Scorelist

A quickie scorelist before I get on the road to Arizona. For further updates, check out Clay Fowler’s blog. And we’ll have a new number one this week.

Cajon 33, San Gorgonio 17
Chaffey 35, Montclair 6
Chino Hills 49, Chino 7
Colony 55, Garey 7
Colton 41, San Bernardino 7
Don Lugo 34, Ontario 13
Etiwanda 24, Claremont 21
Fontana 42, Eisenhower 27
Kaiser 31, Riverside Norte Vista 8
Los Osos 31, Rancho Cucamonga 28
Miller 32, Carter 10
Oak Hills 62, Palm Desert Xavier Prep 13
Redlands East Valley 49, Rialto 6
Ridgecrest Burroughs 14, Granite Hills 7
Rim of the World 35, Sultana 6
Riverside Patriot 33, Bloomington 7
Serrano 13, Apple Valley 7
Silverado 40, Barstow 12
Summit 57, Jurupa Valley 0
Upland 42, Alta Loma 7
Victor Valley 21, Hesperia 0

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Week 8 college picks

Back at .500, which feels pretty darn good. Let’s get above .500 and make some money – figuratively and not literally of course.

Oregon State (+20.5) at USC
It’s safe to say that the Trojans have had this game circled on the calendar for a while, as it was a loss at Oregon State last year that effectively eliminated USC from national title contention. Circumstances have USC is good position despite the Washington loss and this game won’t do anything to hurt the Trojan cause.
Pick: USC

UCLA (+7.5) at Arizona
I’ll actually be in the house for this game, as the newspaper group is using me this week as a pinch-hitter for UCLA beat writer Jon Gold. Anyway, this will be a tough task for a Bruins defense that’s been fleeced by Stanford and Cal the last two games. Arizona’s offense has blossomed since Nick Foles has been made the starting QB and will flourish again.
Pick: Arizona

Oregon (-10) at Washington
The Huskies are literally the hardest team to figure out from week to week. Last week it looked like they were a cinch for a cover against Arizona State, tying the game late in the fourth, only to allow a touchdown pass in the final seconds. Cost me by a half-point. Either way, Washington has been tough at home and while Oregon is surging, I’m putting my pick on the gang in purple again.
Pick: Washington

Washington State (+35.5) at California
The bye week apparently cured whatever ills Cal had offensively, as they fleeced UCLA for 45 points at the Rose Bowl last week. That’s not a good sign for a Washington State team that’s, quite frankly, years away from being competitive. However, Wazzu has covered these large spreads so far, so I’ll go with them to stay within, say, 31 points.
Pick: Washington State

Arizona State (+6.5) at Stanford
The Sun Devils and Cardinal represent a pack of 6-7 teams in the Pac-10 that are pretty much equal. It seems like these teams take care of business at home but fall short on the road. It held up last week, as Stanford lost at Arizona in OT and Arizona State pulled out a home win late against U-Dub. I see no reason to pick the road team here.
Pick: Stanford

TCU (-2) at BYU
The battle of the Mountain West season to date will take place in Provo, as the Horned Frogs get a chance to make a national statement with a road victory over a team that’s beaten Oklahoma. However, BYU is a tough place to play, the weather could be cold and the Cougars have a potent offense. You can see where I’m going with this.
Pick: BYU

Oklahoma (-8) at Kansas
This is a weird game. Oklahoma is 3-3 but its hard to find five defenses in the country that are better than what the Sooners have. Bad luck and injuries have derailed what should be a BCS-level team in a way that hasn’t been seen in college football in quite a while. Kansas, despite losing to Colorado, is no slouch and can score. Not saying that OU will lose, but they seem too snakebit to cover this on the road.
Pick: Kansas

Iowa (+1.5) at Michigan State
Couple of trends colliding with each other in this one. One is Iowa’s success as a road dog, as they have won outright as road dogs at Penn State and Wisconsin. The other is a line that’s moving quickly in MSU’s direction. Last time that happened against Michigan, they covered. However, Iowa seems to win and shouldn’t be the underdog in this one.
Pick: Iowa

South Florida (+6) at Pittsburgh
While Cincinnati appears to be the class of the Big East, these two teams – along with West Virginia – are definitely fighting for the No. 2 spot. South Florida missed its shot at Cincy last week, while Pittsburgh came off of a nice win at Rutgers. I sense a bit of a letdown from the Bulls in this game, which should benefit Pitt nicely.
Pick: Pittsburgh

Tennessee (+14.5) at Alabama
The traditional “Third Saturday of October” rivalry games is taking place on the fourth Saturday for whatever reason. Not that it seems to matter. Tennessee, despite a nice win over Georgia two weeks ago, is an inconsistent work in progress and the Crimson Tide have been surgical in winning their first seven games. I expect no less in game 8.
Pick: Alabama

Last week: 5-4-1
Overall: 34-34-2

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Week 7 high school picks

Dropped four last week, a slight move in the wrong direction from the week before. But I’m feeling a perfect week coming this week. Or I’m coming down with swine flu. Either way, good times for all.

Silverado at Barstow
The Desert Sky League is ballin’ this year and this should be the marquee matchup of the league slate. The Hawks and Aztecs played two great games last year in Victorville, with Silverado taking the regular season meeting and Barstow winning in the Eastern semifinals. I like what the Hawks have done during their five-game win streak, but I’m feeling Barstow at home.
Barstow 28, Silverado 24

Miller at Carter
The Rebels have made everyone forget about their 0-3 start (at least everyone but me) by putting the hurt on CBL foes Fontana, Rialto and Yucaipa. Of course, I picked Yucaipa last week, so I looked really dumb. I won’t make the same mistake this week, although Carter is much improved from a year ago. Going with Miller to bump its CBL win streak to 12.
Miller 38, Carter 27

Rancho Cucamonga at Los Osos
The Grizzlies may be the best 2-4 team out there, as Los Osos has lost to Vista Murrieta (No. 3, Inland), Upland (No. 2 Central), Redlands (No. 7 Inland) and Riverside North. Unfortunately for Los Osos, it’ll be the best 2-5 team out there when all is said and done, as they won’t be able to take Rancho, the No. 1 team in the Central Division.
Rancho Cucamonga 34, Los Osos 17

Riverside Norte Vista at Kaiser
Typically the Sunkist is Kaiser, a few other teams, and some other teams thrown in for fun. Norte Vista is usually one of the teams thrown in for fun, but not this year, as the Braves have a perfect 6-0 record and the No. 8 record in the Eastern Division. But they aren’t ready to sit at the big-boy table with Kaiser just yet. The battle-tested Cats will overpower Norte Vista.
Kaiser 22, Norte Vista 13

Cajon at San Gorgonio
We know that Cajon can go off on completely overmatched teams and can get throttled by very good teams. San G is somewhere in between, which makes for an interesting matchup. The 2-4 Spartans would love to get a signature victory under first-year coach Ron Gueringer, while the Cowboys want to prove that they can beat a team with a pulse. I’ll pick the latter in a high-scoring affair.
Cajon 38, San Gorgonio 28

Garey at Colony
It’s really hard to find a game worth picking from the Mt. Baldy League, so I went with this one. The Vikings aren’t that bad, beating a decent Pomona team and fending off Montclair last week. But Colony is a darn good team with some pretty good pelts (Chino Hills, Kaiser) mounted on its wall. Garey is intriguing, but not intriguing enough to make me think about this prediction.
Colony 35, Garey 10

Serrano at Apple Valley
The Diamondbacks impressed the heck out of me last week, making Rim of the World tap out due to a physical, unrelenting defense. Apple Valley presents a few more looks than Rim did, as they’ve expanded their offense a bit past star running back Daryon Mosley. But Serrano has some elite talent to go with its traditional brawn, both of which will be too much for the Sun Devils to handle.
Serrano 28, Apple Valley 14

Chino Hills at Chino
Yeah, the Sierra League slate is that bad this week. It was either this or the Diamond Bar-Ayala game, another 0-6 vs. 5-1 matchup, so I went with the two county teams. I guess I could have gone without a Sierra game at all, but I’m not that mean. I’m not talking about this game much because there’s not much to talk about. Chino Hills will win and it will likely be ugly.
Chino Hills 48, Chino 0

Twentynine Palms at Desert Mirage
Left for dead by some after an 0-4 start, the Wildcats have roared back by winning three straight games and not only look like the class of the De Anza League, but a contender in the East Valley playoffs as well. Desert Mirage runs the ball well and could be a sleeper, but I can’t see them making this kind of leap just yet.
Twentynine Palms 27, Desert Mirage 11

Yucaipa at Redlands
Yucaipa is in week 3 of the CBL gauntlet, having dropped games to Redlands East Valley and Miller the last two weeks. While its not necessary for the Thunderbirds to beat Redlands to make the playoffs, it would make life a lot easier for Yucaipa. I wouldn’t count on it happening though, as Redlands has consistently stepped up its game with each passing week.
Redlands 26, Yucaipa 13

Other games of interest:

Upland 36, Alta Loma 0
Etiwanda 48, Claremont 24
Ontario Christian 27, Western Christian 17
Fontana 41, Eisenhower 30
Redlands East Valley 63, Rialto 6
Yucca Valley 18, Desert Hot Springs 14
Ridgecrest Burroughs 27, Granite Hills 21
Rim of the World 42, Sultana 7
Chaffey 36, Montclair 12
Don Lugo 31, Ontario 6
Arroyo Valley 54, Pacific 7
Colton 58, San Bernardino 6
Ayala 38, Diamond Bar 13
Riverside Patriot 24, Bloomington 10
Summit 45, Jurupa Valley 3
Arrowhead Christian 20, Huntington Beach Brethren Christian 16
Victor Valley 21, Hesperia 17
Oak Hills 30, Palm Desert Xavier Prep 10
Big Bear 42, Citrus Valley 6

Week: 23-4
Overall: 153-46

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Alston commits to Fresno State

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.

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REV, Ayala to host volleyball tournaments

A couple of significant volleyball tournaments will take place this weekend as Redlands East Valley and Ayala host tournaments for teams looking to cram for playoff play in a couple of weeks.

The 2009 REV Volleyball Classic — a one-day, 12-team tourney on Saturday — will feature the Wildcats, the No. 1 team in the most recent CIF-SS Division II-AA polls. Along with Redlands East Valley, the field includes Sultana, Yucaipa and several teams from Riverside County, most notably Division 2-A No. 1 Wildomar Elsinore and 3-AA No. 3 Palm Springs. Action starts at 8 a.m. with three four-team pools – pool A (Elsinore, Riverside Poly, Sultana, Yucaipa), pool B (REV, Temecula Chaparral, Riverside King, Paloma Valley) and pool C (Palm Springs, Corona, Temescal Canyon, Norco).

The Bulldog Classic at Ayala will take place Friday and Saturday. Joining the host Bulldogs will be Rancho Cucamonga — the No. 9 team in Division 1-A — and San Andreas League leader Cajon.

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Jones commits to UTEP

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.

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Three local hoopsters commit

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.

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Mt. SAC cross country gets going Friday

The granddaddy of all Inland Empire cross country meets starts Friday at Mt. San Antonio College as the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational gets underway.

The two-day event features virtually every high school cross country team in Southern California along with several others from other parts of the state. The teams will be broken down into five divisions, with the smaller-school divisions (divisions 3, 4, and 5) running Friday and larger school divisions (divisions 1 and 2) running Saturday.

Friday’s events start at 11 a.m., with the team sweepstakes events being run from 4:29-5:45 p.m. Saturday sees the meet start at 7:30 a.m. and continue until 4:19 p.m. The team sweepstakes events will be relatively early in the day, with the girls division 1 and 2 races going off at 9:35 a.m. and the boys division 1 and 2 races following at 10.

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Coolest number in my cell phone

Meant to write about this before, but I headed out to Eisenhower High School Saturday afternoon for their 50th anniversary celebration. It was quite an event, with a car show, all the food you could possibly want, live music, student performance and, oh yeah, the naming of the football stadium after Ronnie Lott.

It’s the last part which I went out to cover. Knowing that the ceremony would be pretty chaotic, I went early, schmoozing Rialto Unified School District Public Information Office Syeda Jafri well enough to get an invitation into the VIP area, where I schmoozed with Congressman Joe Baca, among others, waiting to get my time with Lott.
Continue reading “Coolest number in my cell phone” »

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Week 7 CIF-SS polls

A bit of a shakeup in the Eastern Division with Serrano beating Rim and Silverado taking down Victor Valley.

CENTRAL DIVISION

1. Rancho Cucamonga
2. Upland
3. Colton
4. Colony
5. Chino Hills
6. Wildomar Elsinore
7. Ayala
8. Etiwanda
9. Cajon
10. Glendora
Others receiving votes: Claremont, Arroyo Valley, Chaffey

EASTERN DIVISION

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

EAST VALLEY DIVISION

1. St. Margaret’s
2. Campbell Hall
3. Sage Hill
4. Arrowhead Christian
5. Maranatha
6. Santa Paula
7. Kern Valley
8. Brentwood
9. Fillmore
10. Sierra Canyon
Others receiving votes: Frazier Mountain, Aquinas

INLAND DIVISION

1. Redlands East Valley
2. Corona Centennial
3. Vista Murrieta
4. Temecula Chaparral
5. Norco
6. Moreno Valley Rancho Verde
7. Redlands
8. Temecula Great Oak
9. Riverside Arlington
10. Riverside La Sierra
Others receiving votes: Corona Roosevelt

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