Not saying WestCo should’ve won, but it should’ve been closer …

Tell us about what game you attended and what you thought.

Mater Dei 28, West Covina 10 – I was expecting more fans from Mater Dei. West Covina out-fanned them, which is a surprise. Maybe they all thought this was going to be an easy win and there was no need to buck the 57-North traffic. Anyway, I’ve seen five local teams thus far and West Covina is by far the most impressive. William Wallace might have been the best non-lineman on the field Friday. I hope there were some scouts in the stands, because Wallace put on a good show. I was also surprised by West Covina’s size and toughness. Bulldogs fans can rest easy, there was only one injury in the game – Demond Wallace tweaked an ankle (I think) on the last play of the game. It didn’t look too serious, but then again, it’s not my ankle.

“We may have underestimated this West Covina club; they came right at us from the start.” – Bruce Rollinson, Mater Dei head coach

Also, just hearing about other games and looking at the scores, this was a bad day for the Valley. Arroyo, Charter Oak and Bishop Amat got smoked. Damien took a bad beat, so I hear. Forget about the loss, lets just hope that QB Mark Mendrun isn’t seriously injured. South Hills suffered another caught-from-behind loss. Los Altos’ romp over Rosemead may have been the biggest highlight. QB Matt Castaneda has nine TDs in the first two weeks!

this is something we’ll be doing all season long … keep going to http://www.sgvtribune.com/preps/ … during and after tonight’s game. Over 40,000 hits last week on the scoreboard … no kidding!

Also, tonight’s version of “Talk your smack or cry me a river” will be up on this blog for postgame discussion. I usually put it up once I get back from my own game.

Glendora 28, Covina 14
Baldwin Park 32, Azusa 0

Aaron Harris: 17 carries, 133 yards and two TDs.
UNDER is your winner. Trib reporter Brian Baiotto said “He didn’t play much.” I have no clue what that means. Good job Aztecs, holding him to 133 is pretty good.

Pick one game or pick all. Please include predicted final scores …

Tonight
Glendora vs. Covina, at Covina District Field
Baldwin Park vs. Azusa, at Citrus Coll.
Friday
Mater Dei vs. West Covina, at Mt. SAC, 7:30 p.m.
Arroyo at Temple City
Upland at Charter Oak
Walnut at Diamond Bar
California at Rowland
Los Altos at Rosemead
San Dimas at South El Monte
Sierra Vista at El Monte
Duarte at Monrovia, 3:15 p.m.
La Puente at Wilson
Northview vs. Montebello, at Covina District Field
St. John Bosco at Damien
Garey at Nogales
Gladstone vs. Ganesha, at Citrus Coll.
South Hills at Trabuco Hillls
Bassett vs. Norwalk, at Excelsior HS
Keppel vs. Workman, at La Puente HS
Bishop Amat at Valencia
West Valley at Bonita
Chino Hills vs. Diamond Ranch, at Ganesha HS
Saturday
Calvary Chapel vs. Western Christian, at Charter Oak HS

No, this isn’t West Covina’s field … but it’s (reportedly) close

For those of you who don’t know, West Covina’s game against Mater Dei on Friday will be played at Mt. SAC. The Bulldogs have issues with their stands at their home stadium. I happen to feel this works out better because Mater Dei’s contingent will be better accommodated by this venue. And if for some reason more than just WestCo’s fans want to come see the game, then a big crowd won’t be a problem.
But forget about all of that for a second and lets talk about West Covina’s actual playing surface. It’s not a great field. It is historically bumpy and poorly maintained. I find it hard to believe that the playing field of the No. 1 team in the Valley, a program that won a CIF title two years ago, is that bad and recently got even worse. The rumor is that somebody shut off the water for six or seven weeks this summer, and the grass died. That’s one thing, but it’s also been reported that the Bulldogs’ practice field is made up of weeds, hay and dirt. And that’s not too much better than the stadium field. Isn’t this the same program that lost star running back William Wallace for all of last season to a knee injury? Isn’t this the same program that saw more than just Wallace go down to injury last season? Not saying any of the injuries were related to the field, but I am saying, why not make things optimal so at least the field won’t be a factor in potentially causing future injuries?
Do you think Bishop Amat would let its field die? Do you think Los Altos or Charter Oak or Damien would let their fields die? Or are there people constantly maintaining these fields to ensure they’re ready to go for football season?
West Covina is too good of a program to not have a competent field, at the very least. It doesn’t have to be nice, just competent. If you’re going to schedule teams like Mater Dei to come to the Valley, you have to be ready to host that caliber of athlete. Thank goodness this game was moved! Now go Bulldogs!

Hear it now …

just go to http://www.sgvtribune.com/preps/ and click on the game you want to hear about. Look for the graphic above.

Hosted by Time Warner’s Reg Miller and featuring yours truly. The top games broken down in 2 minutes!

Here we go, baby!

Baldwin Park running back Aaron Harris

Here’s how you play: Fans post whether they think Aaron Harris will rush for “over” or “under” the projected total listed below. Then, Mr. Harris or the defense he’s facing that week will go out and prove you right or wrong.

This week’s over/under is 230 yards rushing … what’s your call? The Braves play Azusa at Citrus College on Thursday.

Tell me, OVER or UNDER

Baldwin Park plays Azusa on Thursday evening.