Prep football game of the week: Chino at Colony
The rematch of last year's Mt. Baldy League championship game appears to be for the same stakes. Both Colony (7-1, 4-0), the No. 6 team in the CIF-SS Central Division, and fourth-ranked defending league champion Chino (6-1, 3-0) are yet to lose a league game.
Suspension of disbelief: There is never a good time to lose players to suspension but this is easily the worst time of the season for Chino to have lost 16 players to a one-game suspension, including four starters after an altercation during last week's 58-6 win over Garey. Among those not suspended for leaving the bench area are tailback Xavier Browne and quarterback Sean Molles, Chino coach Matt McCain confirmed.
"We're not going to make excuses," McCain said. "We're down a few starters but we're going to go out there and do our best. This gives some guys a chance to step up."
Looking for revenge: Colony is undoubtedly eager to attempt to avenge last year's 49-20 loss to Chino that was just one of many blowout victories for a Cowboys team that won the Mt. Baldy League championship and went undefeated in the regular season a year after going 0-10.
After finishing second in league last season, it is the Titans who have looked more impressive thus far against common opponents, defeating Chaffey by 27 and Don Lugo by 20 while Chino defeated each by seven points. The Cowboys needed a goal line stand to hold off Don Lugo in a 15-8 league-opening win.
"We were able to keep Chaffey off the field so we had five possessions in the first half and we scored on four of them," Colony coach Matt Bechtel said. "Chino wasn't able to keep Chaffey off the field so it just limited the number of times they touched the ball. I don't put much stock in the common opponents because it all depends on different matchups."
Fire power: Colony has a plethora of offensive options, including two quarterbacks. Senior Bryan Harper is the more athletic of the two while 6-foot-3 junior Matt Simko is a pocket passer.
Harper, who is verbally committed to Washington where he will play cornerback next season, has rushed for 455 yards and passed for 387. Simko, who transferred from Claremont, has completed 57 percent of his passes for 854 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.
Chino quarterback Sean Molles has passed for 990 yards with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. With Quinton Pedroza having departed for Utah and Promise Amadi for Hawaii, this season's Chino offense is built around running back Xavier Browne, who has 1,247 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns.
"I don't care what anybody says, you can't replace two Division I skill kids," Bechtel said. "Although they're winning games, they're not putting up the numbers they did. Last year it was pick your poison because those two could hurt you on the outside and (Browne) could hurt you on the inside."
Plenty of opponents have loaded up the box to stop Browne this season so it won't be a surprise if Colony does the same.
"If we have to open it up a little more," McCain said, "It puts the responsibility on our quarterback and receivers to get it done."
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About Clay
Clay Fowler has been covering high school sports for six years in California and Texas. He was born in Dallas, attended the University of Texas and worked in Central Texas before joining the Daily Bulletin staff in 2006.
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Wow Chino played poorly last night and was hurt by the suspensions, Starting Oline and Dline as well as a LB. This is the future of the Mt Baldy league. It is going to be a two team race until the re-alignment in 2014 moves both ot of the Mt baldy.
Chino didn't play that poorly. They had several opportunities to make plays and their players didn't (two potential td passes, both dropped). But I do agree, from the looks of the league, it would appear that way.