Monrovia (12-2 in 2010)
Numbers: About 110
Aram’s impression: Well, all I have to say is good luck to the rest of the Rio Hondo League. But do you really care about that? Probably not and the ‘Cats, if we’re being honest, probably don’t either. After winning the Mid-Valley Division championship and being in the title game the past two years, we all know how M-Town is now judging success. Aram has now seen West Covina, Charter Oak and Monrovia. In terms of athletes, I would rank them exactly in that order, with not much separating CO and M-Town. Shocked? Don’t be. I’m gonna have to go see Covina soon because I have a hard time believing there’s another Mid-Valley Division team as talented as Monrovia. There were recruiters out on Monday from Miami and Utah, presumably to fawn over defensive lineman Ellis McCarthy. But he was busy prepping for this weekend’s CIF track finals where he’ll compete in the shot put. Same for running back Michael Harris, who is a sprinter on the school’s track team. The guy who really stood out was junior-to-be George Frazier, who I have video of (sorry about the sound). Frazier is the front runner to replace Nick Bueno at QB (my words, not head coach Ryan Maddox’s) and he also plays linebacker. This kid has a D-1 frame already and he’s still got two years of eligibility. Listen, spring practice, like passing tourneys, is pretty much a athlete-measuring contest. Based on what I saw, Monrovia may be overall more talented than last season. And the couple of coaches I put that notion by did not disagree.
Under the radar: WR/DB Luke Williams. The kid is 6-2, 180 and I didn’t catch just how fast he is because they weren’t running those kinds of drills. But if he is as fast as his frame suggests (and can catch) you’ve got what may be one of the top WRs in the area.