Star Football Classic, I learned that Cajon cornerback Marlon Pollard has switched his commitment back from Notre Dame to UCLA. A corresponding story has gone up on Rivals.com which can be read here.

"I just heard tonight," said Allmond after San Bernardino's 38-7 loss to Riverside County at Los Osos High School. "It's great to have him as a Bruin."

Pollard is on his official visit to UCLA this weekend, which is why he didn't take part in the all-star game. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound cornerback transferred to Cajon from Valencia last winter. He had verbally committed to UCLA in the summer of 2007 but decommitted over this past summer after Karl Dorrell was fired and Rick Neuheisel was hired. He committed to Notre Dame in July and said his commitment was solid when Charlie Weis visited the Cajon campus in early December, but concerns over Weis' job security and Neuheisel's persistence seems to have won out.

Pollard joins an Inland Empire-heavy Bruin recruiting class which includes Allmond, Los Osos QB Richard Brehaut and Diamond Ranch CB Brandon Sermons. I'll have a more in-depth account with Pollard himself up tomorrow.

Redlands offensive lineman Brock Morris has set up a trio of official visits for January, as he looks to pick between Army, UC Davis and Portland State.

Morris, a first-team all-Citrus Belt League selection the last two seasons, is visiting West Point on Jan. 16, UC Davis on Jan. 23 and Portland State on Jan. 30. The Portland State visit was moved because it conflicted with the Inland Empire All-Star Football game.

"I'm pretty excited," Morris said. "Those are the three schools that have been with me the entire time. There are a few schools that have come in at the end, but these three have stayed with me the entire time and are whom I've built a relationship with."

If Morris chooses Army, which he is still high on despite the recent resignation of head coach Stan Brock, he'll be close to teammate Michael Poage, a defensive lineman. Poage, an all-CBL first-team selection, verbally committed to Columbia University earlier this week. With Columbia being in Manhattan and West Point roughly an hour north of New York City, the teammates wouldn't be that far away.

"I guess you are right," Morris said when I pointed that out. "That'd be pretty cool."

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."

Upland cornerback/wide receiver Osahon Irabor, a verbal commitment to Arizona State, cracked the Rivals250 Thursday, moving up to No. 248. In the process, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior was upgraded from a three-star recruit to four stars.

Other local players ranked in the Rivals250 are Arroyo Valley offensive lineman Michael Philipp (No. 38), Los Osos quarterback Richard Brehaut (No. 56) and Cajon cornerback/wide receiver Marlon Pollard (No. 148). Brehaut is committed to UCLA while Pollard is committed to Notre Dame.

Just outside the top 250 is Upland QB Josh Nunes (Stanford) and Diamond Ranch CB Brandon Sermons (UCLA).

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.

Cajon High School got a surprise visit Wednesday, as Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis stopped by campus to talk to Cajon senior cornerback Marlon Pollard, who verbally committed to the Fighting Irish over the summer.

According to Cowboys coach Kim Battin, Weis' visit was part of a West Coast recruiting swing the Notre Dame coach was undertaking after his team's 38-3 loss to USC at the Coliseum on Saturday.

Weis met with Pollard and the Pollard family, spending time on campus and going out to lunch with the Pollards.

"It was cool," Marlon Pollard said. "We've been talking a bit but this week was the first week he could really come out and visit. It was cool to come out and talk about some things."

One thing that wasn't discussed too much was Weis' job security at Notre Dame, which had come under fire after the 6-6 Irish had lost four of their five games. But despite the rampant media speculation, which was quelled Wednesday when Notre Dame announced that Weis was going to be back next season, Pollard wasn't worried. He says he's solid with Notre Dame and isn't planning on taking any visits.

"Coaches still call me, but I don't think I'm going anywhere," Pollard said. "I wasn't really that worried about Coach. My mom knows some people at Notre Dame and if something was about to happen, she would have known about it right away. We weren't hearing anything so we figured everything was all right."

Along with meeting with Pollard, Weis spent a little time talking with the rest of the Cajon team, something that senior defensive back Jeffrey Cooper enjoyed.

"I've never met a major coach like that," Cooper said. "It was pretty cool. He was giving us advice, telling us to keep working hard and play the way we are capable of."

San Gorgonio junior wide receiver/defensive back Anthony Carradine is going to take an unofficial visit to USC next weekend for its game against Notre Dame, according to a call placed by Carradine's dad. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Carradine and the Spartans will start what they hope to be a long playoff run tonight when they play at Chino Hills in the first-round of the CIF-SS Central Division playoffs.

Here we go. Some new additions and a few tweaks here and there.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Perris Blackwell, Etiwanda - San Francisco
Andrew Bock, Eisenhower - Creighton
Curtis Eatmon, Los Osos/Citrus College - University of Detroit-Mercy
Jordan Finn, Etiwanda - Air Force
Chris Cunningham, Diamond Ranch - Santa Clara
Garrett Johnson, Diamond Ranch - Fresno State

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Darshae Burnside, Cajon - Arkansas
Lauren Bushong, Yucca Valley - Cal State Fullerton
Layshia Clarendon, Cajon - California
Cierra Warren, Los Osos - North Carolina
Meghin Williams, Summit - Nebraska
Cierra Windham, Norco - Texas A&M

BASEBALL
David Andriese, Redlands East Valley - UC Riverside
Chris Carlson, Chino Hills - UC Irvine
Matt Davidson, Yucaipa - USC
Jeff Gelalich, Bonita - UCLA
Wes Hatton, Norco - Cal State Fullerton
Matt Hobgood, Norco - Cal State Fullerton
Phillip Holinsworth, Chino Hills - UC Riverside
David Kiriakos, Pacific - Cal State Fullerton
Kyle Lengyel, Diamond Ranch - Loyola Marymount
Jordan Leyland, San Dimas - Washington State
Matt Lowenstein, Chino Hills - Loyola Marymount
Frankie Martin, Yucaipa - Cal State Fullerton
Giovanni Mier, Bonita - USC

SOFTBALL
Megan Allen, Yucaipa - Pacific
Melise Brown, Alta Loma - Eastern Illinois
Kimberly Bruins, Redlands - Texas
Ashley Carter, Bloomington - Cal State Fullerton
Kelli Frye, Norco - Sacramento State
Teagan Gerhart, Norco - Stanford
Stevie Goldstein, Aquinas - Loyola Marymount
Katelyn Mann, Los Osos - Louisville
Brehanna Rodrigues, Cajon - Alabama State
Nani St. Germain, Ayala - Long Beach State
Elizabeth Santana, Etiwanda - UC Davis
Skyler Segura, Chino Hills - Loyola Marymount
Stephanie Thompson, Chino Hills - Brown
Breja'e Washington, Cajon - Texas

VOLLEYBALL
Tori Brummett, Redlands East Valley - Colorado State
Terran Poindexter, Sultana - Gonzaga
Tara Roenicke, Los Osos - Houston

GIRLS GYMNASTICS
Nicolette Lew, Ayala - California

Here we go. Some new additions and a few tweaks here and there.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Perris Blackwell, Etiwanda - San Francisco
Andrew Bock, Eisenhower - Creighton
Jordan Finn, Etiwanda - Air Force
Chris Cunningham, Diamond Ranch - Santa Clara
Garrett Johnson, Diamond Ranch - Fresno State

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Darshae Burnside, Cajon - Arkansas
Lauren Bushong, Yucca Valley - Cal State Fullerton
Layshia Clarendon, Cajon - California
Cierra Warren, Los Osos - North Carolina
Meghin Williams, Summit - Nebraska
Cierra Windham, Norco - Texas A&M

BASEBALL
David Andriese, Redlands East Valley - UC Riverside
Chris Carlson, Chino Hills - UC Irvine
Matt Davidson, Yucaipa - USC
Jeff Gelalich, Bonita - UCLA
Wes Hatton, Norco - Cal State Fullerton
Matt Hobgood, Norco - Cal State Fullerton
Phillip Holinsworth, Chino Hills - UC Riverside
David Kiriakos, Pacific - Cal State Fullerton
Kyle Lengyel, Diamond Ranch - Loyola Marymount
Jordan Leyland, San Dimas - Washington State
Matt Lowenstein, Chino Hills - Loyola Marymount
Frankie Martin, Yucaipa - Cal State Fullerton
Giovanni Mier, Bonita - USC

SOFTBALL
Melise Brown, Alta Loma - Eastern Illinois
Kimberly Bruins, Redlands - Texas
Ashley Carter, Bloomington - Cal State Fullerton
Kelli Frye, Norco - Sacramento State
Teagan Gerhart, Norco - Stanford
Stevie Goldstein, Aquinas - Loyola Marymount
Katelyn Mann, Los Osos - Louisville
Brehanna Rodrigues, Cajon - Alabama State
Nani St. Germain, Ayala - Long Beach State
Elizabeth Santana, Etiwanda - UC Davis
Skyler Segura, Chino Hills - Loyola Marymount
Stephanie Thompson, Chino Hills - Brown
Breja'e Washington, Cajon - Texas

VOLLEYBALL
Tori Brummett, Redlands East Valley - Colorado State
Tara Roenicke, Los Osos - Houston

GIRLS GOLF
Megan Allen, Yucaipa - Pacific

GIRLS GYMNASTICS
Nicolette Lew, Ayala - California

Before going into further playoff scenario entries, complete with awesome commentary, a couple of things we have to clear up from yesterday.

First of all, Redlands East Valley baseball player David Andriese is going to UC Riverside, not UC Santa Barbara as we published yesterday. I apologize for that error.

Also, due to a snafu with our phones and with communication in general, Redlands High School wasn't able to call in its water polo playoff spot yesterday. The Terriers defeated Bell Gardens 21-2 in the first round of the Division III playoffs yesterday at RHS, led by a five-goal performance from Joe Barich and three goals each from Jared Miller and Drew Chamberlain.

The Terriers travel to Laguna Beach High School at 3:15 tomorrow for a quarterfinal matchup with the No. 4 seed. Redlands dropped an earlier match to Laguna tonight, so a victory tomorrow would be huge in its quest for two straight CIF titles.

It doesn't get the hype of the February one, but several local athletes are signing Division I letters of intent starting today. This is who we have so far. If you know of an athlete that we've missed, send an e-mail to tj.berka@inlandnewspapers.com or comment on this blog.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Perris Blackwell, Etiwanda - San Francisco
Andrew Bock, Eisenhower - Creighton
Jordan Finn, Etiwanda - Air Force
Chris Cunningham, Diamond Ranch - Santa Clara
Garrett Johnson, Diamond Ranch - Fresno State

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Darshae Burnside, Cajon - Arkansas
Layshia Clarendon, Cajon - California
Cierra Warren, Los Osos - North Carolina
Meghin Williams, Summit - Nebraska
Cierra Windham, Norco - Texas A&M

BASEBALL
David Andriese, Redlands East Valley - UC Santa Barbara
Chris Carlson, Chino Hills - UC Irvine
Matt Davidson, Yucaipa - USC
Jeff Gelalich, Bonita - UCLA
Wes Hatton, Norco - Cal State Fullerton
Matt Hobgood, Norco - Cal State Fullerton
Phillip Holinsworth, Chino Hills - UC Riverside
David Kiriakos, Pacific - Cal State Fullerton
Kyle Lengyel, Diamond Ranch - Loyola Marymount
Jordan Leyland, San Dimas - Washington State
Matt Lowenstein, Chino Hills - Loyola Marymount
Frankie Martin, Yucaipa - Cal State Fullerton
Giovanni Mier, Bonita - USC

SOFTBALL
Megan Allen, Yucaipa - Pacific
Kimberly Bruins, Redlands - Texas
Ashley Carter, Bloomington - Cal State Fullerton
Kelli Frye, Norco - Sacramento State
Teagan Gerhart, Norco - Stanford
Stevie Goldstein, Aquinas - Loyola Marymount
Katelyn Mann, Los Osos - Louisville
Nani St. Germain, Ayala - Long Beach State
Elizabeth Santana, Etiwanda - UC Davis
Skyler Segura, Chino Hills - Loyola Marymount
Stephanie Thompson, Chino Hills - Brown

VOLLEYBALL
Tara Brummett, Redlands East Valley - Colorado State
Tara Roenicke, Los Osos - Houston

GIRLS WATER POLO
Alex Ford, Ayala - San Diego State

Los Osos RB Arby Fields, a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, committed to Northwestern over the weekend, becoming the second Baseline League player to verbally commit to the Big 10 school during the past month, as Upland RB Davion Fleming pledged with the Wildcats last week.

Fields' commitment came after officially visiting the Northwestern campus this week for the Wildcats' 45-10 loss to Ohio State. While the Wildcats got drubbed, Fields liked what he saw according to the Rivals.com article about his commitment.

"They run the same offense as my high school - I mean exactly the same," explained Fields. "They do a lot of the same stuff we do, so I'm going into an offense I'm very familiar with."

Fields has rushed for 614 yards and 14 touchdowns on 123 carries while catching 31 passes for 508 yards and another three touchdowns for the 7-2 Grizzlies.

Cajon coach Mark Lehman just confirmed to me that senior guard Layshia Clarendon and senior post Darshae Burnside were signing national letters of intent with California and Arkansas, respectively.

"I think we pretty much knew this day was coming," Lehman said. "They came in their freshman year and started right away. With their talent, you knew that they had a shot to have this happen for them."

Cajon is trying to set up an assembly in front of the student body for the formal signing sometime in the next week, as the Fall Signing Period starts Wednesday and runs through Nov. 19. Lehman indicated that a date hasn't been picked as of yet, but a few were under consideration.

The 5-foot-9 Clarendon, the CIF-SS Division II-A player of the year, was a first-team all-state selection by calhisports.com and was the Sun's All-County Most Valuable Player this past season. Clarendon averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.7 assists and four steals per game for the Cowgirls, who won their first-ever CIF title last March with a 51-47 victory over Ayala.

"It feels pretty great right now," said Clarendon, who chose from a final three of Cal, UCLA and Arizona State. "It's one of those things that I always hoped would happen, but I wasn't sure if it would come together like this. Cal was a perfect place for me and I feel as if everything is falling into place."

Burnside, a first-team all-state, all-CIF and all-County selection a year ago, averaged 15.5 points, 16.1 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots per game. She has quickly climbed up the all-time state rebounding leaders, with Lehman saying that she is roughly 160 rebounds away from being the leading rebounder in state history.

I only got a brief word in with Burnside before her cell phone cut out, basically me congratulating her and her saying "Thanks." I guess that's as good of confirmation as any until I can speak with her more.

Michael Philipp, a standout 6-foot-3, 320-pound offensive lineman at Arroyo Valley High School, was selected to take part in the U.S. Army All-American game Jan. 3 in San Antonio, Texas and will receive his jersey in a special ceremony at AVHS today at 3 p.m.

Philipp, a four-star recruit and the top guard in the country according to Rivals.com, was selected for his loyalty, duty and respect, along with his considerable skill. The U.S. Army All-American game has starred players such as Reggie Bush, Vince Young and Adrian Peterson in recent years. He's being recruited by almost the entire Pac-10 and Colorado at this time.

Four County players, Colony cornerback Jered Bell, Colony wide receiver Kenneth Scott, Redlands East Valley quarterback Tyler Shreve and Rancho Cucamonga wide receiver Randal Telfer, have been selected to Rivals250 to Watch in 2010 list.

The Colony duo of Scott and Bell have helped the Titans recover from an 0-3 start, a start where the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Scott, who has 422 yards on 19 catches with four touchdowns in only four games, as he missed the first four due to injury. The 6-0, 160-pound Bell is one of the Titans' leading rushers along with notching a couple interceptions on the defensive end.

Shreve, in his second year at starting QB for the Wildcats, leads REV in both passing and rushing, completing 80 of 139 passes for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns while rushing for 463 yards and another 10 scores. The 6-4, 200-pound Shreve, who has battled injuries all year, was also a ballboy at the renowned Elite 11 camp this past summer.

Telfer, at 6-4, 215 pounds, has been one of the main targets for Rancho Cucamonga QB Greg Watson, another local junior who will be heavily recruited in the class of 2010, helping the Cougars to a 7-0-1 start. Telfer leads Rancho with 30 catches for 524 yards and four touchdowns.