DON'T THINK. IT CAN ONLY HURT THE BALLCLUB

Colony defensive tackle/offensive lineman Josh Andrews, who committed to San Diego State Oct. 23, said he'll probably rescind his verbal pledge this week after receiving offers from Oregon State and Colorado State.

"(San Diego State) was my first offer and I probably didn't check out other options enough before I committed," said the 6-foot-2, 260-pound Andrews. "I'm having second thoughts. I'll probably end up at Oregon State."

Andrews is being recruited as an offensive lineman, though he plays both ways at Colony. In the next month he'll take official visits to Oregon State, Colorado State and Washington State, who is interested but hasn't offered.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Beginning with the game-winning 86-yard drive he led off the bench as a sophomore, Los Osos quarterback Richard Brehaut has shown an affinity for delivering in the clutch.

Friday night was no different. Brehaut completed his final seven pass attempts for 113 yards and two touchdowns in Los Osos' 41-28 win over then No. 1 Upland.

At thr first sign of adversity in Los Osos' biggest game of the season, the UCLA-bound senior dialed in.

When his ill-advised second-quarter pass, attempted while he was being brought down, was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, in addition to being responsible for Upland's 14-7 lead, Brehaut was 6 for 15 to that point with one more touchdown pass to Upland that to his own team.

Apparently he wasn't phased. He completed every pass that left his hand the rest of the game.

The next three times he got his hands on the ball, Los Osos found the endzone - barring a little more adversity, of course.

Brehaut promptly led an 80-yard touchdown drive to tie the game, the key play of which was his 29-yard strike to Blake Stroming to the 1-yard line.

Upland took a 21-20 lead 38 seconds before the half, but again, Brehaut answered.

Showing off his touch, he feathered a screen pass over the fingertips of Upland's Gianni Olivas to running back Arby Fields, who took it the rest of the 36 yards to give Los Osos the lead for good on its first possession of the second half.

Despite a sputtering offense, Upland wouldn't go away, returning a fumble 65 yards when Brehaut and Fields botched an exchange. After dominating the third quarter, Los Osos found itself leading by just six with 11:22 to play.

One final time, Brehaut delivered.

With an Upland blitz bearing down on him the very next possession, Brehaut had to let go of his 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Trevor Rogina a little earlier than he would have liked, but the Los Osos tight end caught the scoring pass in stride to seal the deal.

It should be noted that Brehaut's mistakes were largely responsible for the adverse situations in which he found himself Friday night. And his passing lanes were undoubtedly opened due to a strong Los Osos running game Friday night, a rare occurance thus far this season. Brehaut played no small part in that ground game, rolling up 108 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries before a late-game sack.

Brehaut has proven himself capable in the big game, but Los Osos is yet to win a playoff game since he took over as the starter after his sophomore heroics. He'll likely get another shot in three weeks.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Diamond Ranch offensive lineman Graham Vickers verbally committed to Navy on Monday, according to Diamond Ranch coach Roddy Layton.

The 6-foot-2, 262-pound senior also had scholarship offers from from Air Force, Army, Portland State and New Hampshire.

Vickers projects at any of the interior line positions in college. He also plays defensive line for Diamond Ranch and has collected 15 tackles and four sacks thus far.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. Los Osos (6-1)
Previous ranking: 4 Last week: def. Upland, 41-28
2. Miller (7-0)
Previous ranking: 2 Last week: def. Redlands, 31-7
3. Rancho Cucamonga (6-0-1)
Previous ranking: 3 Last week: def. Claremont, 45-9
4. Chino Hills (7-0)
Previous ranking: 5 Last week: def. Chino, 31-3
5. Upland (6-1)
Previous ranking: 1 Last week: lost to Los Osos, 41-28
6. Ayala (6-1)
Previous ranking: 7 Last week: def. Diamond Bar, 40-0
7. San Dimas (7-0)
Previous ranking: 8 Last week: def. Pomona 34-8
8. Roosevelt (4-3)
Previous ranking: NR Last week: def. Norco 21-13
9. Etiwanda (4-3)
Previous ranking: NR Last week: def. Alta Loma, 35-10
10. Norco (4-3)
Previous ranking: 6 Last week: lost to Roosevelt, 21-13
Just missed the cut: Bonita (5-2), Colony (4-3)
Dropped out: No. 9 Pomona (5-2), No. 10 Summit (6-1).

Posted by Clay Fowler at 6:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Last week
Clay: 6-8
Lingo: 5-9
Overton: 4-10

Season standings
Clay: 54-46-3
Lingo: 50-50-3
Overton: 40-60-3

WEEK 8 PICKS

At Baltimore (-7) Oakland
Baltimore: Clay. Oakland: Lingo, Overton.

San Diego (-3) New Orleans
San Diego: Clay, Overton. New Orleans: Lingo.

At N.Y. Jets (-13.5) Kansas City
N.Y. Jets: Lingo, Overton. Kansas City: Clay.

Buffalo (-1.5) at Miami
Buffalo: Clay, Lingo, Overton.

At Dallas (-2) Tampa Bay
Dallas: Overton. Tampa Bay: Clay, Lingo.

At Philadelphia (-9) Atlanta
Philadelphia: Clay, Lingo. Atlanta: Overton.

At New England (-7.5) St. Louis
New England: Lingo, Overton. St. Louis: Clay.

At Carolina (-4) Arizona
Carolina: Clay, Lingo, Overton.

Washington (-8) at Detroit
Washington: Clay, Lingo, Overton.

At Jacksonville (-7) Cleveland
Jacksonville: Clay, Overton. Cleveland: Lingo.

At Pittsburgh (-3) N.Y. Giants
N.Y. Giants: Clay, Lingo, Overton.

At San Francisco (-5) Seattle
San Francisco: Clay, Lingo, Overton.

At Houston (-9.5) Cincinnati
Houston: Lingo, Overton. Cincinnati: Clay.

MONDAY NIGHT
At Tennessee (-4) Indianapolis
Tennessee: Clay, Lingo. Indianapolis: Overton.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Colony High School defensive tackles Quayshawne Buckley and Josh Andrews verbally committed to Washington State and San DIego State, respectively, on Thursday, according to Colony coach Anthony Rice.

Andrews, however, may change his mind after receiving offers from Oregon State and Washington State hours after issuing his commitment.

Buckley has 27 tackles and three sacks for the two-time defending CIF champion Titans. Andrews has 14 tackles.

In addition to playing next to each other on the defensive interior, Buckley and Andrews double as the left and right offensive tackles, respectively.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Osos High School running back Arby Fields has pocketed seven scholarship offers so far - Nevada, Northwestern, UNLV, Duke, Washington State, Colorado State and Idaho State - but the charismatic senior isn't in a rush to end the recruiting process.

He's hoping to have a decision in the next two to three weeks, but not before he takes official visits to Arizona State (who is interested but hasn't made an offer) Northwestern and Washington State.

"Most people say the process is so stressful," Fields said. "But I think it's fun. I just want to see what more is out there."

Stress clearly isn't an overwhelming presence in Fields' life, no better demonstrated than when the back broke the offensive huddle at the end of Thursday's practice by leading the group in a little Montell Jordan 'This is how we do it.'

If Thursday was any indication, Fields carefully rations his practice time. He spent a good five minutes in a genuine attempt to convince his offensive coordinator to implement the Wildcat offense, of Arkansas and Miami Dolphin fame. You can guess who he wanted to take the direct snap.

While his wish wasn't granted (or even remotely considered) it's hard to blame Fields for wanting a few more touches. After a breakout junior year netted him 1,144 rushing yards and 17 TDs, Fields has 79 carrries for 477 yards through six games this season, something Los Osos coach Tom Martinez attributes to opponents stacking the line of scrimmage.

Los Osos is finding different ways to keep Fields involved, evidenced by his 27 receptions for 417 yards, which make him the fourth leading RECEIVER in the Inland Valley.

"I'm not upset because I don't have 1,000 yards yet this year," Fields said. "We're winning. And I'm showing that I'm versatile. I'm showing I can do some different things out of the backfield and I can block."

Valencia West Ranch decided its priority was stopping UCLA-bound QB RIchard Brehaut when it took on Los Osos Oct. 10. Fields punished it in the form of 126 yards and 5 TDs on 21 carries.

When Los Osos takes on Upland Friday night, it'll be the third time in the last two years I'll have seen Fields play. He's one of those players who could play just about any position on the football field, and practically does, doubling as a cornerback in addition to returning punts and kickoffs.

One more position: He plays left field in the spring, too, but who's counting.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 1:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Los Osos High School quarterback Richard Brehaut won't get the chance to come down with senior-itis.

UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel asked the senior to cut short his final year of high school in order to enroll early at UCLA and participate in spring football practice, something Brehaut wasn't about to refuse, particularly considering UCLA's uncertain quarterback situation. Brehaut, the 11th-ranked QB in the nation on scout.com, verbally committed to the Bruins this summer.

So, is it preemptive to consider Brehaut a contender to start at quarterback for UCLA next season?

"I think he's got a good chance, to be honest," Los Osos coach Tom Martinez said.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After weighing circa 20 scholarship offers, Diamond Ranch cornerback Brandon Sermons verbally committed to UCLA Tuesday, Diamond Ranch coach Roddy Layton said.

Sermons, a 6-foot-1, 188-pound senior ranked the 27th best cornerback in the country by rivals.com, had recently narrowed his list to schools including UCLA, Oregon, Colorado, Oregon State and Arizona. USC, where Sermons' his older brother and Layton both played, expressed interest but hasn't offered.

"USC is USC and they think they can swoop in late and get some kids," Layton said. "It might be a possibility they could get him to switch but I think (Sermons) is pretty comfortable with UCLA. We've had some pretty serious conversations, so by now he's probably 99 percent sure. I don't think he's waiting on USC."

Sermons is the 10th member of UCLA's 2009 recruiting class, which includes Los Osos quarterback Richard Brehaut, who has been regularly texting with Sermons throughout his recruitment.

The only other cornerback in head coach Rick Neuheisel's 2009 class is Bishop Amat's Sheldon Price, to whom Sermons and Diamond Ranch lost, 17-6, in Week 5.

"Rick is a good recruiter. He now has possibly the two best cornerbacks in Southern California and, with all respect to (Josh) Nunes at Upland, the best quarterback in our area," Layton said. "They're bringing in top notch players to go with these top notch coaches."

Posted by Clay Fowler at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last week
Clay: 9-5
Lingo: 6-8
Overton: 5-9

Season standings
Clay: 48-38-3
Lingo: 45-41-3
Overton: 36-50-3

WEEK 7 PICKS

Tennessee (-9) at Kansas City
Tennessee: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

At Buffalo (-1) San Diego
Buffalo: Clay. San Diego: Overton, Lingo.

Pittsburgh (-9.5) at Cincinnati
Pittsburgh: Clay, Overton. Cincinnati: Lingo.

At Miami (-3) Baltimore
Miami: Clay, Overton Lingo.

Dallas (-7) at St. Louis
Dallas: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

At Chicago (-3) Minnesota
Chicago: Lingo. Minnesota: Clay, Overton.

At Carolina (-3) New Orleans
Carolina: Clay. New Orleans: Overton, Lingo.

At N.Y. Giants (-10.5) San Francisco
N.Y. Giants: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

At Houston (-9.5) Detroit
Houston: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

N.Y. Jets (-3) at Oakland
N.Y. Jets: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

At Washington (-8) Cleveland
Washington: Clay. Cleveland: Overton, Lingo.

Indianapolis (-1) at Green Bay
Indianapolis: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

At Tampa Bay (-10.5) Seattle
Tampa Bay: Overton. Seattle: Clay, Lingo.

MONDAY NIGHT
At New England (-3) Denver
Denver: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Four Diamond Ranch High School football players have received scholarship offers.

Cornerback Brandon Sermons from most of the Pac-10 including UCLA, Oregon, Arizona State, Arizona and Oregon State. USC has expressed interest but is yet to offer. Sermons, a 6-foot-1, 188-pound senior, is beginning to narrow his list to schools that include UCLA, Colorado, Arizona and Utah.

"Pete Carroll asked for film on him (Monday)," Diamond Ranch coach Roddy Layton said. "Rick Neuheisel calls every week and (Sermons) likes what they're doing with the
defense at Arizona, but now that USC has entered the mix that could change things."

Diamond Ranch offensive lineman Graham Vickers has received offers from Air Force, Army, Navy, Portland State and New Hampshire. Linebacker Kyle Lengyel from Air Force and defensive end Xavier Williams from Navy.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Someone from this league is going to win the CIF title.

The flip side of that coin? A CIF-champion caliber squad will MISS the playoffs. There are esentially five playoff teams in the Baseline League vying for three spots.

Don't take my word for it, voters have five Baseline League teams ranked in the CIF-SS Central Division top 10. That's ONE league occupying half the rankings.

Three Baseline teams are ranked in the top four, including undefeated No. 3 Rancho Cucamonga, who is not one of three defending co-league champions.

No. 1 Upland (5-0) is almost impossible to pick against, but Los Osos, who has won at least a share of the league title three years running, beat it last year.

Rancho Cucamonga's offense is in the class with Los Osos and Upland, but so is Etiwanda's, a defending co-champ returning 17 starters. One of these teams has to be left out of the top three.

It's going to come down to who of the top four has the best defense.

Of course, the top four doesn't include No. 10 Alta Loma, who will in all likelihood shake up this league with a big win or two.

So, take this prediction for what its worth...

Los Osos 4-1
Upland 4-1
Rancho Cucamonga 3-2
Etiwanda 2-3
Alta Loma 2-3
Claremont 0-5

Posted by Clay Fowler at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Each year we eagerly await a slip-up from Colony so we can declare the two-time defending CIF-SS Central Division champs' run over.

Three straight losses to begin this season was finally it... or not.

Before last night's 52-0 shellacking of Garey gave Colony the first Mt. Baldy League win of the season, the Titans (3-3, 1-0) got off the mat to string together consecutive wins over CIF-ranked Alta Loma and a Serrano team that beat it by 35 last year.

The champs may have their work cut out if they are to claim a third straight CIF title with the Sierra and Baseline Leagues having invaded their division this year, but their dominance of the Mt. Baldy League is far from over.

As usual, Chaffey will be the chief challenger, but the Tigers don't appear as strong as last year's 9-2 team (that lost to Colony by 21).

The third playoff spot this year is absolutely up for grabs.

Here is my prediction:

Colony 5-0
Chaffey 4-1
Ontario 3-2
Montclair 2-3
Don Lugo 1-4
Garey 0-5

Posted by Clay Fowler at 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After a co-championship last year, I think this is the year San Dimas will emerge as the clear class of this league... and with the Saints' move to the Mid-Valley Division, maybe as the class of that too.

San Dimas' nonleague schedule isn't particularly revealing. The Saints rolled over inferior opponents with the possible exception of a good Bonita team than only lost by 17. But then, there are plenty of good teams capable of being blown out by San Dimas; it didn't schedule giants, but it handled inferior teams the way it should have.

Pomona (4-1) is emerging as a legitimate force in this league in Don Cayer's second season at the helm. I'd be surprised if the Red Devils miss the playoffs. Even Ganesha (2-3) is making significant progress, evidenced no stronger than by snapping its California state losing record at 49 the second game of the season.

Northview (3-2) and Baldwin Park (3-2), playoff teams last year, aren't in our coverage area, so I'm far from an expert on them. But their nonleague performances don't exactly scream greatness. Covina (1-4) however, is far better than their record indicates.

Here is how I think the league will play out

San Dimas 5-0
Pomona 3-2
Covina 3-2
Northview 2-3
Baldwin Park 1-4
Ganesha 1-4

Posted by Clay Fowler at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While this league is more competitive than most, it has a fairly clear top tier to me: Chino Hills (5-0), Ayala (4-1) and defending champ Glendora (3-2).

As for the lower tier... Damien (1-4), a playoff team last year and the champ two years ago, isn't exactly easy to get a handle on. The Spartans' four losses are to teams who have lost ONE game between them. But Damien wasn't competitive in any of those, averaging a 24.7-point margin of defeat.

Chino (2-3) appears headed in the right direction under new coach Greg Setlich, but the Cowboys aren't easy to figure having played one game closer than 31 points.

And Diamond Bar (3-2) has the same nonleague record it did last year before going winless in league. Although this is the Brahmas' second season under coach John Martin, thus progress is very possible.

I think Ayala, Chino Hills and Glendora will beat each other up, but secure the three playoff spots.

Here is the order in which I think the league will finish:

Chino Hills 4-1
Ayala 4-1
Glendora 4-1
Chino 2-3
Damien 1-4
Diamond Bar 0-5

Posted by Clay Fowler at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's too bad my top two teams in this league will settle their score in seemingly anticlimactic fashion. Charter Oak and Diamond Ranch meet in their Miramonte League openers Friday night in what many perceive as a lopsided matchup.

Diamond Ranch won all of one game on its nonleague schedule while Charter Oak went undefeated. No contest right?

Wrong.

Those records don't include this fact: The four teams to which Diamond Ranch lost are a combined 18-2.

Or this one: Charter Oak (5-0-1) has defeated ONE quality team in six games.

I can't remember the last time Oaks Christian, the lone team on the Diamond Ranch nonleague schedule clearly out of the Panthers' class, DIDN'T win a CIF title. Diamond Ranch beat two-time defending CIF-SS Central Division champ Colony, 21-0, a win that will continue to look better as the season progresses. It lost to undefeated Chino Hills by a point.

Meanwhile, Etiwanda, which failed on three point-after conversion attempts in a 3-point loss to Charter Oak is the lone quality team a Chargers team that graduated 36 seniors has beaten.

Three of Charter Oak's victims are a combined 2-13. That doesn't include 3-2 Diamond Bar, which is far from an impressive win. That leaves Rancho Cucamonga, from whom Charter Oak was lucky to escape with a 14-14 tie when Rancho threw an interception deep in Charter Oak territory in the final 30 seconds of that game.

So, without further ado...I think Diamond Ranch will give the defending league champs much, much more of a run than the 48-7 blowout a deflated Panthers team absorbed last year, but Charter Oak will prevail in a low-scoring thriller.

Bonita has a dynamic offense and could certainly throw a wrench into Charter Oak's plans, but as far as the three playoff teams go, it seems fairly obvious in this league.

LEAGUE PREDICTION:
Charter Oak 4-0
Diamond Ranch 3-1
Bonita 2-2
Los Altos 1-3
Wilson 0-4

Posted by Clay Fowler at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week
Overton: 8-6-1
Lingo: 8-6-1
Clay: 7-7-1

Season standings
Clay: 39-33-3
Lingo: 39-33-3
Overton: 31-41-3

WEEK 6 PICKS:

At New Orleans (-7) Oakland
New Orleans: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

At Indianapolis (-4) Baltimore
Indianapolis: Overton, Lingo. Baltimore: Clay.

At N.Y. Jets (-6) Cincinnati
N.Y. Jets: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

At Tampa Bay (-1.5) Carolina
Tampa Bay: Overton. Carolina: Clay, Lingo.

At Minnesota (-13) Detroit
Minnesota: Overton, Lingo. Detroit: Clay.

Chicago (-3) at Atlanta
Chicago: Clay, Lingo. Atlanta: Overton.

At Houston (-3) Miami
Houston: Overton, Lingo. Miami: Clay.

At Washington (-13.5) St. Louis
Washington: Overton, Lingo. St. Louis: Clay.

At Denver (-3.5) Jacksonville
Denver: Overton Jacksonville: Clay, Lingo.

Philadelphia (-5) at San Francisco
Philadelphia: Clay, Overton. San Francisco: Lingo.

Dallas (-5) at Arizona
Dallas: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

At Seattle (-2) Green Bay
Green Bay: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

At San Diego (-5) New England
San Diego: Clay, Lingo. New England: Overton.

MONDAY NIGHT
N.Y. Giants (-8) at Cleveland
N.Y. Giants: Clay, Overton, Lingo.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 1:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Friday night's meeting between Diamond Ranch and Bishop Amat is Fox Sports West's high school football game of the week.

It'll be televised at 7 p.m. Check out the Fox broadcast team.

Diamond Ranch is 1-3 but don't let that fool you. The combined record of the three teams to which it has lost is 12-1. The team it beat 21-0 is Colony, a two-time defending CIF champ. Head coach Roddy Layton has put together a brutal nonleague schedule each of his three seasons at the helm.

After missing the playoffs the last three seasons, Bishop Amat (3-1) seems to have the program headed back in the right direction.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

There have been two notable quarterback changes since the beginning of the high school season.

Two-time defending CIF-SS Central Division champ Colony inserted sophomore Kori Grant into the lineup after an 0-3 start. Coach Anthony Rice didn't have to wait long for results. The Titans (2-3) have won their last two.

Claremont made a change for an entirely different reason. After their sophomore starter, 6-foot-4, rocket-armed Daniel Kessler, completed 20 of 22 passes in his debut - Claremont's first win in 12 games - he broke his arm in the first quarter of the second game of the season.

"We obviously took a big hit there and we're trying to regroup and move on," Claremont coach Terrance Lynch said. "Three of the last four years we've lost quarterbacks to injuries."

Alta Loma and Norco have both been using two-quarterback systems.

Norco head coach Todd Gerhart hopes to elect either sophomore Cody Stevens or junior Taylor Viloria a full-time starter this week. Although, both threw more lead blocks than passes in a 16-0 loss to Riverside Poly last week. The two QB's threw a combined five passes in the game, two of which came on Norco's final possession. So, take that "quarterback controversy" for what its worth.

Granted, I haven't seen Colony's Grant play yet, but junior Travis Nelson, who started the season, looked like a promising player. Of course, the one time I saw him play, his team was overwhelmed 42-7 in its season opener by an Upland favored to win the CIF-SS Central Division title.

Here is what Colony head coach Anthony Rice had to say about his dilemma:

"Yeah it was hard but sometimes you just have to make that change. I really bonded with Travis (Nelson) having him all last year and in passing league. But as a quarterback, you're looking for leadership and those first three games we just weren't getting it.

"(Grant) always wants the ball. He's got that fire. You can look in his eyes and see it. He's a born winner."

Posted by Clay Fowler at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Daily dealings with coaches on any level, in any sport will inevitably produce plenty of coach speak. You know, "Take it one game at a time, give 110 percent," etc.

So, when virtually every Big VIII coach filled my notebook with references to their new league as the most physical around, I sounded like classic coach speak.

After watching Norco's Big VIII opener against Riverside Poly on Friday night, I don't think the coaches could have put it any more eloquently.

It's not that the kids in the Big VIII are all mammoth beasts - although they have their fair share of beheomoths - they just seem to have a different mind set regarding contact. All of them. There isn't a hint of fear entering a collision, not a moment's hesitation to hurtle head first into an oncoming train. Watching Poly's 16-0 win from the sidelines last week, the soundtrack alone was worth a million words. I mean the cringe-inducing impact on every play, not the trash talking.

A coach once described a defender's slight hesitation prior to making a tackle as the 'fear factor.' The Big VIII is obviously not familiar with that term.

There were many from which to choose but Norco's Daimion Stafford delivered the most punishing hit of last week's 16-0 Poly win when the 6-foot-1, 215-pound strong safety hit Poly's 5-7, 160-pound Evan Rising so hard he blew the running back's helmet off.

But the highlight reel plays weren't what jarred me, it was the ramarkable consistincy with which these kids knocked the stew out of each other.

Norco defensive line coach Reiny Klein likened the Big VIII to the old black and blue NFC Central division with the Bears, Vikings, Packers and Lions in the late 60s and early 70s.

I guess that means the hits will keep on coming.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week
Clay: 7-6
Lingo: 6-7
Overton: 5-8

Season standings
Clay: 32-26-2
Lingo: 31-27-2
Overton: 23-35-2

WEEK 5 PICKS

Indianapolis (-3) At Houston
Indianapolis: Overton. Houston: Clay, Lingo.

Tennessee (-1) At Baltimore
Tennessee: Clay, Lingo, Overton.

San Diego (-6.5) At Miami
San Diego: Clay, Lingo, Overton.

At Carolina (-9.5) Kansas City
Carolina: Overton. Kansas City: Clay, Lingo.

At Philadelphia (-6) Washington
Philadelphia: Clay, Overton. Washington: Lingo.

Chicago (-3.5) At Detroit
Chicago: Clay. Detroit: Lingo, Overton.

At Green Bay (-7) Atlanta
Green Bay: Clay. Atlanta: Lingo, Overton.

At N.Y. Giants (-7) Seattle
N.Y. Giants: Clay, Lingo, Overton.

At Denver (-3) Tampa Bay
Denver: Clay, Overton. Tampa Bay: Lingo.

New England (-3) At San Francisco
New England: Clay, Lingo, Overton.

At Arizona (Even) Buffalo
Arizona: Clay. Buffalo: Lingo, Overton.

At Dallas (-17) Cincinnati
Dallas: Clay, Overton. Cincinnati: Lingo.

At Jacksonville (-4) Pittsburgh
Jacksonville: Lingo, Overton. Pittsburgh: Clay.

MONDAY NIGHT
At New Orleans (-3) Minnesota
New Orleans: Clay. Minnesota: Lingo, Overton.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Todd Gerhart is an expert on Saturday morning red-eye flights. But the Norco High School head football coach he decided the 11:43 a.m. (PDT) kickoff for Saturday's Stanford-Notre Dame football game was too early to risk.

He'll leave the Cougars in the hands of the rest of the coaching staff Friday night when they open Big VIII League play against Riverside Poly. Gerhart is leaving Friday afternoon for South Bend, Ind., to see his son Toby's Stanford Cardinal take on the Fighting Irish Saturday morning.

Toby, who set the California state career rushing record at Norco High, leads Stanford (2-1) with 421 rushing yards and 5 TDs thus far in his junior season.

With two sons playing Division I college football, including Garth, an offensive lineman at Arizona State, Gerhart and his wife have their share of busy weekends. Most of the time they split up to make as many games as they can.

Their triplet daughters are juniors at Norco but will asuredly add some travelling to the agenda in a couple years. Teagan, a softball pitcher, has verbally committed to Stanford.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Granted, I've only seen Ayala play once during its resurgence from 0-10 in 2006 to a 7-4 playoff team in 2007. (It's 3-1 in 2008)

Granted, that time was two weeks ago. So, take this for what it's worth: I'm ready to label them the Virginia Tech of the Inland Empire.

I'm sure the Ayala offense of last season was much different with QB Matt Baca - widely regarded as a D-I caliber player before settling on DI-AA Northern Colorado - than with junior Dylan Lada quarterbacking the variation of the wing-T. In Ayala's 26-21 win over Alta Loma Friday, there wasn't much varation - it looked like a plain ole' wing-T (Lada completed 2 passes, the one for positive yardage was an 84-yard swing pass for a TD).

But the Bulldogs rode to victory something reminicent of the Beamer ball that has developed a reputation in Blacksburg, Va. They blocked two kicks, returning one for a score Alta Loma coach John Kuleika termed the difference in the game.

Courtney Samuel's 28-yard blocked punt return for a TD gave Ayala a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. The Bulldogs nearly took a blocked 50-yard field goal attempt to the house but David Quiroga couldn't get a handle on the bouncing ball with nobody in between him and the Alta Loma goaline as time expired on the first half.

Of course, a Beamer ball reputation isn't developed in one showing.

Ayala blocked the potential game-winning field goal with 32 seconds to play in its 19-10 win over crosstown rival Chino Hills last season and Derek Brandon returned it 69 yards for a game-sealing touchdown.

One game prior, an onside kick recovery aided a 19-point comeback in a 34-33 win over Damien last season that included 14 points in the final 27 seconds.

Having been to just one game in the last season and-a-half, I'm sure there are more than a few examples I'm missing here. But even I know enough to have spotted a trend.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)