Steve Ramirez and Fred J. Robledo going head-to-head throughout the season.
Records:
Robledo: Last week (14-4); Season (116-45)
Ramirez: Last week (14-4); Season (117-44)
Notes: With three weeks left in the regular season and the playoffs looming, Ramirez and I are neck-and-neck. We both went 14-4 last week, sharing three of the same losses. We both picked Bishop Amat over Alemany, Rosemead over El Monte and San Dimas over Baldwin Park. Steve got me on picking La Puente over Sierra Vista, but I had Chino beating Diamond Bar, so he will take his one-game lead into this week. And nothing’s going to change. For the first time, we picked all the same games. That’s just how it worked out, I always pick my games first then ask Steve for his. He doesn’t know who I picked, so that’s how the cards fell.
Game of the week: South El Monte (3-4, 2-0) at Arroyo (5-2, 2-0), 7 p.m.
Thursday’s games
Baldwin Park vs. Pomona at Ganesha, 7 p.m. — Robledo (BPark); Ramirez (BPark)
Glendora at Chino, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Glendora); Ramirez (Glendora)
Friday’s games
Northview at San Dimas, 7 p.m. — Robledo (San Dimas); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Charter Oak at Los Altos, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Charter Oak); Ramirez (Charter Oak)
South El Monte at Arroyo, 7 p.m. — Robledo (SElMonte); Ramirez (SElMonte)
Diamond Ranch vs. Wilson at Ganesha, 7 p.m. — Robledo (DRanch); Ramirez (DRanch)
Bishop Amat vs. Crespi at L.A. Pierce College, 7:30 p.m. — Rolbedo (Crespi); Ramirez (Crespi)
Nogales at West Covina, 7 p.m. — Robledo (WCovina); Ramirez (WCovina)
South Hills at Rowland, 7 p.m. — Robledo (SHills); Ramirez (SHills)
Damien at Diamond Bar, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Damien); Ramirez (Damien)
Rosemead at Gabrielino, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Rosemead); Ramirez (Rosemead)
Covina vs. Ganesha at Covina District, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Covina); Ramirez (Covina)
Duarte at Bassett, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Duarte); Ramirez (Duarte)
El Monte at Mountain View, 7 p.m. — Robledo (El Monte); Ramirez (El Monte)
Gladstone at La Puente, 7 p.m. — Robledo (La Puente); Ramirez (La Puente)
Workman vs. Azusa at Citrus College, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
Walnut at Bonita, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Bonita)
Saturday’s game
Western Christian vs. Ontario Christian at Citrus College, Noon — Robledo (Ont Christian); Ramirez (Ont Christian)
Final Thoughts: Los Altos apparently has lost Bryce Mahmud-McBride for the rest of the season with a broken leg. He joins fellow seniors Raymond Rodriguez and Josh Contreas, who were all potential Miramonte League standouts if not obvious first-team choices. Yet, even without Mahmud-McBride for nearly the whole game, the Conquerors had Diamond Ranch beat with less than a minute left before Diamond Ranch’s miracle. What I’m saying is as bad as looks, don’t ever count Los Altos out in a game against Charter Oak, which I’m guessing will be much closer than people think it will. I thought Friday would settle the Valle Vista League title until Baldwin Park showed up and knocked out undefeated San Dimas. If Northview wins on Friday, circle your calendar for Nov. 9 — when the Braves take on the Vikings at Covina District. Arroyo and yes, South El Monte could be deciding the Mission Valley League title this week. Both teams are 2-0 while pre-league favorite Rosemead is a shocking 0-2. South El Monte is becoming the feel-good story of the year. To start 0-4 and come back the way they have says a lot about those kids character, and the determination of their coaching staff.
