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Who was on your schedule that year?
What was your record?
What position did you play?

Know Cantwell's 5-0 right now! and there's talk they might make alot of noise this year, but first Bosco Tech Friday!

Hey.."cubs4ever," check out your weekly program and tell me who spank loyola with thier worst defeat in school history (hint: Cantwell). Proud to say I was part of that shalacking. Go Cardinals!

Aram who is leading the league in passing in the serra league. (pac5)

NO PHOTO! Glad that's over! Have any pictures of Elvis, Jim Morrison or Jimmy Hoffa still alive? How about pictures from the grassy knoll?

Take the ribbing in stride. You must admit you caused alot of people to believe something that did not happen,ref's made a bad call, or worse ,that something other than the players determined the outcome of the game.

I had hoped secretly that the picture existed but than I'm a big Doors fan! Last one I promise! LMAO

Loyola was 6-4 going into the playoffs last year and STILL won the Div I Championship. How do you like them apples! So don't count them out so soon, others did and the saw Loyola win yet another CIF Championship. Go Cubs!

Loyola rules in many a year but not this year,
Venice blew them out 39 to 14 & Dana Hills beat them 17 to 14, maybe next year Mr.Cub.

Loyola rules! Foh-get about Lancers, Spartans and all those other schools in SGV. Who's got the most CIF trophies? Jesuit cubs rule and that's that!

Aram,

Any luck with that "phantom fumble Photo!?"

How long does it take to down load a picture, and email it to Aram?

After all the talk I thought for sure the Damien photographer would step forward with the "shot heard 'round the Valley!" Does every BLOGGER agree?

Tomorrow's the agreed upon deadline, Friday's a new "FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS" and adios amigo!!! NO MAS !!! Burn it or press DELETE but never speak of this again. Clock's ticking!

Now how about :

Best linemen NOMINATIONS! ANYONE?????

John you are so right when you said that Amat brings in the kids on rep and family,after all we are "The Amat Family". As for the generation thing it is true as many of my alumni friends including myself have sent out children to Amat. It is a quality education along with top caliber sport programs and as far as I gather there is nothing wrong with parents wanting to give the best opportunity they can . We have a great school and great traditions and i guess that is why you read so very passionate postings on this site concerning our school.

Re; FB poker-hand
I often hear fans (parents) complain about their coaches lack of imagination when they execute the same offensive and defensive scheme over and over again. Hey, anyone that knows FB knows that no quality coach is going to show his poker-hand this early in the season. So, until league begins your sure to sit next to a bone-head FB posser in the stands that will complain over the same old thing.

Agree with Glendora Fan,

Coaching is the real factor in whether a team wins or loses. Having said that, if you don't have talent to back up the coaching you won't win many games. Props to Jordan Edmonds of Glendora for being the Tribune male athlete of the week. This looks like the year for the Tartans. Continued success! Speak about a monster season brewing! 3 - 0. I'm keeping my eyes keenly focused on the next several games for Glendora.

Call it recruiting or call attraction advantage. Damein does have an "attraction advantage" over public schools and the easy opportunity to enroll students "outside" the district which public schools are limited (transfer students). All private schools for that matter have this same attraction advantage be it academics or sports. Being that the football program is very compatable to others in the Sierra league, I would vote to keep things the way it is for now and monitor the situation.

Greetings, I am Mike the clone and you are not.

Buck,

I know were not talking baseball just yet, But I have heard that to about Henley and the "bagpiper" baseball program,
you just confirmed what I thought was just a rumor.

I was wondering why the "bagpipers" baseball team has tanked the last couple of years. Too bad some great kids that love baseball won't go out for the ball club knowing they are going "ride the pine" because they didn't play by Henley's rules.

That sucks!

Out!

This recruiting thing goes way back. I remember in the early 80's, there was a family at Amat that went to Amat, Transferred to Edgwood for baseball when the two boys were in 10th and 11th, when the older one gratuated the other one went to south hills as their #1 running back. Than the younger brother came along a couple years later and started at South Hills and went to Los Altos. The entire time the family lived across from Walnut and the parents would rent apartments in the different areas to get them in. In the mid 70's a QB went to Los Altos and took his buddy a receiver and won a championship, both should have gone to Workman. In the early 80's there were a couple players that should have gone to workman also but went to Amat. People cried recruiting to Amat, the real truth was both the parents from the time they were young wanted them to go to Amat because their older brothers went to Workman and succeeded at the high school level but didn't get the opportunity that they wanted for them.

We must ask ourselves, were the kids recruited or were the parents allured to the schools because of the acedemics and possibility of future scholarships.

By the way, the two that went to Amat went on to play major college ball. The family that went from school to school to find the right fit, went to Junior Colleges, the two that went to Los Altos, Junior College.

Most times these are parent decisions acting in the best interest of their children. How do you recruit a 13-14 year old kid, most kids at this age aren't fully developed and there are those boys that don't grow another inch after they start high school. But when kids jump from school to school it looks a little fishy and that raises eye brows.

Amat brings in kids on reputation and family affiliation. Many generations go through the "hallow halls" at Amat and it is preached to them at young ages. Year in and out Amat hears the recruiting cries but I know the public school coaches do not want to open that can of worms.

Sorry Jimbo and Blu,

That's my way of asking a more direct question to your insightful points. It seems easier than opening a can of worms to others who might not respond in kind or kindly , for that matter. If others respond great , I hope that's okay with both of you or anyone else I may respond to.

When the choice comes for some parents they have to weight many factors, time, costs, distance and the potential for their kids to actually enjoy sports while they concentrate on their acacdemics.

I see Amat as a football factory, right or wrong, that's the way the school projects itself, from coaches to players, similar to Bosco being a techo-school,brother and cousins are alumni. That's perception's role in deciding which high school to attend for some parents and their children. A "singular" factor amoungst many to weigh. Loyola has a stellar academic reputation but athletes need to know that the athletic competition is going to be severe!

From my vantage point I see Damien as a great liberal arts mini college. At least that's my perception! Great school spirit,great academics, great team spirit and great environment to build great citizens. And along the way, if a Ian Johnson or Grant Miller or Tony Vela or Mark Mendrun walk in the door- great! It's probably the least Letterman jacket wearing school I've seen. Everyone does their own thing. I still haven't seen a "BACK TO BACK" CIF SOCCER CHAMPIONS T-SHIRT ANYWHERE! Either way the kids compete and have fun doing it. Visit a practice and see for yourself, IT'S A GREAT SCHOOL..wait is that recruiting , lol.

Sorry big guy I think I did a poor job of communicating my point friend.
.
Damien does not belong in a private school league because they think, rightfully, academics first, best universities second and sports third, more or less. The 10-15 remark was to highlight that "clearly" Damien does NOT recruit! Not to offend anyone it's just priority of resources is my point, nothing more. Don't want to ruffle feathers.
And therefore it is what it is, 'nuff said on that issue>

Second my point about scheduling Bosco or La Salle or other private schools is that Damien replaced Amat (private winning football program, yes you win) with Riverside Poly (Public losing football program). That's okay but at least if you're trading down, and you are, at least give those schools a chance to compete @ Damien.

Regarding Troy Thomas my point was he did not recruit and won immediately is all. Good coaching makes good programs because at the private schools you already have a leg up. Just like soccer/water polo @ Damien or basketball @ Glendora. If you're a good coach they'll find you. Remember Barnes from Los Al had the Servite job for 20 minutes before Troy settled in to save the day!

Opps sorry about the "T" word ..gently extricating said lance from said region, lol

PHOTO! PHOTO! PHOTO! PHOTO! PHOTO! PHOTO!
I hear a chant coming!

The question of recruiting, I beleive, was not to make a comparisson of Damiens recruitment vs Amat or other private schools. But a comparison of Damien recruitment vs PUBLIC schools which Damein plays against in Sierra. Of course, Damien doesn't practice the same recruitment intensity as a school like Amat or Oaks Christian, but come on, I personally know of local players who continue to be approached by Damien coaches. This is recruiting! Diamond Bar, Ayala, Glendora, Chino, etc.. can not draw players from outside their district. Damien can, and actively recruits them. Why they arn't a better team, who knows!

To clear it up, one person posted under "Jim Garrison?" because I think he was asking me a question. But since I made some of the same comments I'll go ahead and answer some of the questions you came up with....

I can only speak for the school I work at (Don Bosco) in that we will run ads in local papers for our Open Houses that are held twice a year. The reason in our case is actually two fold. One we would like to show off our school to parents and students who are heading towards high school age. Hopefully they like what they see and they consider us. We also do it to attract local business since our school is not part of the archdiocese and we look for sponsers for our technology programs.

Most of our "recuiting" comes from the local catholic middle schools. Our admissions officer will visits to the schools to talk to the students and parents. There we do "highlight" that we have athletics programs that we have (because many 8th grade boys are interested in that) as well as the other programs. His job is to make our school "stand out" amongst all the other schools that may visit. Although I don't know for sure I could imagine a school like Amat would spend more time talking about football, since they have a strong tradition and our team has been around for just about a decade. I know that our school officials do not approach individual students based on athletics. They will answer questions about it, but they don't "individualy" recruit prospective players. I would hope that all other catholic schools do the same, but don't know for sure.

And like you said, it happens in Public Schools as well. We're in an political age of "school choice" where parents are given much more freedom to put their kids in a school they feel is better for them. When I was in high school it was pretty much I either went to my local school or a catholic school. I didn't have a real option, outside of moving, of attending a school where I didn't live in the "boundries."

"Recruiting" is such a buzz word. It's the word that is thrown out whenever a team experiences success over years. It's especially thrown at catholic schools who don't have the "district" boundries that other schools may have. To me, unless you have proof that athletes were recurited individually and against CIF rules you should probably shut up.

Look, we live in an age where media and the internet allow me to look up the records of every high school football team in America. A kid who wants to play for a good team is going to know who the good teams are. A coach or a school doesn't need to "recruit" a kid to a school if they have a history and tradition of success, the kids and his parents will be drawn toward the school anyway.

hey, Im not a damien fan I was just simply stating hearsay from what I heard from a friend of mine. Thats what this blog is here for. but what I shouldnt have said is I have an insider view. That was wrong. The "supposed photographer" is a damien photographer.Im sure Im not the only person who has heard about this photo. It may surface at some point, but not from me. I think all you guys have the perception that Im the one who can produce the photo..haha..no way...Im an amat lancer not a "spartan"...anyway this topic has really stirred things up in here, If I could get the photo believe me I would. I love controversy thats why I posted what I heard....

What's all this talk about recruiting? It makes me wonder where everyone's birds have gone. I've been around a long time and have witnessed certain H/S programs waste more talent on their sidelines then they deserved to have. On the other hand, I've seen programs do more with less by accident then most on purpose with a grip of talent. Hey, fans stop looking over your neighbors back fence for the answers for thier successes. Programs are successful because of COACHING and nothing more or less. Yes, having talent is always sweet, but not the main ingredient for the recipe of success.

SD-lancer, till you can come up with that photograph your post is nothing but another farfetched excuse for the loosing team, it sounds so much like a made up story by a fan so
until the photograph is produced, your post is nothing buit hearsay.

Jim Garrison,

I have never seen Damien or other private schools advertise in local newspapers. I also have never looked for such advertisments, so I don't know. When such an ad runs, make me aware through a post because I'd be interested to see what it says. You seem like a reasonable guy. I don't doubt you, I've just never seen it myself.

By your definition, public schools also recruit. Public schools have their state testing scores posted in the papers, showing who is high achieving and who is not. Coaches, administrators, and athletes cooperate with local reporters (like Aram) and generate positive awareness of their school's athletic success. As a public school teacher, seeing intradistrict transfers is a very common thing. Public school students and their families want to be involved with schools that are successful in the classroom and on the athletic field. It does happen in public schools.

Also, it should be said that not all private schools are the same. Not everyone is Mater Dei. Not all public schools support big time athletics either, but some do. In either case, it just depends which school you are talking about.In the case of both, success can breed success.

I noticed that "Bluorca?" wonders why Damien is always successful in soccer, water polo, and swimming if they don't recruit. Why not ask how Glendora is so successful in basketball if they don't recruit?

You really hit the nail on the head when you said that the vital question is: "do schools recruit to individual athletes?" In the case of Damien, I would say no, not really. This is a school whose football team last won CIF in 1985. They gave up 300 yards rushing to Glendora last year for goodness sakes! Their football team ranges from "descent" to "pretty good" depending on the year. Their success is not really eye popping. They don't resemble a team that has been recruited to play football. It is a good program, but not great or dominating.

Should Damien play in a private school league? Probably not. It's not like they dominate year in and year out. They win league from time to time and usually make the playoffs, but that's about it. They are on par with the competition in the Seirra League. They are not above it or below it.

This has turned into an interesting conversation. I am looking forward to any potential comments.

Dude,
First of all, I'm only referring to football. I honestly do not care about any other sport at the high school level. Next, Amat would never qualify for public school status for obvious reasons. And even if Damien scheduled Oaks Christian, Mater Dei, and Servite, this still does not mean that Damien belongs(or does not belong) in the same league as they. And lastly, I never said that Damien does not recruit. I said that they do not recruit as aggressively as football farms do and therefore, should not be in a football farm league because they would have trouble attracting enough players to actually remain competive. Whew!

Troy Thomas was a LOOOONG time ago anyways! To pass judgement on the recruiting practices of any school based on one good player is pure comedy at best. And because he's a Servite Friar now and we Lancers dont get along with Friars, the next person that says "troy thomas" gets a lance in the buttocks! hehe

I do however agree with you that this blog rocks and its something that has been WELL overdue. I WANT TO SEE THAT PHOTO FROM THE DAMIEN/LOS ALTOS GAME AS WELL!!!

Ok I am out of bed now after three days of depression, CO lost. As a spectator at this game I just got one thing to say: That's why I love high school football! Class on both sides of the ball, both sidelines and even both sets of the stands. 3 hours of heaven, total escape from today's reality and boy was it worth it. The heck with the missing players, bad calls, the slippery field, all of it, it was just a great game all around, a rivalry at its best! Congrats to both teams and both set's of coaches on a well played game! Congrats to the G-fans as you have bragging rights for one year, please be kind but enjoy it! The icing on the cake was that there were no major accidents or deaths from today's accepted unacceptable behavior of under-age drinking!

I couldn't be prouder of the CO players as they took their loss with dignity. Even walking through the line at the end of the game I witnessed the G-boys shaking hands and congratulating the CO boys on a well played game, no smack talking or trash, they were classy! Coach Farrar Sr., Jr., and staff, another classy job, keep the spirit alive and remember we love you mannnn!

Good luck on the remainder of the season GHS and I know this will be a turning point for you CO boys - undefeated the rest of the way!

My bad SGV athlete it was SJB..........Gamez is good but kind of too slow (kind of fat)....Yes Wells back there at free safety is a great idea, with moving Bonilla to OLB......A team of Bonilla Fletcher and Wagner as your linebackers will help shut down this running back. These 3 linebackers will be quick to the ball as well as they know how to tackle....On offense I would keep banging Mcbride and Fletcher then come back with Bonila and Wagner using Gamez for short yardage. Amat should practice running wide and not thru the tackles this game and always roll Carrillo out on pass plays with a option to run with the ball. Carsons D and O line are huge bodies. Take it from there.

I work at Don Bosco. No, Damien should not schedule us. We're nowhere near the level of Damien when it comes to athletics. I honestly see nothing wrong with the current Damien schedule... they play some tough games and teams that help prep them for their league. Unless it's a rivalry game there is no need for them to go out and schedule some Private School Powerhouse.

What if Verti went goes 10-25 would that qualify Amat for public school league status. Maybe Damien should schedule Don Bosco, Cantwell or La Salle instead of Riverside Poly. Poly won 4 games in 2 years (1-8 & 3-7). So how is it that Damien wins so much in Water Polo, Swimming and Soccer if they don't recruit? Any thoughts on that Blu? Ever heard of Troy Thomas?

Aram

That's why you run the BEST BLOG! Always willing to let this site have it's own organic voice- warts and ALL! You handled the "mess" with professionalism and integrity. Well done!

Photographer the ball's in your court. Put up or shut up!

BA 24/7, your absolutely right about moving Bonilla to LB on run downs. He knows how to come up and hit. But with Gaisie out, I would move WR/DB Wells to Free Safety and allow Bonilla to get more reps at RB. McBride seems to do better on defense and should be used at Rover and Corner. Carson does have a strong run game, but I think with Sr. Gamez, Sr. Fltecher, and Jr. Waggner at LBs, the Lancers should be able to run the defense.

Lancers, keep working hard and have a good off week of practice.

PS. BA 24/7, Santa Margarita was three years ago, Loyola two years ago, and Bosco last year [first game after the bye week...]

I'd have to see the photo first and make sure it's not doctored, but yes, I would run it.

If I had a peso for every time some student or parent claims to have "insider" recruiting info on any school, I would have enough cash to buy everyone in the SGV a carne asada burrito! All schools, both public/private that have the tendency to farm out competitive teams year after year recruit on some level or another. It's done, its nothing new, I'm moving on...

Does Damien belong in a public school league?
Based on Damien's record againts other private schools I would say yes they do. Even though its a private school and has had some success when playing other teams in the SGV, Damien is NOT a "football" school. Right now Damien cannot and does not recruit as aggressively as other private schools. I dont think everyone understands how limited Damien is. People think that because Damien is a private school they have a larger pool of potential players to draw from. This simply is not true. The family at Damien is very close and most of their recruiting is done from within. This is why I respect the Spartans. And I'm an Amat Lancer in case anyone was wondering. But back to the original question, I think we have to wait and see how Damien does in the Sierra League the next two years. If Damien dominates (goes undefeated), then yes, it would NOT be fair to the other teams and Damien would belong in another league. But right now I believe Damien is where they should be...

Aram any chance of posting this "infamous" dead on shot of the fumble that wasn't?

Is him name Segruder? Oliver Stone wants to talk to you!

Listen the game is over concentrate on CO? It was a great game. That photographer should just post that picture somewhere and give everyone the link. Or he could give it to Aram to post and let the fans see. But in the end what will it prove? Nothing! The gun sounded and the game is not going to be reversed. But I sure would like to see this picture that seems to generate so much discussion on the part of the Damien faithful.

Los Altos really steps up in talent this week when they play former Div III power house St. Francis. Their record over the last two seasons plus

04-05 (9-4)
05-06 (10-3)
06-07 (3-0)

Tough schedule. Looking forward to great matchup of undefeated teams!

Hey Aram and all the Damien fans,
I got some insider information for you. I heard from a guy who was on the field at the game last week that the damien running back crossed the goal like before the ball was fumbled. This was proven by a photographer that was standing at the goal line taking pictures of it. Its a fact! Unforunately there is no instant replay in high school and the ref cant look at it. Im sure he tried. Damien is the real winner in that game.

Where is my bravehater today?? That was the most lopsided game I have seen in years. It was awesome to see the stands packed and both sides(for a while)showing school spirit. Braves are alive and well. Don't talk to me about competition when everyone always says in a crosstown rivalry you throw out the records. SV will probably wonder why the kicked to Aaron and why they tried to pass so much. Started didn't even play 3 full quarters. Oh by the way bravehater what happen to the thought the our QB can't throw. OOPS!! Careful what you wish for.

Great debate question, however, I'm certain it has been debated before!

Should Damien play in a league of public schools,as they are, or play among private schools of its own nature?

We can debate the recruitment question all day. Obviously, Damien's recruitment practices are not that of Amat, but as "Jim Garrison?" alluded to, ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS, including Damien, practice some form of recruitment resulting in an advantage over the public schools as far as sports talent pools.

Can we debate this as adults without any name calling please!

Good comment Buck!

Unfortunately, Henley isn't the only coach that does this kind of crap. These types of coaches need to get a perspective on what high school sports is all about. All kids in whatever sport should enjoy there high school playing years.

A good coach should support the school's programs and RESPECT the student who enjoys playing multiple sports and support him!

Does Henley think that playing a Winter game is really going to affect the spring program at Glendora or the athlete? If the player is talented in one, two or three sports, then guess what... HE AN ATHLETE and will perform when ask to do so during baseball season!

RIGHT ON GLENDORA FAN!!

IT'S ABOUT BEING A STUDENT/ATHLETE AND HOW YOU PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE NEXT LEVEL IN LIFE!

Thanks. I'll look into this Jimmy Hoffa thing... what position does he play?

Every private school "recruits" in the sense that they have to visit their local parochial elementary/middle schools and sell their program to the kids there. A boy growing up in the SGV can pick from Amat, Damien, Bosco Tech, La Salle, Cantwell, and even St. Paul. Obviously those schools need to "sell" what they can offer that other schools can't. Now, do they recruit to individual athletes? That's the question.

Hey don't open that can of worms with the recruiting. Public schools do it as much as private schools. Don't open it, there will be egg on your faces. We can look around the SGV and point out kids that just show up, lets not go there, I am so tired of hearing it.

Mike, apology accepted & maybe I have a little "egg on my face" for the misunderstanding of the "piehole" reference, I don't hang out in those gutter circles anymore but the past always comes to haunt you in one way or another, good luck to Glendora this season.

Hey Arum...I'm a Glendora fan and throughout we have all shared moments of victories and failures along the way. Currently our football team is improving each week as well as other high schools in the SGV. I know that selling newspapers is what you do for a living and from time too time I would agreed with your prospective on certain opinions of H/S sport programs and athletes that represent those programs. What digs at me is the constant verbage and ink time you give to "thug athletes" that for one reason or another are suspended from weekly play for a variety behaviors that require disciplinary actions. Last week you inked out information about the "Twin Towers-Division #1 Prospects" that attend C/O HS. I thought your article was finally worth the price of the paper it was written on. Discovering that the T.T's were good kids that came from a solid family....and actively invovled with C/O's ASB...and Scouting....says alot about what is good with H/S sports and the athletes that represent the community at large. I think those kids and kids like them deserve more from you then writting and glorifying thug-atheletes that are one step away from the big-house. Get real Arum....write about what counts in thier young lives..not what sells papers.

Cut out the excuses-

Your friend lied to you. They don't "cut" football players at Damien. They do not have 200 Freshmen go out for the football team . They average 100 or so and finish the season with 80 or so. Like many schools they field a Thursday and Saturday team. The players that you say were "cut" , QUIT or found something that suited them better.

Checkin in-

Not sure what "under the radar means" but okay. As far as "Damien tends to have a strong first team and then, the drop off to the second string is steep." That's a coaching problem not a personnel problem. Most of this year's starters were second string last year.

Final Answer re: recruiting

Damien's record for their last 25 Varsity Football games is

10 WINS and 15 LOSES after the lost to Los Altos. I don't think that helps recruiting.

Classic!

Must have gone over this crowd's head but any ideas on Jimmy Hoffa?

As far as recruiting. EVERY PRIVATE SCHOOL DOES IT! Read your newspapers in the next few months. Advertising the strenghts of their schools, Western Chrtian, Damien, Amat. Bosco, ect. every private school recruits students! Some recruit high achieving academic students, while others highlight their athletic history or state of the art facilities, computer labs, gymnasiums, swimming pools, ect. The reason they recruit is simple-It takes BODIES to pay the bills!

______________________________________________

But back to Jim Garrison THAT WAS FUNNY!

Will somebody remind the knuklehead baseball coach at Glendora it's football season.I heard a couple of Glendora football players had to leave their celebration early friday because they had a baseball game on Saturday. "If they want to play in the spring, they have to play year round" I was told. It's high school, coach, do not punish kids for being all round good athletes. Even the pro's have time off. One game at at time Glendora.

Hmmm... the recruitment question with private schools is always dicey.
On one hand you have the fact that, technically, the entire student body of the school is "recruited".
On the other hand, you have the full spectrum of awesome, average, and awful football teams from the privates, just like the publics.
The only thing I can say for sure, though, is grouping Oaks Christian in the small schools division is a complete joke.

bluorca and preppy,

right on with the stats, Damien played a great game but they lost. Fumble over, under, around etc. Game over now is the time to suck up whatever it really is that is irritating you, and prepare for this week, only 4 days and the young men play or yet have another battle at hand. Foss handled his db and safety, Thomas handled his run, Castaneda handled his pass, Line handled and did what they do best battlezone tactics Gridiron we all know that is where the games are won and loss. (on the line) one with the biggest heart. Hats off to all the Damien players injured and non injured wish you and your team the best of luck this season. If any players had an off night hope that you get your kinks worked out and strive for perfection.
1 last thing Damien qb and reciever I think that you guys faced a real good pass protection that didnt leave alot of options. You are both still very good.

Amat looked very impressive on Offense. Yes the defense looked better this time around due to better tackling. This was Rancho Cucamonga and altho they were 2-0 and their defense was not giving up many points, Amat still seem to have their hands full. Moving Carlton Fletcher to Middle linebacker helped in defending the run. With the exception of Kevin Bonila the defensive secondary seems to be weak with Sophmores Price and Seals out there. I am hoping that Verti will possibly start working some of his juniors he has on bench into that defensive secondary. Also he may want to consider Moving Kevin Bonilla on certain RUN situations to Linebacker. This kid is nails and knows how to tackle. Overall the team played a all around good game and now has the 2 weeks to prepare for a good City team in the Carson Colts. QB Dominique Blackman and RB Jack Sula seem to be their Stud players and I am hoping we can shut down this Running back because you know what happens when Amat faces a good runner (Vareen,Howell,Grigsby)they seem to forget how to tackle. Thats why moving Bonilla in against the run will help stop their running back from getting loose on us....then flip him back to free safety in passing situations.... 2 weeks should be enuf time to prepare but coach Verti needs to keep this team focused for this long period. Yes we had a break last year then gave Santa Margarita a easy win.....that was last year and hopefully we learned from it. Carson has beaten some quality teams this year so this will be a real test for our Lancers. We seem to be able to play with the so so teams but can we play with the better teams. So far 0-2 against Valencia and Hart(GOOD TEAMS)......and 2-0 against St. Paul and Rancho C (SO SO TEAMS).........Carson will be a test that will show us if we are capable this year of hanging with the Big Boys or if we could just hang with the so so teams. Remember our league of Crespi, S.O.ND and Loyola are considered Big Boys. Amat 32 Carson 20....We can hang with the Big Boys.......nice job coach the shifting around on your offensive sets was impressive....OUT!

Paul,

Who is Damien recruiting? How are they doing it?

and

Cut out the excuses,

You are talking about families sending their sons to the school of their choice. That's not recruiting.

You wrote that anyone who claims Damien is not recruiting is telling a lie. You have presented no evidence or arguement that even suggests that Damien targets specific boys for their athletic skills and recruits them to be a part of their program. You are basically saying it because you believe it and you want others to believe it too. Without evidence, it sounds like you're the one telling the lie.

LA toatlly dominated that game!

come on damien be honest! Mendrun was 9-22 for 59 yards minus that great 25 yd. catch by #81! Your running game exploded for 69 yds. minus that 60 yd. run by the QBMendrun?! That's being toatlly dominated! Your defense held Thomas to over 100 yds. and stuffed Castaneda for only 200 yds and 2 TD!

Give credit to the Los Altos staff for stepping up and playing a so called private all boys Div. II school. You were overconfident after smoking Claremont and it showed! You were dominated but still found a way to be there at the end. Your players showed heart 2 bad they were out coached!

Re:
"I was at the goaline and a photographer had picture of 34 from damien crossing the plane with control of the ball, in which the refs called a fumble when he crossed the goaline."

I'd like to see that pic. Or maybe I'll try to get the film. In either case, as pointed out, Damien should never have been near the goalline at that point.
_______________________________

Yes, but if you notice the tape you see the ball go back, and to the left... back, and to the left... back, and to the left.

Re:
"I was at the goaline and a photographer had picture of 34 from damien crossing the plane with control of the ball, in which the refs called a fumble when he crossed the goaline."

I'd like to see that pic. Or maybe I'll try to get the film. In either case, as pointed out, Damien should never have been near the goalline at that point.

My impression of Damien:

Mendrun is the real deal and then some. Great kid, great athlete, great composure, great arm, and incredible quickness.

Eschardies seemed to have an off night... though even during warmups he was walking somewhat gimpy. It looks like he's playing with an undisclosed injury (odd, considering all the overhype Mendrun's injury got).

Damien's LB and safety corps was pretty quick and on the money. Their corners seemed pretty average, and as the game went on, their line, though mostly bigger than LA's, got worn down, which started putting more pressure on Mendrun on offense, and giving holes for Ira on D.

Oh, and their running back and other receivers are also all very solid, giving them a lot of weapons. Kicker is also strong.

I think the biggest criticism I can make about Damien is maybe they try to do too much with their offense. They have the personnel be one hell of a gunning west coast style team, or one hell of a play action team, or one hell of a veer-option team... instead they almost seem to be trying to do everything, which might be dilluting their strengths.

Re: the lights and field condition

Neither the Los Altos coaching staff nor their administration has any control over it. That's all on the district... remember, this is the same district who had the sprinklers come on DURING a Wilson game back in the 90's.

And just to clarify, the field wasn't wet-muddy, it just has several patches with no grass.

bluorcaa -

At least 2 good playrs on the glendora team have been approached and continue to be recruited by Damien coaches. This is a inside fact. Dont say there is no Damien recruitment when there is. They attrack good players always and a have a huge selection to choose frm. This is not like public schools in which they compete with.

Today I'll give props to Verti for a good game Friday night. The team played great and seemed to be well prepared. I hope this trend continues.
The defense still needs work defending the draw beacuse they were getting burned on it like last week and the soph CB is getting picked apart by the QBs but they did come up with the big play when they had too.
Offense got a kick start when they used the safety as RB and receiver but he got his bell rung close to the end of the game when his helmet was ripped off by an RC player on sweep to the left side (no penalty).
This week is a bye, I just hope they don't come out flat like they did last year from their bye and gave a game away to Santa Margarita.

TESORO....u were obvioulsy watching the game from the field with a myopic damien spartan eye...after Foss torched the Damien secondary and the single coverage that they came out with....the coaches from los altos did a hell of a job and made 2 great adjustments....dump the ball to the TE, and let him make plays, and then give the ball to the big RB and let him eat up the clock...(something damien should of tried)....take away Mendruns 60 Yd run to start the game.....and 81's 25 yd catch(great catch by the way) and you have total domination by a very fast and very relentless LA defense.....not just one guy making plays...ENTIRE team running to the ball.....Only thing i didnt like was Gano going for it on 4 and 2....buy hey thats what makes him a good coach....either go for it and be the hero (south hills) or miss it and be the goat.....but it all worked out!!!.......as for this week St. Francis is certainly no pushover

It appears Glendora is treated like the "ugly step sister" in the Sierra league. I never have seen anything like this before. Posters come up with nerdy excuses why the Tartans won? Man, I guess a team just can't win a game in peace any more! Maybe some of these other teams, who get all the accalades, should try winning more games instead of losing. Maybe after the Prince finally discovers that Glendora is really the sleeping beauty, they will finally get some credit!

Hey bluorca,

Re: your comment to "not at full speed".

How can you say "You cannot possibly compare Charter Oak's loss of Michael J with ANY of Glendora's injuries"? HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE MAGNITUDE OF GLENDORA'S INJURIES BARE ON THE TARTAN TEAM? Don't lessen the impact of the injuries just because Glendora won and didn't lose. Every injury to one or more key players impacts the team and total performance regardless of the team. The real difference here is Glendora's talent aren't the "Marquee" type players who get all the press. But that doesn't negate the fact it impacts the team. From what I here, Glendora has competed and has won the last two games while playing not at full strength. By the way, Glendora's injuries were severe, when the #1 tackler is out, also the defensive nose guard and also the offensive line man who was 1st team all league honors last year, I would say that would impact the team. Compare that to ONE player out for CO.

We have discussed this enough already. At game time, the best team wins.Period.

bluorca,

I know several good SGV football players who choose to attend Damien and not Glendora, based on Damien's successfull football program.You can't honestly tell me, if given the choice, gifted players whould choose to attend Glendora vs. Damien. Glendora does not have "tryouts" and ALL those who register for football become a part of the team. I have Freshman friend who "tried out" for the Damien freshman team last year among nearly 200 players. He may it, while many, many were "cut". Nice to have a great selection of players to choose from. Remember, Glendora may have a larger total school population, but Damien being a "ALL BOY's SCHOOL" has much more FOOTBALL players to select from and should play in a similar league.

Damien does NOT recruit---they simply get kids from their local "feeder" parochial schools that come in under the radar in comparision to the more prominant public junior high schools.

There are NO athletic scholarships, and no one gets a ride. But try to explain this to an outsider, and you're met with quiet skepticism.

Damien tends to have a solid first string, but then the drop off to the second tier of players is steep.

I don't expect an outsider to believe this, but it's the reality.

Greetings, I am Mike the clone and you are not.

Dan,

Get your mind out of the gutter. I don’t know what circles you hang in but with my fellow clones the "pie hole" reference has nothing to do with any female anatomy. It is a reference to certain “clowns� who call a sports radio talk show. It’s like saying to the caller you’re an embarrassment, clown take that pie to your face and move on. Kind of like the saying “having egg on your face� That is it! Get it!

I’m I being naive about something?

Yeah that’s what I really want to be doing making sexual references about a high school kid on a high sports blog. NOT!!!!!.........I’m a “bagpiper� and I am beholding to certain standards to which we set at GHS. WE like to carry ourselves with class.

Second being the man that I am and stepping up to the plate. You are correct I misinterpreted which team for which you were referencing during your rant. I Bad. I do apologize. One thing about me when I am wrong I will admit it.

I’m out!

USDTORERO,
What the heck are you talking about??

Do you even know?

and, what game were you at???

First of all, Foss had over a 100yds recieving. Not to mention the Mendrum and his "pitch and catch" buddy were shut down! NOT Casteneda, Rodriguez, or Foss.
Second, I want to see those photos, and let's not forget what boosted Damien on that drive to help get them them so close to the goal line(a bad call, perhaps?.

LA has only lost to CO twice since 2001. Get your facts straight before you talk smack. You guys are starting to sound like the Amat people!

And the most valid point of all: Who won?!

hey cut out the excuse,

don't give me that recruiting thing about private schools and not happening in public schools. You are nieve to say the least!!!!!!! I will say no more on that because I know too many first hand stories about other SGV schools. I think I could write a book.

As for the Damien bloggers Los Altos won that game plain and simple, I am not a big LA fan but those boys play as a team and it is not one player making plays. As long as they keep that focus they will go far this year. As for the field and lights playing into the outcome, you are reaching.

Lancers,

great win against a top notch team. I see that the fire got lit under the coaching staff, keep the match burning.

Glendora hasn't played full strength since game #1 against Covina due to SEVERAL KEY PLAYERS INJURED and still they managed to go undefeated pulling out impressive victories against monster lines.DOES ANYBODY REPORT THIS?

Stop the freaking excuses regarding losing to Glendora because you were minus ONE key player. What's going on here! Do Tartan opponents send out press releases in advance regarding their injured or disciplined players to help justify losing? GIVE ME A BREAK! If your total team performance is surrounding only one player - - you got a big problem! No depth of talent? Come on! Is that Glendora's Fault?

Obviously Damien would have won those games if it wasn't for the PAC 10 Refs.

Maybe you did have a "better view" from the sidelines but from the stands we all saw what took place.

Travis Eschardies- 3 catches for 34 yards
Mark Mendrun 1 catch for 17 yards
Rex Foss- 6 catches for 114 yards

Matt Castaneda 11-15 for 204 yards
Mark Mendrun 10-23 for 76 yards

Ira Thomas 22 carries for 118 yards
Mark Mendrun 14 carries for 78 yards

Maybe from the sidelines it did not look like a fumble to you but based on your "shut down our stud reciever Rex Foss" comment I have trouble changing the call on the field.

Good luck vs. CO and Glendora. Great game.

Cut Out The Excuses,
I dont know what Damien school you are referring to but Damien rarely attracts D-1 players. Damien has a more talented squad this year but they are usually not so gifted. If you consider Damien to be a "football" school you must only be familiar with the SGV. Damien usually is competitive againts public SGV squads but usually does poorly againts other private schools and they are pretty much unknown in the Southern Section. If anything, Damien has a smaller group of talent to draw from because it's not only a private school but an all-boys school. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that most boys are going to want to play at Bishop Amat (Co-ed) if they want to attend a private Catholic school in the SGV. Thats nature right? Damien is in a public school league for a reason. I think the Spartans know that year after year they would be unable to attract D-1 caliber players and they, like most SGV teams, would fair poorly if they had to compete in leagues that have teams like Amat, Loyola, Mater Dei, Servite, Notre Dame, St. Bonaventure, etc. We'll see how they do in the Sierra...

Not at full speed,
I love your name tag..it fits you well. You cannot possibly compare Charter Oak's loss of Michael J with ANY of Glendora's injuries. Do you read the preps section in the SGV Tribune? The Chargers were without their star player man! Its not like they could replace his talent with someone on the bench. And the reason why nobody reported any of Glendora's injuries is because they were probabably not very season twisting or crucial. You Glendora fans are giving your team WAAAAAY too much credit for their victory over Charter Oak.

I was at the damien los al game. Best game i've seen in a while, i was on the sidelines, mendrun is for real. He is the best QB in SGV and 81 is by far the best reciever, # 8 for damien a beast, shut down the stud reciever foss, but i have to admit the refs gave los al the game. I was at the goaline and a photographer had picture of 34 from damien crossing the plane with control of the ball, in which the refs called a fumble when he crossed the goaline. good game to both teams, jus hope los al wont go in big headed and end up losing to CO like usual, i talked to the reporter from daily bulletin and he's seen all the sierra league teams and hands down said damien should handle the sierra league, i see both teams winning leagues, good luck

i was disapointed with our c.o. boys on friday. especially our secondary. Glendora's #11 was open down the sideline at least 3 times. once they actually threw to him and the only reason that they didnt score was because the ball was overthrown. we are not going to fare well against damien if we cant get our secondary in shape.

Cut out the excuses,

Which players on Damien's football team were recruited?

Which ones are transfers?

No one seemed to mention that glendora's leading tackler from the covina game #2 did not play from half way through the 2nd quarter and thier starting nose guard #66 did not even play....Also #70 who recieved 1st team all league honors last year on the offense was not in on every snap due to injury i would assume...

"There is no dignified way to whine."

You lost both times. I know I read it in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune so it must be true!

Case closed. CSI HS Football coming to you next season.

Cheer up win league and bounce back!

Mike, you should read the post a little more carefully cause you don't know what the hell your talking about. You must think I'm a Charter Oak fan.
How is it that people like me ruin the spirit of High school football, what I did is point out to a kid not to get so cocky and put down another team who is not even on their schedule and who he knows nothing about, obviously the kid is a little bitter that West Co was ranked #1 in the valley and therefor made his comment that they suck, so therefor I imparted a little wisdom on him.
As for your comment that "we didn't have our gun on the field cause he couldn't keep his piehole shut" first of all your true class shows
thru when you suggest that a highschool kid has part of the female anatomy for a mouth, & second
of all West Co hasn't had any kids kicked out of a game this season. Third, I wasn't posting to you so maybe "you" should "take it in stride"
Thats my responce are you happy now?

Joe # 1 on West Co is not the brother of William Wallace all though he has the same last name. #1 is Devin Wallace, I don't know if their related but they are not brothers, William Wallace's brother is #21 Demond Wallace, he's the one who's been injured the past 2 weeks.

Hey bluorca,

The Tartans were not at full strength either on defense or ofense due to injuries. But does anybody report that? CO and Glendora played with what they had and Glendora won. Thats all folks.

bluorca,

No one compared Damien recruitment to Amat, but to say it doesn't happen is a lie. The comparison was between Damien and public schools. The attraction to play at Damien (a real football school) is overwhelming, attracking potential D1 players from all over the valley. Perhaps they should play in the Catholic league with other schools of the same nature.

To say Glendora should have "routed" CO is wrong as well. CO is a very good team with outstanding coaching and players. I predicted a close game and it was. After viewing the tape, I see Glendora didn't play the offensive game they are capable of playing.

Damien beat the teams they should beat and lost to the better teams. Touchdown call backs, other penalities and poor calls by the refs are part of the game faced by all teams. Glendora has seen a few during their schedule. No excuses man. You win or you lose.

However, I still stick to my posting, Glendora will be the team to beat in league play. Let's see how Damien handles the huge line of CO next week. I think CO offense will score big.

I will say however, this years Glendora/Damien game will be big! Glendora won Damien last year both JV and Varsity, lets see if history will repeat itself.

Demond Wallace is #21. He did not play.

wow everyone is jumping on the glendora bandwagon but who have they played Damien beat Saint John Bosco but refs called it back and the scored the touchdown against Los Alots then fumbled but again the refs called it back so watch out this Spartan team should do great in league

With a heavy heart, a deep sigh, and teeth-a-grinding, I have to agree with Joe Amat. Perhaps I would be more enthusiastic if Amat beats Carson (who barely lost to Dominguez!!) but I doubt this because Amat is very young and does not have Gaisie. And the week after is St. Francis who is an old Amat foe who has been sort of a sleeping giant recently and has a decent team this year. We'll see how good St. Francis is when they play Los Altos this week. Most of the SGV is not familiar with St. Francis so this weeks game should be a treat for the Valley. It would not surprise me at all if St. Francis does what Damien could not finish...

Loved the Glendora/CO game, hard hits, real nail biter to the end. Tartan defense was awesome, special teams (especially KO) great. Passing and kicking game needs adjustment. Good to see more passing to #82 TE this game.

Three good teams have "paid the piper", but from this point on Tartans offense must mix things up more to keep opposing defense off guard. Can't say enough about Tartan defense. Keep up the intensity boys, your great efforts are not going unnoticed with this homer. 06 will be the year of the Tartan!

Damien might be a private boys school with the ability to draw from players anywhere from the Valley but I think it would be a mistake to categorize Damien in the same way one would categorize Bishop Amat or Mater Dei. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Spartans and their programs but they DO NOT recruit nor draw the players that the Pac-5 schools have the tendency to draw. Damien's program is a noble one but it cannot compare in both level of play and quality of opponents that they face. Amat usually routs Damien unless Amat has a "weaker" team which is an extremely rare event. I dont consider Damien's preseason schedule demanding at all with the exception of Los Altos who they usually battle neck and neck the entire game. This year was no exception. This a large reason why Damien is in a public school league and not a Catholic football farm league.

Glendora should have routed Charter Oak and yet they did not. Michael Johnson is the heart and soul of the CO team and at the high school level, this is critical. I believe that if CO was at full strength, they would have certainly scored more points than 7 againts the Tartans. Because only one player can make or brake the success of a high school football team's season, Glendora DID NOT face the REAL Charter Oak.

And COVINA? Man, I dont think ANYONE has a more weaker schedule then they. They might have a QB that can toss but againts who? Covina has the Tribune Player of the year but did anyone bother to check out the quality of the opponents that Covina faced last year? I did...and their combined records were 33 wins and 70 defeats! LOL! And when you mention Covina ya gotta mention Tesoro who was just awesome last year right? Yeah, they were, but againts opponents that had 52 wins and 57 losses. I'm not impressed either people. Damien will be Glendora's first test this year. Hopefully everyone will be healthy.