They use the buddy system over at Amat.

New coach, new QB, no established leader on defense - what's going to happen to Amat's football program in '06? It doesn't take a genius to see that Amat will enter Spring training, passing league, hell week, and finally, the season with way more questions than answers.

OK, new coach Mark Verti was there last season, so the transition, especially on offense, won't be anything to sweat. The schedule, the new league and of course the new division is. Here's the schedule:

9/1 at St Paul (toss-up)
9/8 at Valencia (toss-up)
9/15 Hart (loss)
9/22 Rancho Cucamonga (win)
10/6 Carson (loss)
10/13 St Francis (win)
10/20 at Chaminade (win)
10/27 Crespi (win)
11/3 at Notre Dame (loss)
11/10 at Loyola (loss)

Here's what Bill Lumbergh thinks of the schedule:
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-5
LEAGUE: 3rd (out of four)
PLAYOFFS: Yes, but no threat.

Supposedly, last year's sophomores are a very good group. Many of them were on varsity last year and got some playing time. Running back Dominique Gaisie is a bona fide star, but he needs to stay healthy (something that didn't happen in '05). QB is a major problem. Three-year starter Daniel Robles is gone and Matt Castaneda, who should be this year's starter, is calling signals at Los Altos (interesting). Besides Gaisie, there just isn't a gamebreaker on the roster. And what will the defense do without Jonathan Cornell?
The schedule is very tough. Fortunately for Amat, many of its opponents also have to replace some big contributors. But anyone who's been paying attention knows that Amat isn't exactly drawing the Valley's top talent anymore, thus replacing standouts won't be as easy for the Lancers as it will be for Hart or Carson or Loyola or Notre Dame.

Posted by at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Deepest backfield in the area?





I got the word from WestCo coach Mike Maggiore that running back William Wallace is set for knee surgery this week and he will be ready for the season.
I think Wallace's bad knee was a major reason why the Dawgs never got rolling last year. He was able to run north and south, but God forbid he made a cut. WestCo also lost lineman after lineman last season and was lacking for football IQ.

The Dawgs killed themselves against South Hills by fumbling kicks and not being able to handle punt snaps. Yet they were right in the game in the second half and actually held South Hills' offense down for most of the game. I believe WestCo outgained SH at nearly a 3-to-1 ratio in yards. Make no mistake, the Dawgs have the team to make up for all of that this coming season. Wallace joins Tyler Hockenhull in the backfield and his younger brother Demond Wallace (sophomore) is supposedly a star in the making. QB George Munoz is back, too. Watch out for this team in Division VI (or whatever it's called now) as they should be co-favored with Charter Oak to be the last team standing after the 14th game. And the great news is that they play each other during the regular season.

Here's the sked:

Mater Dei (loss)
Baldwin Park (win)
Monrovia (win)
Rancho Cucamonga (probable loss)
Ayala (win)
Charter Oak (toss-up)
Nogales (win)
South Hills (win)
Walnut (win)
Rowland (win)

The Mater Dei game in Week 1 stands out. Yes, I am wondering the same thing - What the hell is WestCo doing playing Mater Dei? As ambitious as the move is, it comes at the wrong time as Mater Dei will be a veteran team and one of the best in SoCal. The Dawgs must avoid injury in that game.

Projected record: 8-2 or 7-3
League: 1st place
Playoffs: Early frontrunner for division title.

Posted by at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

Hey Colts, get ready to travel! (Special thanks to Covina coach Kevin Glaspy for notifying me that #11 is Monti Sutton, not Jamal James.

Here's the link to my article

Feel free to use this thread to say what you think about the new playoff groupings. They will effect all sports.

Posted by at 6:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

That's Walnut's Andrew Utama. Who are the top male swimmers in the area? I need you guys to keep giving the "heads up" on the good swimming to cover!!!

Is it basically a lock that Kirsty Ferrell and Rachel Grant are going to win CIF titles this year? I am getting pumped for finals. I know there is a lot of swimming between now and then, but I love it when our area has studs in the pool.

Kirsty Ferrell's mom, by the way, is one of my favorite parents. She always has great info for me and what Kirsty and Glendora are doing. It would be great to get her on here.

Posted by at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

Can the Huskies still do this to opponents?

The Huskies are likely to be up a division this coming season. No worries, they would have won Division VI this past season had they been in it. But this year might be a different story, though. Coach Steve Bogan and crew say goodbye to a dynamic senior class. The lower levels are stocked well, however, but they're going to need some seasoning. Two years ago, the Huskies really boosted their nonleague schedule. It didn't work well in '04, but last year they hung in well with everyone, including D-1 Esperanza.

W0: Los Altos (Loss)
W1: at Trabuco Hills (Win)
W2: La Habra (Loss)
W3: at Claremont (Toss-up)
W4: Fullerton (Win)
W5: at Rancho Cucamonga (Loss)
W6: Walnut (Win)
W7: Rowland (Toss-up)
W8: at West Covina (Loss)
W9: Nogales (Win)
W10: Bye

Would 5-5 be so bad? Probably not if you consider the Huskies will again be definite contenders in the SAL. But at this point, you can't like their chances against WestCo and Rowland enters the season with the more veteran team. By the time Week 7 hits, South Hills could be ready to rumble with Rowland and that game is a toss-up and will likely be for second place. The non-league schedule is ambitious and it could mean the team takes its lumps early. If healthy in November, SH will be locked and loaded for a run in the playoffs.

Posted by at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

GET SOME!!!

Trib MVP - Edwin Edukere (Diamond Ranch)
Star-News MVP - Kyle Austin (Pasadena)

Tribune boys team was up by double-digits seemingly the whole way and got the East side of the Valley a win in the series with a rout of the heavily favored Star-News. The game got chaotic at the end and was called with around 20 seconds left as there were some cheap shots.

Every Trib player had a great game and the Star-News team just never got going. They were talented, but it just wasn't their night.

Posted by at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

WHO YOU CALLING AN UNDERDOG?!?!

Star-News 80
vs.
Tribune 69

Star-News MVP - Britney Spears (Pasadena)
Tribune MVP - Juanise Cornell (Bishop Amat)

Britney Spears (Pasadena) was outstanding tonight! She was the clear game MVP as the Star-News girls laughed at being underdogs and brought it to the Tribune team. Great job by all the girls on both sides. It was a fun game and great way for all the seniors to go out.
Coach Raymond Mayberry (Pasadena) should be congratulated for having his girls breathing fire when they took the court.

Posted by at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SATURDAY NIGHT AT BISHOP AMAT HS
(5:3O P.M.)

PASADENA STAR-NEWS VS. SGV TRIBUNE

TOP HS BASKETBALL SENIORS IN THE VALLEY

HERE ARE THE FINAL ROSTERS ...

STAR-NEWS BOYS

COACH - Sam Goldstein (La Salle)
Ben Brekke (La Salle)
Brett Lagace (Arcadia)
Gregory Gates (Blair)
Jonathan Chu (Keppel)
Durand Reeves (Maranatha)
John Butler (Marshall)
Henry Hoang (Keppel)
Johnathan Adling (Temple City)
Kyle Austin (Pasadena)
Rhett Anderson (La Canada)
Kevin Dancer (Pasadena)
Ralph Monday (Blair)
Dexter Bryant (La Salle)
Tim Chung (Gabrielino)

STAR-NEWS GIRLS
COACH - Raymond Mayberry (Pasadena)
Shannon Gholar (Monrovia)
Amber Mays (Pasadena)
Emillee Ringelberg (La Canada)
Brittany Kikuchi (Keppel)
Ashley Soto (Rosemead)
Caitlin Rohan (La Canada)
Kamila Andrews (Muir)
Brittany Spears (Pasadena)
Monica An (La Canada)
Jessica Seay-Klatt (La Salle)
Kristen Chan (San Marino)
Paola Gupilan (Keppel)
Yolanda Thornton (Pasadena)
Corinne Watkins (Temple City)

TRIBUNE BOYS
COACH - Gary Prestesater (West Covina)
Chapelle Brown (Los Altos)
Edwin Edukere (Diamond Ranch)
Eric O'Mahony (San Dimas)
Matt LeDuc (Glendora)
Andre Bossieux (Bonita)
Andrew Der (Rowland)
Brock Zylstra (Bonita)
Armando Villa (South El Monte)
Matt Austin (Charter Oak)
Anthony Huntley (Bishop Amat)
Preston Browne (Damien)
Levi Onyiah (West Covina)
Corey Fluker (Duarte)
David Renfroe (Diamond Ranch)
Ola Kayode (Wilson)

TRIBUNE GIRLS
Coach - Mike Gorball (Arroyo)
Christen Myles (Bishop Amat)
Carly Horine (Bonita)
Keyonna Johnson (Diamond Ranch)
Kajahna Johnson (Diamond Ranch)
MacKenna Karasawa (Walnut)
Jasmin Madrigal (Gladstone)
Teresa Nguyen (Arroyo)
Emily Carrillo (Covina)
Juanise Cornell (Bishop Amat)
Lety Avalos (Sierra Vista)
Diana Moreno (Arroyo)
Donna Pierce (Bonita)
Raelyn Nevarez (West Covina)
Tina Sagarminaga (Wilson)
Shanay Newell (Northview)

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!
OH YEAH, AND BE THERE EARLY!!!

Posted by at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Maybe the James Davis transfer doesn't hurt after all. The Conqs got a nice transfer in running back Ira Thomas, who played at Chino Hills last year. And there could be more talent coming + a good frosh class that will be sophs. Some things never change. Perhaps LA needs to be boosted up a bit in my pre-Spring practice rankings. Here's the schedule ... complete with predictions.

If you want your team's schedule analyzed, then send it to aram.tolegian@sgvn.com

Week 0 - South Hills (probable win)
Week 1 - Rosemead (win)
Week 2 - LB Wilson (win)
Week 3 - Damien (toss-up)
Week 4 - St. Francis (probable win)
Week 5 - Western (win)
Week 6 - Diamond Ranch (win)
Week 7 - Charter Oak (loss)
Week 8 - Bonita (win)
Week 9 - Wilson (probable win)
Week 10 - BYE

South Hills will be too young to hang with LA's veteran offense in the first game of the season. There's no reason LA won't be undefeated going into its game against Damien. That one will be tough, though, as will St. Francis. Having a BYE before playoffs should help LA. The Gano Boys are a bit of a mystery team this year, so it's hard to know for sure how they will perform in games against Damien, St. Francis and Wilson. Split the difference and Los Altos should be in the neighborhood of 8-2 going into the postseason.

PROJECTED RECORD: 8-2
MIRAMONTE LEAGUE - Second Place
PLAYOFFS - Semi-tough first round game.

Posted by at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

and the best football players from the Trib area? Is the "westside" the best side when it comes to hoops and the east a beast when it comes to football? It sure seems that way. Does anyone want to comment on this?

The East wins the Hall of Fame All-Star Football Game every year (it seems like) and the Star-News always has the more talented squad in the Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic.

Are standouts like Kyle Austin the reason why the Pas area reigns supreme in hoops? Or am I imagining it?

I know what this guy thinks, but what do you think? Comments please!

And of course reasons like Covina tailback Art Combest are why the Trib schools do damage in the playoffs. Is C-Town a football only town?

Posted by at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We just got good comments in the "... lets talk Muir" and the "...Covina hurt most" threads. KEEP CHECKING ALL THREADS TO READ WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING. AND KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING. And stay productive on your job ... don't think that if you get fired for lack of production the newspaper industry will bail you out. Tell your friends. I am getting quite a few calls from people about this blog. Calls are nice, readers are better. GO TO THE TRIBUNE/STAR-NEWS ALL-STAR CLASSIC.

Posted by at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Or, lets just call it the SGV Championship. I just love how serious the Star-News teams take this game. From the coaches on down to the players, this is a statement game for them. That's what it seemed like the past two years and if these comments in Wednesday's Star-News from Blair's Ralph Monday mean anything ...

then this year will be no different.

"We know basketball on the (West) side of the Valley is better than the (East) side," Monday said. "We don't want to let the Pasadena area down. So you can mark this down - we're not going to lose."

VERY INTERESTING!
CONSIDER DISCUSSION OF THIS YEAR'S EVENT OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

Who will the MVP of the girls game be?
If practice (we're talkin' 'bout practice) is any indicator, it could be WestCo's Raelyn Nevarez.

... or it could be PHS's Brittany Spears, who some will argue is the best player in the game?

The boys game could be The Kyle Austin Show.

Posted by at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SGVN Internet coordinator Adrian Guerrero has just informed me that this blog is No. 1 (by far) in terms of hits. Something like 2,200 ... which is THREE TIMES more than any of our other new blogs. No surprise, though. Nobody in the SGV and other areas can get enough prep sports coverage. And as some of our aquatic friends have seen, this blog can useful as their requests have been heard and they will get some coverage for a good local meet this weekend.

Even the Arcadia High girls volleyball team can't help but to celebrate. Thanks, ladies!

And the South El Monte boys soccer team wants in on the celebration, too.

KEEP THE RESPONSES COMING! EMAIL ME PERSONALLY IF YOU THINK A CERTAIN TOPIC SHOULD BE STARTED.

aram.tolegian@sgvn.com

Posted by at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I think the problem is that there isn't much coverage besides CIF finals. I think our coverage of that is good. This is because it isn't easy to find out what meets or league matches we should cover. I would love more dialogue with local coaches. And if anybody wants to give me a heads up and what might be some good meets to cover, I will try my best to get out there.

That's Walnut's Rachel Grant, by the way.

Posted by at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

I've got no problem discussing Pasadena area preps.

So, I expect an overflow of Pasadena area topics in this thread.

By the way, I don't need to proofread this to know that Monrovia will be the Star-News area's top football team this season!

Here's more Muir for you guys ... oh wait, that's West Covina's Tyler Hockenhull. Hey, he used to be at Muir, right?

Posted by at 8:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

If you're one of the lucky ladies selected to be on this year's Tribune girls all-star team, you should know that your first practice is on Monday night at 6 p.m. at Arroyo HS in beautiful uptown El Monte.

Carly Horine (Bonita)
Donna Pierce (Bonita)
MacKenna Karasawa (Walnut)
Juanise Cornell (Bishop Amat)
Christen Myles (Bishop Amat)
Jasmin Madrigal (Gladstone)
Diana Moreno (Arroyo)
Teresa Nguyen (Arroyo)
Raelyn Nevarez (West Covina)
Emily Carrillo (Covina)
Tina Sagarminaga (Wilson)
Shanay Newell (Northview)
Keyonna Johnson (Diamond Ranch)
Kajahna Johnson (Diamond Ranch)
Lety Avalos (Sierra Vista)

Yes, I know, this team is very good.

Posted by at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Keep referring to all topics to read the comments of other readers. We now have nine comments in the "This blog is your blog, this blog is my blog ..." entry. Some of these are very good. Feel free to comment about any of the topics on here. Remember, everybody but me is anonymous.

Posted by at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It happens. I had it 5-2 in my story and thanks to one angry caller, I will go public with the fact that I completely overlooked St. Lucy's getting a run late in the game.

Posted by at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This will be at West Covina HS at 6:30 p.m. in the house that Gary Prestesater is building (the gym). It's open to the public, so come on down and see it.

Here is the Tribune boys all-star roster:

Brock Zylstra (Bonita)
Andre Bossieux (Bonita)
Marselis Irving (Diamond Bar)
Donte Smith (Diamond Ranch)
David Renfroe (Diamond Ranch)
Levi Oniyah (West Covina)
Matt LeDuc (Glendora)
Corey Fluker (Duarte)
Andrew Der (Rowland)
Preston Browne (Damien)
Anthony Huntley (Bishop Amat)
Matt Austin (Charter Oak)
Eric O'Mahony (San Dimas)
Chapelle Brown (Los Altos)
Ola Kayode (Wilson)

Posted by at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's amazing how many people want to talk about football all flippin' year. I admit, it's never far from my mind. It seems to be what excites our office and readers most. I know it's early and this Top 10 is definitely subject to change. Here's what in my estimation is the top teams in the east SGV.

1. Charter Oak - How many sophomores got PT last year?
2. West Covina - First few Mater Dei fans have already arrived.
3. Bishop Amat - Supposedly talented, soon-to-be junior class.
4. Damien - QB Mendrun could be tops in the area.
5. Covina - Offense should be amazing.
6. Rowland - Dynamic senior class returning.
7. South Hills - Obviously, the Huskies will reload.
8. Los Altos - James Davis transferring out hurts.
9. Wilson - Not so sure the 'Cats shouldn't be higher.
10. Diamond Ranch - Don't want to hear it ... the schedule will take its toll.

I can find 99 reasons why I like CO this season. But one will do - DEFENSE.

You might be wondering where Ayala, Chino and Chino Hills are. I am going to re-evaluate our coverage of those schools and Claremont. I will ask the boss, aka sports editor Doug Spoon, if he wants to keep it going. Some people like it, some people don't. I know quite a few people are getting the Trib in racks out in the Chino Valley. For now, this Top 10 will include only the core Tribune schools.

As always, feel free to discuss. Tell me where I went wrong, even though I don't think I did. If you're sweating the email thing in the comment box, then make one up. This is an anonymous site in the true spirit of Al Gore's Internet.

Posted by at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (228)

I know I've spotlighted Covina's football team as the team hurt most by the recent CIF-SS playoff re-grouping. Yes, the rest of the Valle Vista League is involved and they can't be happy either. But Covina was one of the top teams in the area last year and it returns Tribune Player of the Year Mike McDonough (QB) next season and should again be one of the Valley's best.

I just don't see one Valle Vista League football team hurt more by this because there was wide opinion that the Colts would've been one of the favorites in Division IX this coming season ... if there were a Division IX.
Anyway, I got Colts coach Darryl Thomas to share some of his thoughts on Wednesday after it was learned the initial Valle Vista League appeal was shot down by CIF after the first wave of the appeals process was completed. It's likely nothing will change again when the council meets to officially put into effect the new playoff groupings.
"I think they just use us as the filler," Thomas said. "They tried for an Orange County division. We proposed an all-San Gabriel Valley division, but they wanted to take care of Orange County, which is nothing new.
"Somebody mentioned to me that the fact we have state bowl games next year is why they put Oaks Christian in with us - because they want them to run the table. Maybe there's some validity to that."

Posted by at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is a great entry by Dan Albano on the OC Register's blog.

http://blogs.ocregister.com/ocvarsity/

There were about 35 appeals heard by CIF and I believe that only six were going to be submitted to the council. There are going to be a lot of ticked off football coaches this coming season. I wonder if this will be used an excuse by teams who exit the playoffs earlier than usual this postseason.

Posted by at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-spw-hsreport12apr12,0,3593353.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-highschool

Well, that's bad news. The league will likely have to participate in a tough, unrealistic new setting.

I think Northview principal Dick Sheehan made a great argument.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/preps/ci_3682573

I am surprised that CIF disallowed the league's appeal. It's possible that the drive to make the appeal at Southern Section offices for Sheehan, Northview hoops coach Ron Rice and Covina football coach Darryl Thomas was less than what they'll have to make once the football playoffs start.

Posted by at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is a hot topic. The LA Times recently did a great article about it.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-myspace8apr08,1,6268794.story

I have to admit, I actually have an account ...

http://www.myspace.com/chemicalat

Here's the thing, I find it useful to contact the athletes I cover using Myspace as a method. Sometimes going straight to myspace is easier than going to a coach or thru the school.
Many of the all-stars in this year's Tribune/Star-News All-Star Basketball Classic were contacted by me via myspace to relay info about the game.
Rather than calling 30 different athletes, I can send out a bulletin on myspace to tell let them know when/where practice is.
There are safety concerns. How do you really know who is talking to your son or daughter? What about pedaphiles? Indeed, there are some valid concerns. But what's the difference between myspace and going to the mall? That's just one thought that I came up with. I am sure some of you have takes on the growing myspace hysteria.

Posted by at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

What does this have to do with anything? I don't know. But I just I'd throw it up there since people are still sour about the officiating.

Posted by at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I knew this one was coming. How could it not? Bad officiating (phantom 3-pointer) cost Bonita the Covina Tournament championship. Do I need to even mention the traveling call in Glendora's semifinals loss to Ventura?

There's more I'm sure, but honestly, what can be done?

Posted by at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I haven't confirmed this yet, but I will when I get the chance. The Colts always had a good performer or two. Speaking of good, what about Northview? What about West Covina?

Does anybody out there realize that Northview girls wrestler Tatiana Padilla might be the best athlete in the area?

Posted by at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

... this blog was made for you and me. Was that chorus too much for you? Anyway, welcome to my prep sports blog where you will hopefully spend several hours of your work day reading about, posting about, arguing about and laughing about the ever-growing world of prep sports. Please, for the good of the economy, try to stay productive on your job.

Here's the deal. This blog was made for news, opinion and info sharing about the world of prep sports. There are no geographic boundaries, so topics can be from any location. We won't only stick to the SGV. This blog is meant for fans, athletes, parents, coaches, ... basically, anybody.

Here's how it will work. I will post entries about various things and you can respond to any of them. The goal of this site is to have an active blog/message board. You don't have to register. You don't have to leave your name. Stay anonymous. Enjoy yourself.

There are rules, though.
No prep athletes will be maliciously bashed. Don't hate. Constructive criticism is fine, but the line will be drawn.
No coach will be subject to personal attacks. If you want to question strategy, feel free to do so. If it gets too personal, I won't run it. Constructive criticism is fine, but the line will be drawn.

Teams, schools and even reporters/media outlets (Oh my!) are all fair game. Feel free to offer your opinions, good or bad, but please back them up with something tangible. Low IQ replies to topics simply won't run.

Other than that, there's nothing left to do but get started.

Posted by at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)