Crystal Ball Time, Week 1 style ... WANTED: Your picks ...

Week II: South Hills (17) La Habra (14)....

Jeff and Blu- thanks for the support and it was gettin chilly in here, lol. Great example at tonight's SJB -Damien game. Senior QB Mendrum gets hurt and Perusati a Jr. comes in and delivers big time. LB crew getting pushed around all game long and coaches sit them down and make adjustments and they played well in the last quarter. Only one, Hile, was a starter last year. Developing players is the backbone of any successful program. DE Walsh 6ft 6 in.240, DT Luetin 6ft. 5 in. 290, and DE Rabe 6ft.4in.265 total combined Varsity starts - 1 game, last week against Riverside Poly. That's my point -USC doesn't REBUILD it RELOADS.When Damien learns to play more players they'll see the gold mine they're sitting on. Imagine that! PS. Heard Coach Rollinson put it on another SGV team. Damien will soon be that powerhouse team that the OC teams come to measure themselves against. Great Freshmen class! Great Sophomore class! That sound you hear is Damien starting to reload!

Go Spartans _ here it is Damien will win by three touchdowns because of our superior Varsity line coach, Bubba! That simple! They will dominate and push SJB around like they were a glorified CYO team. It's 6:15 pm on Friday and mark it down-Guaranteed!

Keeping it real-

Agree totally. Look at what is going on at USC. Even though they have many first time starters this season, all of these guys have played meaningful minutes in the past. Booty, Williams, Byars, Radovich, and many DBs and LBs have game experience. Whether you like USC or not, they are a good example of what you are talking about: developing depth and preparing players for their opportunity when it arrives.

Chunti,

Your last comment didn't make it because of the use of "bs," which according to upper management is a no-no on this site. I got in trouble for using it and so nobody else can, too. Take that out and we're good to go.

HEY AMAT FANS AND OTHERS INTERESTED THAT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND TONIGHTS GAME.... For those that have not heard, tonights game againts Valencia is going to be webcasted on INTERNET RADIO. Just go to WWW.BISHOPAMAT.ORG and then click on the "sports announcements" link located at the bottom of the this page. I have no idea who is doing the announcing or the quality of the broadcast but it should be interesting. GIVEM HELL LANCERS!!!

Keeping it real.....You are so right about Damien and their problems with "developing" players. That has been Damien's problem for years and the reason why they continue to struggle against good competition. It is also a reason why they have never rose up to D1 status as other private schools have. Once again, all the more reason to send you kids to AMAT. However, if you would like to keep your kid(s) at a second rate school, Damien is the place for you. You know what they say, "when you can't play for AMAT, you go to Damien".

the shhs frosh and, more importantly the jv both won. jv was 35-28. the t-hils jv was a very large, very orginized team. shhs blocked 2 punts for td's. it was probally the difference in the game, as t-hills offense was passing at will over shhs.
so. w/ that being said, varsity will have it's hands full. i predict shhs can score early and hold them off late.

shhs 24 thhs 20

thanks for clarifying that Aram. I was just a little bit confused, but say no more now I understand.

These will be the winners..I'll try the scores to..

Mater Dei 38 vs. West Covina 14, at Mt. SAC, 7:30 p.m.

Arroyo 17 at Temple City 7

Upland 14 at Charter Oak 7

Walnut 10 at Diamond Bar 21

California 0 at Rowland 24

Los Altos 35 at Rosemead 10

San Dimas 28 at South El Monte 7

Sierra Vista 0 at El Monte 20

Duarte 6 at Monrovia 21, 3:15 p.m.

La Puente 14 at Wilson 20

Northview 38 vs. Montebello 19, at Covina District Field

St. John Bosco 13 at Damien 42

Garey 16 at Nogales 0

Gladstone 0 vs. Ganesha 6, at Citrus Coll.

South Hills 27 at Trabuco Hillls 14

Bassett 21 vs. Norwalk 7, at Excelsior HS

Keppel 12 vs. Workman 6, at La Puente HS

Bishop Amat 14 at Valencia 21

West Valley 13 at Bonita 14

Chino Hills 24 vs. Diamond Ranch 17, at Ganesha HS
Saturday

Calvary Chapel 7 vs. Western Christian 14, at Charter Oak HS

BA 24/7,

I'd be shocked if Amat won. I speak to some people from Valencia's neck of the woods and they're still on their team. I am not sure what, beside Vereen, Valencia has. If they can still spread teams out and pass all over, then Amat is in big trouble. I'm sure that's what Valencia will try to do because Amat hasn't stopped it in recent years. Hopefully, Verti will ball control Valencia until the cows come home with his own offense. I think something in the 35-17 range sounds about right. But keep in mind I haven't seen Amat play under the lights this year.

Aram,

Give us your pick on the Amat/Valencia game here.

SD-Lancer,

We are allowed space for 12 preview capsules and games that geographically take place in the Valley are given precedence. Since Amat is playing far away, they didn't make the group. The preview capsules are almost always for games taking place locally. Not always, but most of the time. There wasn't one for South Hills either.

Hey Aram,
Whats up with there being no Amat preview online this morining? You have all the other teams. Im assuming there is not one in the paper either then...

"amat regin is over" Chunti, you obviously are not a Bishop Amat student or alumnus. I dont think I've ever seen so many errors in 3 paragraphs as I witnessed in what looks like your attempt to break the World Record for Most Run-On Sentences in one post. Exactly what REIGN of Amat is over? I'll bet anyone another 1 million Clams this is, yet again, another Amat hater affiliated with a local SGV high school that ,yet again, has no idea of the level of competition that Amat plays at year after year. Chunti, whose knowledge is obviosly limited to the SGV, thinks that because Amat is not #1 in Valley and more than likely will not get out of the preseason unscathed, Amat is unworthy of note and respect. He'll probably be claiming soon that the high school he cheers for on fridays (who is..?) could definitely beat Amat. YOU disrespect that of which you know nothing about. I encourage you read my other posts (I'm the dude that writes too much)as I and others have had to defend our Lancers from ignorance brewed by false masters like you time and time again. I could go on but why would I bother? The Men of Amat will shine on regardless of what happens tonight! May God grant you a better day and some enlightenment in proper comma/period use.

Checkin In- Just a reminder of the point I was making. Three words-Develop(for varsity), Prepare (for varsity)Compete (@practice/games for varsity)That's my point. Did I say every kid needs to play a mandatorty set of downs? NO! Did I say every kid has a skill set for varsity? NO Were the kids tired? YES! Did we need the starters in with less than 3 minutes to go in a blow out loss (this week) or blow out win (last week)? NO!
Been to a practice lately? It looks like the DMV line on a Friday at 4:00 Long lines and alot of standing around! Seen paint dry latey? Ask the players if THEY believe they're being prepared? See any technique out there? Did you attend any practices last year? Longer lines and mammoth amounts of time wasted with the kids doing nothing. That's my point! Is it maternal? Is it a fustrated former bench warmer venting? Yup that's it! You got me. Secret's out!
How do you get that elusive "skill level" by the way? By standing around at practice? Did you SEE the game? That's right your chest was puffing out so much it blinded you. See two days of practice and tell me the kids compete, prepare and are being developed. Opps that's coach speak for "getting your house in order." You play like you practice and you practice like you play. And that "blendin In" is my point. Should I draw it up on the board. PSSSST the X's are defense and the O's are offense. The one with the X inside the O is the center, lol
Jeffrulerson- You are right--- best player plays. No problem there. Two way starters- why not, No problem there. But it's a physical game and adjustments are made during the game, on offense and defense, on the sidelines and at half time. That's why O/D starters sit when they come out- to be coached and fix problems/answer questions. Evaluate match ups. Agree? That's my point a little heavy handed for sure but... opps here comes stumbling In! Gotta go paint my room non-confrontational pink lol

ps. when i said "Bryce", i meant Bryce McBride

ok so, here we go

Friday
Mater Dei 42 West Covina 14 [and thats being generous to West Covina]
Upland 7 Charter Oak 21
Walnut 13 Diamond Bar 21
Los Altos 28 Rosemead 7
San Dimas 17 South El Monte 6
Duarte 21 Monrovia 35
St. John Bosco 34 Damien 24
Gladstone 24 Ganesha 6
South Hills 21 Trabuco Hillls 13

okay, now the game of the week [for friday at least]. Amat came out kinda weak last week but was still able to hold off St. Paul. Valencia has a VERY fast running game lead by Shane Vereen [took 7th at CIF State in the 100m and runs a 4.4 40yd dash in full pads]. And with state passing record holder Herrick off to college, the air game is questionable. The Viking defense had some holes in it last week with a 46-35 loss to Centennial/Corona, but is still strong. The Lancers also have a strong running back crew [Gaise, Bryce, Wagner] and can air it out to some talented recievers if Carillo can keep his head up and eyes open. The Lancer defense seemed strong with Sophomore Prieto leading at middle linebacker. Safety Bonilla was also strong with two pics and 8 tackles. As long as the Lancers can control the outside and force Vereen inside, it should be a great game.

So here is the consense, its gonna be a close one.

Bishop Amat 28 Valencia 24

no way in hell amat is gonna beat valencia, couldnt do it last 2 years what do u ppl think will help them win this yr, no cornell,bennet, frederico or robles, valencia gonna win in a landslide 35-7, amat regin is over

damien bosco game gonna be intresting, it will come down to who has the most heart, like last year damien pulled it out, mendrun eschardies and the bus will handle the offense, hile must lead the defense to the win, and will do so again this year, damien 34 bosco 21

oh ya and aram what happened to covina u always have the covina school district (CO, South Hills, West Covina, Covina)ranked high and they always get beat by the sierra teams, they cant hang with the speed power and size of the once divison 2 football

Keeping it real-

I hear what you're saying about playing more players and developing depth for the future. I agree with you that more backups could have seen time today. It is probably very hard to keep everyone involved when your roster is so big, and today's blowout would have been a good opportunity for the coaches to give the backups some experience.

As it stands, Damien's JV doesn't play very many two way players. They have 1 or 2 that probably should play two ways that don't. If a team has a few athletes that are the best at their position on both sides of the ball, I personally don't see anything wrong with playing them accordingly.

The Damien-Bosco game should be very exciting. There will be a full house because they are both catholic powerhouses, plus everybody wants to see Damien's duo in motion. I am gonna give Damien the edge by 10.. 39-29

South Hills-Trabucco Hills should be a very good game also. Lamison looked good in his first start and gave huskie fans a reason to smile this year. But Trabucco Hills is no breeze coming from their tough league. I give T.B. the victory 21-18.

Upland over C.O. 17-7

What was "Keeping It Real's" point?

His maternal tendencies suggest he didn't see much of the field either.

Not ALL players can compete, because not all players have the proper skil level to see the field.

Really, you were a coach?

what about south hills versus trabucco hills.?? what about that game?

Glendora 17 vs. Covina, 35
Baldwin Park 35 vs. Azusa 10, at Citrus Coll.
Friday
Mater Dei 35 vs. West Covina 7, at Mt. SAC, 7:30 p.m.
Arroyo 24 at Temple City 21
Upland 21 at Charter Oak 17
Walnut 7 at Diamond Bar 10
California 10 at Rowland 17
Los Altos 21 at Rosemead 10
San Dimas 24 at South El Monte 21
Sierra Vista 14 at El Monte 10
Duarte 21 at Monrovia 42, 3:15 p.m.
La Puente 3 at Wilson 38
Northview 24 vs. Montebello 14, at Covina District Field
St. John Bosco24 at Damien 14
Garey 7 at Nogales 17
Gladstone 17 vs. Ganesha 13, at Citrus Coll.
South Hills 24 at Trabuco Hillls 27
Bassett 7 vs. Norwalk 42, at Excelsior HS
Keppel 7 vs. Workman 35, at La Puente HS
Bishop Amat35 at Valencia 17
West Valley 14 at Bonita 17
Chino Hills 28 vs. Diamond Ranch 17, at Ganesha HS

Good Luck to all the teams...

Heard about the JV Damien-Bosco game -- "SJ Bosco 33 Damien 7" that's 0-2 for Damien's Class of '09 against SJB. This time the Damien '09 team wasn't beat up like they were last year as they were embarrassed! Twice on their home field for this class, OUCH! Here's a little hint- This is HS football and if "players" don't develop you won't have a "developed" TEAM. I'm sure it's nice (read parents)to have a core group of players play both ways for the majority of the game and cheer little Johnny beacuse, "He never comes out!" but players don't develop standing on the sidelines. And "little Johnny" doesn't learn to play against teams that punch you in the face because he's winning all the battles in practice, wow. I know I must be a disgruntled parent who's "little Johnny" doesn't play and THAT'S why I'm making this observation. But the truth is I love/played and coached this game and since 99.9% will never put on pads past their HS days isn't it really in everyone's (read STUDENTS) best interest to have every player on the team compete. Sports doesn't build character it reveals it, and that goes for the coaches, and front running parents as well. (I don't think/remember hearing any ringing endorsemnts today, but I did hear alot of "what? why? How? and a couple of #$#$'s) I say prepare them ALL so they can All contribute! Playing time doesn't matter as much when you KNOW you're part of the team rather than just a forgotten number. Keeping the starters in with less than 5 minutes to play and you're down by 27 points? Shame on the power's that be for this glaring oversight or lack thereof, to continue. Wake up Damien. Good luck Varsity! Go Damien!

I am really looking forward to the Damien- Bosco game. Last week's game against Poly didn't really tell me much about the Spartans. The offense looked good at times, but was very inconsistent. I like the fact that they are giving Mendrun a chance to run a little. I have been waiting for them to take advantage of his speed ever since he ran for that long TD against Glendora last season.

The Spartan defense worries me a little. Poly was able to move the ball some last week. It didn't seem like Damien forced very many 3 and out possessions. It seemed like Poly would move it a little, maybe get a first down, then the D would force a punt.

This week against Bosco, we will really see how good the Spartans are. I just got back from the Damien- Bosco JV game, and if the Bosco JV is any indication of what Bosco has on varsity, Damien is in for a real challenge. As a graduate of Damien, I am hoping for the best. I think that the Spartans will win a tough one, 28-24. Win or lose, we are going to find out how good these Spartans are tomorrow night.

west co will be lucky to score once either 7 0r 3
take your pick.

MD 37 WC 6
UPLAND 23 CO 16
WALNUT 24 DBAR 7
LOS ALTOS 24 ROSEMEAD 12
ST. JOHN BOSCO 17 DAMIEN 14
BISHOP AMAT 34 VALENCIA 24
Note: Amat will adjust and send blitzes at Valencias QB Wilbert Graham. In a loss Graham threw for over 400 yards and 4 TD's. Yes Vareen is a key to stop but Amat is focusing on stoping the pass after seeing this Kid throw last week. Amat got caught up in the first game jitters and that St. Paul hype. They will show up tomorrow and play a different type of all around game. Look for Gaise and Mcbride to have big days running the ball and look for Fletcher to be in Graham face on blitzes.

DIAMOND RANCH VS CHINO HILLS
ITS CHINO HILLS WAY AHEAD 42-7

If Amat can pull out a win I think it will be a very close one and vice versa. Shane Vareen (Valencia RB) scares me but everything really depends on what the coaches learned from game one and their willingness and ability to make the proper improvments and adjustments. I still have faith that Amat will pull out of this one as victors...
Amat 28, Valencia 24

As much as I hate to say this and as much as I want the Bulldogs to do well....
Mater Dei 42, West Covina 17

This game is going to be standing room only. It will be second in crowd size only to Mater Dei/WestCovina...these 2 catholic schools pull no punches!
Damien 35, St. John Bosco 21

GOOD LUCK AND HEALTH TO ALL!!!

ATTACK THOSE VIKINGS AMAT LANCER BLUE!!!!!!!!!

After hearing about the Valencia game last week it would seem their defense is porous. If Amat has made good improvement they can put themselves in a position to win. Its going to come down to posestion, I think....

Amat-35 Valencia-42 (or within a touchdown)

Sorry guys, this is the way I see it.. Amat please prove me wrong

PS: WesCo will loose by at least 3 touchdowns.

For tonights game i'm going with covina with a close win. Baldwin park should roll azusa just like every other team does...