Five things Bishop Amat needs to do to turn around its football program ...

Wow, Amat has really sparked A LOT of conversation. I must say for good reason. The coaching staff, we must start there-Coach Verti. Who? He went to UCLA, but how long did he play there before getting hurt? Comments have been made about him getting the respect of the team-that has not happened. Kids want to play, so they do what they are told in order to get the spot. Problem is they are playing people because they are seniors and not because they are the best players. In addition, they are not assessing their talent base. They have no clue who they have on the bench or on the field for that matter. How do you start to prepare for a season without assessing your talent and letting them see the field during passing leagues and pre-season scrimmages? Hmmm. Food for thought.
The coaching staff-STAFF may be stretching it. Have any of these people ever coached in an organized program? High school even? Or are they personal trainers and big guys that just like the game? I know this may sound harsh, but the truth hurts! You talked about coddling players. Truth is, they chase the players away because the coaching staff does not believe in FAIRNESS. A simple word with big meaning. Perfect example-Matt Castaneda former Amat player now with Los Altos was told he would NEVER play QB at Amat because he was too small and not strong enough. He never played a down at Amat. Players don't expect to be coddled, but they do expect to be shown respect for their time and effort. What a difference assessing your talent makes.

These players practiced from 5:45 am - 7:45 a.m. plus afternoon practices putting in time like this was an NCAA or NFL program yet, they do not play everyone. If you are going to operate in this manner then you should cut players and stop wasting their time and that of their parents. The last I checked tuition is the same for everyone there and does pay the coaches salary.

Charles:
Interesting that an on-looker would have any assessment at all about the back-up QBs when they barely see the field. Hmmmm! Small and questionable arm strength? Sounds like Matt Castaneda all over again and we know how that turned out. If given the opportunity, they would certainly surprise you. How can you see what talent is on this team when it remains one dimensional?

The Receivers- Did you know a Sermons is on the aquad? You're there eveyday? Great receiver, but was moved to DB. Why? Quick feet. Another receiver, a Junior with average height and 4.4 speed, can catch anything but is on the sidelines. Why?

Did you see the passing leagues that Amat participated in? The results? Changes were not made to the offense or defense when they were required-coaches losses not players.
You talked about the O-line. Apparently you missed the Culver City scrimmage. The o-line collapsed consistently. There is a platoon of RBs who are able ready that you have not mentioned. One of the Junior RBs is strong, fast, quick & very much Reggie Bush like. Another Junior FB is the the brother of a former Amat RB who went on to play college ball. Question remains, will they see the field? The fact that you did not mention them proves my point. Again, can we assess our talent & give them some reps? Not a senior. Hmmm.

Aram-Speaking of Chris Rix, he would have been willing and able to coach the varsity QBs this year, but was not given the opportunity. Money was not an issue. AMAZING!!!

Funny, the coach (Verti) made it perfectly clear to the parents and players that his seniors would play. Advice for Coach Verti-be concerned about winning games with this mentality. However, it is unlikely his job will be at risk, because as all have stated here, he is CHEAP! How did you pass up a Mater Dei coach, a previous D1 college coach?

Did you see the offenses they were defending? Why were adjustments not made then? Did they see the defenses they were facing? Why were the same plays run time and time again. It is not difficult to beat Amat because you can see these plays being run from the last 20 years. Variety is the spice of life & football.

Assess the talent, get a coach who knows the game & whose mother doesn't work at the school, who can immediately assess & correct problems during a game or scrimmage on the field.

I don't agree that turf is the answer because the players tend have more injuries on it. However, ever see USC's practice field? Or Loyola's. Just good grass would work. How about an up to date non-shoe staining track for instance. Could they find some new wood for the bleachers for AMAT fans to walk on?

Ok enough of football. Amat is worth the tuition because it gives a child a chance to be a student who is prepared for college. Not sure about most, but the ability to get into college vs. the ability to both get in and stay in are two different things. Not all of the schools mentioned here are preparing the students to do both. Amat has lived on their tradition for far too long with regard to football, but their academics certainly will stand the test of time!

I know, I know - first Chris Rix leaves and now Matt Castaneda. What's the world coming to?

Ok, throwing him under the bus was maybe stretching it but it just came accross to me that because Coach Verti was young and not a high profiled named /established coach that Amat may have made a mistake here. We will not know until we see his team mature through the season. He can go 0-5 in non league and I will still be behind him. League games are where it counts and this program has some big stones to be taking on those first five teams before league begins. They could end up being wasted and banged up with that schedule before the league opener at home against Crespi. I have been to most practices at Amat so far and from what I can see their Offensive line is a plus, altho not really big size wise in some areas. They will rely heavily on a 6'4 Sophmore reciever, their running back is small and will most likely not be able to run between the tackles if faced against a big Defensive line. He does have great speed and will be a threat running outside. Quarterback position is there for last years backup that is trying to take over where Robles left off. Too bad the kid from Los Altos didn't stick around. I guess coddling got in the way. This QB has good poise in the pocket but I really see Amat using more ground game. Back up QB position could be their downfall if there number one gets hurt. Two juniors are competeing as the number two QB and both lack size and arm strenth. Defensively they look quick and big up front and will bring a decent pass rush. Linebackers are quick to the ball and that can help in shutting down the run. The secondary is still very green and could get torched if faced against a QB that has good protection. This could spell problems when facing a pass happy team like Sherman Oaks Notre Dame or anyone else. This being a transition year for Amat and Verti I am not expecting much. A playoff berth is what most Amat fans should be rooting for. This will set up Verti's next season, with good things to come for the Amat Loyal. This is a good team for Verti to start with and after coaching under Coach Difiori I really do not see any real major changes in the way the program runs. These players have the talent this year and all us Amat loyalist are hoping Verti brings it out of them.

Guys, my only thing to say is this. I ran across this blog and I'm going to bring up the past. The schedule when I was at Amat was LB Jordan, LB Poly( McGinest yrs), Carson, Damien, then the old Angeleus League. Servite, Loyola, St. Paul, Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, I am missing one game. Santa Margarita was only in basketball and the other sports, not football yet. My point is, the valley schools will never play the schedule Amat did. You need players to play those schedules.

SD,

No one picked up on your comment about the commonality with St. Paul's program. You couldn't have hit the nail on the head any straighter!!!

Yeah, nobody threw Verti under the bus. I've said all along that he should be given a fair chance by Amat fans. That there's a chance he could be an amazing young coaching commodity that turns things around. He wouldn't have been my first choice, but everyone must respect the decisions that's been made.
It's so simple, yet so hard to produce what Amat needs turn around its football program. A trip to the CIF finals and/or a player like Shaun Cody. Boom! Problem solved and good times are here again.
I think everyone wants the same thing - Amat back to the pinnacle of SoCal HS football. I will report either way, but I'd rather do it from the press box at Home Depot Center. I am not an Amat fan per se, but I do root for all of the Valley teams to kick ass in their endeavors. Amat fans are great fans and deserve to have their seasons last beyond Thanksgiving every season.

I dont believe anyone is writing Verti off and throwing him under the bus on here. Yeah maybe some of the people who dont like Amat, but hey... I know I have only given praise and optimism towards Verti. Some of the scrutny given is directed beyond the coaches. I am proud to say I am amat alumni who remains optimistic evey year. I know this is not the amat of the 90s, but some day that is where the alumni hopes the football program could be again. Aram has a point about the athletes, they are new breed and almost need to be pampered like professional athletes, which is absolutley absurd, but it happens. Charles, check out my previous post to Aram. I cant wait till Sept 1st.. Go Lancers..

As a current parent of a Amat football player, the need at Amat is not the grass or the recruitment or a high profiled named coach. Coach Verti must be given the chance to show what he can produce on Friday nights before most of you can start throwing him under the bus. He may be young and not have all the SGV talent but he must be given the chance to show he knows his X's and O's. Sure talent helps and there are no Cory Minors out there today on this team but he can be the type of coach that can flat out coach. The Chicago Bull's Phil Jackson had MJ and a bunch of nobodys around him but he got the best out of his players thru motivation speeches, X's and O's and won championships and everyone called him a genius. Coach Verti needs the chance to prove himself before he is considered a failure at Amat. Families have moved out further and yes it is cheaper to send your kids to public schools with good football programs instead of paying that tuition and playing for a so called declining Amat program, but what parents fail to see is that Education comes first not the bragging rights of who is the best local area school that can measure up or is better than Amat. Sure some will get scholorships to the next level and Amat still has their share of kids whom go to the next level, but most football kids do not get there and end up living their glory days on a bar stool telling anyone who will listen what a great HS player he was. The private school education is the best thing you can give your kid in todays world. Amat will be playing a tough schedule this year and who knows what they will run into with Loyola(champions last year altho Amat beat them in league) being the only true D1 team other then Amat in this new Serra League. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Crespi and St. Francis will be making the jump up to D1 where that could be a problem for them. Non league games are important but league determines which teams get to the playoffs, so before anyone writes off Verti and Amat, based on field, local recruits or age of a coach let the season start first and get to the league games before making predictions. Like Loyola's coach last year, he replaced a legend there and the parents and student body wanted his head on a platter when they did not come out of the gate fast, but all he did was put in a new system of passing the ball and won a championship his first year and now they love him there. Amat is Amat they will be fine.

You can have the "we don't need you" attitude when you're winning CIF titles, or making it past the second round on a consistent basis. Not when you're not doing either.
You also have to realize that today's athletes and their families are a different breed. They often feel like they're doing YOU a favor being there. Not always, but in some cases. And some cases can be a program changing player. I heard that Maurice Clarett, in high school, literally had to have an hour long discussion with his coach everyday which was basically a reassurance process.
It's so amazing that an Amat revival is ONLY a deep run in the playoffs or a marquee player away from happening. That's all that needs to happen. One 12 or 13 win season and a major, I mean MAJOR, college recruit would turn things around immensely. But this has proven as elusive as water in a desert.

Coddling should never be part of a high school football program, but unfortunately it happens everywhere. If a player has to be babied like a professional football player in order to keep them around, then let them go. Aram, if you think Amat should jump on this train your wrong. Amat did not coddle in the past, Parades and Salter embraced their players and emphasized there philosophy. Its unfortunate that this happens and I can think of numerous example of players who were, as you say "coddled," by a head coach from a public school and promised the starting job as a freshman. With most high school freshman this a sink or swim situtation which they are really set up to fail. Especially the quarterback position. A freshman at Amat will never play at the varsity level and most sophmores will not. Why? Like all levels of sports when jumping to a new level, a player needs time to grow and develop his skills. That is what Amat preaches. When a player is put on varsity at local public school, he is forced to grow up and develop into a well rounded payer in a matter of months rather than letting players develop from the freshman and varsity teams.

"ME"- as a fellow alumni, Im going to say it again, I remaining optimistic. I hope there is a more of a Pete Carol type of Attitude now. You are right. Amat really doesnt tolerate babying players. If they are going to act like deserve to start at a position before even winning the job, let them go. I dont think amat will ever stoop to this level and I hope they never will.

Verti represents a link to the glory days. Plus he played at and graduated from UCLA. Furthermore, Verti was already part of the staff at Amat. Hopefully, he already had a rapport with the current players and has been able to minimize departures. I think his presence is a big plus at Amat.

Sure, taking on and turning around a D-1 program as your first head coaching assignment is a tall order, but critics could have easily said that any local candidate has only been successful at lower levels when having big talent advantages over the competition.

Aram

Why didn't Amat go after someone like DJ Mackinnon from Arroyo.

Haven't been on this board for a couple of days New York as we're doing 6-12'vs at work, but I believe your right. That was the year [2003] that North beat Mater Dei [like 28 to 7] & Loyola
beat Poly in the finals. Westlake beat St.Bonnie's [28 to 6] for the D-4 title, they also beat Hart that year and I believe S.O. Notre Dame thats why they finished #1 in the final L.A. Times rankings.

Coddle? As an alumus from the eighties who had a brother play in the nineties and have friend's sons who play now, coddling is not a part of the program nor will it ever be. The coaches then, now and the future have always had the best interest of the player first. Coach Paredes was stern but fair, Coach Salter was always willing to listen to my brother and his friends and my buddies from high school are real pleased with the coaches at all levels and their attitudes. But coddle sounds more like babying if that is a word. Treating them with respect and helping them to grow up into young men is more how I would have put it. And there is also evidence to back up why some players transfer other than their discontent but Amat will never bad mouth a student and show that evidence because they always think of the player first.

Aram, I couldn't have said it any better myself. As an alumni from Amat in the las 5yrs I have witnessed this first hand. Its unfortunate that this happens, and yes the atitude towards athletes needs to change. Instead of just shruging it off and saying, "we're Amat," they need to embrace the athletes. Not by promising them the starting spot, but reassuring they are going to get a fair chance to prove themselves and win a starting spot. One more important thing is the head coach needs to embrace his freshman playes and get them to buy into his philosophy from the beginging of their football career. A saw first hand this has not been happening for the last seven years. I couldnt agree with you more about the amat fan base. I was brought going to amat games and I have to say we are some of the most loyal fans in HS sports fans , even through these rough football years. Can't wait for the season to start. Im remaining optimisic.

If a kid goes to Amat to play sports, he/she and the parents are obviously taking their athletics career very seriously. So, if for some reason that kid isn't having things break his way at Amat, then he's going to head for the next best thing - CO, SH or LA ... sorry but this is true and there's evidence to back it up. Amat's problem is that they have this attitude like "We don't care if we lose kids to Los Altos, we're Amat." That's great and there's some truth to it, but somebody should have told Matt Castaneda that he would've been the starting QB this year at Amat because Robles was going to graduate. I am just using him as an example. I don't think Amat is good enough to just thumb its nose at kids showing discontent. Coddle them, because that's what they do at LA, SH or CO. Sometimes you end up spending the night with the shoulder to cry on.
About Amat's nonleague schedule - it's very tough. They're playing some name schools and have shed playing the locals. This is good because Amat has zero to gain by playing Glendora, CO or Damien. When the Lancers win, it's like "Great, but you were supposed to." But it's a free shot for the other team to play against Amat with nothing to lose.
Like I've said before, I really hope Amat turns everything around. That fan base is just an awesome group of people with some major sports intensity. They deserve the very best.

Did Amat play Hart last year? I know they have struggled the last few years with Valencia, the other Foothill League team on the schedule.

St. Paul is good from a local private school rivalry perspective, although it would be better to play SJB. You've gotta figure that the first kids Amat has a chance of getting are those who are set on attending a private school. Valencia and Hart provide strong competition to prepare for league and playoffs. Rancho should as well. I question putting Carson on the schedule.

In the old days Amat could have handled the southland's toughest schedule. However, with the current state of their program they do need to take it easy and get some wins. 0-5 or 1-4 against the toughest schedule gets you ranked much lower than going 4-1 or 3-2 against an achievable schedule. Plus, if you go into Serra League play with an 0-5 or 1-4 record then it is very tough psychologically for everybody to bounce back. The CIF seems to reward pre-season victories of any difficulty level when setting the CIF brackets. Every win during the pre-season provides a better shot at drawing an easier first round opponent, and every loss increases your chances of playing LB Poly, Mission Viejo, etc.

One thing Amat needs to do in order to draw local talent is win games. I suppose one way to do that is to have an achievable schedule for the time being. It would be good though to drive down to the beach cities and play a Los Alamitos, Esperanza, Edison, San Clemente, etc. I'm not saying do that every week, but Amat does need to eventually branch out in order to prepare for the playoffs.

you have a point there, but if you look at most of Amat's previous pre-season schedules for the past five or six years most of the teams they play during pre-season are not D-1. I do agree with you New York, I think they should have kept MD, Servite, SJB, and SM on there pre-season schedule, which would include heart. That would be arguably the toughest schedule in the southland and maybe even the state. I dont think traveling has to do with the problem either. Amat is trying to play a tough schedule right now. The football program is in limbo so they would not want to kill it with playing that tough of a schedule. New head coach. new system...we will have to see how that goes. Amat looses enough players to Los Altos right now and other schools, they need to figure out how to stop the bleeding. What do you think about this AT?

I just took another look at Amat's schedule. I'm curious to see how they do against Hart. Not to take anything away from what appears to be a very tough pre-season, but why doesn't Amat play any other D-1 teams in the pre-season? Too far to travel?

Makes sense. It's still hard to beleive though that the times would rank Westlake above LB Poly, Mater Dei, Loyola, Edison, etc. Was that the year, though, that North beat MD and MD beat LB Poly in the semis? Did Loyola win it all that year or was it Los Alamitos?

Your right New York, De La Salle was a given in those days, it was the L.A. times top 25 poll that I'm thinking of and the final ranking was Westlake at #1, they had a hell of a season that year beating many of the big schools as did J.W.
North.

As good as North or Los Altos was that year, I really don't think anybody thought that North should have been ranked over Concord De La Salle. That's when their streak was still alive.

J.W. North would have beaten even that great Los Altos Team that year, That was the best team to ever come out of North, that year they easily beat Mater Dei, Kaiser, and some other big schools that year. There was even a controversy as to who was #1 in the state that year, with Westlake being #1 at seasons end but many felt that North should have been.

In 2003 the best game in Southern Cali would have been Los Altos vs. JW North Riverside. JW North was loaded & I believe was ranked 1 thru 5 for three years by the LA times.

SD:
C'mon man? The Pasquarella Era is over? You gotta be kidding me? Anyone that knows anything about local HS Football knows that Pasqy is one of the greatest coaches to ever work around these parts. Take for instance his work so far at Glendora. The program is showing some life back in it as of late. One of the signs of a great coach is taking decent football players and making them good and in some cases great. Pasqy does that. He has a proven track record starting in 1990. Many people forget that when he was hired at Covina HS that season he took the Colts from the Valle Vista League basement to the League Championship in his first and only season. He then went on to become Head Coach of the then newly opened Ayala HS generating great success there before departing to Damien and finaly Glendora. I think that Coach Pasquarella has a system that works wonders and to hear SD say that his Era is over is the farthest thing from the truth. Under MP's guidance programs improve, they make the playoffs, athletes get pride instilled in them and become better football players. HOw can you say this is going to stop much less is over? Mark Pasquarella is a proven winner and not only one of the greatest coaches around currently but will be for years to come. Bank on that SD.

Sorry, I forgot about last season already,shame on me, but servite did have a turn around season. I dont have any idea about who amat would hire. I heard speculation of a few head coaches, but it obviously never happened. I was hearing word that Parades might come back. the first thing I thought about that was fat chance. Another name I heard was Salters brother over at Upland. Nobody will ever know for sure what coaches through there name in the mix for the job. Im sorry to say this not to bat his good coaching history, but i believe the Pasquarella era is over. I dont want to offend anybody on here because i know there is a high volume of glendora fans, but i dont think Amat would be intersted in a coach like him. As far as the checkbook goes, you hit it right on the money so to speak, or lack there of. Let them be offended, but is probably the truth. Bottom line is they need to devote more $$$ to the football program because that is where the tradition was in the mid 90s and need to get back to it. Too much politics are involved that i dont want to get into on here. Im sure its nothing you havnt heard before, but think about it, what did St Pauls football program have in common with Amats today? Dig deep and you may find a commonality........that is where the problem lies...

They almost need a name coach who is already retired and drawing a pension in order to subsidize the pay. AT, you should give Big Bill a call to see if he'll come down from Montana.

Didn't Coach P. mention that the package at Glendora was much $weeter than at Damien?

There's supposedly no chee$e to pay somebody the 100k plus retirement package. Some in the Amat faculty got sour at yours truly when I suggested they open in the checkbook because they make less than public school employees in similar positions. In order to get Bogan, Gano, Pasquarella et al away from the Public school system, you have to give them the same retirement plan and a good salary. Amat isn't like Servite, because it's part of the archdiocese.

That is fantastic insight about Amat. Who do you think would have been an appropriate Name coach? Perhaps there are administrative challenges at Amat such that a name coach would not want to step in right now.

Servite lost to Esparanza in the semis this year. Loyola won it all.

I agree. For all the hype, LA does not load their preseason schedule. South Hills deserves credit for having strong preseasons. And look who WestCo put on the schedule this year.

The bottom line is these are all relvent things about Amats football program, but there seems to be underlying admistrative constraints that is bringing the football program to a screeching hault from where it was in the mid 90s. I agree with aram, the talent is still within the SGV, but it is being distributed evenly throughout the valley. Amat needed to go out and get a name coach after DiFiori stepped down, but they didnt. I like Verti's enthusiasum even though he lacks the experience of the name head coachs. This is going to be a crucial season for the Amat program. Look at what happened to Servite last year, they are a perfect example. Barns (From Los Alamitos)signed a huge contract with Servite and backed out. Servites program had been down for the last 4-5yrs. They ended up taking a chance on a no name coach and he comes in and wins them a D1 CIF tite. Im not saying Verti is going to come in and turn it around in a year, but I will remain optimistic because i know he was part of the mid 90s Amat teams and knows what the program is all about. Who knows, maybe he can bring some of the old fire back to the Amat football program that has faded since Salter left. The heavy promotion of Amats past football history is going to be crucial if Amat is going to restake there claim in D1 and keep athletes from leaving . As far as playing SO-ND we will get a chance to see Amat play them in the new Serra league this year, which includes Amat, Loyola, SO-ND, Crespi, and St Francis. Its going to be an interesting league this year. In my opinion, I think Amat should have kept Mater Dei, Servite, Santa Margarita, and St Jon Bosco on there preseason. With the new league this year, that would have givin Amat arguably one of the top schedules in the southland, and maybe even in the one of the top schedules in the state. Dont get me wrong, there schedule this year is going to be nos slouch. We are just going to have to wait and see what happens. Aram, have you heard and word on what style of offence Amat is going to running this year? Wing-T maybe? As far as Altos goes, they have been drawing talent away from Amat for the last ten years. They have had some really good teams in the last 10yrs, but if they really wanted to see what kind of an impact they could make in Southern California High School football, make the move to D1 or D2 and compete. Thats all I have to say about that. Amat has discontinued there battles with the local schools because over the last 3 years they have scheduled Co, Glendora, and Damien and there is no need to prove there dominace any more. Im not taking anything away from those teams programs, but quite frankly over the past 5-6 years people talked about how CO could beat amat, Glendora came the closest 2yrs ago, and Damien was the only one to beat Amat in 03. After that year, amat continued there dominance.

To sum it all up, Amat needs to get the fire back in its program, start giving out scholarships for football as most of the successful private schools do, and promote the hell out of the past and the current Amat players in the NFL and so many of the successful college althetes. The Tradition is there, but it has been dormant. Its time to wake up and rekindle the old flame. I dont know if Verti is the right man for the job, I dont know if anyone does. All you can do is remain optimistic and see what happens next season.

No doubt D-1 has turned into a competition among OC and parachial schools. That 1991 IKE team was pretty nasty. They stomped Mater Dei in the finals. Not even close, but football in the Inland Valley is nowhere near the D-1 strenth that it was throughout the 80's.

I wonder how Amat would contend in the former D-2 with the Sierra school, Foothill Schools and South Coast schools or in the former D-3 with the likes of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

Aram,
No doubt 2003 LA was very talented, but those guys were not all seniors that year, right?
LA may have won that hypothetical match up, but I think Amat would have gained enough yards on the ground running their veer to at least chew enough clock and keep the score within reach. Was Amat blown out by any teams in league that year? I doubt if LA would have won the Serra leage that year. Which Mission Viejo team were they ranked ahead of that year?

Anyway, who did you have in mind as some "name" coaches? How about Bob Ladouceur from up north? He's been known to put a few wins together.

I have read the posts with much interest being a former player at Amat and have a long history in the SGV. My older brothers played at Huntington Beach Edison in the late 70’s and early 80’s teams with me at Amat. When my parents separated and I was brought to the SGV Amat was a doormat, but it was still Amat and with the exception of Los Altos the only real 4AAAA school left. Therefore my parents decided that Amat was the best place to be for me.

Being a long time Covinite, I recall the SGVT indicating that Amat was dead in the mid 70’s with the talent gone to Los Altos, South Hills and West Covina. In fact, with Amat not winning the Angelus League for over 10 years and no CIF births for that same period it is arguable if those teams were worse than the current 95 to 2005 run. Certainly the talent was less and Paul McDonald (USC) is the only D1 player produced.

Amat has it problems, but to say the talent was moved to other SGV schools forever is wrong. I cannot remember the last SGV team to beat Amat (Wilson tied twenty years ago) and Monrovia beat them (not sure if they qualify), so it may be approaching thirty years.

The valley lost its link to D1 (4AAAA) almost twenty five years ago, with Los Altos, West Covina, Rowland, Edgewood and Wilson as the remaining teams. South Hills was content to bail out of 4AAAA in the mid 70’s to play JV in the Southeastern Conference. Why? Well it was not enrollment, but the beatings in CIF by St. Paul may have something to do with it. What is my point, it would be easy for Amat to drop from D1 and play in the Sierra League, but that would be easy, would it not.

Amat played some good Los Altos teams (I believe one went on to with an Eastern Conference title) twice in the mid 80’s. They were not close games. Most SGV schools shy away from them and I am happy to see CO and Claremont step up to the plate. At least Ayala schedule and beat them once or twice and Rancho Cucamonga appears to have scheduled them, but, again, those are IE schools not SGV. Why is that?

Why send your kid to Amat? Playing D1(4AAAA) football beats playing in the lower divisions any day. SGV schools traditionally play D1 schools (huge kudos to WCHS for scheduling Mater Dei) and why is that? Other D2 and lower schedule D1 schools all the time, but the SGV seems content with Rosemead, Arroyo and Los Osos.

As for talent moving East, I live in Chino Hills and the IE may have the growth, but the last time they won D1 was in 91 (Eisenhower) that is over 15 years ago. Too long to say the IE can build high school programs to compete with the OC and the remaining parochial schools in D1.

Amat has to change some things, but I have heard all of this before in the late 70’s and along came Pernell Taylor, Arnold Fields and Randy Tanner. Why would they go to a school that had not been in the CIF playoffs for nearly 10 years? To compete at a higher level, which is what D1 offers any valley student.

Why have West Covina and South Hills never played Amat in its 45 year history? It is not that Amat would not schedule them, but rather those schools decision.

OK ARAM GOTTA CALL YOU OUT ON YOUR TOP 5 LIST...GETTING FIELD TURF??? YA GREAT IDEA! HAVE U SEEN AMAT'S SCHEDULE?? DAM NEAR EVERY TEAM HAS WAAAAY MORE TALENT THEN THEM! SO LETS GIVE ALL THOSE GREAT SCHOOLS A FAST TRACK TO PLAY ON...IF I WAS THE AMAT COACH ID BE WATERING THAT FIELD DOWN THURSDAY NIGHT..SORRY BRO KORY MINOR DAYLON MCUTEON BRIAN RUSSEL DAYS ENDED ALMOST 10 YEARS AGO!

Speaking of what once was ... I feel bad for the John Muir Mustangs Nation. When I was covering at the All-Star game, I marveled at all the coaches and hangers on the Muir program still has. They have such a great group of core fans who are still hanging onto the past with hopes of getting back to prominence. Those people deserve some major success for being lifers.

You think Amat with all of the SGV's top talent is a scary thought, imagine if Muir still got all of Pasadena's top talent?

One other thing, what about the Shawn Cody years at Los Altos, those were some pretty good Los Altos teams too. How do you guys compare those team's with the 2003 Brigham Harwell team?

Thats true Aram, the 2003 L.A. team was the best team to come out of the SGV since the 90's Amat teams, but you were kidding about the 70 point spread right? I think L.A. would have beat them, but more likely by 1 to 3 TD's at the most.
Amat may have been down that year but they were still better than South Hills & Charter Oak.

I agree the 2003 Los Altos Conquerors were scary good. You can compare D-6 to D-1 all you want but LA almost could have beated anyone that year. With that many D-1 players it was special. If Im not mistaken Im sure they ahnilated Charter Oak 58-0!? and South Hills 42-17!? Amat is a very good program and always has, but there are those years where LA actually does have the better team. I've always wanted them two to square off one year, but it hasn't happened yet.

NY,

That Los Altos team had Harwell (UCLA), Daniel Drayton (starting in secondary at Oregon State), Travis Brown (starting receiver at New Mexico), Tao Alo (D-1 talent), Chapelle Brown (headed to Colorado), Randall Brown (one of the headiest players ever in the SGV), Daniel Sandello, Jason Estrada, Ronnie Rodriguez, Kevin Montano. Damn, they were good.
That particular year, Amat wasn't very good.
The LA Times got the BCS formula that year and did it for SoCal HS teams. Los Altos finished No. 2 in SoCal, ahead of Hart or Mission Viejo and some other big name schools.
That Los Altos team mauled Charter Oak when it had Fuller, Harris, Perri et al and South Hills when it had the Paytons. They then beat a very very good Orange Lutheran team in the championship. They were a sight to behold.
Los Altos was definitely the best SGV high school team I've seen since mid 90s Amat.

I'm sure football is still very important to Amat's fan base. They used to have a big name coach in Coach Salter, but he left and now coaches in Culver City. I was wondering why he would have left such a powerhouse and ended up at a small school. I suspected some type of political fall out with the administration.

Do you really think LA would have anihilated Amat in 2003? Amat is a little different than the D-6 schools LA cruised through. Perhaps they would have. So every once in a while LA will have its best team ever and Amat will have its worst team ever and they will have a shot at knocking off Amat.

I suppose one thing you mentioned above about the loopholes that allow kids to attend pretty much any public school they want to is a huge factor that allows schools like LA, CO and SH to open their doors to any able bodies athlete. That loophole used to be reserved for the private schools.

NY,

Amat has played CO lately and thumped them each time. The problem with playing LA or South Hills is what happens when the year arrives that one of those teams beats them? First, the current coach is strung up, then they disolve the football program.
Do you know what Gano would've done to Amat in 2003 (Harwell's senior year)? They'd have hung 70 points on them and only the final bell would've stopped the damage. Then where does that leave Amat?
I have to hand it to Mike DiFiori, he could've embarrassed some of these local teams in recent years. He called off the dogs in 2004 when CO was No. 1 in the Valley and played Amat in the nonleague. The Lancers won 28-0 and some fans were giving DiFiori crap for not running it way up on Charter Oak.
People need to just understand that except for those rare years like Los Altos in 2003, Amat is still on another level. They're not a major player in D-1, but they're still on another level in the SGV.
You brought up that Amat still dominates the Valley, but doesn't do damage anymore in D-1. What's that tell you about the rest of D-1? Other programs have progressed and Amat has regressed, that's what it tells me.

And might I add that Amat still has an amazing fan base. They're my favorite group of fans. Amat games are still a blast and well attended. Their fans are still very into the football program. It's them I feel sorry for. They deserve to be rewarded for their loyalty.

Talent has definitely moved east...to San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Housing out there is far more affordable and attracts younger families. The Inland Valley is a hotbed for D-1 recruiting.

Haven't those free options of SH, CO and LA been around for a while? Do you think football is just not as important on Amat's campus (in the administrative offices) as it used to be? Therefore the coaches do not get the kids in the door that they would like to?

It still amazes me, though, that Amat is so far down from where they used to be but they still consistently beat all the other teams in the SGV.

Even though it would not do Amat much good in preparing for their league and playoff schedule, perhaps Amat should schedule CO, SH and LA in their preseason for the next couple years and just thump them. Forget about throwing rocks. Light up the scoreboard and show who is the true valley leader.

The two biggest things that attract kids to a program is winning/contending for CIF titles annually and a coaching staff with a track record for moving its players onto college. That's it. Amat doesn't do both at the same time anymore. The items above are suggestions that would help in getting that done.

NY, to answer your question about the SGV talent level, no I don't think it's substantially dropped. Some of it might have headed a little further east, but there's still PLENTY all over.

It used to be a slam dunk that if you were a kid destined for a good high school football career, you were going to Amat to play in the spotlight. Now, kids have other (free) options in the form of name coaches who consistently move players to the next level i.e. Los Altos, CO, South Hills. I don't think the talent level has fallen too far. If Amat were still the SGV All-Star team, it would be picking up CIF titles left and right and be nationally ranked every season.

Also, getting studs from Ontario or Pomona doesn't seem to happen as often anymore. Is Catholicism on the decline in the 909? Or do the kids in that area not know the story of other players from those areas who went to Amat and played collegiately and in the NFL? My guess is the latter. Promote the frickin' program!

Amat still gets good talent, but like I've said before, the Lancers just haven't had that D-1 gamebreaker i.e. Fields, Sermons, McCutcheon or Brown in a while.

I'm curious to know why the dynasty seemingly crumbled. Why did Coach Salter leave? Did Amat have an academic crackdown similar to the University of Notre Dame? Was their any/more financial aid for athletes in the past? Did the boosters club raise more funds for the coaching staff in the past?

I'm sure Mater Dei has suffered similar challenges due to the rise of Mission Viejo, but at least MV plays in the upper levels.

Aram, do you think the talent pool across the SGV is just not to the level it was 10 - 15 years ago, when Amat was a D-1 powerhouse? If numbers across the Valley are down, then it would make sense that Amat's numbers would be down as well. Charter Oak has been good for a very long time. Los Altos won CIF titles prior to Coach G's arrival. I'm not as quick to point to the smaller public schools as the cause of Amat's decline.

Aram, your list is right on. Rob, AMAT is not like your CO, S Hills or any public school with a good football program. The real bottom line is that there are too many schools in the area that not only fave a good football program but are FREE! In the past, no one could come close to AMAT and because of that it was not a problem for a parent paying an extra car payment a month to be Lancer. Now it is a little different. It is hard for AMAT who did not make the play offs while other local schools did extremely well in the playoffs to recruit players. Sure we can argue that AMAT is D1 and the others are not all day long and I will agree with a few but it does not change the fact that a team like AMAT are not as good as they were in the past and that a parent can send thier kid to South Hills(06) or Los Altos (01,02,03?)pay nothing and win CIF with scouts from UCLA, SC in the stands. The top 5 is what AMAT needs in order get back to where they were. AMAT doesnt need to prove they are elite in the area after wins over CO and Damien, they are good just not AMAT good.

A name coach?!.......Give me a break, a good coach is a good coach. Why does he have to be a "name" coach?...Does he know how to game plan?...can he motivate his players?...can he put together a good staff?...Can he get his players and coaches to buy in to his system?....These are the things that are important in a coach...NOT HIS NAME!!!!

Field Turf?!.......Holy crap!!...I cant remember the last time the surface you were playing on scored a game winning tuchdown?..Field turf is nice, but if i had a few months to get my football team prepared to play great football, i would spend it focussing on just that, NOT FIELD TURF!! (oh man, have you seen our field?..wow...its so nice!..Hey did you remember to coach your guys up on how to stop the wing t?)..

Throw rocks at South Hills, Los Altos, and Charter Oak until they crumble?!...I think this is a good point, but i dont think anyone should focus on it...Just stay focused on your school, and who you have to play next week...do that and time will throw the rocks...

Website?!!....Geez, you are going way off the deep end with what is important in turning a program around...I understand you write for the paper, so its important for you..but trust me an awesome website with in depth coverage, will NOT turn a football program around...I think a website is important, but all it needs is a phone number, address. and a little bit of history about the schools football program..

Promote the past!....Good point...and Bishop Amat has a great one!..This could be done by showing old hilight reels to the players, and explaining the tradition...but again not a whole lot of time needs to be spent on this..

The bottom line is, in order for Bishop Amat to turn their program around, they need to play better football!! Not field turf, or a name coach...Just solid up to date football..When i say up to date, i mean this: I went to a couple of Amat games last year, and their offense seemed very basic, i remember a couple of two back sets with some power, and counter or trap, and when they threw the ball it was just two reciever combination routes..(curl-flat)..There was more to it, but trust me..not much..when i watched their defense it wasnt much different...a basic cover 3...not much movement, and it seemed like they just relied on their athletes to make plays..

I like Amat, and the tradition they have..and i believe that if they stay focused on what is important..they could win some games this year..I dont want to hear that they are not getting the athletes..because they are!..They always have like 5 studs..and with 5 studs, and 6 pretty solid players, the job can get done!
But Mr. Toliegian, your list of 5 needs work..