Monrovia’s top three returners transfer out

Monrovia is on shaky ground as the season approaches after losing what would’ve been the team’s top three players after they transferred to other schools.

Izaiah Adams (WR/DB) and linebacker Malcom Weston have transferred to, guess where, Cathedral. And defensive back Canaan Chandler has left for Grace Bretheren. Adams was considered to be Monrovia’s biggest talent. Weston had 68 tackles and seven sacks in 2015. Chandler scored four touchdowns last season and had five sacks.

The players were reportedly with the team through spring but left when the school year ended. Monrovia is headed by new head coach Jerry Chou, who won back-to-back CIF championships at Eagle Rock in 2005 and ’06. The Wildcats now have just TWO returning starters. They open the season at Burbank on Aug. 26.

Sounds like somebody wants this kid to go to St. John Bosco …

DISCLAIMER: It’s unknown who the voice in the video is. It could be a Bosco coach. It could be a Bosco parent. It could also be one of the many loser hangers-on that Bosco has. You know, the kinds of guys who call themselves a “community activist” and “leader”, yet walk around as grown men with hoody nicknames. Or, it could just be two guys talking. Anyway, so take it for what it’s worth.

FYI: The player in question is Darion Green, a Class of ’20 prospect who appears to be at Mater Dei.

And then there’s this from the kid’s instagram acct comments …

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Things I’m hearing …

Screw it. Rather than tweet this all out, I figured I’d give you some quick hits on the stuff I’ve been hearing while compiling info for the football preview magazine.

Starting with Glendora. Junior QB Bryce Woolridge is supposed to be a chip off the old block. The campus that brought you Jacob Crook, Chad Jeffries and Matt Fink, now has another talented signal caller. Woolridge is supposed to be very athletic, too, and won’t hesitate to run. Glendora’s JV team was 9-1 last season and supposedly clobbered everyone in the Palomares League. I was all set to proclaim Claremont the next great thing. The Pack has freakshow LB Solomon Tuliapupu (17 offers) and RB Duy Tran-Sampson back, but things aren’t so good at QB. There’s literally NOBODY to play the position. Word is that during a recent passing tourney, the first several passes landed five yards short of the target. Bonita lost 28 seniors to graduation but the frosh (now soph) class is loaded. A few of those sophs are going to play big roles this season. Others, though, are showing they aren’t quite up to varsity speed yet. Arroyo is going to use All-Area linebacker and reigning Mission Valley League MVP Jason Villa at QB. The Knights have what some say is Jim Singiser’s best team. I need to see it with my own eyes because Singiser has had some sick teams. But I hear this one will knock your ass for a loop … loaded with tough guys. As most of you know, Northview got a big boost when former West Covina RB Kevin Thomas transferred in. The big question now is whether Thomas will be eligible right away or a sit-out. West Covina should be okay at RB, though, as Henry Martinez, a 1,000-yard rusher two seasons ago, is back from a knee injury suffered in last season’s first game. The long awaited arrival of Bret Clemetson as Charter Oak’s QB is set to happen. Clemetson was a very hyped athlete when he arrived at CO and pushed Kam Brown for the starting QB job two years ago. He was injured last season. Don’t expect CO to miss a beat in the pass game. Chino may ruin all of our local teams’ dreams, though, in the Hacienda League. The Cowboys are getting back stud linebacker Brandon Serrano from a injury that cost him last season. And that’s to go along with the return of FB/LB Adrian Alfaro. Los Altos has everything it needs, but has a question mark at QB where Cody Olmos appears to be the man. Diamond Bar’s semifinals appearance at last week’s SGV Shootout was a bit of a surprise. Coach Marcus Hughes actually likes his line play … which has been the Brahmas’ achilles’ heel. If the Brahmas have some skill guys, too, they may surprise. Speaking of surprise teams, Arcadia is my surprise team in the west SGV. The Apaches continue to bring in talent and the line is going to be much bigger this season (it’s hard not to be). Watch out for soph RB Jahlique Stephens. I tapped out. I have plenty more and will post in the coming days.

Gano ready to resume winning ways at Lugo …

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Most local fans know Greg Gano as the head coach who won four CIF championships while in charge of the Los Altos High School football team.

And despite unsuccessful stops at Damien, Tustin and Wilson since his days at Los Altos, the vibe on the street is that Gano is going to do big things at his latest stop, Don Lugo.

So far, that’s exactly the case. Gano has hit the ground running at Don Lugo and just this past weekend his team won its second passing tournament of the summer by winning the Tournament of Champions hosted by Santa Fe High.

“We’ve got some good looking kids and there are some athletes,” Gano said of his team. “But just because you have them doesn’t mean anything. You don’t win anything in passing league, but we wanted to see if our kids can compete. We’ve competed very well.”

The Tournament of Champions was the second passing tournament that Don Lugo has won this summer. Earlier, the Conquistadores won the El Rancho Tournament. They also went 6-1 in the Bonita Air Assault and have only lost two games all summer — both to Villa Park, which Don Lugo finally beat last weekend.

Gano’s coaching staff has some elements from the past on it, most notably former Los Altos assistant Marco Curtis handling the running backs. Longtime Gano cohort Lee Fair, who was Gano’s defensive coordinator at Los Altos and Damien, is also helping out but is limited by knee trouble.

“Lee Fair is a consultant,” Gano said. “He can barely walk out there on the field because of his knees, but Lee will always be part of something I do. He’s a good man. Me and Lee know each other better than any other coaches I’ve been around with.”

Don Lugo has a huge challenge in the form of Colony in the Mt. Baldy League later this fall. But should the Conquistadores make the playoffs, there’s no reason to think Gano can’t take them on a deep run in Division 8.