DON'T THINK. IT CAN ONLY HURT THE BALLCLUB

CENTRAL DIVISION
Colton 53, Don Lugo 3
Rancho Cucamonga 27, Glendora 14
Chaffey 34, Hemet West Valley 21
Los Osos 63, Arroyo Valley 35
Chino Hills 42, Wildomar Elsinore 13
Etiwanda 38, Cajon 6
Upland 30, Damien 6
Colony 21, Paloma Valley 6

EASTERN DIVISION
Summit 48, Perris Citrus Hill 36
Palm Springs 41, Barstow 0
Kaiser 55, Palm Desert 17
Rim of the World 49, San Jacinto 34
Apple Valley 48, Silverado 27
Riverside Norte Vista 36, Riverside Notre Dame 21
La Quinta 31, Ridgecrest Burroughs 28
Serrano 34, Menifee Heritage 0

INLAND DIVISION
Redlands East Valley 41, Riverside La Sierra 13
Temecula Chaparral 36, Corona Roosevelt 33
Corona Centennial 53, Miller 20
Moreno Valley Rancho Verde 58, Temecula Great Oak 17
Norco 48, Carter 14
Riverside Arlington 28, Murrieta Valley 9
Redlands 35, Moreno Valley Valley View 7
Vista Murrieta 38, Corona Santiago 17

MID-VALLEY DIVISION
Monrovia 40, South El Monte 7
Lancaster Paraclete 45, La Puente 0
Baldwin Park 38, Covina Gladstone 17
La Habra Whittier Christian 27, El Monte Arroyo 24
Azusa 41, Covina 13
San Marino 42, Rosemead 20
Cerritos Valley Christian 45, La Canada 0
San Dimas 48, City of Industry Workman 6

SOUTHEAST DIVISON
Covina Charter Oak 20, Pasadena Muir 19
West Covina 40, San Gabriel 14
Whittier California 55, Rowland Heights Rowland 27
Burbank 21, Alhambra 14
Montebello Schurr 14, Pico Rivera El Rancho 7
Diamond Ranch 41, Burbank Burroughs 18 (Thursday)
La Crescenta Crescenta Valley 27, Santa Fe Springs Santa Fe 24
West Covina South Hills 28, Bonita 21

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

Reigning CIF-SS Central Division MVP Greg Watson will likely not be 100 percent when his Rancho Cucamonga High School football team takes on Glendora in Friday's first round of the playoffs, but the quarterback of the defending CIF champs will play, according to Cougars head coach Nick Baiz.

"He's fine," Baiz said. "He's good to go."

Watson suffered a leg injury when he was dragged down from behind with eight minutes left in Rancho Cucamonga's eventual 27-24 overtime loss to Etiwanda last Thursday, after which he didn't return to the game. I saw the play in question and it was clear that Watson's legs buckled awkwardly as he was horse-collared. He limped off the field and spent a good portion of the rest of the game on the trainers table before watching the rest of the game from the sidelines.

Baiz preferred not to elaborate beyond calling it a leg injury. "Let's just leave it at that," he said. "I'd tell you but I don't want to tell 1,000 people."

If Watson's running ability is severly hampered, the Cougars could be in trouble. Baiz maintained all season Rancho is a running team. (Though, lucky for Rancho in its current circumstance, the stats say their offensive attack is almost a perfect run-pass balance.)

Watson has passed for 2,002 yards and the Cougars have rushed for 2,069 this season. Running back Michael Boyd is responsible for 1,240 of those yards on the ground while Watson has just 562, a number that may not jolt you out of your seat. But in Rancho's zone-read running scheme, the threat of Watson running is half of his value to the ground game.

If defenses aren't concerned he'll pull the ball out of Boyd's grasp and take it the other direction, the entire running game will suffer. Though Boyd commands the majority of the carries, defenses are afraid to key on him too much for fear of Watson's breakaway speed.

Relying on Watson to pass them to a win is far from a bad circumstance for the Cougars. The guy did throw for 2,600 yards last season and is on a similar pace this year. In the two games I've seen Rancho play this year - the first and last games of the season - Watson hasn't thrown the ball as well as he did last year. Of course, he doesn't have the track stars of last season lining up at receiver. I think Rancho has preferred to run it this year (it has called 338 running plays to 208 passing plays) but not because Watson isn't capable or airing it out.

On Friday, we may find out friday whether Rancho was running it out of necessity or not.

After a 13-0-1 season last year during which it ran through the Baseline League undefeated and beat Upland in the CIF-SS Central Division final, Rancho Cucamonga lost to each of the league's co-champions this season, Los Osos 31-28 and Etiwanda in overtime.

"We're six points from being undefeated," said Baiz, who believes the Cougars would have been one of the top four seeds in the playoffs had it beaten Etiwanda on Thursday. "I think the (Central Division) is similar to how it was last year. I think it's pretty even all the way across."

If Rancho Cucamonga gets past Glendora, a Sierra League tri-champion, it could have No. 1 seed Colton waiting in the quarterfinals.

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

FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Colton over Don Lugo
Rancho Cucamonga over Glendora
Chaffey over Hemet West Valley
No. 4 Los Osos over Arroyo Valley
Chino Hills over No. 3 Wildomar Elsinore
Etiwanda over Cajon
Damien over Upland
No. 2 Colony over Menifee Paloma Valley

QUARTERFINALS
No. 1 Colton over Rancho Cucamonga
No. 4 Los Osos over Chaffey
Etiwanda over Chino Hills
No. 2 Colony over Damien

SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Colton over No. 4 Los Osos
Etiwanda over No. 2 Colony

FINALS
Etiwanda over No. 1 Colton

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Posted by Clay Fowler at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Redlands East Valley over La Sierra
Temecula Chaparral over Corona Roosevelt
Corona Centennial over Miller
No. 4 Moreno Valley Rancho Verde over Temecula Great Oak
No. 3 Norco over Carter
Murrieta Valley over Riverside Arlington
Redlands over Moreno Valley Valley View
No. 2 Vista Murrieta over Corona Santiago

QUARTERFINALS
Temecula Chaparral over No. 1 Redlands East Valley
No. 4 Moreno Valley Rancho Verde over Corona Centennial
No. 3 Norco over Murrieta Valley
No. 2 Vista Murrieta over Redlands

SEMIFINALS
Temecula Chaparral over No. 4 Moreno Valley Rancho Verde
No. 2 Vista Murrieta over No. 3 Norco

FINALS
No. 2 Vista Murrieta over Temecula Chaparral

Coming tomorrow: Central Division prediction

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Posted by Clay Fowler at 7:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Colony cornerback Jered Bell verbally committed to Colorado this week after paying a visit to the campus in Boulder, Colo., on Nov. 6, according to Colony head football coach Anthony Rice.

The 6-foot, 179-pound senior is the 63rd ranked cornerback in the country by rivals.com and the 99th-ranked player in the state of California. Bell was drawing interest from Colorado State, among others, but Colorado was his only scholarship offer.

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

1. Etiwanda (7-3) Last week: 4
2. Colony (9-1) Last week: 2
3. Chino Hills (8-2) Last week: 3
4. Rancho Cucamonga (8-2) Last week: 1
5. Upland (8-2) Last week: 5
6. Los Osos (6-4) Last week: 6
7. Kaiser (7-3) Last week: 7
8. San Dimas (9-1) Last week: 8
9. Damien (5-5) Last week: 9
10. Miller (5-5) Last week: NR
Dropped out: No. 10 Ayala

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Posted by Clay Fowler at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The three-way tie for first place in the Sierra League became official with Chino Hills 42-14 blasting of Diamond Bar Friday night. Damien, Glendora and Chino Hills each finished with four wins and one loss in league.

Since head-to-head results didn't break the three-way tie, a coin flip to determine the playoff seeds conducted prior to Friday night's game awarded the league's No. 1 seed to Damien, the No. 2 seed to Glendora and the No. 3 to Chino Hills. When Glendora, Ayala and Chino Hills were tri-league champions last season, Ayala won the coin flip and Chino Hills was the No. 2 seed.

In other news Friday night... San Dimas won the Valle Vista League with a 35-16 win over Baldwin Park.

Upland won the Baseline League fourth-place game with Claremont, 30-20, and will certainly get the lone at-large playoff bid in the CIF-SS Central Division when the playoff brackets are released Sunday.

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Posted by Clay Fowler at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Friday, November 13
BASELINE LEAGUE
Los Osos 56, Alta Loma 10
Upland 30, Claremont 20
CHRISTIAN LEAGUE
Aquinas 24, Ontario Christian 20
CITRUS BELT LEAGUE
Carter 28, Yucaipa 7
Rialto 23, Fontana 7
Redlands East Valley 37, Redlands 7
MIRAMONTE LEAGUE
Charter Oak 31, Los Altos 0
Diamond Ranch 35, Hacienda Heights Wilson 0
Walnut 30, Bonita 15
PREP LEAGUE
Rio Hondo 46, Webb 0
SAN ANDREAS LEAGUE
Cajon 34, Arroyo Valley 19
Colton 79, Pacific 0
San Bernardino 22, San Gorgonio 19
SIERRA LEAGUE
CHino Hills 42, Diamond Bar 14
SUNKIST LEAGUE
Riverside Norte Vista 46, Bloomington 18
Kaiser 65, Jurupa Valley 0
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
San Dimas 35, Baldwin Park 16
Covina 24, Covina Northview 23

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

Glendora 34, Ayala 20
After this Thursday night loss knocked them into fourth place in the Sierra League, Ayala's only avenue to the playoffs is the Central Division's one at-large bid, for which it will have stiff competition. The Bulldogs' only hope is for Claremont to knock off Upland in the Baseline League's fourth-place game tonight, giving Ayala and Claremont identical 6-4 records and an equal shot at the bid. If Upland wins, it will have an 8-2 record and easily be the at-large team.

Etiwanda 27, Rancho Cucamonga 24 (OT)
Folloiwing a Rancho Cucamonga field goal on its overtime possession, Etiwanda QB Angel Santiago hit Gary Ayala with a 25-yard touchdown pass on the Eagles first play of OT to earn the Eagles at least a share of the Baseline League title. All Los Osos needs for a co-league championship and the No. 1 seed in the league is a win tonight over winless Alta Loma.

Don Lugo 42, Garey 28
The Conquistadores won the third-place game in the Mt. Baldy League thanks to 291 yards and four touchdowns from running back Steven Bethley. Don Lugo claimed the last playoff spot in the league behind Colony, who clinched the league title with a 39-13 win over Montclair Thursday and second-place Chaffey which beat Ontario, 42-21.

Other Thursday night scores:
Summit 35, Riverside Patriot 12
Summit snaps losing streak, clinches final playoff spot in the Sunkist League.
Miller 52, Eisenhower 12
Win or lose, Miller was locked into third place in the Citrus Belt League.
Pomona 33, Ganesha 12
After costly loss to Covina last week, Pomona finishes in 4th in the Valle Vista League.

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Posted by Clay Fowler at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thursday, November 12
BASELINE LEAGUE
Etiwanda 36, Rancho Cucamonga 34
MT. BALDY LEAGUE
Colony 37, Montclair 6
Don Lugo 28, Garey 27
Chaffey 35, Ontario 0
SIERRA LEAGUE
Ayala 23, Glendora 21
Damien 32, Chino 10
SUNKIST LEAGUE
Summit 34, Riverside Patriot 23
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
Pomona 25, Ganesha 13

Friday, November 13
BASELINE LEAGUE
Los Osos 31, Alta Loma 10
Upland 31, Claremont 28
CHRISTIAN LEAGUE
Aquinas 35, Ontario Christian 24
CITRUS BELT LEAGUE
Carter 33, Yucaipa 27
Miller 36, Eisenhower 10
Redlands East Valley 23, Redlands 14
Fontana 21, Rialto 12
MIRAMONTE LEAGUE
Diamond Ranch 27, Hacienda Heights Wilson 6
PREP LEAGUE
Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep 28, Webb 7
SIERRA LEAGUE
Chino Hills 36, Diamond Bar 16
SUNKIST LEAGUE
Kaiser 41, Jurupa Valley 6
Riverside Norte Vista 27, Bloomington 7
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
San Dimas 36, Baldwin Park 27
NONLEAGUE
Santa Monica St. Monica 24, Western Christian 21
Bonita 23, Walnut 21

Last week: 20-3
Season record: 156-41

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

With the early signing period beginning today, here is a list of athletes and the schools with which they are expected to sign.

BASEBALL
Scott Frazier, Upland, Pepperdine
Derek Goodwin, Diamond Ranch, Sacramento State
Jack Heildman, Claremont, San Diego
Jake Hernandez, Los Osos, USC
Austin Reed, Rancho Cucamonga, San Diego State
Ernesto Zaragosa, Kaiser, San Diego State

BASKETBALL
Jasmine Bernard, Etiwanda, UC-Irvine
Derek Brown, Chino Hills, San Jose State
Janelle Kearney, Diamond Ranch, Boise State
Maiya Michel, Summit, Denver
Ericka Norman, Chino Hills, Sacred Heart
J.J. O'Brien, Alta Loma, Utah
Adrianne Thomas, Summit, Arizona State
Chloe Wells, Miller, Duke

GYMNASTICS
Jordan Williams, Los Osos, Arizona

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
Alyssia Palomino, Kaiser, Auburn
Natalee Pulver, Etiwanda, Marshall
Sydney Stewart, Diamond Ranch, UNLV
Talee Snow, Chino Hills, UCLA

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

With one week left in the regular season, the outcome of this league appears fairly simple...unless, of course, winless Alta Loma upsets Los Osos on Friday. Before we get into the mind-bending scenarios that would create, I'll cover the more likely outcomes.

If Los Osos beats Alta Loma, it will share a league title with the winner of Thursday's Rancho Cucamonga-Etiwanda winner but Los Osos will be the No. 1 playoff seed thanks to wins over both Rancho and Etiwanda. Under this circumstance, the three automatic playoff berths will go to Los Osos, Rancho and Etiwanda, leaving Upland and Claremont to play the fourth-place game on Friday.

Despite being for fourth place, the Claremont-Upland game is vital because the winner could get the CIF-SS Central Division's lone at-large playoff berth.

If Upland wins, it will undoubtedly be the at-large selection with an 8-2 record. (Whatever league champion draws Upland in the first round is going to be livid.) If Claremont prevails the Wolfpack will have a 6-4 record, the same as its primary challenger for the at-large bid, the fourth-place team from the Sierra League. The loser of Thursday's Ayala-Glendora game will finish fourth in the Sierra League.

Now, if Alta Loma happens to upset Los Osos, the league will be thrown into chaos. If Upland wins and Los Osos loses the two will have an identical 3-2 league record. The winner of the Rancho-Etiwanda game will be the outright league champion and the loser will fall into a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots that can't be settled by the head-to-head tiebreaker because... Los Osos defeated both Rancho and Etiwanda, who both defeated Upland, who defeated Los Osos. I believe a coin flip would determine which two would get the automatic playoff berths.

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

Though the Chino Hills High School football team won its crosstown rivalry game with Ayala for the first time in three years, I think it may have been Friday's 14-7 loss with which Ayala proved the last two years were no fluke.

There seems to be a perception that the better team hasn't won the game the last two years. I don't believe that but I think I finally figured out why a lot of other people do on Friday.

Ayala plays ugly (like it did Friday). It wins on the strength of its defense and special teams (it blocked a field goal Friday; Ayala won this game two years when it blocked a field goal late in the game that would have given Chino Hills the lead).

We all get caught up in offensive firepower and gaudy statistics, creating the perception that because Ayala isn't flashy, it isn't good.

Chino Hills flashed its offensive talent Friday night, namely the QB-WR duo of Ryan Verdugo and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, but the primary reason I think Chino Hills is a better team this year than it was last year is its defense. The Huskies are allowing a league-low 12.6 points per game this season.

Guess who led the league in scoring defense last season? You guessed it... Ayala, with an allowance of 15.5 per game. It allowed Chino Hills a little over that number in an 18-17 win last season, but you get the point.

Chino Hills is the better team this season, but not by much. Though Ayala's offense was painful to watch for three quarters and Orange Lutheran transfer QB Ryan Orozco looked like he was running in molasses, the Bulldogs had numerous chances to score a second touchdown in the games waning minutes. (And you can guess what they were going to do after that. Hint: it wouldn't have involved a kicker.)

But it was the Chino Hills defense that won this game, evidenced no better than by the play of Expre-Olomu at safety - he batted away the final pass into the end zone as the game clock expired - even though it is his nine catches for 110 yards that stand out in the box score.

Now Ayala can only hope to help out its bitter rival. If the Bulldogs beat Glendora on Thursday, they'll secure a spot in the playoffs, handing Chino Hills the Sierra League's No. 1 seed in the process. If Ayala loses, Glendora, Damien and Chino Hills will tie for the league championship, requiring a coin flip to determine the seedings.

A loss wouldn't necessarily eliminate Ayala from the playoffs but the Bulldogs' only hope would be to claim the Central Division's lone at-large playoff berth. The winner of the Upland-Claremont game on Friday will be the biggest challenger for the at-large berth, which was awarded to the Baseline League's fourth-place team last season. If it is an 8-2 Upland team that finishes fourth in the Baseline League, a 6-4 Ayala team won't have a chance. If Claremont beats Upland, Claremont will be 6-4 too, giving Ayala a fightin' chance.

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Posted by Clay Fowler at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

1. Colton (8-1) Last week: 1
2. Rancho Cucamonga (8-1) Last week: 2
3. Colony (8-1) Last week: 3
4. Wildomar Elsinore (7-2) Last week: 6
5. Los Osos (5-4) Last week: NR
6. Chino Hills (7-2) Last week: 7
7. Arroyo Valley (7-2) Last week: 8
8. Etiwanda (6-3) Last week: 4
9. Glendora (6-3) Last week: 9
10. Upland (7-2) Last week: 5
Others receiving votes: Ayala (6-3), Cajon (6-3 )

Other CIF-SS polls listed below...

INLAND DIVISION
1. Redlands East Valley (9-0)
2. Vista Murrieta (9-0)
3. Norco (8-1)
4. Rancho Verde (9-0)3
5. Corona Centennial (7-2)
6. Redlands (8-1)
7. Chaparral (6-3)
8. Arlington (8-1)
9. Roosevelt (7-2)1
10. Murrieta Valley (6-3)4
Others receiving votes: Great Oak (6-3).

EASTERN DIVISION
1. Citrus Hill (9-0)
2. Serrano (7-2)
3. Silverado (8-2)
4. Rim of the World (9-1)
5. Kaiser (6-3)
6. Norte Vista (8-1)
7. La Quinta(6-3)
8. Palm Springs (6-2)
9. Palm Desert (7-2)
10. Victor Valley (7-2)
Others receiving votes: Riverside Notre Dame (7-2), Barstow (6-3), Granite Hills (6-3), San Jacinto (6-3).

EAST VALLEY DIVISION
1. St. Margaret's (8-1)
2. Maranatha (7-2)
3. Kern Valley 8-1)
4. Sage Hill (7-2)
5. Sierra Canyon (7-2)
6. Campbell Hall (7-2)
7. Fillmore (7-3)
8. Santa Paula (6-3)
9. Frazier Mountain (7-2)
10. Twentynine Palms (De Anza) 6-4 W Big Bear 31-14
Others receiving votes: Aquinas (5-3), Bishop Union (4-4), Ontario Christian (4-5).

MID-VALLEY DIVISION
1. Monrovia (9-0)
2. San Dimas (8-1)
3. Azusa (8-1)
4. Baldwin Park (8-1)
5. Paraclete (6-3)
6. Arroyo (7-2)
7. Gladstone (7-2)
8. La Puente (7-2)
9. San Marino (7-2)
10. Valley Christian (6-3)
Others receiving votes: Whittier Christian (6-3), Village Christian (6-3).

SOUTHEAST DIVISION
1. Charter Oak (8-1)
2. South Hills (7-2)7
3. Rowland (8-1)
4. Schurr (7-1-1)
5. Burbank (7-2)
6. Burbank Burroughs (7-2)
7. Crescenta Valley (6-3)
8. California (6-2-1)
9. Pasadena (5-4)
10. Walnut (6-3)
Others receiving votes: Bell Gardens (6-3), Santa Fe (6-3), Alhambra (5-3), Whittier (4-5).

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

Though he has been a player of the week before, Douglas' 366 yards on 47 carries in Chaffey's 22-7 win over Garey on Friday warranted a repeat. The senior is now averaging over 200 yards on the ground per game with 1,812 on the season. His three touchdowns Friday gave him 16 in nine games this year.

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

1. Rancho Cucamonga (8-1)
Previous: 3. Last week: def. Upland, 34-31. Next: Thurs. vs. No. 4 Etiwanda (6-3).
2. Colony (8-1)
Previous: 2. Last week: def. Don Lugo 42-10. Next: Thursday at Montclair (3-6).
3. Chino Hills (7-2)
Previous: 5. Last week: def. Ayala 14-7. Next: Friday vs. Diamond Bar (1-8).
4. Etiwanda (6-3)
Previous: 1. Last week: lost to Los Osos 58-35. Next: Thurs. at No. 1 R. Cucamga (9-1)
5. Upland (7-2)
Previous: 4. Last week: lost to R. Cucamonga, 34-31. Next: Fri. at Claremont (5-4).
6. Los Osos (5-4)
Previous: 9. Last week: def. Etiwanda, 58-35. Next: Fri. vs. Alta Loma (0-9).
7. Kaiser (6-3)
Previous: 6. Last week: def. Bloomington, 41-0. Next: Fri. at Jurupa Valley (0-9).
8. San Dimas (8-1)
Previous: 7. Last week: def. Northview, 49-24. Next: Fri. at Baldwin Park (8-1).
9. Damien (4-5)
Previous: NR. Last week: def. Diamond Bar, 52-3. Next: Thurs. vs. Chino (0-9).
10. Ayala (6-3)
Previous: 8. Last week: lost to Chino Hills, 14-7. Next: Thurs. at Glendora (6-3).
Dropped out: No. 10 Miller (4-5).

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Posted by Clay Fowler at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Friday, November 6
BASELINE LEAGUE
Claremont 45, Alta Loma 21
Los Osos 58, Etiwanda 35
Rancho Cucamonga 34, Upland 31
CHRISTIAN LEAGUE
Aquinas 37, Western Christian 7
Ontario Christian 49, ACA 10
CITRUS BELT LEAGUE
Carter 53, Fontana 27
Yucaipa 50, Eisenhower 41
Redlands 31, Rialto 14
Redlands East Valley 28, Miller 20
DERERT SKY LEAGUE
Silverado 25, Granite Hills 14
Serrano 29, Burroughs 12 (nonleague)
Victor Valley 29, Barstow 28
MIRAMONTE LEAGUE
Bonita 47, HH Wilson 3
MOJAVE RIVER LEAGUE
Serrano 29, Ridgecrest Burroughs 12 (nonleague)
Rim of the World 34, Hesperia 0
Apple Vally 49, Sultana 6
MT. BALDY LEAGUE
Chaffey 22, Garey 7
Colony 42, Don Lugo 10
Montclair 40, Ontario 15
SAN ANDREAS LEAGUE
Cajon 50, Pacific 0
Arroyo Valley 47, San Bernardino 15
Colton 42, San Gorgonio 19
SIERRA LEAGUE
Chino Hills 14, Ayala 7
Glendora 28, Chino 10
Damien 52, Diamond Bar 3
SUNKIST LEAGUE
Kaiser 41, Bloomington 0
Norte Vista 44, Summit 29
Patriot 52, Jurupa Valley 7
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
Covina 7, Pomona 2

Thursday, November 5
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
Baldwin Park 49, Ganesha 14

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

Friday, November 6
BASELINE LEAGUE
Claremont 34, Alta Loma 20
Etiwanda 23, Los Osos 21
Rancho Cucamonga 24, Upland 17
CHRISTIAN LEAGUE
Aquinas 42, Western Christian 17
Ontario Christian 31, Arrowhwad Christian Academy 14
CITRUS BELT LEAGUE
Carter 28, Fontana 21
Redlands 41, Rialto 12
Redlands East Valley 33, Miller 21
Yucaipa 36, Eisenhower 17
MIRAMONTE LEAGUE
Bonita 32, Hacienda Heights Wilson 14
MT. BALDY LEAGUE
Chaffey 27, Garey 13
Colony 35, Don Lugo 7
Montclair 36, Ontario 12
PREP LEAGUE
Chadwick Palos Verdes 24, Webb 10
SIERRA LEAGUE
Chino Hills 21, Ayala 17
Damien 32, Diamond Bar 10
Glendora 34, Chino 6
SUNKIST LEAGUE
Kaiser 38, Bloomington 7
Summit 27, Riverside Norte Vista 21
Riverside Patriot 42, Jurupa Valley 6
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
Pomona 23, Covina 20
San Dimas 32, Covina Northview 0

Saturday, November 7
MIRAMONTE LEAGUE
Diamond Ranch 24, Hacienda Heights Los Altos 14

Last week: 19-2
Season record: 136-38

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

Though the standings rarely matter in this crosstown rivalry, a four-way tie for first place in the Sierra League only adds to the implications of tonight's meeting between defending Sierra League champions Chino Hills (6-2, 2-1), the No. 7 team in the CIF-SS Central Division, and No. 10 Ayala (6-2, 2-1).

TOP TO BOTTOM
Though they both suffered their first league losses last week, both the Bulldogs and the Huskies remain firmly in contention for the league title. The flip side of a league race with four teams tied for first place means the loser of this game is in danger of missing the playoffs, given that Damien and Glendora also have 2-1 league records.

Ayala has the toughest schedule of the four, with the other two defending tri-champions, Chino Hills and Glendora, remaining.

"It's unbelievable, this league," Chino Hills coach Derek Bub said. "Back to back years like this, you never know what's going to happen each week. We'll see how it all plays out."

UNDER-DOGS
Ayala has won each of the last two meetings between these two teams, 18-17 last season on the departed David Quiroga's two-point conversion -- a gutsy call by coach Tom Inglima -- following his late-game touchdown catch; and 19-10 in 2007 on the strength of a blocked field goal Ayala returned for a touchdown.

Ayala, however, has compiled it's 6-2 record this season against a softer schedule than Chino Hills.

"We're gonna be the underdog; We're the underdog every year," Inglima said. "None of that matters. You've still got to play."

It only seems fitting that the underdog has won the last two seasons in a rivalry that grows larger each year in the Chino Hills community.

"It's everything football is about," Bub said. "There was so much riding on this game last year."

SIZE VS. SPEED
While Ayala got bigger in the offseason, Chino Hills got smaller. Chino Hills is relying on its speed to combat the size advantage of Ayala's offensive front.

The Ayala offense relied heavily on the running game last season but has found balance with the addition of Orange Lutheran transfer quarterback Ryan Orozco. The senior has completed 62 of 119 passes for 982 yards and eight touchdowns with six interceptions.

The Bulldogs' running back duo of Maurice Reynoso (79 carries, 493 yards, 9 TD) and Michael Trujillo (46-272, 5 TD) will provide the rushing attack.

"We've been very balanced this year," Inglima said. "If their defense is loading up the box, we'll throw the ball and if they spread out with us we'll run it."

CHANGING ON THE FLY
Chino Hills' offense looks extremely different this season than the glued-to-the-ground attack of last season. Quarterback Ryan Verdugo is 87 of 147 passing for 1,170 yards and 11 TDs with six interceptions.

Last season the Huskies ran the ball 72 percent of the time compared to this year's 63 percent. The shift in philosophy is in no small part because of receiver Ifo-Ekpre Olomu (26 receptions, 549 yards, 6 TD), an all-CIF safety as a sophomore last season.

"Ifo's become a big part of our offense," Bub said. "We're trying to take advantage of Ryan where as we would just hand it off to (running back) A.J. (Johnson) a lot last year."

PREDICTION:
Chino Hills 21, Ayala 17

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Posted by Clay Fowler at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Tony Washington chose Oregon of his 12 scholarship offers, issuing a verbal commitment to the Ducks on Sunday, according to Los Osos head coach Tom Martinez. The 6-5, 225-pound defendive end was scheduled to visit Oregon State Nov. 14, but decided to go ahead and narrow his top four - Oregon, Arizona, UTEP and Oregon State - to one.

The 49th-ranked weakside defensive end in the country, according to rivals.com, has 4.5 sacks and 51 tackles, eight for loss, this season. His other scholarship offers included Arizona State, Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado State, San Diego State, New Mexico State and Idaho.

Washington, who runs a 4.7-second 40 and has a 40-inch vertical, gained about 25 pounds in the offseason but it is apparent he has a frame that can hold considerable more weight. He is 225 pounds but still looks like a skinny kid.

Here is a story I wrote last week about Washington, who is coping with the sudden death of his father eight days before this season began.

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

Maybe three champions weren't enough last year.

There are four teams tied atop the Sierra League, but that hardly tells the story.

The Damien football team, which just two weeks ago had a single win to its credit appears poised to win at the very least a share of the league championship. Two of the league's three defending champions, Chino Hills and Ayala, could have set up a showdown this week for sole possession of first place had each produced a victory on Friday. They both lost.

Now Glendora, Damien, Ayala and Chino Hills are tied for first place with a league record of 2-1.

"I think this is about how I thought it would be," Ayala coach Tom Inglima said. "I'm just glad we're still in it."

Ayala seemingly has the toughest road to four league wins with games remaining against each of the two teams with which it shared the Sierra League championship last
season: Chino Hills on Friday and Glendora in the regular season finale. The Bulldogs (6-2) lost 17-7 on Friday to Damien.

Damien (3-5), which was battered by a brutal nonleague schedule that included two defending CIF champions, was welcomed to league play with a 38-6 shellacking on its own home field courtesy of Chino Hills. But head coach Greg Gano's team responded with a 21-0 win over Glendora before its victory over Ayala vaulted it back into a tie for first place. Now all that remains on the Spartans' schedule are Chino and Diamond Bar, who produced their first collective win this season when they played each other last week.

"It looks like Damien's schedule worked out the best," Inglima said. "I thought our schedule would get us some momentum in league like it did last year, but it turns out Damien got the wins they needed and theirs is setting up better."

The same Glendora team that lost 21-0 to Damien, beat the same Chino Hills team last week that stomped Damien. And Glendora's 24-23 win over the Huskies last week was without all-everything running back Andre Holmes. Go figure.

What's fun about this is that all four teams remain in control of their destiny. Only three of them are capable of running their league record to 4-1. If all four win their remaining games with Diamond Bar and/or Chino, it will leave two key matchups: Chino Hills-Ayala and Ayala-Glendora.

Ayala, obviously, is the team with the largest potential influence on appearance of the Sierra League picture in two weeks.

"You get on the bus and you get word that it's a four-way tie and you feel like you've got a second chance," Inglima said. "It's a race to three wins and we've got to find a way to win one of the next two."

In terms of simply making the playoffs, the fourth-place team from the Sierra League could potentially earn the CIF-SS Central Division's lone at-large berth. Given the way Los Osos is playing, I think that distinction, like it did last year, will go to the fourth-place team from the Baseline League.

This leaves quite the delimma for the Sierra League. Four quality teams are vying for three spots.

Leave a comment. Ask a question. Or e-mail me at clay.fowler@inlandnewspapers.com

Posted by Clay Fowler at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

1. Colton (7-1) Last week: 2
2. Rancho Cucamonga (7-1) Last week: 3
3. Colony (7-1) Last week: 4
4. Etiwanda (6-2) Last week: 7
5. Upland (7-1) Last week: 1
6. Wildomar Elsinore (6-2) Last week: 8
7. Chino Hills (6-2) Last week: 5
8. Arroyo Valley (6-2) Last week: 10
9. Glendora (5-3) Last week: NR
10. Ayala (6-2) Last week: 6
Dropped out: No. 9 Cajon (5-3)
Others receiving votes: Don Lugo (5-3), Cajon (5-3), Los Osos (4-4).

Other CIF-SS polls listed below...

INLAND DIVISION
1. Redlands East Valley (8-0)
2. Corona Centennial (7-1)
3. Vista Murrieta (8-0)
4. Norco (7-1)
5. Rancho Verde (8-0)
6. Redlands (7-1)
7. Chaparral (5-3)
8. Arlington (7-1)
9. Roosevelt (6-2)
10. Murrieta Valley (5-3)
Others receiving votes: Great Oak (6-2).

EASTERN DIVISION
1. Citrus Hill (8-0)
2. Serrano (6-2)
3. Palm Desert (7-1)
4. Silverado (7-2)
5. Rim of the World (8-1)
6. Kaiser (5-3)
7. Barstow (6-2)
8. Norte Vista (7-1)
9. La Quinta (5-3)
10. Granite Hills (6-2)
Others receiving votes: Riverside Notre Dame (6-2), San Jacinto (6-2), Victor Valley (6-2), Palm Springs (5-2).

EAST VALLEY DIVISION
1. St. Margaret's (7-1)
2. Campbell Hall (7-1)
3. Maranatha (6-2)
4. Kern Valley (7-1)
5. Sage Hill (6-2)
6. Fillmore (6-3)
7. Santa Paula (5-3)
8. Sierra Canyon (6-2)
9. Frazier Mountain (7-1)
10. Twentynine Palms (5-4)
Others receiving votes: Arrowhead Christian (5-3); Aquinas (4-3).

MID-VALLEY DIVISION
1. Monrovia (8-0)
2. San Dimas (7-1)
3. Azusa (8-1)
4. Baldwin Park (7-1)
5. Paraclete (6-3)
6. Arroyo (6-2)
7. Gladstone (6-2)
8. La Puente (6-2)
9. Village Christian (6-2)
10. San Marino (6-2)
Others receiving votes: Temple City (5-3), La Canada (4-4).

SOUTHEAST DIVISION
1. Charter Oak (8-1)
2. South Hills (6-2)
3. Burbank (7-1)
4. Crescenta Valley (6-2)
5. Walnut (6-2)
6. Rowland (7-1)
7. Bell Gardens (6-2)
8. Schurr (6-1-1)
9. Santa Fe (6-2)
10. Burbank Burroughs (6-2)
Others receiving votes: West Covina (5-4).

Leave a comment. Ask a question. Or e-mail me at clay.fowler@inlandnewspapers.com

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