September 2009 Archives

Manager Joe Torre can't bear to watch as his Dodgers lost their fourth in a row Wednesday night in San Diego and still need one win or one Colorado loss to clinch the N.L. West. Colorado comes to town Friday. Photo by Getty Images.

Since the Angels clinched the division title and their game against the Rangers Wednesday night was virtually meaningless, we thought we'd check out the "Halo Happenings," which included Holly Madison throwing out the first pitch.

We at the P-T are trying to find the coach of the Jordan High football team in 1994 which beat Poly, Poly's last Moore League loss. Also looking for players from that team. Moore League play starts this week and Jordan and Poly hook up this Friday.

Kobe Bryant and his Lakers teammates attended media day Tuesday and will soon start preparing for defense of their NBA title. Photo by Getty Images.

The Angels clinched the A.L. West title with an 11-0 win over the Texas Rangers Monday night at Angel Stadium. Photo by LA Times.

The Angels have an 11-0 lead in the seventh inning over the Rangers. Win and they clinch the A.L. West.

1. Lakewood
2. Los Alamitos
3. Poly
4. Warren
5. Norwalk
6. Compton
7. St. John Bosco
8. Millikan
9. Gahr
10. Jordan

Brett Favre threw a TD pass with 2 seconds left to life the Vikes over the Niners. Photo by Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The Detroit Lions ended a 19-game losing streak with a victory over Washington. Photo by U.S. Presswire.

Michael Vick is seeing game action Sunday. Getty Images.

Chris Arreola, of Riverside, Calif., left, and World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko exchange blows in their WBC heavyweight title boxing match in Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in Los Angeles. Klitschko won by TKO after the conclusion of the 10th round. AP photo.

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Damian Williams #18 of the USC Trojans runs for a 54-yard touchdown after catching a pass against the Washington State Cougars during the first quarter of the college football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 26, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

EUGENE, OR - SEPTEMBER 26: LaMichael James #21 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates his touchdown with his teammates Jeff Maehl #23, David Paulson #42 and D.J. Davis #10 in the second quarter of the game against the California Bears at Autzen Stadium on September 26, 2009 in Eugene, Oregon. Getty Images

Gary Hunt, left, of England and Orlando Duque of Colombia dive from a helicopter at Poseidon's Temple in the lead up to the eighth and final round of the Red Bull Cliff Diving world series in Cape Sounion earlier this week. Photo by Reuters.

Seems pretty clear Lakewood is the P-T's No. 1 football team, though Los Alamitos might have something to say about it before it's over. Three straight shutouts for the Griffins' tough defense. After 1 and 2, where do you go from there? No. 3 Poly lost; No. 4 Jordan lost; No. 5 Compton lost; No. 7 Bosco lost; and No. 9 Millikan lost. How high can you lift undefeated Warren and/or Norwalk in the rankings?

Loyola of L.A. tops St. John Bosco, 21-10.

Oceanside holds on to beat Poly, 14-7.

Dominguez beats Jordan in overtime, 13-7.

Jordan and Dominguez are headed to overtime, tied at 7.

A blocked punt returned for a touchdown gets Poly on the scoreboard, but Oceanside still leads, 14-7 with seven minutes to go.

Lakewood beats Verbum Dei, 51-0.

Heading into the fourth quarter, Fountain Valley leads Millikan, 31-12.

Oceanside still leads, 14-0. Poly QB picked off three times.

Dominguez has tied the game in the third quarter, 7-7.

Millikan has cut Fountain Valley's lead to 17-12 in the third quarter.

At the half, Fountain Valley leads Millikan, 17-6.

Put the word out to Robert Morales... trying to get a score on Millikan/Fountain Valley.

Lakewood leads Verbum Dei at the half, 41-0.

Poly in danger of falling to 1-3.

About four minutes left until halftime.

Jordan leads Dominguez, 7-0, after the first quarter.

Oceanside up on Poly, 7-0, late in the first quarter.

Be sure to check The Shadow blog tonight for in-progress game updates on the area prep fooball games.

Norwalk perfect at 4-0.

Third straight shutout for Griffins.

Norwalk leads Paramount, 26-0, heading into the fourth quarter.

Norwalk now up on Paramount, 20-0.

Los Al leads Wilson, 31-0.

Norwalk goes up on Paramount, 14-0, in third quarter.

In a game between two undefeated teams, Norwalk leads Paramount, 6-0, at the half.

1. Lakewood (2-1)
Back on top after a pair of strong wins against weaker foes.
Friday vs. Verbum Dei

2. Los Alamitos (2-0)
The Griffins could have the best defensive team in the area.
Thursday vs. Wilson

3. Poly (1-2)
Got a much-needed W vs. Narbonne and moved up. Big test again this week.
Friday at Oceanside

4. Jordan (1-1)
Injured Timu could take bring Panthers' title hopes down a few notches
Friday vs. Dominguez

5. Compton (2-0)
Not sure the 'Babes have what it takes to play against solid D-I teams.
Friday at Dorsey

6. Warren (3-0)
Callier & Co. appear to be the best team in SGVL at this point.
Oct. 2 vs. La Serna

7. St. John Bosco (2-1)
Another good test for SJB this week after Week 0 loss to St. Bonnie.
Friday at Loyola

8. Norwalk (3-0)
The Lancers are running the ball very well and playing good defense, too.
Thursday vs. Paramount

9. Millikan (3-0)
The Rams a big surprise out of the gate, but will face biggest test to date vs. Barons.
Friday vs. Fountain Valley

10. Gahr (2-1)
Arguably the best passing offense in the area, the Gladiators should be 3-0.
Friday at Artesia

Juventus' Brazilian forward Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira (L) eyes the ball during their Italian serie A football match Genoa vs Juventus, at Luigi Ferraris stadium on September 24, 2009 in Genoa. (Photo credit ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

How about it folks? Jordan moves up to No. 1 and hasn't even played yet. Lakewood loses a heartbreaker and drops only down one spot to No. 2. Poly drops all the way down to No. 5? What you think Poly people? The Shadow isn't involved in picking the top 10, and I don't think The Shadow would have had Poly down that low just yet. After all, Servite could very well end up winning CIF, State, the whole thing. I wouldn't put Poly below either Los Al or Compton yet. Poly still deserves a No. 3 right now. Also, Warren ahead of Bosco? Not sure I'm down with that. Bosco is in the Pac 5 and played a tough St. Bonaventure team. However you slice it, Friday night should answer a few questions and maybe sort some things out. Thoughts anybody?

1. Jordan (0-0)
2. Lakewood (0-1)
3. Los Alamitos (0-0)
4. Compton (0-0)
5. Poly (0-1)
6. Warren (1-0)
7. St. John Bosco (0-1)
8. Lynwood (0-0)
9. Norwalk (1-0)
10. Mayfair (0-1)

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 06: Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina signs autographs after defeating Daniel Koellerer of Austria during day seven of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 6, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Not that it really matters all that much this early in the season, but the P-T top 10 football rankings should be interesting when it comes out on Tuesday. (Maybe The Shadow will release the rankings Monday night, before it hits newsstands Tuesday morning). Think about this: of the top 10 teams in last week's rankings, only two teams actually won a game this past weekend. Granted, not everybody played:
1. Lakewood - lost
2. Poly - lost
3. Jordan - did not play
4. Los Alamitos - dnp
5. Compton - dnp
6. St.John Bosco - lost
7. Warren - WON
8. Mayfair - lost
9. Lynwood - dnp
10. Norwalk- WON
So, who's No. 1? Is it Jordan, or Los Al, who haven't even played yet? After all, Lakewood and Poly lost to good teams. Warren and Norwalk won their games, but how far do you move them up in the rankings? Can't move them above Pac 5 teams like Lakewood and Poly, right? Maybe not over Bosco either, which lost to another powerhouse in St. Bonaventure. So tell me, who's your vote for No. 1?

USC QB Matt Barkley and USC coach Pete Carroll are all smiles before the game, and before San Jose State took an early 3-0 lead. AP Photo.

Oakland Athletics' Clayton Mortensen works against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 4, 2009, in Oakland, Calif.

Los Angeles Angels second baseman Maicer Izturis throws to first for a double play hit into by Kansas City Royals' Yuniesky Betancourt as Willie Bloomquist is forced out at second during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 4, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. AP photo

Los Angeles Dodgers Jim Thome watches his pinch hit single against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Sept. 4, 2009. This was Thome's first at bat as a Dodger.

Millikan quarterback Paul Slater picks up yardage during the Rams' thrilling 35-34 season-opening victory over Gahr Friday night. Photo by Jeff Gritchen.

Crenshaw 28
Lakewood 27

Millikan 35
Gahr 34

Wilson 49
Huntington Park 6

Edison 36
Artesia 0

Montebello 14
Bellflower 0

La Mirada 15
St. Paul 7

Chino Hills 30
Mayfair 6

Norwalk 63
South El Monte 3

Warren 42
Torrance 10

St. Anthony 29
Downey Calvary Chapel 27

St. Bonaventure 34
St. John Bosco 10

Cypress 47
Valley Christian 20

Carson 14
Mater Dei 2

With Poly and Lakewood both losing their openers, anybody think maybe Jordan can win the Moore League this year? Hey, don't laugh. Things are gonna be crazy once the Moore League teams start playing each other.

Crenshaw scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than 3 minutes to play.

Downey-CC now up over St. Anthony, 20-15.

St. Anthony has gone up on Downey Calvary Chapel, 15-14 in the third.

Crenshaw and Lakewood have started the fourth quarter with Crenshaw up, 22-21.

OC power Edison leads Artesia at the half, 30-0.
Downey Calvary Chapel leads St. Anthony at the half, 14-8.
Gahr has taken a 21-14 on Millikan in the third quarter.

Norwalk leads South El Monte at the half, 43-3.

Millikan and Gahr went into the lockerroom at the half tied at 14.

Lakewood leads Crenshaw at the half, 21-15. QB Jesse Scroggins is 10 for 12 for 120 yards and 2 TDs.

The Rams have taken a 14-0 lead in the second quarter over Gahr.

St. Anthony scores on a safety for a 2-0 lead over Downey Calvary-Chapel early in the second quarter.

Wilson now leads Huntington Park, 21-0, in the second quarter.

Early second quarter, Crenshaw holds a 15-7 lead over Lakewood.

Wilson takes a 7-0 lead on Huntington Park in the first quarter.

Poly High's Vania King returns to Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Friday, Sept. 4, 2009. Hantuchova won 6-2, 6-2.

Poly's Cory Westbrook tries to get around the corner during the Jackrabbits' season-opening loss to Servite Thursday night at Veterans Stadium. Photo by Jeff Gritchen

I know you're out there Lakewood fans. Any reaction?

By Dave Werstine
Staff Writer
LONG BEACH - Reload or rebuild?
When that question was put to Poly High coach Raul Lara about his two-time defending CIF Southern Section Pac 5 champion Jackrabbits, his standard replay was,"If you are going to beat Poly, you better do it now."
That only begged this question: Was Lara being serious or just bluffing to try to stay under the radar as much as possible?
Everybody at Veterans Stadium on Thursday night found out that top-ranked Poly is closer to rebuilding mode after it was dominated in a 30-7 loss to No. 2 Servite in a nonleague season opener.
Poly (0-1), in losing its first game to a CIF-SS schools since December of 2006, looked every bit as young and inexperienced as advertised, from its whole new defense to its sophomore starting quarterback.
Servite took advantage of that from the get-go.
The Friars (1-0) moved the ball at will in the first half and their defense didn't give an inch in taking a 16-0 lead three plays into the second quarter.
After finally stalling Servite on its opening drive, Poly took over at its own 13-yard line. Somewhat of a surprise, new QB Dylan Lagarde threw three consecutive passes before being sacked at the 6. Alan Roniss' ensuing punt was blocked out of the end zone by Rudy Guerrero for a safety.
Servite returned the kickoff to the Jackrabbits 40, and five plays later, aided by a Poly unsportsmanlike conduct call, the Friars made it 9-0 as QB Cody Fajardo connected with Chris Nicholls just inside the end zone.
After holding Poly to a three-and-out, Servite marched the ball 57 yards on 12 plays, capped by Fajardo's 3-yard run 38 seconds into the second quarter that pushed the lead to 16-0.
At that point, it was definitely all Servite. The Friars rolled up 153 yards of offense, with Fajardo going 10-of-10 for 104 yards passing, and held the Jackrabbits to total of -9 yards.
It wasn't the Poly team that everyone had gotten used to seeing.
Certainly not the same team that won back-to-back CIF titles, won a state title two years ago, and advanced to the state championship game last season.
Things got a little better for Poly later in the quarter. The Jackrabbits held the Friars off the scoreboard, finally earned their first first down of the game, then went 60 yards in the final 2:06 of the half to cut the deficit to 16-7 on Michael Simmons' 9-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds remaining.
Still, the first-half numbers weren't kind to Poly. The once-vaunted rushing attack was held to 11 yards on 12 carries and Lagarde was 6-of-13 for 38 yards - 37 of those going to tight end Josiah Blandin.
Meanwhile, the Friars gained 194 yards of offense.
The Jackrabbits failed to get much of anything going offensively in the second half, crossing midfield just three times but never getting within scoring range. Defensively, they were unable to keep the Friars within striking distance.
Servite tacked on a TD from 5 yards out by Jody Thomas on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 23-9, and Nicholls raced 25 yards around the left end to push the Friars' lead to 30-7 with 5:26 to go.
Lagarde, who showed a strong arm, overthrowing receivers on deep routes often, finished 9-of-27 for 80 yards before giving way to fellow sophomore signal-caller Chaiyse Hales late in the game. Poly ran for just 23 yards on 21 attempts, led by Cory
Westbrook's 24 yards.
Overall, Servite finished with 183 yards rushing on 44 carries and 156 yards passing.
The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Jackrabbits, who face St.
Bonaventure, the No. 1 team in the CIF-SS Northern Division, next week followed by match-ups against L.A. City power Narbonne, San Diego section power Oceanside and key Moore League games against Jordan and Lakewood.

I told you Servite was good. Now, what about Poly? Can they bounce back next week? They have another tough game against St. Bonaventure.

Servite scores again to go up, 30-7, with five minutes left in the game.

Servite scores on the first play of the fourth quarter to go up, 23-7

Poly scored its first touchdown of the season with less than a minute left in the first half to cut Servite's lead to 16-7.

After a safety, Servites QB Cody Fajardo has now passed for one TD and run for another to give Servite a 16-0 lead in the second quarter.

Servite scored on a safety, then a touchdown and now leads Poly in the first quarter, 9-0.

LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 2: First overall pick in the NBA draft Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers throws out a ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 2, 2009 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Poly High grad Vania King upset 15-seed Samantha Stosur of Australia, 7-5, 6-4, in the second round of the U.S. Open Wednesday, marking the first time she has reached the third round in a Grand Slam event. King, who is ranked No. 114 in the world, had a fan in Billie Jean King, who watched her match and is a fellow Poly grad. AP photo.

By Robert Morales
Staff writer
The CIF-Southern Section Pac 5 preseason rankings show Poly High ranked No. 1. But since the Jackrabbits lost every defensive starter to graduation - as well as their quarterback and top two running backs - that ranking may be more a sign of respect than anything else.
After all, Poly went 14-1 last season and is two-time defending Pac 5 champion.
One thing's for sure, the Jackrabbits will find out right away if they will be able to live up to that billing when they host Servite Thursday night at 7 at Veterans Stadium in the season opener.
The Friars, who lost by one point to Lakewood in the first round of last season's Pac 5 playoffs, are ranked No. 2 in the Pac 5. They have seven returning starters on both offense and defense, including quarterback Cody Fajardo, speedy wide receiver Chris Nicholls and two-way lineman Kirifi Taula (6-4, 285).
Another two-way lineman, Matthew Jakubiec (6-8, 310), is also back for Servite. But he won't play tonight because of a dislocated kneecap.
Servite is so highly touted, it is ranked No. 1 in the Orange County Register's preseason poll.
"They're loaded," said Poly coach Raul Lara, who said his biggest concern is Servite's advantage in experienced players. "A lot of them guys played last year. They are a very good football team. They've got their quarterback back, they have a huge offensive line.
"They're pretty impressive. We have a pretty big challenge this week, so we're going to see."
The Jackrabbits will see all right, not only tonight but all season. Once again, Poly has scheduled several tough nonleague opponents. After Servite, the Jackrabbits will play CIF-SS Northern Division champion St. Bonaventure, L.A. City Section co-champion Narbonne and San Diego Section champion Oceanside.
A couple of weeks ago, Lara said, "I don't know what the heck was I thinking," regarding the schedule. Lara said Tuesday he was being sarcastic.
"Obviously, I know what I'm doing," said Lara, who said he will play two quarterbacks tonight - sophomores Dylan Lagarde and Chaiyse Hales. "I need a challenge. I want my kids to be challenged. Not only my kids, but I want my coaching staff to be challenged and what better way than to play good, quality programs."
Servite was actually the last team with which Poly made an accord to play this season.
Lara said he wanted to fill that spot with either Mission Viejo or Grant - which beat the Jackrabbits in the state title game last season - but they didn't work out.
As for the game Sept. 11 at St. Bonaventure in Ventura, Lara said that is a game the Jackrabbits might be playing for a while.
"They really like the relationship we have with each other and we would really like to keep that relationship going," Lara said.
Poly defeated St. Bonaventure, 12-7, last season at Veterans Stadium.

Here it is... the long-awaited Press-Telegram preseason top 10 football rankings:
1. Lakewood
2. Poly
3. Jordan
4. Los Alamitos
5. Compton
6. St.John Bosco
7. Warren
8. Mayfair
9. Lynwood
10. Norwalk
Let the games begin ...

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 02: Venus Williams of the United States serves to Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States during day three of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 2, 2009 in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Dodgers outfielder Andres Ethier makes a catch at the wall on a ball hit by Brandon Allen of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on September 1, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Diamondbacks 4-3. Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 01: The sunsets over Arthur Ashe Stadium as Maria Sharapova of Russia takes on Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria during day two of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 1, 2009 in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

Not that Raul Lara needs my help, but just a little FYI on Servite... They're GOOD. They have a huge offensive line and their starting quarterback from last season, Cody Fajardo, returns for his senior year. Their offense scored 35 points or more in a game six times last year. However, I'm hearing that one of their starting offensive linemen and one of their starting linebackers are out with injuries. What worries me about Poly is that they don't have the running game they had last year, and that would be big because they could control the ball and keep the ball out of Servite's hands.

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 31: Ryan Roberts of the Arizona Diamondbacks walks off the feild after batting practice before playing the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 31, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jacob de Golish/Getty Images)