November 2009 Archives

SOUTHERN DIVISION
La Mirada hosts Laguna Hills on Friday
Norwalk hosts Gardon Grove on Saturday

WESTERN DIVISION
Dominguez travels to Alemany on Friday
Mira Costa hosts Palmdale on Saturday

PAC-5 DIVISION
Servite hosts Mission Viejo on Friday
Lakewood plays Edison at Orange Coast College on Saturday

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 28: Damian Williams wide receiver of the USC Trojans catches 48-yard touchdown pass against UCLA Bruins during the fourth quarter of the NCAA college football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 28, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Was it bad sportsmanship by USC and coach Pete Carroll to throw a long TD pass with less than a minute to go and up 21-7? Answer: No. Reason: USC had already taken a knee the play before, signaling, "The game is over." But UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel called a timeout, and had two more timeouts left, signaling, "We are NOT done playing." So Carroll said, fine, let's play then. And they did. Good for them.

PAC-5 DIVISION

Lakewood 34, Bishop Amat 17
Servite 21, Poly 18
Edison 47, Dana Hills 16
Mission Viejo 40, Sherman Oaks-Notre Dame 14

Lakewood plays Edison on Friday; Servite plays Mission Viejo

Other area scores:

Dominguez 48, Redondo 21
Alemany 28, Warren 7

Dominguez plays Alemany in Friday's semifinals

Norwalk 42, Westminster 21
La Mirada 40, Santiago 0

Norwalk plays Garden Grove; La Mirada plays Laguna Hills

San Dimas 37
Valley Christian 14

Poly drives to the Servite 22, but a 39-yard field goal attempt to tie it is blocked and Servite survives with a 21-18 win.

On fourth-and-2 from the 9, Servite scores to go up, 21-18, with 1:32 left in the game. Earlier on drive, Servite had a fourth-and-3 and threw an incompletion, but Poly was called for a pass-interference penalty that kept the drive alive. According to a reporter at the game, it was a bad call.

Dominguez taking it to Redondo, 42-14, in the fourth.

Clock is winding down, Poly clings to an 18-14 lead but Servite is on the move.

Lakewood scores again late in fourth quarter, leads 34-17 with less than a minute to play.

Start of the fourth quarter, Norwalk leads Westminster, 42-21.

Clay scores on a 64-yard TD run and Poly leads Servite, 18-14 with 4:30 left in the game (PAT pending).

Scroggins to Davis on a 9-yard TD pass and Lakewood leads Bishop Amat, 27-17 with 5:37 left in the game.

Clay scores on a 4 yard run but Poly misses the 2-point conversion and trails Servite, 14-12, fourth quarter.

Poly trails Servite, 14-6, going into the fourth quarter.

A 64-yard punt return for a TD by Kevin Anderson gives Lakewood a 20-17 lead on Bishop Amat.

Warren scores, but it may be too late. The Bears trail Alemany, 28-7, late third quarter.

Servite scores early third quarter, leads 13-6 (PAT pending).

Norwalk 35, Westminster 21 (halftime)
Dominguez 28, Redondo 14 (halftime)
Alemany 28, Warren 0 (3rd)
San Dimas 17, Valley Christian (halftime)

Bishop Amat is in the end zone early in the second half and now leads Lakewood, 17-13.

Dominguez leads Redondo, 21-7, first half.

Alemany leads Warren, 21-0, at the half.

La Mirada leads Santiago, 33-0, at halftime.

Servite scores with 21 seconds left in the first half and leads Poly, 7-6.

Norwalk tied with Westminster tied in the first half, 14-14.

After a quick start in which they took a 13-0 lead, Lakewood and Bishop Amat have ended the first half with Lakewood leading, 13-10.

Norwalk leads Westminster, 14-0, in the first half.

Cerritos Valley Christian trails San Dimas, 14-0, in the first quarter.

Bishop Amat kicks a field goal to cut Lakewood's lead to 13-10, 4:40 left in first half.

La Mirada up 19-0 on Santiago in the first half.

Bishop Amat is on the scoreboard but still trails Lakewood, 13-7 midway through second quarter.

Warren trails Alemany 21-0 going into the second quarter.

Lakewood scores again and leads Bishop Amat, 13-0, still in first quarter.

Poly has scored in the first quarter and leads Servite, 6-0.

Lakewood scores a TD, misses PAT, leads 6-0 with 6:36 left in first quarter.

Check out The Shadow's blog tonight for updates on the second round of prep football playoffs!

Lakewood 28, Bishop Amat 21
Servite 21, Poly 9
Warren 34, Alemany 28
Redondo 35, Dominguez 34
Norwalk 38, Westminster 17
La Mirada 27, Santiago 13
San Dimas 27, Valley Christian 20

P-T Top 10
FOOTBALL
1. Lakewood (10-1), Friday vs. Bishop Amat
2. Warren (10-1), Friday vs. Alemany
3. La Mirada (10-1), Friday vs. Santiago
4. Norwalk (10-1), Friday vs. Westminster
5. Poly (6-5), Friday vs. Servite
6. Los Alamitos (8-3), Season over
7. Wilson (6-5), Season over
8. Millikan (6-5), Season over
9. Gahr (6-5), Season over
10. St. John Bosco (5-5), Season over

Video of the game is below...

Mission Viejo leads Wilson, 41-14, 4th Q
Edison leads Millikan, 52-14, 4th Q

The Shadow is out of town... in fact, out of the state, but I've got some updates...
Poly leads Los Al, 22-7, in the third.
Lakewood leads Newport Harbor, 34-14
Wilson and Mission Viejo tied, 14-14, halftime
Edison 42 Millikan 7 at the half...

Here's a sneak peek at tomorrow's lead story on the P-T sports page:

By Robert Morales
Staff Writer
Dylan Lagarde played quarterback for Poly High for four weeks, then transferred to Los Alamitos after the Jackrabbits lost at Oceanside to fall to 1-3.
At the time, Jackrabbits coach Raul Lara said he told Lagarde he was going to make a change to Chris Leachman, and that Lagarde checked out shortly thereafter.
The rumor mill has since been working overtime, but Lagarde has kept his reasons for the move to himself. Lagarde's father, Marvin, politely declined to speak on the record about the subject at Los Al's practice Wednesday.
One thing is certain: Lagarde is now the Griffins' quarterback. As fate would have it, Los Al (8-2) will square off with Poly tonight in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Pac 5 Division playoffs. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Veterans Stadium.
The Jackrabbits (5-5) had to win their last three regular-season games to qualify for the playoffs, so Lara wants his charges to concentrate on winning the game, not the high emotions they may have because they are going against a player who left the team.
Easier said than done.
"I think it's only common sense that the kids are going to have a little bit of that," said Lara, whose team is two-time defending Pac 5 champion. "We are trying to make that not be an issue. Our main issue is to win and move on in the playoffs.
"But think about it, if you were a player, wouldn't you be thinking that? Deep down inside, it's there."
Lara said his biggest concern is the Los Al running game led by junior Nick Richardson.
"Their offensive line is probably one of the better lines we have seen in a while," Lara said. "Then, with that great running back ... we have to stop the run."
Richardson has rushed for 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns.
It seems Lara may be getting through to his players about where their focus should be. Defensive lineman Michael Teo, who leads the Jackrabbits with 85 tackles, spoke about that Wednesday at Poly's practice.
"I see him as just another quarterback on another team," Teo said of Lagarde. "I gotta do my job. Everyone does their job on defense, we're going to win. We gotta focus on winning the game, stop the run and stop the pass."
John Barnes, the longtime Los Al coach, was asked if he was worried Poly players might get carried away in going after Lagarde.
"It's a good question," Barnes said. "And the answer is probably no to all of that. I believe that is why you have referees, so the kids get protected in football games. They're going to go after Nick Richardson because he is going to have the ball more."
The Jackrabbits will be led tonight by Leachman, who has passed for 823 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions since taking over the controls. Speedy receiver Kaelin Clay leads with 23 receptions for 438 yards and four touchdowns, and tight end Earnest Pettway has 18 receptions for 241 yards and two touchdowns.
Poly may be just 5-5, but Barnes knows the Jackrabbits are formidable.
"I think it's going to be wire-to-wire, a tough game for both teams," Barnes said. "Poly has kind of hit their stride. They still have the same good players everywhere and I don't think the coaches have lost their marbles, like people think."
As for Lagarde, he spoke briefly to the Press-Telegram as he was walking to the parking lot with his father Wednesday evening at Los Al.
"It's going to be fun," he said of playing his former teammates.
"I have a lot of friends over there. After the game, we're not going to be mad at each other. We're still going to be friends."
robert.morales@presstelegram.com

Here's Doug's column that will run in Thursday's paper regarding the Dylan Lagarde/Dylan Cook controversy. Remember, Lagarde lost his starting QB job and Poly and transferred to Los Al. Once at Los Al, Lagarde was given the chance to compete for the starting job. But before the competition even got started, Dylan Cook, the starter at the time, up and quit. Here's his story, through Doug's column:

By Doug Krikorian
This should have been the biggest week of the young life of Dylan Cook, a Los Alamitos High senior who was the starting quarterback for the Griffins in their first six games of the season, five of which they emerged victorious.
After all, Los Alamitos opens the CIF playoffs Friday night against Long Beach Poly at Veterans Stadium, and it would have been a memorable challenge for a 17-year-old who has been involved in the successful Griffins' program for four years.
But, instead, Dylan Cook will not be practicing with the team this week, will not be on the field with his teammates Friday night, will probably be seated in the Los Alamitos student section watching the proceedings with conflicted emotions.
Oh, he insists he'll be rooting for the many kids he's played with since he was in Pop Warner League, but it's doubtful he would shed a tear for the Los Alamitos coach, John Barnes, should the team stumble against Poly.
You must understand that it is Dylan Cook's firm belief that he was mistreated badly by Barnes, a Los Alamitos institution the past 30 years with 15 league and four CIF titles on his resume, to the point he felt he had to depart the team on Oct. 18 to maintain his dignity.
That came a couple of days after the Griffins dropped a 23-20 decision to Newport Harbor and after an afternoon practice in which, according to Cook, Barnes called him over for what turned out to be a conversation that Cook found humiliating.
One must understand that a couple of weeks earlier a sophomore quarterback named Dylan Lagarde, who began the season as a starter at Poly, somehow dropped out of the skylight and wound up at Los Alamitos as a midseason transfer in a curious development that arched a few skeptical brows in the area.
Well, apparently, Barnes was enamored by Lagarde, and he informed Cook that Lagarde would be competing for his position.
"He (Barnes) told me we want to do what's best for the team," related Cook. "And then he asked me, 'Can you promise me you'll win the next four games?' And I responded, 'Yes.' And he said, 'I don't believe you can.' I was stunned, hurt. How do you play with someone who doesn't believe in you?"
Dylan Cook's mother, Mendi Cook, a senior rep in the Griffins' booster club, happened to be at practice that fateful day, and later met with Barnes in his office.
"To put it mildly, the conversation didn't go well," she says.
"Barnes just gave me the run around, and was pretty arrogant in the way he talked to me."
When asked to respond Wednesday, John Barnes said, "All our players compete here every day for a job. If we have kids here legally, we owe it to our team as coaches to make sure everyone gets such an opportunity. To be honest with you, I was saddened when Dylan quit. I like him very much as a person, and worked with him closely. He was a valuable member of our team."
It's unfortunate such a scenario unfolded since Dylan Cook had been involved in Los Alamitos football since 2006 when he was a starter on the its freshman team.
He also was a starter for the junior varsity team the past two years, although his sophomore season was cut short when he suffered a broken collarbone.
He had become a popular figure this season on the team - he wound up completing 40 of 68 passes for 505 yards and five touchdowns in a ground-oriented attack - and he insists he didn't depart because of the presence of Lagarde, whom he says he likes and considers a friend.
"Dylan left an abusive coach who didn't appreciate him," says Bill Riggs, Mendi Cook's fiance who has been like a surrogate father to Dylan. "The kid is 17. He doesn't have to be talked to in such a belittling manner."
Dylan Cook related another incident involving John Barnes that he found strange.
"As we were walking off at halftime of the Newport Harbor game, he said to me, 'Tell your family to stop talking badly about me.'"
Dylan Cook says he would like to continue to play football as a walk-on next season at Golden West College, but not as a quarterback.
"I've gone through enough turmoil playing quarterback," he says. "I'll go out for defensive back."
The 6-foot, 175-pound Cook, a handsome youngster with deepset brown eyes and a thick shock of light brown hair, insists he's not too depressed over what has happened, but his mother says otherwise.
"Dylan keeps everything inside," she says. "Of course, what has happened bothers him. He was so dedicated so long to Los Alamitos football. He had a 102-degree temperature the week of the Narbonne game. He shouldn't have played, but he did anyway. He gave so much to the program."
But now Dylan Cook's only athletic endeavor is surfing on days when the waves are breaking right.
"What have I learned from all this?" he says, echoing a reporter's question. "I found out life sometimes is just not fair, and sometimes it's hard to trust people."

The Shadow has been out to practice, broken down game film, and now is ready to make predictions for this Friday's first-round CIF playoff football games. Let's start with the Pac-5 playoffs, naturally:

Edison 41, Millikan 6
Lakewood 27, Newport Harbor 14
Los Alamitos 24, Poly 13
Mission Viejo 38, Wilson 10

Western Division:
Gahr 35, St, Francis 28
Warren 42, West Torrance 21
Culver City 27, Dominguez 20

Southern Division:
Garden Grove 35, Bellflower 7
Norwalk 41, Rancho Alamitos 13
Segerstrom 21, Mayfair 17
La Mirada 30, Santa Ana 13

Mid-Valley Division:
Valley Christian 24, La Canada 21

Northwest Division:
Centennial 21, Harvard-Westlake 20

The Shadow will make predictions on all the area high school football games. Here's a hint: It doesn't look good for the Moore League (except for Lakewood).

P-T football Top 10:

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

OK, so looking at the Pac-5 playoff teams, here's my predicted first-round playoff pairings. Fifteen teams are in automatically, and I'm going to take Newport Harbor as the at-large entry over Bosco, Crespi and Loyola. At 6-4, Newport has a better record than the other three. And looking at common opponents, Loyola has played the other three head to head. Loyola beat Bosco and Crespi, but Newport beat Loyola. What makes putting this together a little tricky is that teams from the same league can't play each other in the first or second rounds. So... here are the predicted first-round matchups:

Edison vs. Millikan

Orange Lutheran vs. Notre Dame

Dana Hills vs. Mater Dei

Lakewood vs. Newport Harbor

Servite vs. Wilson

Los Alamitos vs. San Clemente

Bishop Amat vs. Fountain Valley

Mission Viejo vs. Poly

Lakewood 42, Wilson 6
Poly 42, Compton 12
Dominguez 28, Lynwood 24
Warren 49, Downey 14
Mater Dei 42, St. John Bosco 14
Jordan 34, Cabrillo 26
La Mirada 54, Artesia 7
Bellflower 24, Glenn 21
Norwalk 28, Mayfair 7
Gahr 42, Paramount 7
Bell-Jeff 38, St. Anthony 28
Downey-Calvary Chapel 24, Montclair Prep 22
Valley Christian 28, Paraclete 19
Centennial 48, Lawndale 21

Gahr 42, Paramount 7
La Mirada 54, Artesia 7

Lakewood 42, Wilson 6
Poly 42, Compton 12
Dominguez 28, Lynwood 24
Warren 49, Downey 14
Mater Dei 42, St. John Bosco 14

Mater Dei now leads Bosco, 35-7, third quarter.

Warren finishes the regular season strong to win the SGVL league without losing a league game. They beat Downey, 49-14.

Frank Burlison mentions that since both Los Al and Poly go in as No. 2 seeds, they could possibly play each other in a first round game.

The coin flip is in, and Los Al is the Sunset League's No. 2 entry, Fountain Valley No. 3 and Newport Harbor is the odd team out. Newport can still possibly get into the playoffs as an at-large entry.

Lakewood 42, Wilson 6 with 2 minutes to go.

Poly beats Compton, 42-12, and it looks like they'll go into the playoffs as the Moore League's No. 2 entry. That's because Lakewood is up big on Wilson, meaning Wilson and Poly would finish in a tie for second at 4-2. But since Poly beat Wilson head to head, Poly is the No. 2 entry, Wilson is No. 3. Millikan, which is not playing tonight, goes in at No. 4

That means they're getting ready for a coin flip to determine which two teams among Los Al, Newport and Fountain Valley get automatic bids into the playoffs.

A TD pass, then an interception returned for a TD gives Lakewood two scores in an 18-second span and the Lancers now lead Wilson, 28-6, late in the third.

Mater Dei leads big, 28-7.

Poly looks like its going to the playoffs... the 'Rabbits lead Compton, 35-12, late in the third.

Wilson stays within striking distance. Another FG cuts Lakewood lead to 14-6.

Bosco scores to cut Mater Dei's lead to 21-7, late second quarter.

Terrance Woods returns the second half kickoff 99 yards for a TD and 14-3 Lakewood lead over Wilson.

Mater Dei now up 21-0 over Bosco.

Lakewood holding onto a 7-3 lead over Wilson at halftime.

MD up on Bosco now, 14-0.

Mater Dei scores early in the second to go up on Bosco, 7-0.

Poly leads Compton, 29-12, at halftime.

The first quarter is over, score tied at 0-0.

Poly has taken a 22-12 lead over Compton in a key Moore League game. Winner is in the playoffs, loser is out.

Wilson kicks a field goal, now trails Lakewood, 7-3 in the second quarter.

For you Los Al fans out there, we'll keep an eye on the Newport-Esperanza game because it has playoff implications for Los Al. If Esperanza wins, Los Al is in the playoffs. If Newport wins, there will be a three-way tie for two playoff spots. Los Al, Fountain Valley and Newport would all be 3-2 in Sunset League play. So if Newport wins, there will be a coin flip after the game to determine the two playoff teams. The odd team out would still have a chance to go to the playoffs as an at-large entry.

Lakewood takes a 7-0 lead on Wilson on Terrance Woods' 17-yard TD run in the first quarter.

Los Al gets a must-win, 31-22 over Fountain Valley.

With less than a minute left, Los Al puts the game away with a TD to go up 31-22.

A field goal by Dan Boyer with less than 2 minutes left gives Los Al a 24-22 lead over FV

FV scores on a 57-yard punt return for a TD with four minutes left to go up 22-21 on Los Al.

In a key Sunset League game, Los Alamitos leads Fountain Valley, 21-16, in the fourth quarter.

Wilson High's Jessica Hardy swims during the final of women's 50 meters breaststroke at the short-course World Cup swimming competition in Eriksdalshallen, Stockholm on November 11, 2009. Hardy won the race. Hardy broke the 50m world record earlier in a qualifying race. FREDRIK SANDBERG/AFP/Getty Images)

Note: Gambling is illegal. Don't gamble. It's bad.
OK, now here are the point spreads for some key football games this week:

Fountain Valley (-7) over Los Alamitos
La Mirada (-13) over Artesia
Jordan (-8) over Cabrillo
Poly (-4) over Compton
Lakewood (-12) over Wilson
Norwalk (-3) over Mayfair
Dominguez, Lynwood pick 'em
Warren (-14) over Downey
Gahr (-10) over Paramount
Mater Dei (-3) over St. John Bosco

Place your bets! (for fun, of course).

P-T football Top 10 (Same as The Shadow's)

1. Lakewood (8-1)
2. Los Alamitos (7-2)
3. Warren (8-1)
4. La Mirada (8-1)
5. Norwalk (8-1)
6. St. John Bosco (5-4)
7. Poly (4-5)
8. Wilson (6-3)
9. Millikan (6-4)
10. Gahr (5-4)

There are two huge Moore League football games Friday. Of course, the league title will be determined when Lakewood plays Wilson. But there is another huge game: Poly vs. Compton. The winner qualifies for the CIF Pac 5 playoffs, and the loser is done for the season. Here's why:
Four teams from the Moore League qualify for the playoffs. Lakewood and Wilson are in. If Poly wins, Poly goes in as the No. 3 team at 4-2, and Millikan goes in as the No. 4 team at 3-3. Compton would be 2-4 and out. However... If Compton wins, Compton, Millikan and Poly would all be 3-3 in league. The tiebreaker would be determined on head-to-head matchups. Compton would be 2-0 (wins over both Millikan and Compton), Millikan would be 1-1 (win over Poly, loss to Compton) and Poly would be 0-2 (losses to both Millikan and Compton).
In that case, Compton goes in as No. 3 and Millikan as No. 4. Poly would be out of the playoffs for the first time, I'm told, in 30 years. It also means that Millikan, which doesn't play this week, is already in.

No changes to this week's Top 10. Each of the top eight won their games (Lakewood didn't play). Be sure to check The Shadow blog Monday night to see the P-T's official Top 10 before it's published in Tuesday's paper.

1. Lakewood (8-1 ... vs. inspired Wilson for Moore League crown Friday)
2. Los Alamitos (7-2 ... another tough game Friday vs. Fountain Valley)
3. Warren (8-1 ... Callier continues to impress)
4. La Mirada (8-1 ... managed to avoid letdown after beating Norwalk previous week)
5. Norwalk (8-1 ... started slowly before blasting Artesia)
6. St. John Bosco (5-4 ... big rally vs. JSerra to keep playoff hopes alive)
7. Poly (4-5 ... finally woke up in fourth quarter to beat Cabrillo)
8. Wilson (6-3 ... seemed to play inspired in blowing out Jordan)
9. Millikan (6-4 ... disappointing loss to Compton to end regular season)
10. Gahr (5-4 ... came out on losing end of exciting game vs. Warren)

Poly 15
Cabrillo 6

Compton 42
Millikan 26

Wilson 47
Jordan 3

Norwalk 61
Artesia 33

La Mirada 30
Bellflower 3

Dominguez 34
Paramount 3

Lynwood 35
Downey 10

Warren 35
Gahr 31

Carson 41
Narbonne 28

St. John Bosco 49
JSerra 28

Centennial 41
Torrance 7

Firebaugh 6
Roybal 3

JSerra 28, St. John Bosco 21 (4)

Compton 42, Millikan 26 F

La Mirada 30, Bellflower 3 (F)

Poly 15, Cabrillo 6 (Final)

Warren 35, Gahr 31 (F)

Lynwood 35, Downey 10
Centennial 41, Torrance 7
Firebaugh 6, Roybal 3

Norwalk leads Artesia 53-27.

JSerra 14, St. John Bosco 7 (half)

Compton leads Millikan, 28-20, in fourth quarter.

La Mirada leads Bellflower, 30-3, in the second half.

Gahr kicks a 37-yard field goal to cut Warren's lead to 35-31, early fourth quarter.

Casey Nielsen to Johnson for the second time tonight, fourth TD overall tonight for Nielsen and Gahr trails Warren, 35-28.

Norwalk goes up on Artesia, 32-27.

Compton up on Millikan, 28-14, early second half.

La Mirada 10, Bellflower 3, Half

Poly and Cabrillo all tied up at 0-0 in third quarter.

Jesse Callier punches in his fifth TD of the night, this one from 65 yards out. Warren leads Gahr, 35-21.

Casey Nielsen connects on a 60-yard TD pass and Gahr cuts Warren's lead to 28-21 in the third quarter.

St. John Bosco trails JSerra, 7-0, late first quarter.

Wilson leads Jordan, 26-3.
Warren leads Gahr, 28-14.

Late first half, and Artesia leads Norwalk, 27-24.

Lynwood leads Downey, 21-3, at the half.

Casey Nielsen throws a 20-yard TD pass, his second of the game, and Gahr cuts Warren's lead to 28-14.

Callier has scored his third and fourth TDs with runs of 12 and 4, and Warren now leads Gahr, 28-7.

Lynwood leads Downey, 14-3, in the first quarter.

Wilson has taken a 13-0 first quarter lead on Jordan.

Casey Nielsen connects on a 26-yard TD pass to get Gahr on the board and cut Warren's lead to 14-7.

Jesse Callier scores from 38 yards out; Warren up, 14-0 on Gahr.

Jesse Callier scores on a 12-yard run to give Warren a 7-0 lead over Gahr.

Be sure to check The Shadow blog later tonight for score updates on the area prep football games.

Two 16-year-old boys were arrested Wednesday in the shooting death of Melody Ross. One is from Bellflower and the other from Long Beach. Police have not revealed which one was the shooter. To read the full story, go to:
http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_13712614?source=rv

Just got word that there has been an arrest in the Melody Ross shooting -- a 16-year-old male. No other info available right now, but there is going to be a news conference tonight at 7 p.m.

Friday's prep football game of the week has to be Warren vs. Gahr in the San Gabriel Valley League. Warren's running game with Jesse Callier vs. Gahr's passing game with Casey Nielsen. Predictions? The Shadow's prediction is Warren 42, Gahr 27.

By Doug Krikorian
Press-Telegram Sports Columnist
It has become our own form of Middle East-style terrorism, with addle-brained gunmen causing the havoc instead of addle-brained suicide bombers.
We in Southern California have become inured to it, read and hear about it all the time, shake our heads in bewilderment about the senselessness of it.
But what made the shooting that occurred midway through Friday evening in Long Beach that took the life of a popular 16-year-old Wilson High honor student named Melody Ross so tragically different was that it didn't take place in some darkened alley in the early morning hours, or at some crowded party at a rented hall, or at some dangerous street where gang members congregate.
This happened where Melody Ross went to school, where she excelled in the classroom, where she was a popular among classmates, where she was a pole vaulter on the track team, where she was doing nothing more innocuous on the final day of her life than attending a football game between her school and Poly High.
Could there be a safer place to be on a Friday night?
A high school football game, a hallowed autumn custom throughout America, a sporting cultural heritage in which the violence is supposed to be on the gridiron between the combatants and not involve any of those witnessing the action.
What makes this deadly incident even more frightening is that it forever has stripped away the blithe innocence that always has been endemic to such an event.
What parents can now feel secure about the safety of their children at such an event?
What high school students now won't harbor inner fears at such an event?
Is there nothing sacred left in this turbulent world of ours where every day there are countless innocent people killed and maimed for no logical reason in uncivilized places like Afghanistan and Iraq and Sudan and civilized places like the United States of America.
"A shooting at my alma mater?" says Harry Minor, the legendary New York Mets scout who graduated from Wilson High in 1946. "It's absolutely devastating. It's beyond belief. Never had anything close to this happening when I went to Wilson. How can this happen?"
Oh yes, how can this happen?
How can a young daughter of parents who escaped the murderous Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot wind up fatally shot in the supposedly safe haven of this country?
And on the campus of Wilson High, not exactly a killing field, where future Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon first flashed his baseball skills, where Bobby Grich and Bob Bailey and Jeff Burroughs and Sean Burroughs and so many other extraordinary ball players did the same, where Skip Rowland excelled in all sports as he would do later at UCLA.
Oh, I know the reflex refrain -- "it's a sign of the times" -- and I suppose that's a tidy way to encapsulate this awful sociological phenomenon that has devastated inner cities in recent years.
But what plausible explanation can one offer for what happened to Melody Ross?
What are the circumstances that would lead a human being to commit the kind of cruel mayhem that erupted after the Wilson-Poly game?
Does the person who killed Melody Ross and also wounded two men not understand the awful repercussions of his awful judgment to shoot into a crowd? Does he realize the inconsolable grief he has caused so many people? Is he bereft of a conscience? Does he feel any remorse?
It's all beyond my comprehension since I've spent a lifetime attending sporting games without once being concerned about my safety, without once even entertaining the dark thought that anything bad could happen at such a harmless stage.
But no more.
"It's very shocking and, obviously, I'm very surprised it happened," says Skip Rowland, who coached at Wilson for 35 years and is a 1945 graduate. "But this is the way the world is now. Something like this can happen any place and at any time. Look what happened at Columbine where a couple of armed students killed 13 people. It's hard to believe it happened here in Long Beach."
I drove by the poignant memorial of flowers and balloons and missives that has been set up to honor Melody Ross in the area on Ximeno near 10th Street where she was struck down.
It's an area where kids can be found before and after school, milling around, laughing, savoring the thrill of youth and its endless tomorrows of hopes and dreams.
I'm sure there were a lot of kids in the area Friday night after the game enjoying the gladness of the moment when it suddenly was shattered by the chilling sounds of gun shots and the blaring sirens of police cars and ambulances and the shrieking gasps of bystanders in a ghastly tableau of homicidal cruelty that's become too routine in these mean times.
Doug Krikorian can be reached at doug.krikorian@presstelegram.com

The P-T's Top 10 happens to be exactly the same as The Shadow's:
1. Lakewood (8-1)
2. Los Alamitos (6-2)
3. Warren (7-1)
4. La Mirada (7-1)
5. Norwalk (7-1)
6. St. John Bosco (4-4)
7. Poly (3-5)
8. Wilson (5-3)
9. Millikan (6-3)
10. Gahr (5-3)

I know it's not nearly enough, but I'm thinking the Wilson High football team should wear some kind of arm patch or maybe the initials MR on their jerseys for the Wilson High student who was shot and killed Friday night after the game. Just a thought...

Once again, this is not the P-T's official Top 10; it's The Shadow's. The P-T Top 10 comes out in Tuesday's paper, but you can see it first here on The Shadow's blog on Monday night.

1. Lakewood (8-1)
2. Los Alamitos (6-2)
3. Warren (7-1)
4. La Mirada (7-1)
5. Norwalk (7-1)
6. St. John Bosco (4-4)
7. Poly (3-5)
8. Wilson (5-3)
9. Millikan (6-3)
10. Gahr (5-3)