The East held its first practice on Friday evening at Baldwin Park HS. Nice new stadium, by the way. First off, the best scene had to be the two first moms of SGV quarterbacks – Mrs. McDonough and Mrs. Mendrun – talking in the stands. About the action. It was a pretty well attended session in terms of players and fans, including one loyal blogger who will hopefully share his thoughts below. Most of the players were there. Notably absent were Glendora’s Jordan Edmond (at a national track meet) and West Covina’s William Wallace (supposedly a communication mix up). Both 1st Team All-Area standouts are expected to be back at practice soon. Damien WR Travis Eschardies was there, but a bulging disc in his back might keep him out of the game. The players were only in shoulder pads and helmets, but that didn’t stop the action from being good. McDonough stole the show with some great throws and some even better runs. After one of his runs and a good gang tackle by the defense, McD bounced up and yelled “You can hit this quarterback!” It had to be the line of the night. After another good run, he yelled “That’s 15 yards right there.” It was truly a treat to see Mendrun and McDonough throw to guys like Jon Joe and Michael Johnson. Then to see Jamal James line-up at corner against Johnson was awesome. And then there was Bonita’s Phillip Aguayo. Talk about one fluid receiver. Very impressive. But just as you tried to watch the WR/DB matchups, which included Philip Chase covering Aaron Harris (two great athletes), your attention was taken away by the line drills. First off, let me say that Jesse Cervantes from Amat is an animal. Sam Lavea and Ralph Diaz were also amazing to see in speed rushing drills. This team is absolutely loaded. Any questions one might have about eastside talent can be quickly answered by watching these guys get after it. It was a blast to watch all the rivals team up. BP and East coach James Heggins told me they are planning for a game-like (full pads) scrimmage on Saturday, June 30. There will probably be a snack bar and some music to go along with the game-like action. Should be a fun day and a great opportunity for fans to get a look at the talent.