December 2008 Archives

The Baseline League cleaned house at the All-CIF football meeting Wednesday, claiming 19 of the 40 first-team selections.

To nobody's surpirse, Rancho Cucamonga's nine were the most from any single team. The Central Division champion Cougars also produced both the offensive and defensive MVPs.

Offensive MVP: Greg Watson, Jr., QB
Defensive MVP: Daniel Fonua, Sr., LB

Last week
Clay: 8-7
Lingo: 8-7
Overton: 6-9

Season standings
Clay: 115-96-6
Lingo: 107-105-6
Overton: 93-118-6

A year after he ended his 10-season tenure at Hacienda Heights Los Altos High School, Greg Gano was hired as the Damien High School head football coach on Tuesday.
The replacement for Scott Morrison, who compiled a 32-33-1 record at Damien, won four CIF-SS championships in 10 years at Los Altos. Morrison, who won two Sierra League titles in six years, was fired after a 3-7 season this year.

The last time he accepted a head coaching job, Gano replaced Dwayne DeSpain, who won seven CIF titles at Los Altos.

"When I took over for Dwayne they said `You're nuts,"' Gano said. "If I can follow a legend, the coach of the century, there's not much more pressure than that.

"I know what we have to do here and we've got a solid foundation."

Last week
Clay: 8-7
Overton: 7-8
Lingo: 4-12

Season standings
Clay: 107-89-6
Lingo: 99-98-6
Overton: 87-109-6

Offensive MVP - Greg Watson, QB, Jr., Rancho Cucamonga

Defensive co-MVP - Ibeakalem Nduka, DE, Sr., Etiwanda
Defensive co-MVP - Jesse Gonzales, LB, Sr., Los Osos
Defensive co-MVP - Daniel Fonua, LB, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga

Offensive MVP - A.J. Johnson, RB, Chino Hills (above)

Defensive Co-MVP - Lawrence Larivee, LB, Sr., Ayala
Defensive Co-MVP - Chad Young, LB, Sr., Glendora

Athlete of the Year - David Quiroga, WR/DB, Sr., Ayala

Last week
Clay: 10-3
Overton: 8-5
Lingo: 6-7

Season standings
Clay: 99-82-6
Lingo: 95-86-6
Overton: 80-101-6

We all know the Baseline League isn't Inland Division championship material. One collective playoff win in three years is a trend, not a coincidence.

But with three teams in the semifinals its first year in the less competitive Central Division, a Baseline League that used to disappear come playoff time has been vindicated.

There is a lot of glamour that tarnishes the Baseline in some people's eyes, a lot of hype that gives them more reason to dismiss it upon failure. But there is a reason two of the league's quarterbacks will be playing in the Pac-10 next year - they're good - and they're showing it right now. (Get used to it, at least one of next year's glamourous Baseline QB's is Pac-10 caliber)

The Sierra League is solid to be sure. And the Mt. Baldy League deserved credit for producing the Central Division champion the last two years, although it would have been interesting to see Colony navigate a bracket including the Baseline and Sierra Leagues.