All-Encompassing SGV(N) Top 25 heading into Week 4

Posted on by


Now you know why we put Frankie on the cover.

1. Bishop Amat (3-0-1) — One last bit of business in the nonleague on Friday vs. St. Paul.
2. La Serna (4-0) — Who’d have thought it would be Lancers putting Southeast on the map?
3. Chino Hills (2-1-1) — Had West Covina put away by halftime. Great Oak next.
4. La Mirada (3-1) — Hard to believe that Mats are no longer the Southeast headliner.
5. Ayala (4-0) — Several teams in the Sierra can’t wait to find out how good ‘Dogs are.
6. Charter Oak (2-1) — Above all, Chargers learned they need to handle adversity better.
7. Damien (1-1) — Sparty got a week off when they really didn’t need it. Really.
8. St. Franics (2-1) – Gave strong La Mirada team a good run.
9. Monrovia (2-1) — Handled San Dimas, but ‘Cats need to clean up sloppiness.
10. West Covina (2-2) — Bulldogs could really use some Hacienda confidence builders.
11. San Dimas (3-1) — Saints still going to be way too much for Valle Vista to handle.
12. St. Paul (1-2) — Swordsmen saw first hand just what a challenge Amat will be.
13. South Hills (2-1) — Huskies had week off to get ready for Monrovia challenge.
14. Rio Hondo Prep (3-1) — As it stands, Arcadia is actually weakest team on nonleague.
15. Diamond Ranch (3-1) — Here’s your Hacienda League darkhorse (title contender).
16. Los Altos (3-1) — Bubble somewhat burst by Chino. D-Bar in Hacienda opener looms.
17. San Marino (3-0) — Have outscored opponents 120-21.
18. La Salle (4-0) — 63-7 over Maranatha! Wow!
19. California (3-0) — Still hard to tell just how serious to take Condors in Del Rio.
20. Gladstone (3-0) — OK, this game this week vs. La Puente is HUGE!
21. Glendora (2-1) — Gave Ayala a good run, which is actually saying something.
22. El Rancho (3-1) — Del Rio flavor of the week (like Whittier was last week).
23. Gabrielino (4-0) — 4-0 is 4-0 … but I’m still not picking Eagles in the MVL just yet.
24. Whittier (2-1) — Followed Whittier Chr. win with a real dud vs. Norwalk.
25. El Monte (2-2) — Win over Covina keeps Lions above C-Town and La Puente.

  • Anonymous

    Aram i cant believe you would put La Serna over CH. Yea they had an impressive victory but lets be real now is Westlake even good this year and do you really think La Serna is better than CH who dominated the two time defending champs?

  • http://insidesocal.com/sgvfootball/2012/09/all-encompassing-sgvn-top-25-heading-into-week-4.html#comments Sierrafan2

    How can u put Serena before ch and Ayala. Ch has a dominating win over wesco and Ayala over glenodora. You dropped Ayala back after winning a game ? Doesn’t make since. Serena plays weak teams and that’s what there 4-0

  • Real talk

    Amat player doing BIG thigs on the next level not just getting offers. http://www.greenwichtime.com/sports/article/Hundley-defense-lead-UCLA-past-Houston-37-6-3869038.php

  • Football Fan

    Interesting matchup this week for West Covina. Facing Diamond Ranch to start league play can decide who will win the Hacienda league this week. I expect it to be a tough game for both

  • Are You Kidding Me???

    Aram,
    Are you on drugs? You honestly think LaSerna is better than Chino Hills and Charter Oak? They beat a Westlake team that is down this year. Westlake has beaten a 1-2 Granite bay team, an 0-3 del Oro team, and Crenshaw. LaSerna also beat a poor Bonita team, who was shut out by South Hills, by a touch down. They Beat a #332 (in Ca) ranked Downey team by 1 point. They beat a terrible Rancho Christian team that has canceled the rest of their games this season…WOW tough schedule.
    Meanwhile Chino Hills has beaten a solid Arlington team, tied and could have easily beaten (if it wasn’t for the refs) Amat, Lost a close one to #4 in Pac 5, #21 in the state Tesoro and DEMOLISHED back to back CIF Champion West Co.
    You Really think LaSerna would beat Chino Hills? LOL, you guys are not proving to be very bright. Just like jumping all over Monrovia’s jock in the pre seanon. We all told you!

  • Dan

    Football fan,
    I agree, the Hacienda league just got real interesting
    with Diamond Ranch and Bonita on the rise and West Co now seeming to struggle. I’ve mentioned before we have only 5 or 6 out of 22 returning starters playing at this time.
    That means West Co is vastly inexperienced at this level and it showed on Friday. Lots of mistakes and missed blocking assignments that allowed for key tackles or sacks, lots of confusion, lots of turnovers, and too much Chino Hills. CH had nice passing schemes along with a QB who could deliver the ball. I thought our coverage was very loose at times, and many times in zone coverage I noticed our guy’s lock on to the QB while the reciever in their zone is creating space between them. Once a good QB like Simko spots that he gets the ball there, their heads need to be on a swivel. Other times they seem to go for the tackle instead of breaking up the pass or makeing a pick, they could learn to close in on the ball better once it’s in the air. I was hoping our speed and athleticism would make up for some of the inexperience, but against good teams of that caliber we have not had the mental or physical intensity that it takes to match these teams. Anyway’s right or wrong thats what I think I saw with our team this week.
    This season is still early so a lot of this can be cleaned up, we also still have some players missing who can come back and help out, but even so, it looks like it will be tough in league and even tougher in the playoffs this year.

  • 84-21

    Both Robledo and Ramirez have expressed wonder at how La Serna could struggle with Downey and Bonita, then win easily over supposed powerhouse Westlake. The obvious answer is that Westlake is NOT the mighty machine of last year.

    Based on this one game, Tolegian has penalized a La Mirada club that has been very impressive against four consecutive quality teams. Aram declares that it is “hard to believe that Mats are no longer the Southeast headliner.” Hey, YOU demoted La Mirada big fella; we can’t understand why either.

  • http://westcovinafootball.org Marquez

    Aram,

    Thanks for the outlet for SGV H.S. Football fans to share their opinions.

    Since you have a gambling blog, here is my question.

    On a neutral field. What kind of betting line would you make on these games?

    La Serna vs Chino Hills La Serna vs Charter Oak

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    I really can’t believe we’re even having this discussion.

    – La Serna is 4-0

    – La Serna owns the next-best WIN in the area after Amat’s over Servite.

    – 38-9! Speaking of that win, the game WASN’T CLOSE. It’s not like La Serna got out of there with a close, fortunate win.

    – For those of you who like to pull the “Sondheimer Card”, go look at who his next-highest team from this area after Amat. Hell, look at who is the only OTHER area team in his rankings beside Amat.

    – That was a Southeast team whipping a PAC-5 team. Not just any PAC-5 team, a PAC-5 team that was well-regarded.

    – La Mirada, CO, Chino Hills ALL have losses.

    – Not that this means too much, but I talked to a coach who has now seen game film of both La Mirada and La Serna and he said La Serna is much better.

    You know, I really don’t think some of you guys get it. Rankings change. They are fluid. Teams get better and teams get worse. Could other teams under La Serna beat them? Sure. Could La Serna beat them right back? Sure. If the Lancers aren’t ranked properly, it will show up on the field at some point.

    Also, please stop with the “84″ thing. That was lsat year. This is this year.

  • Anonymous

    Ok Aram going off of what you wrote then why isnt La Serna number 1 on this list. The win over Westlake is a much more impressive win then a pac5 school in Amat who beat another Pac5 school in Servite. Servite is 1-2 Westlake has 1 lost and was ranked much higher than Servite was all season until they lost so according to your method La Serna has the most impressive win and should be ranked number 1…………….which is loco you rank off of feelings and emotions your method makes no sense

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    If you want to make a case for La Serna No. 1, I will listen. I just feel Amat’s overall body of work is better. Wins over CO and La Mirada and a tie with Chino Hills is better than wins over Bonita, Downey and Rancho Christian.

  • Rankings

    @anonymous who always has something bad to say about amat. Amat deserves there ranking based on there tougher schedule .aram is right on point with this ranking .

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Let’s end this RIGHT NOW.

    Do any of the teams below La Serna have a better win than Westlake?

    Are any of the teams below La Serna undefeated?

    Thank You.

    Now, talk about something like La Salle not being high enough. Or South Hills being too high.

  • sgv scouting

    Let me have the back of Aram when it comes to La Serna. I had a chance to watch the coaches tape of the La Serna game against Westlake, and let me assure you, La Serna is the real deal. I like the way they play defense and the quarterback is pretty darn good. He killed Westlake with his feet.

    I sent a text to Aram earlier today and I stand by it. After watching La Serna and La Mirada on tape, I am far more impressed with La Serna and I make them the favorites to win the SW division.

    Are they as good as Chino Hills… probably not, but have the accomplished more than Chino Hills… yes and that is why Aram has them ranked high. I don’t disagree with it – I endorse it.

    If you disagree with me, you can always tell me to my face on Thursday night when I’m on the sideline at the South Hills vs Monrovia game.

  • saladays

    ranite Bay just beat the # 3 team in NorCal Vacaville 47-21.

    The La Serna win is big… the coach at Westlake did hold out a player or two but that has nothing to do with La Serna.

    Aram’s top 6 is right on the money.

  • Anonymous

    Ok Aram ill answer your question NO, now does any team above La Serna have a better win then La Serna does over Westlake?

    Also have any team played a tougher 4 games so far this year then CH?

  • SoCalFootballGuy

    La Serna looks solid. But you really have to scrutinize teams to really know the truth. As someone earlier put it:

    “They beat a Westlake team that is down this year. Westlake has beaten a 1-2 Granite bay team, an 0-3 del Oro team, and Crenshaw. LaSerna also beat a poor Bonita team, who was shut out by South Hills, by a touch down. They Beat a #332 (in Ca) ranked Downey team by 1 point. They beat a terrible Rancho Christian team that has canceled the rest of their games this season….”

    No disrespect, but if you want to be objective, you have to look at things deeply. ANd when you do, you see that La Serna’s wins are deceptive. Wins nonetheless, but the type that can give players and fans a like a false sense of accomplishment.

  • Amat at top

    Anonymous . Just deal with it . The team you hate with a passion is number one . Chino hills has a lost .

  • Yes to both

    Anonymous – yes. Amat. To both Q’s

    Charter Oak win > West Covina win
    La Mirada win > Arlington win
    Servite win > Tesoro loss

    The only way Chino Hils could be considered to have played a tougher schedule is they played Amat and Amat only played Chino Hills

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Anonymous,

    Yes, Amat has played a better schedule than Chino Hills if you look at ALL four games. Yes, Tesoro was better than anyone Amat has played, but Amat’s schedule as a whole has been tougher.

    Westlake is down? Really? Granite Bay has a rating of 49.3 on calpreps. Del Oro is a 36.3. Crenshaw is 48.3. Read what “saladays” said about Granite Bay below.

    This is the second-best win in the area and it might be the best (consider the margin of victory, held them to NINE! put up 38!) when all is said and done. Who knows where La Serna’s season goes from here, but right now they’re a deserving No. 2.

  • Dan

    I love this,
    La Serna throws a wrench in the machinery creating some interesting controversy in the process. Westlake
    did beat 0 and 3 Del Oro and a 1 and 2 Granite Bay but both those teams are traditionally good Nor-Cal teams. Del Oro’s three loses are to quality teams, Westlake, Oaks Christian, and Sacramento Burbank, who is 3 and 0 with a win over Grant from Sacramento. Granite Bay has 2 loses one to Westlake and the other to Oaks Christian, both were not close so Granite bay doesn’t look very good. Oaks Christian has bigger margins of victory over Del Oro and Granite Bay than Westlake, but Oaks Christian could be a Pac 5 semi-finalist or
    even a finalist for all we know.
    I mentioned somewhere else that Westlake benched their starting QB in favor of a sophomore, so that could be why Westlake wasn’t able to score touchdowns, but La Serna still scored 38 points on Westlakes defense which seems pretty impressive for a Southeast team to do in any given year.
    As for having close games with Bonita and Downey, it could be a case of La Serna not yet clicking as a team. Also Bonita may have started to click as a team the night they played La Serna, because from the looks of their score from this week Bonita could be a very good team putting 61 points on Claremont.
    Over all because of the Westlake QB being benched, and their team possibly being in a rebuilding year due to their close game with Del Oro compared to Oaks Christian blowing out Del Oro, I would favor Chino Hills and La Mirada over La Serna at this point. But if La Serna wins this week over Norco, or has a tight game with them, well then you have an argument they are in the same class as Chino Hills and La Mirada.
    Either way whether La Serna belongs in the same conversation as Chino Hills and La Mirada or not, it’s great to see that on any given night a good team has a shot against a traditional big boy if they can execute their game. Great Job La Serna, and by the way, I get to drop a name here, I’m glad for Frankie Palmer and La Serna after all the blog bashing he took last season and over the summer, he is looking to be the very good QB that some bloggers on here wouldn’t give him credit for being. One other thing, his mom and my wife are first cousins, don’t really know him since he was probably a small boy since we last saw his parents, but thats ok, you go Frankie, if you read these blogs you probably shoudn’t, too much negativity, but good luck to your Lancers from friendly hills this year, that is unless you play
    West Covina,LOL.

  • high school football fan

    In your comment about CALHI you said you still dont know what to think of them in Del Rio play-let me tell you they have played 3 solid games in a row-they have a good rushing offense- they totaled 477 yards in their win over Fullerton-lets just say that CALHI will definetly be a contender in the Del Rio and will finish in the top three- and please remeber that they beat LS last year and it will be a great game when they play them this year.

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Please NOBODY lose sight of the MAGNITUDE of this win. No matter what La Serna goes on to do, they are a Southeast Division team that went upside a legit PAC-5 team’s head.

    I hope Fred, Amat Nation and everyone else reads what I just wrote. It’s a major statement for the Southeast. Even more incredible considering that entering the week most people had La Mirada and probably whomever wins the SGV League as the favorites in the Southeast. With La Serna a distance behind and maybe even West Covina still ahead of La Serna.

    This win was HUGE!

    We’ve talked quite a bit about this, but we’ve been using Amat as the example. Well, use Westlake as the example instead. It happened!

  • FredJ

    You can make an argument La Serna deserves No. 2, but I’m having a hard time BELIEVING they’re the second best team after Amat. For me, last year does matter. Even if they had every single player back from last season, the team I watched lose to West Covina in the championship could not be better than this years edition of Bishop Amat, Chino Hills and probably Charter Oak. I just don’t buy it. Their narrow win over a team I’m familiar with, Bonita, kind of justifies that. This isn’t the NFL. You don’t become a superpower overnight unless you’re a private school and then it’s still hard to do in one season. You can, however, go from great to bad or terrible depending on your graduating class. I have no idea if Westlake is the real deal, but my hunch is what happened is more of Westlake graduating a bunch and being overrated than it is La Serna being underrated. Having said that, it’s still a HUGE WIN. Anytime a Southeast beats a Pac-5 it’s a big deal. Are they No. 2? I don’t think so, but I have no complaints with anyone that ranks them that high.

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    OK Fred, you win. Let’s talk last year.

    Thanks for telling us all about La Serna. Now, I will tell us all about the team they beat.

    Westlake was 14-1. Beat Oaks Christian TWICE. Won the Northern Division and represented SoCal in the State Championship Division I bowl game vs. Concord De La Salle.

    Would they beat Chino Hills or CO or La Mirada or Ayala? I don’t know. Was Friday’s win over Westlake merely a team that caught fire against a team that was down or didn’t take them serious or had personnel issues? Possibly. But the fact is, they DESERVE to be No. 2 RIGHT NOW.

  • SoCalFootballGuy

    For LS, the Westlake win wasn’t like beating them in years past, but it was still a great win. And you may be able to punch holes in their other wins, but La Serna should be mentioned with all other top teams in the area. Maybe not #1, but an argument can be made for that ranking pretty easily.

  • Westlake Qb

    I don’t think westlake has figured out who is the starting qb . The sophomore started the first game and 2 other qbs played that game . Justin Moore giving up football was a big blow to there offense .

  • FredJ

    To add one more thing, not trying to belittle what La Serna did. It was huge. When you look further they beat a team that beat Crenshaw and Crenshaw beat Norco. But Westlake also needed OT to beat some 0-3 team. La Serna looks like a world beater beating Westlake, but also needs overtime to beat Downey and slips past Bonita. When you compare all the results it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. I can’t think of a better way to explain it other than, ON ANY GIVEN FRIDAY.

  • FredJ

    Poor Aram, now he’s got another team to go after me with, it never ends. I didn’t think he would go quietly after this week.

  • Anonymous

    Aram, your seriously ranking La Serna above CH and etc….because of one win? before that game non of their opponents were even ranked above 250 in the state and one of their opponents were ranked 900+…..come on Aram i know you know football better then that. Also La Serna is in the Southeast and you have them above La Mirada and WC….wow all because they are undefeated. I dont know about that one Aram CH tied your King and lost a close one to a team that was and still is ranked higher then any team in the Valley played against they beat the 2 time defending champion BAD and an Arlington team that is ranked higher then the first 3 teams LS beat. Im NO CH fan at all but from what they did this year so far they deserve to stay atop any other team besides Amat who they tied, i mean every year even when Amat has 5 loses you still rank them high because of who they play and who they are. Now i can see if Tesoro was a lower level pac5 team that beat CH but they are top 5 in the pac5 and they barely beat CH, One question do you think LS can beat WC or La Mirada this year? And please answer it with what you really think, no patronizing answer for the fans of LS.

  • FredJ

    And by the way Aram, read carefully, never said they didn’t deserve No. 2, just said that’s not where I would rank them. Your so funny.

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Fred,

    Well hey, they proved my point. And it’s Coach Hagerty’s point, too. You even said it yourself “on any given Friday …”

    Is the Southeast better than the PAC-5? Heck no. But this team deserves tons of credit.

    Anyway, if Fred J. Robledo was making the All-Encompassing rankings this week, where would he rank La Serna?

    And for the rest of the you, where would you rank La Serna?

    Remember, me and Sondheimer have them No. 2.

  • Anonymous

    When did Westlake become a proven Pac5 team? they have No pac5 wins this year, they havent won one pac5 playoff or anything so how are they a proven pac5 team.

    TO LS FANS IM NOT KNOCKING YOU GUYS AT ALL YOU DID THAT AND THAT IS A GREAT WIN FOR THE VALEY BUT EVEN YOU KNOW YOUR RANKED WAYYYYYY TO HIGH.

  • FredJ

    BTW Aram, using your logic UCLA should be ranked higher than USC this week, right? UCLA is 3-0 with a win over Nebraska, by far better than any win on USC’s resume, who is 3-1 after losing to Stanford. But SC is No. 13 and UCLA 19, why? Because UCLA has much more to prove than just one big win whereas you know USC is good after doing with they did LAST YEAR, and what they had coming back.

  • Anonymous

    1.AMAT
    2.CHINO HILLS
    3.AYALA
    4.LA MIRADA
    5.CHARTER OAK
    6.LA SERNA

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Anonymous,

    You caught me. I was trying to pander to all the La Serna fans on here. I mean you see all of them don’t you? They’re flooding the blog on a weekly basis.

    You must not know me very well. I don’t pander to any fan base. Ask Amat about that. I could care less what La Serna fans, Amat fans or any other fans think of me.

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Fred,

    Just tell us all where you would rank La Serna if you were making the All-Encompassing rankings this week.

  • Anonymous

    No i know you dont pander to any fan base and i do know you pretty well im just under “anon” but i have been blogging for some years now.

    Im just saying you threw a BIG MONKEY WRENCH in the game with that Aram and i never agree with (lil blue fredj) but his comeback with the college ranking and UCLA makes A WORLD OF SENSE one big win wont jump you above a proven team believe me if St. Paul beats Amat you will not rank St. Paul above Amat now would you?

  • FredJ

    My all encompassing top 5 would be ..

    1. Bishop Amat
    2. Chino Hills
    3. La Serna
    4. Ayala
    5. Charter Oak

    That’s how I would rank them because you have to reward La Serna for a huge win. Having said that, if La Serna played Charter Oak or Ayala this week on a neutral field, I’d take Ayala and Charter Oak. I know the Westlake win looks great, but there’s a flip side to that coin. I think Charter Oak and Ayala would dismantle Bonita and Downey with much more ease than La Serna. Entire body of work matters, not just one game.

    Even in college football, you see giant upsets, even 30-point underdogs win on occasion, but lets keep it in perspective.

  • FredJ

    Aram, since you had a question for me, I’ve got one for you. Who would you take if Chino Hills and La Serna played Friday on a neutral site, say the District Field? Who would Aram’s money be on?

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Fred,

    The more you talk, the less I understand.

    You rank La Serna ahead of CO and Ayala, but you think Ayala and CO would beat them? Yet you’re the one on Friday night (and all season) saying the rankings should be done based on who would beat who.

    Hey, hold on a sec, I’ve got to go tell Steve Ramirez to be sure and rank Muir above La Salle and San Marino because even though they are 0-3, we all know they’d beat those teams.

  • FredJ

    According to the Ventura County Star, “Westlake’s Dashon Hunt, who can take over games as a running back, catching passes, returning kicks or intercepting passes on defense in the Warriors’ secondary, did not play because of a high ankle sprain.

    Also missing from last year, according to the Star, “former quarterback Justin Moore, who transferred to Royal after announcing he was giving up football shortly after last year’s bowl loss to Concord De La Salle.”

  • Anonymous

    LOL….a fredj you did kind of confuse me to with your ranking but you taking those teams over La serna and i did see the NEUTRAL FIELD thing….maybe thats you stating LS would win at home….

  • WC BULLDOGS!!!

    Rankings like this are meaniningless because they are obviously determined on Wins and Losses only. What should be taken into heavy consideration is the level of competition that teams win or lose against.

    With that said THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL that La Serna should be ranked above us, especially after the A$$ Whoopin we handed them in the finals last year. I DON’T CARE IF THEY ARE 4-0!!! La Mirada ranked ahead of us is tolerable (FOR NOW) simply because of the game they gave Amat a few weeks ago. The Kitty-Cats over in Mo-town are a joke also…who have they played besides perennial Sierra League doormat Ayala? The same is true for St. Francis…

    I’ll OPENLY admit we were in over our heads against Loyola and Chino Hills…WAY OVER OUR HEADS. But the box scores don’t tell the full story. Bonehead mistakes, penalties and LOTS OF TURNOVERS that resulted in immediate scores for Loyola and Chino Hills are the real reasons for the lopsided losses.

    Could we have beaten them if we play mistake-free football? I’d say NO…BUT THE GAMES WOULD HAVE BEEN ALOT CLOSER!! I would LOVE to see how La Serna, Monrovia, or St. Francis would have done against those 2 schools.

    Don’t get me wrong…I have no illusions of the WC BULLDOGS being able to compete with the PAC-5 schools or schools in higher divisions…BUT AT LEAST WE’RE PLAYING THEM!

    The bottom line is that a champion is KING until he is dethroned. The Hacienda League AND the Southeastern Conference belongs to US. Don’t forget that as a team we haven’t been completely healthy. Just wait and see come playoff time.

    GO BULLDOGS!!!

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    CHINO HILLS-LA SERNA on a neutral, I take Chino Hills all day everyday and even on Sunday.

    I would also take Muir over San Marino on a neutral field. Should I rank Muir (0-3) ahead of San Marino (3-0)?

  • FredJ

    I don’t know why you don’t understand, I thought I explained it … You don’t have Muir on your top 25 all encompassing? Does that mean you don’t think Muir would beat anyone on your list? I know that sounds like a stupid question, but that’s just what you asked me.

    You know and I know that just because you have a team ranked higher doesn’t necessarily mean you think they would win in a head-to-head against a team ranked lower.

    Again Aram, who would you pick in a head to head, Chino Hills or La Serna? Or, who would you take head to head, undefeated Gabrielino or Muir? Just curious, because you have the 3-0 Eagles ahead of them.

  • Anonymous

    Aram i see what you mean but in all due respect LS is to high Muir havent won a game SM has now if Muir had beaten Alemany or Upland then Muir would have an argument to be ranked above SM but Muir has NO WINS CH does and better wins, so you should throw that analogy out the window. LS is to high.

  • FredJ

    Aram, you have some explaining because by taking Chino Hills over La Serna, why would you call me out for taking Ayala or Charter Oak over La Serna? You have La Serna ranked ahead of Chino Hills, yet you just called me out for doing the same thing, taking a team I have ranked lower over a higher-ranked team.

  • 84-21

    If 84-21 is meant to be forgotten, then so is Westlake’s greatness from last year. The fact is, the Warriors are not the same team; they’re down. This bump in the ratings for the Lancers is based on the strength of LAST YEAR’S Westlake squad, and that’s why it’s bogus.

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Fred,

    That’s exactly right. Rankings are rankings. Picks are picks. But I have never been the one advocating for doing rankings based on “who would win if they played?”. That’s you. And it gets you in trouble and tangled because that should only be PART of it.

    Making rankings for teams that play across a myriad of divisions with a myriad of different demographics and attendance numbers is an INEXACT SCIENCE. It requires some head-to-head opinion, but also a lot of “how they handle business in their neck of the woods”.

    La Serna deserves No. 2. Will it last even a week? No idea. But for now, me and Sondheimer agree. And nobody should downplay the magnitude of that win. Especially West Covina and La Mirada fans who just saw their division get put on the map.

  • FredJ

    To clarify what I said on Friday by saying we should rank teams “based on who we think are the best teams or who would beat who,” that was part of a longer conversation in the context of explaining that traditionally our paper and prep editors who’ve done rankings use the pound for pound element to a large extent, which I do to. I’ve always considered ranking teams strictly by who I think is better, but have never done it to avoid ranking a 1-9 Amat ahead of a 9-1 Azusa. or an 0-3 Muir ahead of a 3-0 Gabrielino. Aram knows that I HAVE NEVER ranked teams in the paper or the blog based simply on who would beat who, but like a politician, that’s what he chose to call me out on. Laughable.

  • Steve Ramirez

    OK, in my opinion, using my rankings criteria, based on Aram’s week 3 rankings, I would rank the top five:

    1. Bishop Amat – met expectations with a 16-point victory over previous No. 2 Charter Oak
    2. Chino Hills – met expectations by beating previous No. 7 West Covina by 32 points.
    3. La Mirada – Met expectations with 7-point win over previous No. 6 St. Francis
    4. La Serna – moves up with 38-9 win over Westlake
    5. Ayala — Beat No. 20 Glendora, 38-28

    As big as La Serna’s win over Westlake is, I don’t think you can leap frog them over Chino Hills and La Mirada, who were ranked ahead of them in your previous rankings. They met expectations by beat teams ranked in your top 10. They deserve to hold those slots, otherwise you are penalizing them for something they have no control over. You have to have integrity in your rankings and by reacting to a big win by team a regardless of what team b does loses that integrity. It’s a problem I have with the L.A. Times rankings, where Eric Sondheimer will sometimes have a team be unranked, then after said team gets a big win, he moves them up to No. 11 or 12, ignoring that teams 13, 14 and 15 won convincingly.
    Rankings should be based on record, who would beat who, but also incorporating the season each ranked team is having and adjust it accordingly.

  • Whittierarea

    Wow that is the smartest thing ever written by Steve Ramirez! Well done sir!

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Nope, sorry Stevie. Too robotic. Teams can and should leapfrog other teams given the strength of their wins.

    Also, you can’t take a college football poll approach to high school football rankings.

  • 84-21

    As a whittier area fan, I can see a benefit to La Serna being hyped like this: everyone will want a piece of them. So with actual sincerity, I say thank you, Aram…you’ve lit a fire under the butts of the other Whittier teams.

  • Panther leader

    Looks like my assessment of LA last week was spot on but I’ll wait until we play LA in 4 weeks to discuss this further. Right now it looks like those little puppy dogs have been put on life support at the worst possible time. This weeks game is not only the the league opener but it’s also the Championship Game. My prediction, PAIN LOTS OF PAIN. DRanch by 3 TD’s and into Arams top 10 by weeks end.

  • Steve Ramirez

    Aram, my good friend, rankings are rankings, whether they are college football, high school football or junior high school chess. The same criteria should be applied to each.

  • Green pastures

    Great to the see the cats back in the top 10. Monrovia still needs to tighten things up. However, Any one who was at the San Dimas game knows those refs had an agenda…They attempted to make a game closer than it was. They called back 4 tds, and Maybe 1 of them should have been called back. The refs walk SD down the field for their only Td of the second half. Maddox also could have scored once more, but decided to kneel on the ball. There won’t be any of that ” the team who won the first game, will win the 2nd game stuff”. SD won’t beat Monrovia, Paraclete nor Sierra Canyon this season. This season, if they play again, Monrovia will score 50.

    Greenies Top 10

    1. BA 3-0-1 Deserve to be on top. BA is in a pickle this week, injuries might cost them. With their two top offensive options off…They could get upset. Do you go for the SGV title or Serra league title. I say rest Blue for league. St Paul is still beatable.

    2.Chino Hills, after tying BA the should be ranked 1B. Since they still have Sierra league play, they can go up or down.

    3. La Serna should be ranked #3. Westlake is unproven in Pac 5, so there still a western team until their first playoff win. That was a huge win for La Serna. I still think Chino Hills is better.

    4. La Mirida after playing BA close, and Beating St Francis, you still have to respect what they are doing. After losing their best RB, only time will tell how that affects their season.

    5. Ayala, With huge wins over Monrovia, and tough out of state opponent, we can start talking about battling in the tough Sierra for title or playoff spot.

    6. Charter oak, could be 4-0 right now, if they would have scheduled a lesser team than BA. You have to respect them for their efforts. They better dust off, bc Glendora is 1-1 vs Charter Oak, and they can beat CO.

    7. St Francis-Tough loss to a great La Mirada team, They still beat a solid Righetti team. They Beat West Ranch, and then the show down with Mtown.

    8.Monrovia-Close loss to a good Ayala team, and solid victory over SD, has the cats ramping up for the meat of of their important non league schedule. They can jump some spots with two more wins.

    9. Damien I guess a lost to OLU, and Blow out over a average Palm desert team, has them in the # 9 spot. Since St Bernards is gone, and they play Cantwell, I just don’t see how they move up until a sierra league win.

    10. West Co is still a good team, but with so many injuries to key players, I just think someone in the Hacienda is going to snuff the dawgs this season. I just don’t see them getting past the 2nd round with La Serna, La Mirada, Paramount and others in the revamped southeast.

  • Colt74

    I’m also in the column of not believing that Westlake is even remotely close to near where they were last year.
    Westlake got a win over Crenshaw. With a field goal as time expired AND with Crenshaw having a total meltdown for the first quarter and half of the second. You guys like to always use the if these teams played 10 times who would win the majority…Crenshaw would win the next 9.
    Being 4-0 is great but you have to take all the data into consideration. Without doing so would like saying because Gladstone is 3-0 they are going to win the mid valley division.
    La Serna beat Rancho Christian who just happened to give up the rest of their season. So that win carries as much weight as a pimple on a fleas behind. Then they beat Downey who’s 2 wins are against teams with a combined record of 1-6. And they beat Downey in OT by 1. There is that feas behind again. Then La Serna beat Bonita. So Did San Dimas…a Div 11 school.
    So that brings us back to Westlake. Westlake may win 1 more game this year. See if I’m wrong.
    Next week La Serna plays NORCO and I believe that the alarm clock will go off and this thread and all the hashing about will be nothing more than a great dream.
    My opinion and as always your mileage may vary.

  • La Mirada guy

    How about another view from calpreps. Taking our top teams in their rated order from the state rankings.
    8. Bishop Amat
    30. La Mirada
    31. La Serna
    34. Chino Hills
    52. Charter Oak
    76. Ayala
    123. Damien
    130. Monrovia
    153. West Covina
    210. St Francis
    This is what the rankings would look like if calpreps were used.

  • http://westcovinafootball.org Marquez

    Nice Job Aram. You don’t even believe La Serna is as good as Chino Hills, yet you ranked them higher.

    So the only real conclusion here is that you wanted to stir up a little controversy with this…get them blog comments up. Congratulations, well done.

    Credibility took a little hit, but trade-offs are a part of life.

  • SGV FOOTBALL

    I just want to throw in another fact from Westlake.

    That La Serna win is great for their team. If you see the trend Aram rankings fluctuate weekly so dont make a big fuss about La Serna being ranked #2.

    Aram, I was at the game last year Westlake vs De La Salle, not even close but the interesting part was not the outcome but all the talk in the stands about Justin Moore not returning for his Senior year.

    Justin Moore was the starting QB and threw for 2500 yards and rushed for another 1000!!!!

    That by itself was a huge let down, he was an all world type of QB but he didnt have football in his heart. Kind of like the BA RB a few years back.

    PS I have a feeling Norco will steam roll La Serna this week and they will be back to 6 or 7 in the rankings.

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Marquez,

    It’s about where they DESERVE to be ranked. And No. 2 is it. That’s not to say that I think they’d beat all the teams below them nor is it to say I think they will stay there. But they do deserve it because they have a better win than anybody than anybody but Amat and they are 4-0. Sorry this still doesn’t make sense to you, but me and Eric Sondheimer know what we’re doing.

  • Southeast Observer

    SGV FOOTBALL,

    Reason why Justin Moore didn’t come back for his senior year was because he noticed that mighty Lancers were scheduled for this year.

  • FredJ

    I’ll know all I need to know about La Serna this week. If they beat Norco at home then they’re without a doubt the real deal. Norco lost to Crenshaw, but beat Etiwanda and Los Osos, two Baseline League teams. If La Serna wins and runs the table and goes 14-0, you’re talking state bowl opportunity people. But that’s a big if, my prediction is Norco will roll.

  • Don

    Stevie,

    Your suggestion for ranking mechanics would never work, you just don’t know enough about all the teams to make any consistent sense.

    Better to just let Fred and Aram pull ‘em out of their, well, let’s just say out of the ether every week and let people argue about it. More arguments mean more hits. Hits + $, and the hits just keep on coming.

  • http://westcovinafootball.org Marquez

    Aram,

    I think the main reason people pay any attention to your Top 25 is for your OPINION as to who the best teams are in the valley, since you see far more games than most who read this.

    So that is where the confusion lies. You say La Serna DESERVES it based on one particular win (with that mental algorithym–Stanford should be No.1 in the BCS), but you think Chino Hills (and probably more) are better than them.

    Since there are no Bowl Game implications associated with this list, why not just give us the Top 25 teams based on your OPINION. (forget the won-loss record, we can see that ourselves).

    BTW, thanks for letting me know that “you know what you are doing” . Nice to know I have not wasted my time reading your blog.

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Sorry Marquez, this ain’t college. In college, the teams are all in the same division. We have to weigh both head-to-head and how each team is faring in the their own corner of the world.

  • 84-21

    Please Fred, this talk about La Serna getting a state bowl invite is obscene…remember there might be very young children reading this.

  • Lancer Widget

    @Aram-It would appear that you are the Amat anti-pandererer….sometimes it seems that you will pick against Amat just to be Chic and controversial? Some guys will do anything for a bong hit……ahhhh, I mean Blog hit!

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    Lancer Widget,

    Sorry you feel that way. What I do with Amat is keep it real. Somebody has to …

  • LS DAD

    It was a great win for the kids and the program. As far as the rankings are concerned, who cares. The Westlake game is over and it’s time to get ready for the next game (NORCO).

  • Lancer Widget

    @Aram, It is what it is; but damn man, it must really suck being a high school sports writer and being wrong so much?

  • Lancer Widget

    @Aram – Sorry for the blanket statement, let me clarify….so wrong about Amat matters.

  • FAN

    Aram,

    When SP wins, will you rank them #1…

    ur making a mistake picking amat to win friday….

  • Empty Bleachers

    @Fan: In case nobody told you, the St Paul experiment with Asante is officially a bust. Ancich could have PHONED-IN a better performance than what’s gone down so far. You are the “number one” disappointment of 2012.

  • AMAT 73

    FAN,
    Don’t worry, Aram will not have to make that decision concerning that wishfull thinking of yours . The slime will go down harder than CO did on Friday night without a doubt .

  • Frank

    Not sure how good Westlake is this year.
    my top rankings
    1. Amat
    2. La Mirada
    3. La Serna
    4. Chino Hills
    5. Ayala
    6. Damien
    7. Charter oak

  • Mike

    First of all, allow me to provide full disclosure of my background so there is absolutely no doubt in the minds of all 73 readers of this blog as to my intentions with this post: 1) I am a La Serna HS graduate, class of 1982 (no leather helmets then, I promise); 2) My son is on on the LS Varsity roster; and 3)I am not a “frequent flyer” in the blogoshpere.

    Now that we have that out of the way, I want to understand how the “haters’” mind works. Especially, the very narrow minded “84-21″ herein. Your “playground” bullying tactics are deplorabable. Yes, we got our asses kicked by a very tough and talented West Covina team in last year’s final. They were arguably one of the best high school football teams in the state during the playoff run and I dare say, could have competed for a CIF title against higher division opponents (PAC 5? We’ll never know). However, one thing we do know is that La Serna took the field against a legitimate PAC 5 team and didn’t just win, WE DOMINATED! So, you can continue to pound your chest over a victory that you clearly should have acheived or man up and give some props to our team who clearly OWNED an opponent who we played away (not in Fullerton or the IE), on their Homecoming Night in front of a huge crowd, that should have killed us on paper. I attribute this kind of success to the lessons learned from last year’s loss in the CIF Final, that’s right, the Final game meaning only 2 teams were left standing and to our 2010 loss in the semi-final where only 4 teams remained. We learned that more work had to be done during the off-season, both in the weight room and on the practice field. We learned that our coaching staff understands what it takes to compete at a higher level and showed their belief in our boys based upon this year’s pre-season schedule (some parents were questioning the wisdom of scheduling Westlake, but not any more). We learned to use that 84-21 lopsided loss as a motivational tool and finally, we learned to look ahead. I suggest you do the same…

    We are done basking in the glow of last week’s impressive, unprecedented victory. What did Aram say…”Please NOBODY lose sight of the MAGNITUDE of this win. No matter what La Serna goes on to do, they are a Southeast Division team that went upside a legit PAC-5 team’s head.”

    So, the main focus of my post, albeit extremely long-winded, is to hopefully get someone (Eric, Aram you guys paying attention?)to give our boys a proper write-up with ink on paper. This is a game that most of them will never forget, regardless of what we do going forward. I find it reprehensible that upon waking up on Saturday morning, (my son actually got to the newspaper first, perhaps another storyline) we didn’t even see a score from our game, let alone an article. Now, I understand deadlines and geographical constraints, but come on (prepare for gratuitous hometown whining…) how does this actual news with an amazing story line not even get a mention? This isn’t a plea from a parent looking to see his kid’s name in the headline or any part of the story for that matter, as that is simply not likely, however, it is a plea for our boys to be able to feel like they’ve earned some respect in week 3 and some validation in writing by those who readily tossed them aside at the end of last season. I leave you with two words that Coach Beltran used following the victory on Friday night in Westlake…”humble and hungry.” How’s that for a life lesson Mr. 84-21?

  • Your Boss

    Hey bloggers,

    This is your boss. GET BACK TO WORK!!!

  • Frank

    Mike you make a passionate argument!
    By the way I’ve lived in the SGV for 30 years and I never heard of La serna till recently. Can someone tell me where is this school in the SGV?

  • Anonymous

    This is going to be so weird after LS lose this friday i can almost guarantee you that there wont be one “Mike” or LS fan in the building come friday.

  • Makes Me Wonder

    We’re tucked away, up in the hills between Our-Stuff-Don’t-Stink and Our-Parents-Like-To-Pick-On-High-School-Basket-Players, just north of We-Own-Cal-High.

  • SGV FOOTBALL

    Mike,

    I am happy that Westlake Lost to La Serna, it brings the spot light back to the SGV. Any SGV team that beats a team outside of our fishbowl is a great win. Were not knocking your win, were just talking about the caliber of team that you played against. Your post was good until I saw the following quote. Read below….

    “La Serna took the field against a legitimate PAC 5 team and didn’t just win, WE DOMINATED!”

    I want you to do your homework and let me know when was the last time that Westlake played a Pac 5 team in the last decade, that includes this year. I will let you go back 10 years!!! To find that answer.

    How can you come on here and say they are a legitimate Pac 5 team when they have never played anyone in the Pac 5/ Socal D1 for at least 10 years.

    Please let me know how you came up with them being a legit pac 5 team? All I want to see is one Pac 5 win???

  • Anonymous

    Coorect me if im wrong but I remember before the season started and i think it was Aram or Fred maybe Ramirez was talking about how did LS get a game against Westlake and Norco and was blabbing on about what was they coach thinking. Well obviously whoever posted that thread should feel like the size of an m&m as to whoever ranked LS above CH and La mirada in the end well at the end of this week who ever posted that and Aram would be asking themselves WTH was i thinking.

  • Anonymous

    PLEASE STOP SAYING WESTLAKE IS A LEGITIMATE PAC5 TEAM THIS IS THEIR FIRST YEAR IN THE PAC5 THEY HAVENT PROVEN TO BE EVEN A CONTENDER YET IN THE PAC5.

  • Don

    Frank,
    Never know if you are tongue in cheek . . . but . . . nestled in the lovely Friendly Hills of Whittier, La Serna has been around almost as long as St Paul. In football, they have sent, (mostly), Oline guys on to glory. Dave Dalby graduated in ’68 and became famous with UCLA and the Raiders, Tupe Peko and Adam Snyder played for my old nemesis Kenny LaVigne when he was Head Coach.

    And for Mike, I think Aram and Steve already spoke to the La Serna scheduling issue in February:
    Say it isn’t so, La Serna! Playing Westlake and Corona Centennial this coming season? STEVIE R. PUTS OUT THE FIRE ON HIS BLOG (THANK GOD!) …
    By Aram Tolegian on February 8, 2012 8:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (24) | ShareThis
    UPDATE: Stevie R. spoke to Coach Beltran and got the Lancers’ schedule clarified. Check it!
    UPDATED: Tell me this is a joke. Tell me it cannot be true that a team that just gave up 84 points in the Southeast Division championship against West Covina has put Westlake and Corona Centennial Norco on next year’s nonleague schedule.
    BY THE WAY: A commenter named “Steely Don” on Stevie R.’s blog had the comment of the young year so far about this item …
    Steely Don said:
    It’s the STADIUM, guys: after seeing what an awesome experience everyone had at the championship game, those D-1 teams are LINING UP for the chance to play on Hawes St.

    EPIC!

  • Mean Green Pastures….on Rankings

    I think La Serna should be at #3. However, who else in the SGV beat a pac 5 team last week. They are unproven in pac 5, but they are still a very good team and program. People are acting like Crenshaw is a pushover program. We have some very good teams in the SGV, the La Serna win was a huge win for our area. I would Say that Westlake and Oaks Christian will battle again for their league, and that is tough comp. However, no matter how well La Serna is playing now, Winning the south east and going 14-0 is not going to be easy. But after giving up 84 pts, you know La serna work so hard this summer, they may be locked in all year. I am telling you this is the greyest year in the SGV. Nothing will be set in stone until the dust settles in the Sierra. If CHills struggles or losses league, then that opens door for others to be #1. If anyone else wins that league, then that loosens BA’s grip on number 1, unless BA wins the Serra. Monrovia will have to wait on the results from Ayala in the sierra, San Dimas results in the VVL, and St Francis’s results in league as well. La Mirada will have to go deep in the South east. One thing that is for sure is that the real rankings will be validated by the end of the year.

  • Mike

    @ SGV FOOTBALL
    I was simply reiterating Aram’s rationale from his earlier posts “..legit Pac-5 team’s head.” Pac-5 or not in your mind, that’s a pretty impressive football program.

    @ Makes Me Wonder
    Huh??? That wasn’t exactly profound…not exactly sure what you’re getting at there big fella’!

  • Mike

    Don,

    Don’t forget big Dave Cullity, ’82. To your point, Dave was a 6’8″ O-line guy who played at for the Utes of Utah was drafted by the Browns and earned a Super Bowl ring in 1989 with the Niners…thought it was worth mentioning.

  • Don

    Mike,

    My beautiful little niece graduated with Lancer honors in ’03 and her Uncle Dave Strohman had some success playing fallsport there back around that Cullity era. Harry Robinson was a good guy and I wish I could have played for him. My school was closed and later adopted by the LACSD. Your QB Frankie’s family also attended MV although I don’t know if his Dad is Frank or Steve. Frank was a couple years older than me and had a pretty good run as a Rio Hondo LB back in the Blackstone era. Sorry about the geezer history but now you know where I’m coming from, Whittier-wise.

  • Goerge Jefferson

    First of all, who said Westlake was a “legitimate PAC 5 school”? Last year they wherein a 10 team league – so the only people they played we’re in their league and/or division. Same with Oaks. Now St Bonnie steps up and you know what? Over the years, they win some – they lose some. Just as they did to Bishop Amat a couple years back.

    I think movin on up was premature – but we will see

  • Real talk

    Bishop Amat would beat down Monrovia like if they stole something.

  • 84-21

    @Mike: That “humble and hungry” thing from Beltran touched me so deeply, that I now have to carry a towel to mop away tears everytime I see the color crimson.

    And I totally agree that Tolegian’s all-area ranking of #2 is not nearly enough: this story should be front-page news, with color photos of players and their families, happily saying that their next stop is Disneyland.

    The only fault I can find with your message is that it was far too brief. I felt like I had found a life-long friend, and then suddenly it was over.

  • Frank

    Thanks Don, I didnt know much about La Serna. But I see they are not really an SGV school, Yet neither is Chino Hills or La mirada.
    I think that’s great that they are doing well. I’m not convinced by their win against Westlake though. I looked them up on maxprepes and they are ranked next to Charter oak. Just so its clear where they rank, charter oak was Amats easiest game this year. Lets keep in mind Westlake and Oaks christian have gotten a lot of hype over the years but they really never played anybody. As many have said they will now be exposed since they are in the pac-5. Its still a good win though. Now I havent actually seen La Serna play so its hard to really make a judgment on them. Now i did see La Mirada this year and they are a good team very complete unless they just really stepped it up against Amat, but I think they are the real deal.
    The problems I have with these rankings is that they seem to be more of a game, than a real who is the best. As in who would beat who in a head to head most of the time. I mean look at Charter Oak now ranked 6th, after being giving s generous 2nd last week. Actually I think they are lower but to drop from 2 to 6, is huge. They never should of been ranked that high in the first place.

  • AMAT 73

    Interesting points and theories by many . As you can see many ways to rank teams but you all fail to realize this is Aram’s ranking . His criteria to allow teams to move up or down is based on his formula not our’s . This year on it’s own and the Trib’s writers were also writting the same, was going to play out on the field and offer a much clearer picture of the number one team in “THE SGV”, not in the all encompassing, not in the Trib’s area but in the SGV and that tournament is still on . Still have to see CH vs CO .Some say CH should be 2 , but CO’s only loss is to AMAT and CH has a loss and a tie, but with AMAT and their loss is to a strong Tesoro team who is ranked higher than Servite . Now my buddy GP is figuring a way to get Monrovia back at one when AMAT hits the Serra !!!!!! That may work for the all encompassing but if either CO or CH knock off Ayala ( no doubt one of will ) then Monrovia is out of the number one team in the SGV because of their loss to Ayala but , they would be right in the hunt for the all encompassing ?????????????? Now this brings me to my first question .
    Aram,
    When does the ranking change from the best team on the field to the best team based on big wins in the eyes of Aram ? Aram do you by ranking La Serna at 2 ( no disrespect to La Serna )because you believe they would beat either CO or CH heads up ? I see based on your biggest win why you put them at 2 but you could even put them at 1 if you broke it all the way down . So now to my second question , how does ” your corner of the world” play in the rankings when league starts ? And lastly does just winning all the games you play count at all because some of the lower ranked teams are just winning and they are doing it against like or slightly better teams .

  • Mike

    @ 84-21
    Thanks for helping to make my case…haters are gonna’ hate. What happened to you when you were younger that causes this type of cowardly, anonymous cyber-bullying? You really have a razor sharp wit, maybe you should try stand-up? You could resurrect the “Unknown Comic” franchise! Peace out, my friend. See you at Disneyland.

  • cj

    to sgv football
    does concord De La Salle count?

  • SGV FOOTBALL

    cj,

    It would if they didnt get blown out! LOL bringing up other teams loses HAHAHAHAHAHA

  • Anonymous

    the 100th post!!!!!!!!!and this is what it says Aram you did a terrible job with the rankings this week better luck next week

  • yo mama, who? my mama, oh no u didnt

    Frank the only easy thing is yo MAMA

  • SGV for 30 Years

    I have been quiet all year. I haven’t ragged on the king of bandwagoneering. (Aram) Then I read your All Encompassing Top 25 rankings. I think Aram is trying to prove what some of us have alway suspected all along. YOU MUST BE SMOKING CRACK. Do you really think that La Serna is the second best team in your rankings? I see them down around 19 or 20 at best. Last time I saw them, West Covina was putting video game like numbers up against them. If Mike Maggorie wasn’t such a class act, we could have had our first 100pt CIF Championship game. This team would finish 4th in the Hacienda League, and about 5th (maybe) in the Sierra League. Do us all a huge favor if you are going to call it ranking. Actually rank teams by who you actually think are the best 25. How do you leave Bonita (one of you favorites) off this ranking?

    SGV430 OUUUTTT!!!!!!!

  • Mean Green Money.

    Hey Real Talk, that was summer talk. It’s all about who your playing next week.

    Right now Bishop is thinking about ST Paul. Monrovia is thinking about South Hills. End of story.

    Amat 73, nice try where did I say I was trying to get Monrovia anywhere? All I said is that there is so much grey area on where teams are going to land. Here is my point…Lets Say Chino Hills losses to someone in the Sierra besides Charter Oak, What If La Mirada losses to someone by 3 scores? What if Ayala beats Charter oak by more than 1 point? What If Bishop Amat Losses to St Paul, what If Monrovia beats St Francis by 14, or San Marino Upsets Monrovia? What If Westlake beats Oaks Christian..then that La Serna win looks even Bigger. There is so much football left, there is no way to predict where anyone will finish. As of know, almost everyone is where they should be. I do think there are teams like Muir, and Glendora, and Bonita, that would beat La Salle, El Monte, gladstone, california Etc…with no problem. Some people will have bigger games coming up against quality opponents. There are still so many what ifs… There will windows of opportunities to Move up or down the rankings. Damien is sitting at #7, but with every sierra league win Damien goes up a spot or two…So please don’t make me out to be looking for some type of side angle to make Monrovia #1. That’s not I am saying. I am just glad the cats are in the top ten..where they should be. When doing rankings, you have to factor in how good you think a team is, who they play, who they beat, who wins, who loses, who beat who, comparative scoring, and if you mix all these things together, you rank. As loss is a loss, but BA losses to St Paul without Andrews and or Blue? Do you knock them off the top spot when they come back? What about all the Oct 1 eligible players hitting the Field, is that not going to change the landscape. It’s not that easy with a all the variables, and everyone is not going to agree. The week by week rankings are “rough drafts” which leads up to the Final Rankings. After season..we will see what happened. That’s when then real controversy pops off. I say take your ranking with a grain of salt until the final ranking is dropped.

  • OldMan in Chino

    The inclusion of Chino Hills and Ayala in this top 25 is an acknowledgement of their being in the Sierra League which is primarily made up of SGV schools. Chino Hills and Ayala are Inland Valley Daily Bulletin teams and the poll in the Daily Bulletin has Chino Hills and Ayala ranked below Upland, Rancho Cucamonga and Kaiser. In fact in the Daily Bulletin poll, Chino Hills ranked 4th and Ayala is ranked 7th. Damien is ranked 10th. La Serna accomplished something that Chino Hills was unable to do; they beat a PA 5 school. The question under discussion is whether Westlake is good as Tesoro and AMAT and that seems to be the argument that many are putting forth. Chino Hills is 0-1-1 against PAC 5 competition. Both Charter Oak and Chino Hills had their chances to beat AMAT on their home turf and were unable to do so. AMAT deserves to be the top team of those that are in the SGV because they to date have yet to lose to those teams that they have played. Chino Hills arguably played a tougher PAC-5 school in Tesoro then Charter Oak did in AMAT, which is not to say that AMAT would not beat Tesoro and this may not be known till they meet in the play-offs. Once again based on common opponents, Chino Hills earned a tie and Charter Oak a loss, which justifies their placement in the SGV Tribune poll. I for one am happy to see that Chino Hills is #3 as compared to #4.

  • Real talk

    Lets just get this straight… Amat is going to beat S.P NO doubt. I don’t care if the #7 #2 #4 is playing SP sucks. We could straight field our freshman them against them and still beat them down.

  • Area Fan

    Let the excuses begin, Amat lost because Andrews and Blue didn’t play. Just like in 07 when Amat beat a loaded SP team without SPs 3 OL starters and CIF Player of The Year Aubrey Haynes. Amat people need to stop the arrogance because remember if you spit in the air it will land on your face. Best of luck to both teams that they play an injury free game.

  • Peter Griffen

    REAL TALK is an Amat POSER!!!! Please disregard his “nonsense”. He is not a true Amat Fan. Don’t you think he is just a little too over the top???I mean even for an Amat Fan he is too much!

  • Frank

    YO Mama Who?. Tell your mom I’m sorry I couldn’t stay for breakfast. I know she was gonna hook me up some steak n eggs. But she did throw down on some desert. Maybe I will be by tonight after she tucks you in.

  • AMAT 73

    GP,
    You say you aren’t trying to move Monrovia but your writing says different. You start with this is the greyest year in the SGV and nothing is set in stone until the dust settles .You go on the say if CH loses or struggles in the Sierra then that opens it up for others to be number one . Then if anyone else wins that league that loosens AMAT’s grip on number one unless they win the Serra . What the hell does winning the Serra ( if WC would have beaten Loyola and also beaten CH and AMAT loses to Loyola , then yes they could lay claim ) have to do with being the best team head to head on the field in the SGV ???? Then you go on to say Monrovia will have to wait on Ayala’s results in the Sierra ( does that mean if Ayala whips both CH and CO that puts Monrovia above them due to their one point loss to Ayala ) and SD in the VVL , LM in the whole Southeast division, and St Francis .So you tell me what is all that leading to ????? When in your mind do the rankings change from best team on the field to the best team based on who beats who in what league or division or who loses to who or a win to be bigger than another big win by another team . Now I will pose the question to you I asked Aram , do you think La Serna can beat Monrovia , or how about CO or CH ??? I personally don’t think they can beat a few teams ranked below them but because of their win against Westlake they take the number 2 slot and CO drops to number 6 because they lost to the number 1 team ????? Now playing devil’s advocate , is LS’s win over a PAC-5 team bigger than AMAT’s win over a Inland team ( like you say , that is a game they should win so you can’t consider it that big of a win ) , looking at it using the big win theory they should be number one but Aram certainly can’t make them number one because on the field , well you know the rest. What is your criteria for a team to reach the number one slot ??? My rankings would be 1. AMAT 2. CO 3. CH after that it’s a crap shoot but there is no doubt those three teams could beat anyone below them and I say that because I go by who’s best on the field at this point .

  • Nice Piece Mike@

    I am in violent agreement with Mike! Nice work, well written and on point, IMO.

  • AyalaBulldogFan

    Westlake? We’re still even mentioning Westlake after that thing (I refuse to call it a game) last year against De La Salle??? They were an embarassment to the SS and should not be spoken of for at least a year.

  • Mean Green Pastures….

    Amat 73,

    We are going to have to wait until all the dust settles to see the final rankings of where everyone is. Where Monrovia falls, I don’t know. The ball is out of our hands as far as rankings go. Our ranking will depend on what others do more than what we do.

    As Far as for who can beat Monrovia, I know Ayala can, I can’t speak for La Serna, Bishop Amat. I said we belong in the top Ten, not the top spot. I don’t know what you are trying to squeeze out of this. I’ve had the chance to get out of SGV area on for some thursday night games. I’ve seen some close ones and some blow outs between so called favorites and underdogs. I have not seen any upsets, but did see things get down to wire. I’ve concluded that until the teams actually suit up and hit the field, there is no way telling who can beat who. La Serna is perfect example. Until they won. NO one outside of La Serna’s following believed they could be beat Westlake. It does not matter what anyone believes or feels. It has to happen on the field. So if you are checking to see if I am going to fall back into that trap, I am not. I am not penciling in anyone as the #1 nor the best until the year is finish. I enjoy seeing my Cats go up or down in the rankings. Some times they deserve their position, sometimes they don’t. When it’s all said and done, I am totally happy and proud of D11 ring. If BA does not win the pac 5 or Serra you will still be happy with Preseason wins over SGV opponents right? King of the Valley right? So Really at the end of the Day “Rankings” is the opinion of one or few to be debated by many. You will have to look into your own soul, and tell yourself if you are happy with your season, regardless of where they are ranked in Arams poll. I hope you will congratulate all the successful teams in the SGV of their accomplishments.

  • Dan

    AyalaBulldogFan,
    I would bet that in more years than not, when our best in the SS steps on to the field with De La Salle, it turns into an embarrassment.
    That Westlake team that De La Salle “embarrassed” last year was 14 and 0 and just happened to beat Oaks Christian, St Bonnaventure, Thousand Oaks, Moorepark, and a Nor-Cal CIF champ and state bowl rep Loomis Del Oro team. Westlake also was 14 and 0 and CIF Northern Division Champs in 2009 beating St. Bonaventure in the process, In 2010 they lost to Oaks Christian by a point in the CIF title game They missed a very makeable last second field goal. They were also 14 and 0 and won the NATIONAL Championship in 2003. So my best guess is that is the reason that we are still talking about a Southeast Div. team in La Serna going over to West Lake and beating them on their home turf at their homecoming game.
    De La Salle has rolled over the best in So Cal on many occasions, remember the powerhouse Servite team of the year before? The Friar team that won the Trinity League and beat an undefeated Mission Viejo in the Pac 5 Championship? De La Salle did the same to them, the score was 48 to 8. They also rolled Mater Dei in similar style in one of the years that MD was our D1 Champ. I believe the score was 42 to 7. In 2001, Long Beach Poly had 5 high school all americans on the same team that year, they were considered the best team in the nation, didn’t matter to De La Salle, final score was 29 to 15 and it wasn’t really that close. LBP went on to win the SS D1 Title that year. You see where I’m going with this?
    Westlake was no slouch last season, anytime your beating teams like St. Bonnies and Oaks Christian in the same season, your a pretty darn good team, I would say powerhouse in a second. Whether La Serna is real good this year, or whether WL is still a powerhouse and the loss to La Serna was a fluke, or whether they are really not very good and in a rebuilding year, we’ll find out more this week when La Serna plays Norco. Either way credit to La Serna for slaying a team with a giant reputation.
    Its worth talking about, heck it’s a breath of fresh air, something different on here. I’m not much of a La Serna fan but I would get a kick out of it if they went on to beat Norco this week. It may even make me want to go check out a La Serna game.

  • http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvfootball Aram

    You guys are epic! La Serna, a Southeast team, just beat the team that was in the D-1 State Championship Bowl Game last year and was undefeated this year by a score of 38-9 and NOW WESTLAKE = KEPPEL. I mean I can’t believe the holes people are punching in this accomplishments. Nobody ever said this blog was for the weak. You guys are my hero.

    “Hey Joe, you see that rainbow over there?”

    “Yeah Tom, I see it. Pretty ugly. Could be brighter. I’ve seen better.”

    The essence of our blog!

    We have an “AyalaBulldogFan” going upside Westlake’s head. Classic.

  • AyalaBulldogFan

    I still say the SS should have sent Corona Centennial to the state Championship. They know how to beat De La Salle and most importantly, they know how NOT to embarass the SS. That’s all I care about.

    I’ve got some close friends up north with ties to HS Football and every stinking year they grind me about “weak @$$ SS teams” and it gets pretty old. Every year after the finals, I get calls and e-mails about “When is the SS going to send men up here instead of these pu$$y @$$ boys you keep sending us to kick the $#!+ out of?”. I get to hear about it all year long. When the SS gets swept (oh excuse me, one of our teams actually was up to the task), is says one of two things, either we really do not play good football down here or we’re sending the wrong teams. I contend it’s the latter, but I’m nobody so it doesn’t matter what I think.

    Please don’t make my statement about Ayala Football, it’s PURELY an indictment on CIF-SS. I root for the school down the street from where I live and I go to as many games as I can.