WEEK 1 POSTGAME: Talk your smack or cry me a river ...

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Aram, As a rabbid GHS fan I need to comment on your prep coverage. YOU RULE!! I disagree with anyone who says that you favor one team over another. I believe that you do a great job of objectively covering most all the teams in the SGV and should be commended for a great job. Love your write ups and really enjoy your blog. Thanks for giving us all the oportunity to share our opinions. I think some of us should "lighten up". Can't believe some of the comments about teams, coaches and players and yes you too Aram. Some of us need to get a life! A big thanks for all you do Aram. GTFAN

Aram,

I agree with you on your synopsis of Covina. They really are a good team. Glendora's victory was impressive and not a "give me" by any stretch of the imagination. The goal line stands were very exciting for this level of play. Those "Glendora Haters" out there appear to be basing their rejection of the Tartan team on long time emotional feelings and bias to the community. I don't see how they could of seen this particular Tartan team perform and say anything but how impressive these young men are. This Tartan defensive team was down right amazing given the fact it is a mostly new squad intermixed with more Jr's in key positions than any Pasqi team I have seen. Horn (#2) is an impressive Jr. LB and Kovar (#71) is a very strong and speedy Jr. on the D-Line. Both these individuals, including a very impressive Bruno (#48) LB made extremely important tackles throughout the Covina game, especially during the two "goal line" series.

The jury, for me, is still out regarding what the out come of the game may have been if McD would have played in the first Qtr. He did bring excitement to the game and new energy to both offense and defense. However, the Tartan defense did contain him for no score throughout the entire 2nd half.

I for one, believe this Tartan team (especially) defense? is one of the better teams Glendora has fielded in recent years. As far as offense goes, Jordan (#8)Tail back will put numbers on the board and bring excitment to the fans. Vega (#33) is a very strong full back and will rush for the hard yards. Butler (#9) has great hands as a receiver.

What I like most about this Glendora team is, in fact, they really play as a team. Talent is generally dispersed throughout... a trademark of a Pasqi team.

I don't understand why Covina is slighted so much? This is a team that stood toe-to-toe with now D-1 (sort of) Tesoro last season. Tesoro was one of the top teams in SoCal. Tesoro is very much like Glendora. Do you really think the athletes at Damien or Charter Oak or even Bishop Amat are better than Jamal James, Mike McDonough or Tre McNair? No way! Those teams may be better stocked position-by-positionl, but players like those mentioned above could play anywhere in this Valley. You may not find a better middle backer around than McDonough, which is something anyone who was at the game should've seen.

Last Thursday was a good win for a Glendora team that had so many key players to replace while playing a good, veteran team like Covina. Forget about divisions, the Tartans beat a very good team. You Glendora fans who think I overrated Covina have got it all wrong. Instead of questioning my rankings, you should pat yourselves on the back for beating a legitimately good team. Pay attention to the kind of season Covina has the rest of the way. Your win will be one of the better ones you have this year and should help your BCS rating (hahaha) when it's all said and done.

Next, those of you who want to make the argument that if the Colts don't turn it over three times, which is something that likely doesn't happen if McDonough starts the first quarter, have a great point. My personal opinion is that Covina wins the game if McDonough plays all four quarters. But you can "What if" about any game.

Two things impressed me about Glendora - 1. the offensive line, which I thought handled a good Covina front seven pretty well. 2. Robert Horn. I didn't see him last year, but wow! I saw Mater Dei the next night and he looked like one of their linebackers. Only a junior, Horn should be one of the better players around for the next two years.

The biggest thing that concerned me about Glendora is that its offense is going to be in big trouble once it gets outside of its comfort zone. The game plan looks very controlled and rigid. That might be how Coach Pasquarella thinks he has to do things for now with a new QB, RB and set of WRs. But it looks very predictable and Covina clearly had little trouble handling it for almost all of the final three quarters.

They will fall

I guess a QB rushing for 80 yards with a 4.7 average in 3 quarters is a failure? D2 defense against D9 offense!

Jordan, 136 yards as a half back with a 5.23 average-4 quarters!

I guess the result of Glendora playing up against Amat last year is why your playing down this year!

Wake up out of that bedroom community, Glendora is not an impressive team!

Hey J.S.

EXACTLY!!!

Jerry Smith,

McD had 3qtrs to prove himself but failed against Glendora's defense. He did not score at all in the 2nd half. Covina did not move the ball against Glendora much, unless you consider 26 yards rushing in the entire 1st half as movement.
The Tartans appear much better this year than last season and will beat Chino and Damien (again). Chino Hills is always a difficult game, but I believe this Tartan Squad will do it!

I guess if you consider Glendora's game last year with Amat "Playing down" during pre-season, I guess you are right. Many won't agree with you.

I guess we will just have to wait until game time to determine bragging rights.

Let's put the Covina/Glendora into some real facts and not emotions

Covina is a smaller school in a D9 confernece because of there size. Glendora is a larger school with more kids to draw from in D2. Who really should win the game, regardless of the Tribune rankings?

Now let's evaulate the facts:
McD doesn't play the first quarter, but some say it didn't matter! RIGHT!
How many turnovers did Covina have?
Did Covina move the ball pretty easily against a D2 defense except for the two red zone stances?
How was Glendora' offense after Q1, up until 1:12 left in the game?

Its the same old crap out of Glendora, they run their mouths about beating a smaller school, play down during pre-season(Except Capo) and fail to produce a title during league! They have alot of work to do, if they plan on beating Chino, Chino Hills, Damein.

Oh where do I start? So much HAS to be said. Should I just start by saying-I am not claravoyant, but you would think I was-if you saw my prior comments you would agree. Verti-please-he is CHOKING, like I said he would. His staff is showing their lack of experience with their failure & inability to make adjustments during the games & prior to the Valencia game even with the ability to study film. Hmmm! It's really sad. Clearly, they are not experienced enough to make these changes.

BA 24/7-I have one name for you-Vince Young. Norm Chow, whose opinion I believe stands well above any of us recently stated he did not plan to change anything about Young's side-arm style. Just because you don't like it or think it not the norm doesn't mean it isn't effective and does not work for QBs. Apparently you did not see the few opportunities that Tillis had at the passing tournaments to show his abilities. And you must have also missed the inter-squad scrimmage-say what you want, but this kid does have an arm and he can scramble. He brings some dimension that could be used even if it is only is trick plays. Someone should allow both Tillis & Tamayo to contribute where they can to help bring this falling team out of the toilet.

The most unfortunate thing here is that they will live & die by Carillo. As noted by a prior writer, because this is the decision they have made & they are the head coach. Com'on coach-get a clue!

There are two other capable QBs, but they are never given the opportunity to do anything. Maybe this is to avoid revealing the truth that one if not both of the backups are better than the starter. Ok he has height, but as amatlancerblue points out-stats are NOT opinions. In the last game Carillo turned over the back 4 times (3 interceptions & a fumbled snap at 4:1 QB sneak) from QB error and botched a play by going the wrong way. Did the coaches ever try to put anyone else in except when the were faced with a potential game ending injury to Carrillo. We must not forget the terrified, puzzled reaction they had when Carrillo went down with an injury in the Valencia game. Looked at the Loyola game the other night-three QBs put up stats in their last game. Crazy!

Defense-there is not enough time or space to address how ridiculous it was that the defense was not prepared to stop Vereen at Valencia. He really was their whole team. They did not have a other threats that would have been difficult to shut down. So why didn't this happen? Preparation gentlemen-there wasn't any. Vereen did everything, the unfortunate thing is that Amat allowed him to.

Amat is one-dimensional! Times have changed and a program that has lost it's foundation and ability to compete must embrace ingenuity & change to be successful.

This will be a long, long season!Good luck. Amat! You're gonna need it!

Zen, Glendora will eat Damien up and you will eat your words. I beleive this Glendora squad is better than last year with more talent dispersed vs. one or two players. Damien fell last year to Glendora on both Varsity and JV. This year will be no different. Unfortantly, you won't win by just saying so. To beat Glendora you will need much more than a great QB and receiver. Havn't you already read the rave reviews regarding the Glendora defense? They will contain your QB and rushing efforts. The strong D-line and Hard Hitting LB's will provide punishment to league contenders. Glendora's offense is more than just one talented running back. QB Crook looks more commanding this year and, as far as rushing goes, running options are unlimited with talents like Edmonds, Vega, Horn, Johnson and Butler.

I'd rather rely on many talented players, than have only one in the bag of tricks. That will be Damien's downfall this year. Hope Mendrun stays healthy, he's a great QB!

whoever said that amat will get an easy win over hart is crazy. do you realize that hart has one of the best programs in socal?-good coaching staff and talent-bottom line-hart will beat amat this week-id say 24-21-long year for amat unless they get things straightened out with their defense.

whoever said that amat will get an easy win over hart is crazy. do you realize that hart has one of the best programs in socal?-good coaching staff and talent-bottom line-hart will beat amat this week-id say 24-21-long year for amat unless they get things straightened out with their defense.

Glendora will BEAT Damien AGAIN this year just like last year! Glendora comes off last years victory against Damien with a stronger and faster defense and even more offensive running threats. If you think Damien O-Line size is a great factor, you must of missed the Upland/CO game!

Great to see that the Trib this morning is taking Glendora more seriously (after watching only one game)by now placing them in the top 10.

Prediction: In two weeks Glendora will be rated #4 in the Tribunes top 10 and Damien will fall to Glendora AGAIN!

Hey amatlancerblue,

I see you have been watching Amat football for more than 50 years. Check the books on when Amat opened and when the first football team played. Anyway you are right on the Verti, he is too immature to make the changes that need to be made. Msgr, Carroll should be to blame for this one. Here is a school that had plenty of well qualified coaches to pick from. Coaches with resume's of winning programs a mile long and he went with the coach that would come cheap. This is not the only sport that this has happened in but he is ruining the Lancer Athletic program such as he did when he was back at St. Paul, they are just getting back on track. With the best gym and athletic facility in the San Gabriel Valley, he had the opportunity to bring in someone that would have had the top athletes in the valley wanting to come here, he failed. Msgr. Carroll must go and we must bring in someone as President that will run the school as it should.

Back to the football program, Amat has always been know for a stiffling run defense and a pass defense that would always give up yardage. The thing that had always helped the pass defense was the rush and the schemes that were used to throw off the QB's rythem. I saw some young DB's last year that could hit, where are they now??

I was at Amat a couple weeks back and the freshman class has some pretty big boys out there, we need to make sure that they are taught how to play the Lancer way.

To Bleeds Blue and Gold,
As Forest Gump said " Stupid is as Stupid Does" and it does run down hill.

Coach if you are listening, make the necessary changes, young coaches try to do what they want even when they are wrong. A successful coach takes advice and looks at all his options and makes the changes needed. A unsuccessful coach says I and the head coach and those are my decisions.

Let's make it happen, go AMAT Blue.

P.S. The new uniforms are ugly, at St. Paul the pants looked Purple and you could not see the A or AMAT as you did in the past.

Big Spooner Fan! This coach gives more than he receives and it's good to hear he's appreciated @ Amat. Spooner was a tank and a team leader all the way back to his playing days at Salesian, opps another great coach coming out of THAT school, must be the water! Rollinson(Mater Dei, Salesian), Aguirre (Carson, Garfield, Salesian), Ruedaflores (Alhambra, Salesian), Villasenor (Cantwell,South El Monte,Salesian, Wilson), and Corona (Salesian, Carson, Dorsey, Wilson, LB CC) and Spooner (Bishop Amat). All with Championship rings @ various levels. Mustangs in the HOUSE!!!

zen is the man

Zen,
first off you are stupid just because your name is "zen". Glendora did beeten your varsity and jv team last year and no new players have emerged sense. also, someone said that glendora's running back is gone and that we may have a hard time runnig the ball. i have two names for you... Buttler and edmund. but dont worry about it, you will hear those names plenty when you play glendora.
something else for you to think "worry" about. all that damien is known for this year is their qb and wr. what wbout d???? Glendora is a well rounded team with players who damien know nothing about. score... Glendora 34 Spartans 28

wow "no zen here" if you guys dont beat duarte then we will know for sure that glendora is what everyone thinks..a joke!
I hope you guys beat both teams so that you will be at your top game when you play Damien. I want to see them beat you at your best.. by double digits

Amat already has a great defensive coordinator ! He's been there for years ! Coach Spoon ! Coach Verti should bring this guy up from the frosh team. This guy is intimidating & a motivator & knows the game ! He is the reason the frosh team won leauge 2 yrs ago & we shut down mater dei & the rest of the leauge that yr. This guy will get the kids up each game & not only make the right adjustments, but put the right kids in the game. Coach Spoon lives Football 24/7.

No I wasn't getting at trying to make it seem like West Co could have beat Mater Dei cause they could not have beat this team period. This years Mater Dei team is too talented for WC. or any SGV school I'm just saying that Mater Dei in no means was toying with West Co.
As far as them blowing out West Co if they took them more seriously I will keep considering your opinion as the season progresses and as we see how West Co does through the year, they have a tough schedule so time will tell.
Ed, maybe West co will have a new stadium & field by the time your son reaches highschool
& it seems like the program & school is headed in a good direction, with consistently rising test scores & a California distinguished school award which is only awarded to 100 schools throughout the state. Heck I think I'll be a recruter. LOL

amatlancerblue, I gotta agree with you on your assesment of Verti. It's like these coaches have no balls to give someone else a shot to get the job done. They will live and die with their stupid decisions. I'm sure there is pretty good talent on the bench that isn't being given a chance to show what they got. Why do you think the Castaneda Bros. jumped ship to Los Altos?

I'll tell you what, it's just not at the Varsity level either, JV is going thru the same BS. Does stupid run downhill or what?

One more thing I'd like to ask the group: Will someone PLEASE explain to me the logic of having the QB run over to the sidelines for EVERY play? The QB has more rushing yardage per game than the RBs with this ideology. I thought that would go out the window when DiFiori let go of his death grip on the program. Oh well, that's what I get for dreaming.

Hey Amatlancerblue,

Hope our team does not share your attitude that Hart will be a easy win. If you have been following this Amat program for 50 plus years you should know by now that any team can beat any team on any given day. Dominique Gaise is out which does not make matters easier. Hart is hungry right now having lost their first two games and is facing a possible 0-3 which is unacceptable for that football program, so they are coming to play rest assure of that. Amat cannot take this team lightly or any team on their schedule lightly for that matter. Like us Lancer loyal this Hart team may not be the best this year but they are well coached and have one of the top recievers... it will not be easy. Will they run wide? you bet your A--...........hope we made the adjustments....

AmatLancerBlue,
I do not see your point in Tillis. This Kid has no arm and has a drop your elbow release (go watch practice)..Like I have stated before Tillis may be a QB for teams in D6 D7 program but in no way is he D1 material....Tamayo is short yes and I agree with you he should get a chance. I have been watching Tamayo since his days at Cortez Park with the Bruins. He can lead and he knows how to win, unlike Carrillo who wants to pal around on the sidelines as I mentioned.Carrillo just needs to get more focused.... He Carrillo did QB that offense that scored 37 points and you cannot say he did not get the job done (he ran for a impressive TD) It is the defense period that is wreaking this team. Yes the Defense stunk up the joint. Outcoached absolutely. I am sure Valencia watched Grigsby run wide and score three times against that pathetic defense and licked their chops knowing they had Vareen and Hill. Hardly did Valencia ever run between the tackles and always ran or screen passed to the outside where Amat pusuit lacks big time. No tackling or cutting off that sideline was ever there. Verti, yes, is responsible. His defensive Coordinator had no idea how to stop that A-- Kicking he was taking........If I am Verti you go to the D coord. and want to know what the Heck happened and tell him correct it. If he does not know how, get somebody that does. I have said from the onset in the Archive blogs that Verti is a nice guy but seems like he is trying to win the team over from a nice guy approach. The players sense this and are walking over him. Another Coaching staff that did not know these kids would be getting allot more juice out of them because the Kids would have to be proving themselfs to the coaching staff and not the other way around as in Verti's case. Right now it looks like Difioris gone and his Subsitute teacher is there. Everyone knows what goes on when the subsitute takes over the class.....I will as I said before stick with Verti all the way this season because he deserves the chance to prove himself. As a Head Coach you not only make adjustments with your players but you also make adjustments with your staff. He can always hire new coaches and fire old ones to boost the teams performance. It is his right. Does he have that cut throat attittude, I doubt it. Verti is Too nice of guy and you know what they say about nice guys.......

Bluorca... I would not say toying with WC, again I think WC played a great game. But you only saw the MD starters when they scored. Remember that WC recoverd a fumble to make the score closer, how many times did you see WC in the red zone? I agree with Dan, there were no turn overs, MD just knew when to turn it on. MD has a game against MV, there is no reason for MD to keep the starters in to risk injuries.

Vanner... No sir, I have no grudge against Lamaison, I actually agree that he has all the tools to be a good QB, but he doesn't have the leadership skills I don't want to say experience because LA QB doesn't have the experience but has shown leadership, especially in his first game against SH driving his team with less than 2 min for the W.

WC fan... D1 school that beat MD last year, new facilities, smooth practice and game fields, safe stands to watch my son from.... I't may not be a bad idea. Thank you

Here's an impartial viewpoint: I attended the Glendora Game last Thursday and the Damien game last Friday. I have no children attending or bias for either school. First off, Damien QB Mendrum was incredible prior to his injury. I expect exciting things from this young man in the future. Glendora looked awesome at the Covina game, especially their defense. The now notorious goal line stands showed great talent and strength of Glendora's D-line facing an inherited short field and Covina's top rated QB. Glendora's offence worked the field with a great TB (Edmunds?).

Glendora vs. Damien will indeed be a great and close game. While its to early in the season for me to pick this winner, I will say for what I have seen, Glendora's D-line and LB's will cause trouble for Mendrum. If he could get the ball off to his receivers quickly, Damien may stand a chance. Thats an impartial view. I hope both teams do well throughout the season! Good luck!

Zen,
You say Damien kids laugh at Glendora kids? Why is that? If that is the case, then Damien kids have a complex problem and should seek help. Kids tranfer between both schools all the time... apparently so do Head coaches. Glendora will beat Duarte...then Charter Oak and soon we will be after Damein.

Zen,

Was last years JV game between Damien and Glendora also a miraculous win for Glendora? So in other words, both JV and Varsity games in which Damien LOST to Glendora were flukes? Bottom line: no doubt Damien has a great offense with your QB playing, Glendora's defense is an excellent team effort. Should be a great game. Lets wait to see!

BA 24/7-were you at the same game. I have been an Amat fan my whole life (over 50 years), but that Valencia game was clearly a showing of how immature & inexperienced the coaching staff is. Verti should have at least surrounded himself with some coaches that knew what they were doing. At no time did the coaches prepare these players to defend the one real threat Valencia had-Vereen. The defenses called were all wrong, which is the reason for the 59-37 score. You also need to do more research when talking about players. There are two QBs-Tamayo & Tillis. Tamayo is about 5'7" he did a decent job last year starting at JV, but doesn't get much behind center now. It was said his height is an issue because he cannot see over the line. Tillis is 5'10" with a lot of speed, probably one of the fastest on the team. In my conversations with people no one seemed to understand why he was not playing someplace. He appears to be an above average athlete. The coaches should have at least tried one of these QBs when the score was out of control. Bluorca was right a desperate change is needed. The Ol-line did do a good job, so what happened to Carrillo? Carillo is NOT getting the job done, but Verti will surely go down with that sinking ship based on his decision to stay with him in that Valencia slaughter. LOOK AT THE STATS-they don't lie & they are not opinion. ME paying attention does not seem to be something that would help Carrillo. He can't read coverages as has been apparent both games. It seems the play is "this", so he tries to pull "this" off whether it is the best option or not. Get him out of there! Simple!

Adams may have a lot to learn, but he should be able to learn at Amat through his coaches. If he is not ready, capable or whatever, use the 20 kids that sit on the sidelines. Mix it up-create the competition so everyone practices hard and doesn't get comfortable thinking they know they have secured a spot. Healthy competition is what we used to call it.

Defense was a whole other thing. A real mess! Maybe hiring an experienced defensive coordinator who has a clue would have been to Amat's benefit? But that probably would have challenged Verti's insecurity at taking this job.

Lancer blue, I will be praying because that is exactly what we will need this season-PRAYER.

Hart will be an easy game this week so no real competition there, but some of the other games will be a real challenge. Lancer blue we are NOT ready.
Amatlancerblue

LA Fan,
I am not saying that he is not good, but all the hype that I have heard NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Not at the top of the QB's that have come through LA, not even close. Where were the crossing patterns, where were the out patterns. As for the deep ball, how many did he hit in stride. Yes he has a strong arm but most of his throws were just let it fly and let the talent of the receivers work against very weak and undersized DB's. He will be fine in the League that LA plays in but how far will be another thing. This will be quite an interesting year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all very impressive. West Covina made some excellent plays and did as good a job as they could possibly do againts Mater Dei. But I know what ya'll are getting at... You want me as well as others to believe that, save an error here and there, WC would have won the game because they did so well statistically againts a highly touted MD team. But I must disagee and I must stick to my theory that if MD took WC as seriously as MD is taking Mission Viejo this week (A fact I completely forgot about!) ,I see a serious MD rout of WC. How many times have we seen teams overlook an opponent they do not consider a threat because the next week they are playing an awesome team like the Diablos? These are just kids and its completely natural and almost unavoidable that this happens. How many times has Bishop Amat been guilty of doing this same thing? It pains me to count! lol. I truly believe MD was NOT focused this week on WC. I think this is a fact that everyone can agree on. And I also think that this fact is what also caused the game to be "closer" than it was. WC's offense is a very challenging one to learn and run and because of this, it is also rare. If an opponent (MD in this case) did not take the time to actually put their hearts and minds (which they are doing THIS week againts a team that destroyed a talented Chino Hills squad 44-7) to defend againts this type of rare offense, it makes sense that this offense would have success in the beginning. MD, however, was able to make the proper adjustments and shut it down. And they were able to shut it down when it counted. If MD's defense actually did their homework every night studying WC's offense BEFORE THE GAME RATHER THAN IN GAME ADJUSTMENTS, I see MD's defense allowing even less than the 10pts it did (which included no offensive TDs anyways!) It would not make sense to say that WC would score more points on a better prepared MD team. The fact that Coach Rollingson even had to make such severe defensive adjustments tells me that he too was ill prepared for the WC offense. And what about if MD's offense actually took WC's defense seriously during the weeks leading up to the game? What would have happened if MD knew BEFORE the game (and they should have/would have if they respected WC's defense) that WC would have trouble defending againts the pass? And even if MD managed just 7-10 more points the score would be what...38-3? 35-7? 42-0? All of these are routs are my book. The Bulldogs DO indeed deserve an A for effort but it was the Monarchs who had the ability in all aspects to adapt to their opponents,change their game plan on the fly, and be effective/successful at getting the "W" And you can scream all day and point to statistics but at the end of the game a well trained, well readied, and well motivated WC team was only able to score 1 defensive TD againts an ill prepared and unfocused MD team that was guilty of dreaming about beating one of the top high school football programs in the nation. This SAME MD team,led by a sophmore QB, still found a way to score 4 TDs! This is the only statistic that really matters. This is why Mater Dei is Mater Dei and they will probably be just as strong next year. They have an awful habit of reloading rather than rebuilding. But thats life when you compete againts the big boys year after year. This is PAC-5 football baby.

ed, in the back of our minds send your son to amat nothing against you. but you sound similar to bluorca full of sh....ts

the guy who wrote that the spartans lost their home opener is the biggest idiot i have ever met...dont u read the paper? damien played a week 0 game which they blew out riverside poly...not only that...if u saw the SJB @ DHS game, u would know what happened...damien rose to the occasion, took the lead, and was subject to a referee's HIGHLY disputable call in favor of the visiting team...look for the spartans to have a major chip on their shoulder and will be looking to take it out on their 8 remaining opponents

I agree with Vanner about S.Hills QB, he did well in the Los Altos vs S.Hills game not only in passing but he ran with guts, looked like a leader to me. Go WC Bulldogs!

Glendora fans.
Damien laughs at your school. I have a nephew that goes there and they think Glendora is a joke. Everyone knows your school cant compete with Damien, even kids at GHS.The only reason you guys miraculously won last year is becuase of your running back, who is gone. I was at the Covina game and you guys allowed 14 points to an extremely weak offense, and you only put up 28 points..common now! Damien put up 29 against D1 St. Jon Bosco and won that game(despite what the scoreboard may say). The defense is small and there was no pop on your tackles. Damien is the best team in the valley and is out to absolutely destroy the Tartans. But good luck

At least GHS has a WIN in the opener!

wow glendora is no match for damien we will out play you at every aspect of football glendora will lose big to DHS

to all the people that are proud that ghs beat covina
dont be so happy its covina any one good from covina goes to charter oak any way so dsont be so happy about one game and i doubt u will take out more than 2 of the big six

ED... by SH qb you cant be writing about Nick Lamaison of South Hills I have watched both games He is nearly as accurate as K. Mort but with a stronger arm and great running abilities and absolutely tough as nails! Either your not talking about South Hills OR you have a grudge against a great QB. Turkey wont be the only thing you'll be choking down come late November!

OK I'll bite Bluorca.
No, Mater Dei did not toy with West Covina, Mater Dei could not toy with West co. cause they were in a tough game with West Co. The score was 21 to 10 in the 4th qtr & should have been closer, people keep saying that Mater Dei had turnovers & penalties & that kept the game close & that is not true. All together Mater Dei had 2 turnovers which were 2 fumbles, the first fumble
was caused by a West Covina lineman who interrupted a handoff in the Mater Dei backfield.
West covina then drove around 60 or 70 yrds down to the Mater Dei 2 where they got a penalty [new offense?] & eventually had a field goal blocked The second fumble happened in a crowed so I couldn't see what caused it but it was returned for a TD.
West Co had just as many momentum killing mistakes if not more, I believe it is because they are still trying to break in this new offense. The reason I say this is because the QB threw two interceptions where there were no recievers in the close vicinity,[one for sure & the other I'm pretty sure there was nobody there] this tells me there was a communications break down probably due to the new offense, both times they were moving the ball consistantly, one happened near mid field & the other happened on a nice drive where they were in or at least close to Mater Dei's redzone[the pick happened in the redzone it was about a 10 yrd pass] West co also had several false start & motion penalties that would hurt their momentum this could be another sign of breaking in the new offense.
Mater Dei scored the final TD to make the score 28 to 10 with 4+ minutes to play, with the first string in! most starters did play most of the game and were in there in the fourth qtr, its just that they were also rotating personal through the game.
This wasn't a game where West Co had some good drives in the beginning & then Mater Dei made some adjustments & stopped them [Although on on offense this did happen as West co stopped the first few Mater Dei drives & then Mater Dei went to the passing game and then was able to drive]
but instead, West Co was able to move throughout the game even till the end. The fact that West co. came out in the second half and still drove the ball all the way through the fourth qtr tells me that Mater Dei was not toying with the Bulldogs. The Monarchs had no answer for the Wallace brothers, or the rest of West Co's offense just as West Co had no answer for Mater Dei's passing game, if Mater Dei had no passing game, which eventually opened their running game West Co wins this game. Unfortunatly for West co they had a great passing game. OK I'm done

Anyone seen the latest CIF polls?

http://www.cifss.org/polls/Football_11_Man/11manfootballpoll.pdf

Looks like there have been a few overreactions to recent games in the SW division.

"...and if he were here he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse!"

WHAT WOULD YOU DO,SAN GABRIEL VALLEY, WITHOUT FREEDOM?

William Wallace was the best player on the field at the Mater Dei/WestCo game?
FREEEEDOM!!

Damien 74 and FootBallGuru, The Glendora defense already took care of 1 of the Tribune top 6 gunslingers at the Covina game. I am convinced more will fall! The smaller Upland defense had no problems getting to the Charter Oaks QB through the the "supersized" O-line of CO. Was it 8 sacks + 1 fumble? Soooooooo, the Damien collossal O-Line will indeed fall to Glendora's talented D-Line, not to mention their hard hitting LB's!!

I'm not sure why I particularly need to argue for a team that just came off a 7 touchdown shutout, that could just as easily scored 12 TDs, but here goes...

"Rosemead was in the game until 12 seconds were left in the 1st qtr."

I suppose you might call barely being able to move the ball "in the game". Quite frankly if the freshman doesn't fumble on the reverse, the first quarter score is 21-0.

"They (Los ALtos) couldnt even run the ball on the 'Mead."

Demonstratably false, considering the backup tailback and the wing/flanker ran all over them. Not sure what was up with Ira, but he ran a whole lot better in week zero against a much better defensive front than Rosemead's.

"The QB wasnt impressive at all either, his WR's or TE's did all the work after breaking tackles and using their speed to score TD's."

As for letting the athletes use their speed in the open field, what did you want the LA QB to do? When the other team insists on covering faster receivers man to man every play, you exploit it. When they keep sending six on the pass rush you run the screen and make them pay. I'm not sure why playing smart football is such a bad thing.

"He didnt throw the ball more than 10 yds. and the completion he did have over 10 yds. the WR trapped the ball after hitting the ground which the ref was too far back to see."

The ball looked caught from the sidelines from where I was... I'll have to ask the coaches what it looked like on film.

You almost seem to be describing a different game than I was at. Ah well, maybe Charter Oak will read your review and take LA lightly.

Anyone hear how the CO punter is doing?

ED...You mean to tell us that Mater Dei was essentially "toying" with West Covina?

I'm sorry but I wasnt as impressed as everyone else with Los Altos, Rosemead was in the game until 12 seconds were left in the 1st qtr. and Los Altos scored a TD and a 2pt. conversion to make it 14-0 at the start of the 2nd qtr. After a few Rosemead mishaps and missed tackles it got out of hand and it snowballed from there. They (Los ALtos) couldnt even run the ball on the 'Mead.

The QB wasnt impressive at all either, his WR's or TE's did all the work after breaking tackles and using their speed to score TD's. He didnt throw the ball more than 10 yds. and the completion he did have over 10 yds. the WR trapped the ball after hitting the ground which the ref was too far back to see.

The only thing I was impressed with was Los Altos speed,they were hella fast and it showed once they got loose outside. I was also impressed with the fact that even though they didnt have a few starters playing because of grades(one of them maybe the best player on the team) the 'Meads kids didnt give up. I look foward to hopefully a different outcome or atleast closer game when these 2 teams play next year.

Notes on LA vs Rosemead comments:

1. Castaneda: I'm not sure what his real height has to do with the discussion of how good a HS QB he really is... sure it takes him out of consideration for D1 recruitment, but if you're going to evaluate a high school football player, do it based on what they do on the field, not where they project to go.

No QB is going to be better than what his receivers and blockers give him to work with (especially at higher levels, the position is somewhat overrated in that regard).

Matt's passing game has it's strengths and weaknesses. He runs like a tailback and will never give up on a pass by throwing the ball away. What that's all worth is certainly up for debate, but I would like to point out that a merely average QB would have trouble going 10 for 11 for over 300 yards in -practice-, much less against a live aggressive pass rush.

2. #84 Ray Rodriguez: An impressive athlete, one thing I've noticed standing next to him is that he's not as big as he looks on the field... I'm about 6-1 and he's maybe an inch or two shorter than me. He's strong and pretty quick, though.

3. Size of the respective teams: Rosemead looked -really- small... When they walked out onto the field, you could see a couple of ranks of average sized linemen, then a precipitous drop in height to the point where the back 2/3 of the column looked like the Lollypop Guild had suited up for the game. Los Altos was comparatively bigger, but really isn't particularly huge... only Fono and Ira are really substantially bigger than most high school athletes of their respective positions, and Fono hasn't even played yet.

4. Speed of the respective teams: This more than anything is what hurt Rosemead, as they really had only one player on their entire roster (#5) who had anything close to the quickness of most of LA's skill players.

5. Ira Thomas's Running: He hit the hole and turned up a lot harder in the South Hills game than in this one. His biggest problem is he has a horrible habit of using a "stop" move when changing directions. This is not uncommon for great athletes at lower levels (where generally they only have to shake one defender), but it's a play-killer on Varsity. Ironically it makes him a perfect replacement for James Davis, who was notorious for doing exactly that kind of move.

I'm sure the coaches have pointed it out to him on film this week. In any event, there's nothing tentative about how the little guys (#1 and #25) run, and in the open field they may be even faster... LA has lots to choose from on offense.

6. The game itself: It's tough to say how useful a blowout game that is 42-0 at halftime is for either team. I suppose LA gets the luxury of trying new plays and players without it costing them the game.

Kudos to Rosemead for trying to toughen their schedule... part of the reason why the Almont and Mission Valley leagues are so weak is that they only play against each other and against Montview teams... with the bar set so low nobody ever gets better.

On the other hand, getting hammered every week in pre-league (which may very well be Diamond Ranch's fate) isn't helpful either, so maybe these teams need to find opponents that are not exactly Los Altos, but not exactly Workman either.

BA 24/7....It sounds like that receiver needs EOP for the entire week (for those of you not affiliated with the program, that is what we used to call our punishment). I listened to the Amat game on the internet feed and the Parents of that Veeren kid should be happy that he already booked a ticket to CAL because right now their phone would be ringing off the hook. The AMAT D appeared to be confused and it does not get any easier in the coming weeks. I watched the ND Canyon game on TV and ND looked good despite the narrow victory. Only two teams from the league get into the playoffs and right now, I hate to say it, Amat is on the way outside looking in. Vareen, welcome to the bay area. We cannot wait to see you in Blue and Gold.

Hey damien 74 and Footballguru, I seem to remember that Glendora Varsity and JV both BEAT DAMIEN last year. What makes you think it would be any different this year? Yes Mendrum has improved, but so has key Glendora players. Glendora defense will handle Damien Offense without a problem. Glendora D-line may only average 220 lbs, but these kids are stronger, faster and HIT HARDER than ever before as demostrated against Covina. Suggest keeping Mendrum out of this game to prevent further damage to a great QB. Glendora will take this game, like last year, with or without Mendrum.

The problem seems to be the lack of coaching and the misuse of players on defense. The defensive backs seem to be lost and I can't believe the coaches won't make the proper adjustments. Valencia ran the same plays on offense on every score. BA the O-line did a great job. Some of the O-line players should be playing D-Line. If you notice Gasie and #33 ran behind the left side all game. #79 & #76 must play on D. #79 made some nice tackles and I don't recall ever seeing him return on defense the rest of the game. #81 Silva also should be added to that D-line mix. Still haven't seen a linebacker on this team yet. Some one needs to step up. Carrillo is doing a decent job but he needs to pay attention to the flo of the game. I thought we were enroute to a comeback until Carrillo made those terrible throws. He had all day to throw. Adam is immature and he is a work in progress. Only, time will help the kid.

This was a great weekend for HS Football. I currently do not have a son that plays HS Football, he is only 12 but I we do take him to some of the top games in the area so he can get a good Idea of what programs are ran well to make help in our decision making of HS choice. With that said, I don't have daddy goggles or a school of choice. We attended the WC MD game and I really can't believe that some people are saying that WC choked. That match up was similar to the Chino MV game last week. We were all excited about a local team playing MD but knew in the back of our minds that WC could play MD 10 times this season and would lose all of them. Nothing against the WC kids, they all gave 100% and it showed, but it also showed that MD was clearly focused on thier big game next week vs, MV. Once MD had the lead they brought in the second and third string to run plays. #3QB, #33RB, #8wr were in most of the plays, when #33 funbled and WC scored, they brought back #5QB, #23RB and #10 WR to extend the lead. WC played a great game on both sides of the ball but were out played by the better team. The same goes with CO, CO did not choke they we out played by faster team. Amat and SH, the coaches choked. Amat coaches have choked in the last 2 games, they were lucky in the first that SP choked even bigger. SH, you QB is not a leader, he looks scared and it showed with the snaps and turnovers. It look as if both teams want to play Seniors first and are not placing the better players on the field.

Attended Amat Valencia game. First off when your offense can generate 37 points you should win a ball game. What it tells me is the defense needs some major work especially in the Tackling area. No one wanted a part of Shane Vareen or Virgil Hill.......Our defensive players were looking around as to who was going to make the tackle when these two players touched the ball, which was often. Amat coaches take note, get out some makeshift dummies and show your defense how to tackle below the waist PLEASE!.......They should have a sense of pride when it comes to stopping a ball carrier. O line did a great job in opening up those holes for Gaise and McBride. Coaches stop letting this immature WR cost the team. He has all the tools of a great one for the future of Amat football but that does not mean you have to be held hostage by his antics. No one player is bigger than the team. Coach Verti wake up and let this kid and his parents know it is a privilage to start at the Varsity level of Amat football and put this kid in check now!...He cost us on that first down he made by taunting the opposition and he was nowhere to be found when we had 10 men on the field. Yes he is doing more talking than concentrating on what is going on out there, hence lack of maturity. Xavier great run you did well but You need to stick by your offensive coordinator and discuss your next series as your defense is out there, not going to the far end of the sideline to conversate with your pals on the team. Warm up.. do something that shows you want to guide this team and put up more points. Bluorca Yes there is our Backup QB Tamayo and he is a good one but Carrillo is getting the job done just needs to be more of a leader which he is lacking right now. There are a few on this team that are in love with themselves and what they do individually as a player. They are not team oriented. Right now if Amat has any chance of competing in League they better straighted these three areas out RIGHT NOW!. Better tackling , Maturity and a Team concept. Do not let Tony Adams become the Terrell Owens of this football team we have worked too hard this summer for one bad apple to destroy our football team. Send him down to JV for a reality check. I am sure his parents will straighten him out if the coaches sent him down or sat him out. He has all the tools but does he have a attitude?.

For the person saying that LA QB is not good, you are out of your mind. If he where 6'1" he would be a D1 prospect. He has great accuracy and has a cannon for an arm. Yeah Rosemead did not belong with LA on that field, but don't fault the kid. Remember he threw some great passes against South Hills the week before. For someone who has been watching area football for 25 yrs, you sure don't know how to evaluate talent. Don't knock a kid just because he is small. The kid has talent and you will see.

Hey Joke,
Well I guess Charter Oak did choke,as did Bishop Amat, Damien, Diamond Ranch and West Covina. If you want to be the best you have to play the best. Upland is ranked #5 in the Inland div. C.O. is ranked #6 in the Southwest div. Upland is also coached by a great staff and has had great success in C.I.F. With all do respect it must be nice to play Rosemead, California, Duarte, West Valley or La Puente. Do us a favor and save your pity for yourself. Our players don't need it. Oh yea... See you in the playoffs!

GHS fan.. you are not wise
You don't want mendrum to play becuase you guys are scared of his talent.
If i remember right he tore you guys up last year, and by the first 2 games ive seen of him he is 10x's better this year. Good luck though vs. damien you'll need it if you want to come within 20

Betty B hit the nail on the head. Drew had no time to set up and read his progressions. Upland was way to fast for the big uglies. Another thing that really stood out to me is how important the kicking game can be. CO's punter did not have the best of nights, although the long snapper didn't help him out either. Uplands kicker kicked every kickoff into the end zone not letting CO start with any kind of good field position.

man south hills got jipped out of a bunch of calls.....a wide field goal was called good and there was alot of bogus penalties all from the sam referee the O.C. REFS hate sgv teams man...shhs another close one alot of players continue to get hurt and/or are playing injured next weeks game should be the determining faCTor for the rest of there season.

ghsfan
glendoras defense looks like there jr allamerican d their biggest player isnt over 220 and the corners lack speed and height

match that up with damien monster o line above avg rb and add eschardies
mendrun will not get hurt at all

I'm a CO fan and it's not that they "choked". Upland played well and the CO offense couldn't give Carreon a pocket to work in. Towards the end they were able to give Carreon the time to get a few passes off but it came too late and then the punter got laid out pretty bad.

i agree with aram about waiting for league for Mendrun to come back. though i would advise not until after the glendora game. you would not want him to get hurt even worse now would you????

want to rowland game and all i can say is this was week 1 rowland look strong a times and bad at times but it is week one and a win is a win thats the bottom line.I dont think many teams have a great game in week one but i do have to say the defense looked pretty dam strong from a fans stand point i like to see more passing to open the game up but all in all not a bad night at all.

I can see your point Bluorca, but also take into consideration that West Co learned a whole different offense this year, the QB & his boys ran a single wing their whole high school career
and just changed the offense this summer, I like this new spread offense but when they get inside the five I think they should switch to their old offense cause I don't remember them having trouble scoring near the goaline during past seasons. Their old offense with its traps & pulls seemed pretty effective against the size & power of bigger lines plus they passed well off it.

Looking forward to seeing Glendora vs. Damien. Should be a great game this year. Glendora's Defense (especially the Dline) was incredible against Covina. Containing the high ranking Covina QB in not 1, but two rounds at the goal line, proved to me that Glendora's Dline will be a dangerous Tartan weapon in their arsenol this season. The Damien offense with Mendrun at the helm looks great as well. He certainly is a talented QB. When Glendora's defense and Damien's offense match up, sparks will fly! Should be a sight to see!! Prediction: Very close game, but Glendora will get the big W as they did last year.

Aram, how about listing the top performers for the week to see who's who on offense and defense.

Where are all the C.O. lovers. Another big game and another Charter ChOAKe outcome. I feel bad for the players, great talent and mediocre coaching. I guess you guys can talk the talk but can't walk the walk.

Early game prediction- Offense
Damien takes it to the house and wins by running the ball(counters and traps) Jr. RB Williams is just waiting to bust loose. Had my doubts about the kid but that's one slippery quick 200 pound back. Early Bettis @ Notre Dame. Let him run. Harper's deadly coming out of the backfield and well the "air force" is always there.
Early game prediction - Defense
Damien wins if Linebackers attack the runners instead of waiting for the runner to get to them. Punish the RUNNERS. Don't pull them down, no more bear hugging tackles. Vary the front- Got Bigs? use them. Four man fronts, stunts, it's all about sustained pressure. Can not wait to see what Mr. Gallardo brings to the table. Good luck big man.
Claremont wins if -they out score us, and you know what I mean.

Aram, where's the comment page for the game of the week? Went to watch Mater Dei do some Sh-pankin' at the SAC then got home and waited til 2 AM for the gotw (game of the week) on the web... Played it a few times cause it was hard to download... get better servers Aram. Anyway, you got some good plays on that ESPN-type of reporting but talk a little bit more. I liked the high angle too but those hits real close are great as well. Man you are the one true genious in all of this. Keep those videos coming so I don't miss the action where I can't go. See you later, Rob L.

i agree with aram somewhat...(for once haha) mendrun is the core of the team and losing him would be terrible(with all do respect for danny pertusati) the team rallys around their QB as a captain and key contributor to the team. but this is senior year...a rival game vs claremont next week and head to head showdowns with 2 of the tribunes fellow top 6 QBs with LA and CO. Mark is as tough as they come,a QB willing to sacrifice his body diving head 1st for extra yardage when the game is on the line is the kind of devotion any coach would want in their QB. I say let the kid(pertusati) get his feet wet and use mendrun only if necessary. that being said, will the damien at claremont game get any coverage? 2 rival powerhouse teams (at least one), some adversity with the health of the QB and your "questionable" defense setting the stage...this has all you need for a spectacular game of the week

Great news about Mendrun! This kid is the new "golden boy" . He's blessed for sure. Last year everyone thought he hurt his knee and his season was over and he plays the next game. I guess the power of prayer and his great family pulling for him really works. Wow, this could be a great motivator for the team to rally around.

I confused the scrimmage with being a game...sorry about that. Im not taking anything away from West Covina but I know that when those boys at Mater Dei first heard that they were playing West Covina they were like, "West Who?" This game was HUGE for WC who were at their absolute best againts MD and played their hearts and souls out because they knew Mater Dei's reputation. I have trouble believing MD felt the same way about WC. They didnt do their homework on WC and this is critical at all levels but epecially high school. MD was "amped up" emotionally on the field but this doesnt mean that they were properly prepared for the Bulldogs. And Coach Rollingson admitted that they underestimated WC which means that he did as well. They wont make the same mistake next year. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe MD's QB is just a sophmore as well. We should hear from other people that are more familiar with Mater Dei namely Amat fans. How is this Mater Dei team? And do you agree/disagree with me that if Mater Dei prepared for this game like they would prepare againts Loyola, the outcome of the game would have been a rout. I mean, WC only scored one TD to begin with no matter how many times they were in the redzone. I can only imagine that MD would have scored a couple of more TD's if they actually did their homework and actually respected the WC defense. And the same goes for the defense.

Went to the Monrovia Game.

First half, The cats didn't seem very motivated. They only had 2 field goals. 2nd half was amazing. Had nice hitting and the Cats took control. The running backs were awesome other than one of our players dropping the ball on Punt Return, but other than that the 2nd half was awesome.

There was a big pump for the Kicker Sean Kelly. This kicker is amazing. He made a 45 yarder.

Overall I think that the game would have been much better if it was at 7:00 instead of 3:15. Good ending though, 42-12 (played vs Duarte)

Not only did their varsity win but their Freshman thrashed Duarte's Soph-Frosh team. Final score was 36-0. Their offense is awesome. And their defense is better. Their Defense only allowed 1 or 2 first downs through the whole game. The D-line was all over their quarterback. The quarterback only made I think 3 passes the whole game. their DE #55 really contained the outside. Everytime they went to the outside it was a loss of yards.

Overall, The Varsity and Freshman is off to a good start.

FreshmanDE

Its saturday night & I'm watching West Covina's Walter thurmond play for Oregon Ducks against the Fresno Bulldogs he just made a nice tackle that the commentator complimented him on, way to go Walter.

To all the naysayers about Verti and his age. Remember, the head coach at Concord De La Salle, Bob Ladeceur, got started there as the head guy at a similar age, perhaps younger.

Funny thing about that, I think Mike Difiori played his high school ball at De La Salle and now coaches at La Salle.

It's no surprise that WestCo had a lot of yards, but not a lot of points. The spread offense works great when you have a speed advantage on the other team. It sounds like things went as I had hoped once the game was moved to Mt. Sac's fast field. However, the speed advantage is seriously reduced once the offense gets into the hot zone and the field is shortened. You had better score on big plays because the hotzone requires muscle, most of the time. Props to WestCo for having a lot of heart, but nobody should be surprised that this talented group amassed a lot of yards. It's all geometry and physics.

I know you Damien honks don't want to hear this, but I'd keep Mendrun out until league then try to make a run. He's too valuable to risk.

Talk about heroic! Danny Pertusati came in to not only get the go ahead score but the conversion as well. Not to mention he was making plays on defense all night long. He actually took a shot to the head from Bosco's #20 on the previous drive and still had the poise to lead the Spartans to a Victory! Yes, I said it, V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!!!

okay the news on mendrun is good! he did not break a rib and he doesnt have spleen or face injuries. he is home safe with a bruised lung, and knowing mark he'll be ready to go in a few weeks!

Bluorca

WC did not play last week, scrimmaged Claremont, and Mater Dei Scrimmaged Chapparal, so WC did not have game under belt. You may be correct with rest of what you said.

Bluorca this was West Covina's first game also,
not their second so its also hughe that they started this game just as green in the season as Mater Dei. I don't know if I agree about your 42 to 0 score & Mater Dei being at 75 % intensity, I can see them being a little overconfident but I can also see them not wanting to come up here & look bad against a lower div. school, I'm sure Coach Rollie drilled his team about being overconfident as he is one of the best coaches in the Southland & who is to say that the emphasis at practice week prior to the game couldn't have been for Mater Dei to show this lower div. challenger they don't belong on the same field as the Monarchs, Mater Dei looked just as fired up warming up before the game as West Covina, they did not look laxed in any way whatsoever. Truth is the speed & running ability of William Wallace & his sophmore brother caught the Monarchs by suprise. I can agree that later in the season the Monarchs will be better & I feel that later in the season maybe the game would be a real 28 to 10 difference
because this game should have been closer.

The end of the Damien game was a heartbreaker. It really bothered me to see members of Bosco's staff getting in some Damien players faces when time expired the first time. However, the Spartans didn't do themselves any favors in the first half. Bosco scored three times on short drives because of an interception, a good punt return, and a great kick return. The kick return was a killer because Damien's kicker booted the ball into the endzone for a touchback, but someone on coverage was offside. On the re-kick the Bosco return man brought the ball all the way down to about Damien's 12 yard line.

Damien had a little trouble stopping the run on D and their own running backs looked OK, but not great. However, Mendrun played one of the best games I've ever seen out of a Damien QB. He really spread the ball around to all of his recievers, who all looked very good. They were playing from behind all night long, but they never went away.

Overall, I was impressed by Damien. They are playing some very good teams in the future, but if they play like they did last night, they'll have a chance to win all of them.

Amat Game...It was just as I had feared. Vereen (RB) from Valencia killed us over and over again. It didnt help that Amat's defense was tackling like no one had any fingers either. Vereen is going to Cal on full scholarship next year. Amat's entire defense looks like it needs a major overhall. When I think of having to play Notre Dame and Loyola, I fear that Amat might not even make the playoffs if some major fixings/adjustments are not made. Fortunately, Amat's McBride and Gaisie had very good games themselves. Does anyone know how bad Gaisie's injury is? After last nights fiasco I believe that Amat needs to try out a new QB. Valencia is not known for their defense this year and yet they picked off ball after ball. Who are Amat's other QBs? I still have faith that this Amat squad is only going to get better like they always do. I just hope they are able to maintain their intensity no matter who they are playing. There are no easy games for our Lancers! WE ARE!!!....AMAT!!!.....WE ARE....AMAT!!!

WestCovina.....Gotta give the Bulldogs props for being able to punch it out with Mater Dei. BE CAREFUL about how confident you are though because Mater Dei DEFINITELY underestimated you. The entire school underestimated you which is why the crownd was smaller than expected. Remember that this was Mater Dei's first game of the season and an away one at that. This is the weakest that Mater Dei is going to be this year and the Bulldogs already had one game exprience (which is HUGE at the high school level) over the Monarchs. I assume that the Bulldogs probably gave 110% and prepared for this game like it was the Super Bowl. On the other hand, Mater Dei probably gave about 75% and paid you all ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT. I honestly believe that if Mater Dei's game intensity was raised and they had prepared for West Covina they way they prepare when they play Loyola or Amat, the score would have been more like 42-0. Regardless, you guys will probably go undefeated for the rest of your season if you maintain the same intensity as you did last night...Good luck!

Congrats to the Braves of St. John Bosco. These guys are always tough to play and they bring it every week. Even though I thought Damien was going to win the results of this game do not suprise me. Bosco always fields teams that are notorious for upset wins. They have been more than a thorn in Amat's side when they were in league together. Damien will still win their league though so dont worry Spartans!!

See that's what gets me in trouble, lol. Thought it was the Umpire who monitors the clock for the Referee (White hat) but it's the Line Judge that monitors the game clock. The Umpire confers and helps the Referee with the call. Referee is really the only one who breaks it down to the head coaches and has the final say. Sometimes when people think you're wrong you're just mistaken. But yeah it's been a while since I was asked that question? lol

DHS Dad don't you mean the ref? not ump?

Two things- I believe the Umpire keeps the time when there's seconds remaining in the game, after time outs or clock stoppage so teams (home /away) don't get jobbed. 10 seconds or less if I remember. Guessing that's what happened.
Second - give the devil (no pun intended) his due. SJB had 55 seconds (or 56 seconds ) to return a kickoff. Move the ball down the field, settle down after the emotional rollercoaster of losing *( and watching the Damien faithful storm the field) and still when the dust settled, set up, execute a perfect hold and "ice cold" a perfect 45 yarder! Just like the Patriots kicker in the Super Bowl. That was clutch! Kiki and his staff really stepped up but ...those kids from SJB...wow! Same for the Spartans men..BIG TIME SLUGFEST!
Finally, ANY news on Mendrum? Spartan vs. Braves- a classic rivalry in the making.

TURNOVERS & POOR TACKLING ! Cost Amat game. Valencia scored on every turnover made by the lancers in first half. Take away turnovers & score w/b 35-37 Amat. Were are all the big Hitters at ! To many players were arm tackling & reaching to try & make plays. Grigsby & Vareen are great runners but, we made them look like NFL Pros with poor tackling. Take away the turnovers & work on some tackling drills & Amat will be alright.

Damien showed their ability to come back from adversity time again in their game against Bosco.
Bosco O-line is gigantic, but the Damien defense played aggressive despite the size mismatch.

Again, too many big plays for the Bosco "O" were allowed by the defense, especially up the middle.

Mendrun played with poise, confidence, and his leadership is unquestionable. On the play he got injured, he made critical yardage on Damien's final drive that lead to Damien taking the lead with 40 or so seconds left. Then the Damien coach opted to go for two points---Wow what a finish!!--this before Bosco early Christmas present.

I wish Mendrun the best and a speedy recovery---he's got the heart of a lion.

Bosco came right back, moved down the field with the run on two HUGE plays.

Still at the end, Kiki and his staff outright intimidated the line judge (as I hear it). The clock was definitely out of time, and the refs were verbally "bludgeoned" and capitulated to the whines of the Bosco staff.

I'm certain the Bosco fans can't be feeling too good about the way they won. They should also evaluate the behavior of their coaching staff.

I'm sure more will come to light on this issue in the days ahead.

Damien proved they can play with anybody. Great job Spartans.

Went to the Los Altos game, Not as impressed with the score as some might think. No disrespect to Rosemead but they were out sized and had no place in the game. As for Casteneda, 5'7" is a reach he stands about 5'5" and has a hard time seeing over his line. His receivers made him look better than he is, they are pretty good and made some very good catches coming back to the ball. The DB's for Rosemead couldn't run with them and had a problem with reacting to the ball, they looked shell shocked from the start. I am glad that they won the game but Castenenda has no place in the LA records along with the great QB's of the past. As for the tight end #84, he did run over a couple guys about 1/2 his size. I think with the right coaching he will be a good one, they need to work on his blocking technique and get him a little faster and than he will be highly recruited next year. The running back transfer, Big strong kid, but he need to learn to hit the hole and deliver a blow. Against that defence he should have had close to 200 yards, he looks to be afraid to get hit and that in all means was no St Frances, Damien or even LB Wilson. The o-line gave some good protection and had opened some holes that should have been hit harder, I was impressed with the way some of the smaller backs hit the hole. I just didn't see enough to say that they are in the top 5 in the valley. This is just an observation by someone that has been watching the Valley football scene for 25+ years.

Saw only the second half of the Damien SJB game but Mendrum was incredible! Strong, smart, effecient and accurate. What a great football player. Took a tremendously hard clean shot near the goal line! If there's a better gamer in the valley...show me! Kid's a class act. Prayers go out to him and his family.Ending was chaotic at best. Alot of great players playing their hearts out- on both sides. NOW WE'RE TALKING FOOTBALL! Now's the time for the team to accept their potential greatness and continue this level of play. Taylor Herrera you are the real deal! Check this kid out. One thing about the ending that sticks with me and that's this- There didn't seem to be much confusion on the part of the referees when they made the call from my vantage point on the sidelines, tough to get jobbed at home but it happens, move on and regroup. Remember this is Pre-Season - work it out! Too many great Damien performances to soil this comeback. DT Luetin keep up the good work. You're coming on and by league you WILL shine- BELIEVE THAT!Listen to your coaches and remember Technique, Technique, Technique. Make plays! Lose the linemen you're kicking the crap out of and MAKE TACKLES! . De La Torre man beast again does this kid ever let up-solid!. Kudos to Perusati , what a gutsy performance after Mendrum went down. What a game , what a crowd, Damien still the best place to watch a game- CLASS OF THE VALLEY!. SJB good luck the rest on the way. Until we meet again. Go Catholics!

Went to the West Co vs Mater Dei game fearing I was about to see a blow out, but I was pleasantly
suprised as the game was closer than the 28 to 10 score indicated. The halftime score was 14 to 3[West Co had driven inside the 5 twice but only scored a field goal] and with about 9 minutes left the score was 21 to 10. The last TD should have been a penalty on Mater Dei's reciever as he pushed off the West Co defender on 3rd & 11 on the 12 yard line for a TD[correct me if I'm wrong Aram]. The Bulldogs did a good job containing Oregon state bound Ahmed Mokhtar and were tough against the run for most of the night, the problem was the huge offensive line for Mater Dei as West co could not get any pressure on Mater Dei's QB
& so they could not stop the passing game. Once
Mater Dei got the passing game going it made the run game a little more effective. The Bulldogs offense looked good and was able to make several big plays on the Monarchs when they had room to move but as they got inside the 5 Mater Dei was just to big and defended the goal line exceptionally well. Mater Dei's passing game looked good.
Before tonight I thought to myself that West Co
might have been a little overrated but after tonight I feel they have the potential to be as good as the hype if they keep working hard and stay injury free.

I went to the AMAT game at Valencia, and let me tell you, it was the biggest offensive showdowns thus far this year. Vereen from Valencia was just unstoppable. His speed was unbelievable, and his strength was great as well [he carried 3 Lancers on the openning kickoff before being tackled]. The kid is an athlete. The Lancer offense was really productive with its ground game as Gaisie and McBride always seemed to find the holes for big gains. The fullbacks Gamez and Wagner hit the hole hard too near the end of the game. Both defenses had their problems, Valencia couldn't stop the run and AMAT couldn't stop the pass. I talked to a couple of the AMAT players after the game and they are already fired up about playing Hart. Its gonna be a great game. I also heard that the Valencia coaches were trying to get the "upper edge" by sending one of their coaches over behind the AMAT stands [it was a hill behind]. Sounds to me like there was some cheating going on, but that is up to CIF to decide.

Good Luck to the Lancers next week vs. Hart. Its gonna be big, first home game of the year. Expect some big hits.

damien got cheated out of a win tonight just to let everyone kno the clock expired and boscos coach came running on the field like a lil girl and so the refs gave them one more play and bosco won if you were at the game you would kno but keep Mark Mendrun in your prayers and his family

Yeah it is true Mark Mendrun is hurt he broke a rib and might have face and spleen damages. Keep Mark in your players he is our leader so be with him!

I saw CO punter get laid out and i hope he is okay he took a hard hit

I heard that Mendrun got hurt too is that true