January 2009 Archives

There was nothing complicated about Glendora High School's gameplan against rival Damien.
But the Tartans showed Friday night that even the simpliest of things can be quite effective.
Kos Russell and Calvin Smith scored 13 points each and Glendora shut down the Spartans in the first half to stay in the hunt for a Sierra League boys basketball title with a 54-40 victory at Damien High.
Glendora, also getting 10 points from Brian Downard and 12 rebounds from Brad Gatlin, held the Spartans to just four field goals and 11 points in the first half to improve to 18-6 overall and 5-1 in league. Damien, getting12 points from Chris Adams and 11 from Jacob Latham, lost for the fifth time in six league games and dropped to 14-9 overall.

To get results into the newspaper, call 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233, 2242 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions. Also, we do not have reporters at every game like football, so the scoreboard is tough to update. If you're at a game, please come back and post the final score in the comments section, thanks.

Friday's boys basketball schedule
Sierra League
Glendora 54, at Damien 40
Chino at Diamond Bar, 7 p.m.
Chino Hills at Ayala, 7 p.m.
Del Rey League
Bishop Amat at Cathedral, 7:30 p.m.
Miramonte League
Charter Oak at Diamond Ranch, 7 p.m.
Bonita at Los Altos, 7 p.m.
Mission Valley League
At Gabrielino 64, South El Monte 59
Rosemead at Mountain View, 6:30 p.m.
Arroyo 50, at El Monte 40
Montview League
Sierra Vista at Workman, 6 p.m.
Gladstone 49, at Azusa 44
Bassett at La Puente, 6 p.m.
San Antonio League
At Nogales 80, South Hills 74
Walnut 64, at West Covina 60
Valle Vista League
Northview at Ganesha, 7 p.m.
Pomona at Covina, 7 p.m.
San Dimas at Baldwin Park, 7 p.m.
Nonleague
At Rowland 72, Wilson 42

View from the Sidelines Column
It's been an interesting year for high school football coaches. Maybe a sad and hard-to- understand year is a better way of describing it.
Over at St. Paul, principal Lori Barr fired coach Pete Gonzalez a year after he won a championship - and didn't offer any explanation, choosing to take the "no comment" route.
Wilson first-year coach Greg Hoyd wasn't fired, but was basically forced to resign after going 1-9 and being transferred from Wilson to another school in the district.
A year after La Puente Coach Ray Hernandez won a league title and coached in the Hall of Fame All-Star game, he butted heads with his own school's administration on how he should discipline players. That led to his resignation.
To continue reading, click thread

I don't know what the heck a twitter is or does, but I'm told it helps with our traffic and makes it easier for you to follow our blog. Here's the link, which you will also see at the top right of our blog.

The Baldwin Park boys soccer team improved to 18-1, but it wasn't easy. Northview gave them everything they could handle before losing 1-0 on a penalty kick in the 57th minute converted by Edgar Padilla. The Braves dominated in the second half, but as well as the Vikes played, they didn't deserve to lose on a silly penalty-kick call that normally isn't called in a situation like that. The small bumpy field didn't help the Braves, but they played well in the second half and deserve to be ranked No. 1 when the new rankings come out next week.

To get results into the newspaper, call 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233, 2242 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions. Also, we do not have reporters at every game like football, so the scoreboard is tough to update. If you're at a game, please come back and post the final score in the comments section, thanks.

Just when you thought South Hills was afraid of playing the big-time heavyweights, coach Steve Bogan surprises everyone with this announcement. Because of the state of the Duarte High School football program, the Huskies have dropped their week three game with the Falcons for a mammoth game against Tesoro at Covina District Field in the middle of September. This is the same Tesoro that lost to Long Beach Poly in the Pac-5 championship, and should put to rest any kind of thought that South Hills is afraid to take on the big boys. Charter Oak, now it's your turn. Mission Viejo or Bishop Amat will do.

Coach Bogan shown living it up on his wave runner, showed his competitiveness as well by signing a big-time contract to host Tesoro.

I got some information from last night's Catholic Athletic Association meeting for football re-leaguing, where a serious discussion broke out in regards to making the Serra League arguably the toughest league in the Southern Section. Basically it was proposed that Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure join the Serra along with Notre Dame, Crespi, Bishop Amat and Loyola to form a mammoth six-team league in 2010. The first round of official proposals are due on March 11, the second round of proposals due on April 8, with a final decision on April 29. Stay tuned.

Another great Amat Video ...

I get all call this morning from one of Duarte's biggest boosters, telling me that Lavelle "Tip" Sanders is interested in taking over at Duarte. My first thought is he would work and do wonders, if Duarte is willing to take on a walk-on coach, because Sanders doesn't have a credential, he's a security guard who happens to be one of the best coaches in the Valley. There's no arguing that. When I was working at the Star-News, I watched him take a nothing team at Marshall and turn them into league champs and a CIF semifinal appearance. Everyone watched him take lowly Blair to the Rio Hondo League title and quarterfinal appearance in just his second season at the school in 2007, earning Star-News coach of the year honors. Tip is a no-nonsense coach that demands respect, and if he doesn't get it, you won't play for him, period. He didn't coach anywhere this past season, and speaking honestly like he always does, he said his first preference is Pasadena. He's been an assistant there off and on for many years, and that's his dream job. But he also like's the thought of Duarte. Here's a little Q & A from our conversation. To read it, click thread

I'm not talking about cheer tournaments and trophies, I'm talking about the best cheer at games, period. I don't know how many Monster or Red Bull's it takes to do what they do, but they're entertaining. I found this video to show one one of their tricks, but it still doesn't do them justice. This is sure a lot better than other cheer teams that rarely leave the bench.

Diamond Ranch 63, Nogales 46 -- The Panthers duo were simply too much as 6-foot-10 center Chris Cunningham had 21 points and 17 rebounds and Garrett Johnson finished with a game high 27 points, hitting four-of-five from the 3-point range. Aaron De Anda had 12 for Nogales and Randal Guillory finished with 13.

Sierra League
Glendora 52, Ayala 38
Diamond Bar 62, Damien 45

Above: Nogales coach Ricky Roper has his team ready for the big game.

We may not have a CIF tournament in the San Gabriel Valley, but in our little Tribune Poll, this is for all the marbles, for the undisputed top ranking in the San Gabriel Valley. No. 1 Diamond Ranch (16-4) is hosting No. 2 Nogales (17-5) at 6:30 p.m.

Fred's pick: We haven't seen the best of Nogales yet, I've been so impressed with their starting lineup and overall depth. My guess is there will be a new No. 1 when the night is over. Nogales by 3.

To get results into the newspaper, call 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233, 2242 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions. Also, we do not have reporters at every game like football, so the scoreboard is tough to update. If you're at a game, please come back and post the final score in the comments section, thanks.

Wednesday's results
Boys Basketball
Nonleague
Diamond Ranch 63, Nogales 46
Del Rey League
Serra at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m. (Pick: Serra)
Miramonte League
Charter Oak at Bonita, 6:30 p.m. (Pick: Bonita)
Wilson at Los Altos, 6:30 p.m. (Pick: Los Altos)
Mission Valley League
South El Monte 52, Rosemead 49
Mountain View 53, El Monte 46
Arroyo at Gabrielino, 6:30 p.m. (Pick: Arroyo)
Montview League
Workman 74, La Puente 48
Sierra Vista 74, Azusa 72, 2 OT
Gladstone 45, Duarte 44
San Antonio League
South Hills 54, West Covina 49
Walnut at Rowland, 6:30 p.m. (Pick: Walnut)
Valle Vista League
Nothview 68, Covina 49
Baldwin Park at Ganesha, 6:30 p.m. (Pick: BPark)
San Dimas 47, Pomona 38

Anything and anyone you want to talk about

This thread is for all you high school baseball and softball junkies to talk about anything and anyone you want. We're getting closer, I'll start calling coaches next week about season previews. Anyone got a good idea for a cover shot to lead the baseball spring preview story? Also looking for a softball cover shot.

Above: Last year's signees came to the Tribune for a group picture.

I'm gathering a list of local athletes that are signing national letters of intent next week. I have most of them, but go ahead and list who you know because someone always slips through the cracks. It seems every year there are a few we miss simply because we never have any information passed on from the school or the players. Here's your chance, I want to mention everyone in a story next week.

I just got an email from South El Monte head football coach Erick Escamilla, who is stepping down after 12 years with the Eagles. We will have more later, but here is the email he sent out to his colleagues, friends and news outlets...

The time has come to step down as Head Football Coach at South El Monte HS. Thank you to all the players who played for me, all the coaches who coached with me, and to all the fans who supported us. I have been Head Coach for 12 years and have coached at SEM for all 17 years of its existence. So many great memories, too many to mention.. but I must say thank you to Bill Thompson, my mentor, the man who taught me that their is no substitute for discipline and hard work, all success of SEM Football goes back to Coach Thompson. Also to Vic Chavez, the first principal at SEMHS, and the man who had the guts to hire me as Head Coach at age 29, thanks Bill and Vic. So it is time for someone else to take the torch from my hands and to lead the Eagles to bigger and better things, again, thanks to everybody and it's been a hell of a run.
-- Erick Escamilla

Bonita High's McKenna Tippings scores the game winner on a beautiful assist from Angelica Padilla, both seen here celebrating

To get results into the newspaper, call 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233, 2242 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions. Also, we do not have reporters at every game like football, so the scoreboard is tough to update. If you're at a game, please come back and post the final score in the comments section, thanks.

Boys Soccer
Tuesday's results
Los Altos 3, Wilson 2 -- Los Altos jumps out to a 3-0 lead and holds on to knock off Tribune's top-ranked team.
Bonita 1, Charter Oak 0 - Scott McGrath scored in the 15th minute for the lone goal.
West Covina 2, South Hills 0 -- In a battle for first place in the San Antonio, Ivan Del Real and Lous Arevalo scored as the Bulldogs improved to 10-2-2 and 4-0. South Hills is now 8-4-2 and 3-1.
Gladstone 3, Duarte 1 - Antonio Bernal scored twice as the Gladiators improved to 10-7-1 and 5-2.
Sierra Vista 4, Azusa 0 - The Dons continued their scorring barrage, getting two from Eddie Gomez to improve to 14-2-2 and a perfect 8-0 in the Montview.
La Puente 1, Workman 0 - Alex Velazquez scored the long goal in the 55th minute to improve to 8-4-5 and 5-2-1.

Girls Soccer
Bonita 2, Charter Oak 1, OT - Freshamn McKenna Tippings scores in second overtime on an assist from Angelica Padilla to lift the Bearcats to victory.
Bishop Amat 5, Mary Star 0 - Selena Quezada and April Juarez each scored a pair of goal as the Lancers got a big Del Rey league win to improve to 13-2-3 and 1-2-1.
La Puente 1, Workman 0 - We got just a score
Walnut 3, Rowland 0 -- Ditto, just a score
South Hills 6, West Covina 0 - Natalie Maxey scored a pair as the Huskies improved to 11-7-1 and 3-1.

Above: Bonita's Padilla getting a little crazy ... I guess this is what she calls "Kicking Butt"

Read today's column by John Smallwood of the Phadelphia Daily News. He tackles the recent arrest of Kentucky High School football coach David Jason Stinson, who pleaded not guilty on Monday to reckless homicide in the heat-related death of a 15-year-old player who collapsed while running sprints during a football practice in the hot August sun. On Thursday, we'll have a story with local reaction from area coaches on how this recent development changes their approach.

By John Smallwood
Philadelphia Daily News
No matter what the verdict is, this will be extremely difficult.
On one hand, there is a dead child -- 15-year-old Max Gilpin who collapsed and died of heat stroke during practice for a high school football team in Louisville, Ky.
Then there is David Jason Stinson, the coach at Pleasure Ridge Park High who ran practice on that tragic day last August.
To continue reading, click thread

This story comes from longtime staffer Jim McConnell, the man we call, "The King" around the office. He writes a weekly Then & Now column. This week he writes about girls basketball.

CIF-sanctioned girls basketball has been around for 35 seasons.
During that time, two things have become abundantly evident: A) the girls can't jump, run or dribble with the same efficiency as boys; and B) "a" doesn't matter.
Girls basketball is a sport onto itself. Judged on their own merits, CIF-Southern Section programs have been quite successful.
To continue reading click thread

Above: Nogales' Aaron De Anda licking his chops in anticipation of Wednesday's showdown against Diamond Ranch for area supremacy.

Boys Basketball top ten poll
1. Diamond Ranch (16-4)
Escaped with one-point win over Rowland
2. Nogales (17-5)
Takes on No. 1 DRanch in huge nonleague showdown Wednesday
3. Bonita (18-3)
Waiting for Feb. 4 rematch with Diamond Ranch
4. Glendora (16-6)
Tartans steadily improves as season moves on
5. Damien (14-7)
Nice head-to-head win over Northview
6. Northview (15-6)
Does extremely well for a team this undersized
7. Bishop Amat (16-5)
Will struggle to make playoffs in Del Rey
8. Diamond Bar (12-8)
Gets a huge, huge win over Chino Hills, 56-53
9. Workman (14-5)
Cezar Guerrero averaging area best 27 points
10. Walnut (15-5)
Hammered in showdown against Nogales

Boys Basketball standings
Arrowhead League
Christian League
Del Rey League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League
Montview League
Mission Valley League
Miramonte League

Above: Glendora's Aissa Sanchez celebrates a goal. Her Tartans host No. 1 St. Lucy's on Friday.

Girls Soccer top ten poll
1. St. Lucy's (10-2-4)
Oooh weee, 4-0 in the Sierra and getting better
2. Glendora (13-5-3)
Huge rematch against St. Lucy's on Friday
3. Walnut (8-5-2)
They're baaaack, on four-game win streak
4. Bishop Amat (12-2-4)
Del Rey league is certainly humbling
5. South Hills (9-7-2)
Struggling with consistency, can't get over that hump
6. Los Altos (12-6-2)
After brief skid, they're back after DRanch win.
7. Diamond Ranch (5-5-2)
Loses 1-0 to Los Altos, 3-1 in Miramonte
8. Charter Oak (11-5-3)
In tight three-team league race
9. San Dimas (11-4-4)
Not many tests in the Valle Vista
10. Rowland (7-5-3)
Surprising 2-1 start in San Antonio

Girls Soccer standings
Del Rey League
Christian League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Above: Wilson standout Mira Valdez

Boys Soccer top ten poll
1. Wilson (14-2-2)
Mira Valdez is the straw that stirs the drink
2. Baldwin Park (16-1)
Unbelievable start, but too bad VVL isn't tougher
3. Sierra Vista (12-1-2)
Did they really beat Gladstone 9-4? That's a hockey score
4. Mountain View (12-4-2)
Already 4-0 in MVL. Could go unbeaten in league
5. Diamond Ranch (10-3-1)
Four-time league champs losing grip on league race
6. West Covina (9-2-2)
Bulldogs taking control of San Antonio
7. Bishop Amat (12-5-2)
Tough 4-3 loss to Bosco Tech
8. Los Altos (9-2)
Huge showdown with rival Wilson
9. Rosemead (8-4-3)
Only league loss against Mountain View
10. Diamond Bar (8-6-2)
Humbled in 4-0 loss to Chino Hills

Note: South Hills not reporting scores, stats or schedule, so they can't be ranked without information.

Boys Soccer Standings
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Above: South Hills coach Tiffany Liang is expecting soon. We heard she planned her end of the season team party near the hospital, just in case that time comes sooner that expected.

1. Diamond Ranch (15-4)
How scary considering they start two freshman
2. Bishop Amat (16-3)
Impressive three-game win streak
3. Sierra Vista (14-3)
Coach Locklear is way underrated
4. Walnut (12-7)
Huge win over much-bigger South Hills
5. South Hills (12-6)
Turnover prone. Guards need to step up.
6. St. Lucy's (11-6)
Fighting for playoff spot in Sierra
7. Bonita (13-7)
Looks good whenever they don't play DRanch
8. Diamond Bar (10-9)
Much improved over a year ago
9. Covina (13-6)
No real challenges in Valle Vista
10. West Covina (12-8)
Third-best in tight league race.

Girls Basketball standings
Christian League
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

First, St. Paul principal Lori Barr fires coach Pete Gonzalez, then doesn't explain why she fires a coach who won a championship the previous year. Now you have this first-year principal, Eric Barba at Duarte, firing coach Wardell Crutchfield, then hiding behind his "we want to move in a different direction," statement. Just once I wish these principals would tell us what direction it is they wish to head in. With respect to Crutchfield, why did Barba wait so long? Now the Falcons are in the 11th hour looking for a coach with spring practice around the corner. Barba's timing couldn't of been any worse. Not even sure if there's a teaching position available since Crutchfield will remain at the school as a teacher. Is this really the best move in these economic times? Duarte was 9-22 combined in the three years before Crutchfield arrived. During Crutch's tenure, four of his players earned D-1 scholarships. He took the Falcons to the quarters in three of the four years he was there, and though he spoke his mind, which sometimes got him in trouble, his players loved him because he always had their best interest in mind. They were 6-6 this past season, but so what, he took a team from a bad league and challenged South Hills, Ayala, rival Monrovia. In fact, all four non-league teams the Falcons faced had winning records. This was a bad move all the way around, and another principal making a change without thinking it all through. Don't be surprised if the Falcons lose loyal Crutchfield players to neighboring schools, and believe me, there are many of them.

Tuesday's story
Without offering any details or commenting on his coaching performance, first-year Duarte High School principal Eric Barba fired Falcons football coach Wardell Crutchfield, one of the most successful coaches in the school's history. Crutchfield, who graduated from San Diego State, played in the Arena Football League and also is a math teacher at the school, told this newspaper in December he was looking forward to next season with the return of standout running back Jordan Canada and his son Wardell Crutchfield III, who will be a junior.
The Falcons were 6-6 this past season, finished second in the Montview League and advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division quarterfinals before losing 41-21 to Monrovia.
"Coaching assignments are on a year-by-year basis," Barba explained on Monday. "Next year we're looking to make a change. We're appreciative of the time Mr. Crutchfield has given to Duarte and our football program, but we want to move in a different direction."
To continue reading, click thread

Posted by Here We Go Again
Fred, The new baseball polls came out yesterday for the state of California. Did you happen to notice which team from the SGV is rated the highest?
2009 Baseball Resource.Com preseason poll
Rank School Overall
1 El Toro 25-7 Sea View CIF-SS
2 Simi Valley 25-8 Marmonte CIF-SS
3 Capistrano Valley 20-9 South Coast CIF-SS
4 Norco 24-4 Mountain View CIF-SS
5 Mater Dei 24-7 Trinity CIF-SS
6 Bishop Amat 27-4 Del Rey CIF-SS
7 Cathedral 27-8 Western CIF-SDS
8 Northview 26-4 Valle Vista CIF-SS
9 Oxnard 21-6 Pacific View CIF-SS
10 Los Alamitos 26-4 Sunset CIF-SS
11 La Costa Canyon 22-13 Palomar CIF-SDS
12 Poway 31-6 Palomar CIF-SDS
13 Patriot 27-3 Sunkist CIF-SS
14 Royal 19-9 Marmonte CIF-SS
15 Grossmont 29-7 Grossmont - North CIF-SDS
16 Chatsworth 29-5 West Valley CIF-LA
17 Lancaster 16-12 Golden CIF-SS
18 Thousand Oaks 20-10 Marmonte CIF-SS
19 Wilson 28-6-1 Moore CIF-SS
20 Orange Lutheran 23-6 Trinity CIF-SS

Anything and anyone you want to talk about

It's that time again, I want your boys and girls athlete of the week suggestions and games that you think have to be covered.

The Scouting Guru made the LA Times. Here's what high school reporter Eric Sondheimer had in today's column.

A look at 2010
James Escarcega, who keeps track of top football prospects in the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire, is already identifying top early offer candidates for the class of 2010.

His top prospects include linebacker Ronald Powell from Moreno Valley Rancho Verde (USC offer), running back Deontae Cooper from Perris Citrus Hill, running back Jordon James from Corona, receiver Kenneth Scott from Ontario Colony and running back Derrick Malone from Colton.

South Hills quarterback Cameron Deen has given a verbal commitment to Northern Colorado University during his NCAA official school visit over the weekend. UNC offered Deen last week. Deen chose Northern Colorado over Division II school Missouri Western and Wingate (North Carolina). Deen also had a preferred walk-on offer from the University of Southern California (USC) and a greyshirt offer from Fresno State University. Deen becomes the first quarterback at South Hills to earn a D-1 scholarship offer since Ryan Leadingham during the 1999 season.

"I am very happy to be going to a great program like Northern Colorado," Deen said. "The campus is great, the coaches are terrific and this was a situation that was too good to pass up. I am very thankful to Coach Bogan (South Hills HS Head Football Coach), Ms. (Judi) North (Principal at South Hills High School) and the rest of the coaching staff at South Hills for all of their support. I also want to thank my family and all my friends who helped me throughout this process."

"This is another great day for South Hills HS Football," commented South Hills Head Coach Steve Bogan said. "Cameron did an outstanding job for us this year and we are very excited that he has picked a great university in Northern Colorado. They are getting a great quarterback and most importantly, an outstanding student with great family support. Plus, he's a team leader. On behalf of South Hills Football, we wish him nothing but the best in his new journey in life."

By Brandon Huffman, Scout.com
West Recruiting Manager
Diamond Bar cornerback Colin Lockett committed to San Diego State after making a trip south to visit the Aztecs
"My trip went real good," said Lockett. "I actually committed while I was on my visit."
New cornerbacks coach Tony White was recruiting Lockett, and White knew of Lockett, having been a grad assistant at UCLA when his older brother, Bret, was playing for the Bruins. "Coach White was there while my brother was there so it's pretty good to have him there," said Lockett. Lockett was getting anxious about his future, especially late in the game. "I was pretty excited, because recruiting wise, it was about to end soon. So when they offered me on the visit, I didn't take long at all to answer. It's close to home and I'll get a good education."

Associated Press
DALLAS -- The coach of a Texas high school basketball team that beat another team 100-0 was fired Sunday, the same day he sent an e-mail to a newspaper saying he will not apologize "for a wide-margin victory when my girls played with honor and integrity."
Kyle Queal, the headmaster for Covenant School, said in The Dallas Morning News online edition that he could not answer if the firing was a direct result of coach Micah Grimes' e-mail disagreeing with administrators who called the blowout "shameful."
Queal did not immediately answer phone messages or e-mail from The Associated Press.

To continue reading, click thread

This guy takes forever to make his point

I just arrived at Azusa Pacific for today's SoCal Shootout. I'm covering the Rowland-Diamond Ranch, Damien-Northivew and Ontario Christian-Glendora games.
Here are the early scores:
Flintridge Prep 67, Walnut 55
Bishop Amat girls 56, Sonora 28
Ayala 54, West Covina 21

Final: Diamond Ranch 47, Rowland 46
Garrett Johnson buried an 18-footer near the top of the key with 20 seconds left to win it for Diamond Ranch, which rallied from 10 points down in the second half.
Brandon Stansell drove the late with six seconds left, but Chris Cunningham blocked his effort and grabbed it with 0.6 ticks left to win it. Johnson had 18 points to lead Diamond Ranch, which improved to 16-4. Stansell had 11 for Rowland
Final: Damien 76, Northview 73Zach Ward's 3-pointer at the buzzer was short and the Spartans survived for the win. Jacob and Justin Latham scored 17 and 15 points, respectively, to lead Damien. Rigel Skinner had 18 for Northview, which came up short after using a 23-13 surge over the final six minutes.
Final: Glendora 51, Ontario Christian 33Koz Russell had 23 points for the Tartans.

West Covina football coach Mike Maggiore sent me this incredible story about former Bulldog Walter Thurmond IV, now an Oregon Ducks defensive back. Please click the thread and read, it will make you proud.

A High School football coach faces homicide charges after a player collapses at practice and dies. Was it a crime?

Tonight's big game comes from the Valle Vista League, featuring Baldwin Park and Northview at Damien High School for the outright lead in the VVL.

To get results into the newspaper, call 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233, 2242 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions. Also, we do not have reporters at every game like football, so the scoreboard is tough to update. If you're at a game, please come back and post the final score in the comments section, thanks.

Boys Basketball
Friday's games
Del Rey League
St. Bernard at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m.
Miramonte League
Diamond Ranch at Wilson, 6:30 p.m.
Los Altos at Charter Oak, 7 p.m.
Mission Valley League
Mountain View at South El Monte, 6:30 p.m.
Gabrielino at El Monte, 6:30 p.m.
Arroyo at Rosemead, 6:30 p.m.
Montview League
La Puente at Duarte, 6 p.m.
Azusa at Bassett, 6 p.m.
Sierra Vista at Gladstone, 6 p.m.
San Antonio League
West Covina at Nogales, 6:30 p.m.
Rowland at South Hills, 6:30 p.m.
Sierra League
Chino at Glendora, 7 p.m.
Damien at Ayala, 7 p.m.
Diamond Bar at Chino Hills, 7 p.m.
Valle Vista League
Northview vs. Baldwin Park at Damien HS, 7 p.m.
Ganesha at Pomona, 7 p.m.
Covina at San Dimas, 7 p.m.
Nonleague
Bonita at Walnut, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY AT AZUSA PACIFIC
Southern California Shootout Event Coordinator Gordon "Boom Boom" Hamlow, also the Rowland boys basketball coach, has staged another treat for San Gabriel Valley basketball fans. Here is Saturday's lineup.

Southern California Shotout
Flintridge Prep vs. Walnut, 8:30 a.m.
Bishop Amat Girls vs. Sonora Girls, 9:55 a.m.
West Covina vs. Ayala, 11:30 a.m.
Rowland vs. Diamond Ranch, 12:45 p.m.
Damien vs. Northview, 2:10 p.m.
Glendora vs. Ontario Christian, 3:35 p.m.
Vista Murrieta vs. La Canada, 5 p.m.
Etiwanda vs. Golden Valley, 6:25 p.m.
Los Osos vs. Colony, 7:50 p.m.
Brea vs. Diamond Bar, 9:15 p.m.

By Ben Baeder
Over objections from attorneys representing Walnut and Diamond Bar and about 20 angry residents, the Industry City Council on Thursday unanimously approved an environmental report clearing the way for a professional football stadium.
About 60 people squeezed into the standing-room-only City Council chamber before the decision. The room was peppered with people holding "No Stadium" signs. After the vote, Industry Mayor Dave Perez said he still thought the project was good for Industry and the region.
To continue reading, click thread

Today is the first of weekly column's called "View from the Sidelines," in which I share topics and blogger opinions. Obviously I have to be careful about the comments I share, but there are enough articulate and well-thought out opinions to make this work.

When I started in this business, a tough day was getting chewed out over the telephone by an angry reader or getting an e-mail asking why we don't cover a certain school enough.
Now we have blogs, and in case you haven't noticed, those same complaints and criticisms are there for all to read at insidesocal.com/tribpreps. I spent a large portion of my day writing blog entries and officiating reader comments, which can get very messy and personal at times.
But for the most part, we have some of the most fascinating and articulate fans here in the San Gabriel Valley. I read other high school blogs, but few generate the insane number of comments that ours does, especially during the high school football season, when Friday night postgame threads typically generate well over 100 comments.
To continue reading click thread

Boys Soccer
Thursday's results
Wilson 2, Diamond Ranch 0
Mira Valdez was grimacing in pain moments after Wilson High School's impressive 2-0 boys soccer victory over four-time defending Miramonte League champion Diamond Ranch on Thursday. Valdez turned his right ankle in their previous game against Bonita. When the trainer removed the tape after he had scored both goals and improved the CIF-Southern Section's Division IV's top-ranked Wildcats to 14-2-2 and 3-0, a smile finally lit up his face after helping the Wildcats take over first place. Diamond Ranch, No. 7 in Div. IV, dropped to 10-3-2 and 2-1-1. "This was a big one," said the 5-foot-5 striker who plays more as an attacking midfielder. "I could barely feel my ankle, but this is my senior year. I was in a lot of pain but there was no way I was missing this game. "They've been the champions for a while but now it's our turn. We want league, we want CIF, so it's all out the rest of the way."

Fred's take: I heard a lot about Valdez but hadn't seen him. He is the best player I've seen in the two years covering this area. He's a rare left-footed player with incredible skill, great balance and beautiful finishing skills. College's are always looking for skilled lefties, and he has the good to play at the next level.

To get results into the newspaper, call 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233, 2242 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions. Also, we do not have reporters at every game like football, so the scoreboard is tough to update. If you're at a game, please come back and post the final score in the comments section, thanks.

Boys Soccer Standings
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Girls Soccer standings
Del Rey League
Christian League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Here's is what's happening with Charter Oak's 2009 football schedule. The champs already have scheduled Aliso Niguel, Diamond Bar, Rancho Cucamonga, Damien and Etiwanda. But filling week one has been so difficult that Chargers coach Lou Farrar said they're now searching by posting a games wanted on CIF's website. Strangely enough, Bishop Amat is about six spaces down, also looking for a week one opponent, but don't expect the two to meet on the field anytime soon, too many politics involved at the top, which have nothing to do with coaches' desire to play each other. Charter Oak wanted to schedule big, and were in discussions with powerful Mission Viejo, Farrar confirmed, but the two schools couldn't agree on a home-and-home. A one-year deal might have worked, but with re-leaguing set to begin in 2010, coaches weren't ready to commit on a two-year deal. "We talked three or four times about it," Farrar said of a possible meeting with Mission Viejo. "It was just too tough to nail down. The door isn't closed, but they have a couple more games to fill than us. It might have worked if we played them another week and moved a few games around, but that would have gotten complicated."
Now, what? Farrar said he will see who contacts them from the "Game Wanted" post, but he wouldn't mind playing one of the best teams from the Southeast Division, depending on who's available. That could mean Muir, Arcadia, Crescenta Valley. Or, La Serna, California or Santa Fe. "We still don't know what's going to happen," Farrar said. "But playing one of the better schools in our division is always good to get an idea of how our division is going to be."

Fred's take: I know I'm beating a dead horse, but Bishop Amat and Charter Oak makes so much sense than it makes no sense why they haven't inked this deal. Like I said, it starts at the top, if the administration from the two schools agree, it will happen. It's as simple as that. I loved the thought of Charter Oak playing Mission Viejo too, but if that has fallen through, nothing makes more sense that Bishop Amat. If the Chargers want to be considered for a state bowl game next year, a game of this magnitude has to take place.

Anything and anyone you want to talk about

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to have a weekly Friday column about, yes, the blog! I'm going to share our topics and your opinions (so please use spell check!). I'll post the first column on Friday morning so keep in mind, whatever you write, don't be surprised if you find it in print.

The Azusa High School wrestling team, under first-year coach Steve Esquer, got off to a slow start, but the Aztecs have found their second wind lately. Azusa, sparked by the emergence of heavyweight Bernardo Delgado and 215-pound competitor Colton Johnson, has come on in recent weeks. It is 5-2 overall in dual meets and 3-1 in the Montview League. The Aztecs have done it despite Esquer coming on board a little more than a month before the start of the season. "I just want to resurrect the program and see where it goes," Esquer said. "Considering that I didn't see these kids until late October, I think we've come a long way. I think we can finish the season strong and end it on a good note."
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This is a very concerning piece from the Orange County Register over racial slurs during a Servite boys basketball game against rival Mater Dei.

This story comes from Steve Fryer at The Orange County Register.

Video of Servite Taunts, which are very similar to the type of chants that happen in European soccer matches directed at African-American players. The Register reports that late in the video Servite fans can be heard making monkey sounds when Mater Dei guard Gary Franklin has the ball.

To continue reading this story and others related to it, click thread

There was no shortage of defense Wednesday, including the Chino Hills High School boys basketball team's step toward defending its Sierra League title. The Huskies preserved their undefeated league record and tarnished Glendora's with a gritty 61-51 victory over the visiting Tartans. While Glendora (14-6, 2-1) held Chino Hills leading scorer Derek Brown to eight points, the supporting cast for the Huskies, ranked No. 4 in CIF-SS Division I-A, mustered plenty of offense.

Six-foot-5 forward Greg Giron, one of three Huskies in double figures, led the way with 11 points and 10 rebounds. His three-point play with 1:04 to play gave Chino Hills (16-5, 3-0) a 15-point lead before a meaningless Glendora run combined with several missed free throws in the waning seconds made the game appear closer than it really was.
Despite seven league games left to play, first place at this point is far from meaningless, according to Glendora coach Mike LeDuc.
"Yeah, of course it means something," he said. "The truth is everybody wants to be undefeated at this point. And the best team is." Chino Hills, which lost to Glendora in its first meeting last season before reeling off a 12-game winning streak to finish the regular season, was careful not to place too much emphasis on Wednesday's result, win or lose. Kosmond Russell, the Tartans' leading scorer, was held to three field goals until a 3-pointer with nine seconds to play. He and Calvin Smith, who average a combined 34 points, scored 11 each and were the only Glendora players in double figures.

To get results into the newspaper, call 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233, 2242 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions. Also, we do not have reporters at every game like football, so the scoreboard is tough to update. If you're at a game, please come back and post the final score in the comments section, thanks.

Wednesday's games
Boys Basketball results
Sierra League
Chino Hills 61, Glendora 51
Ayala 60, Diamond Bar 45
Damien 64, Chino 51
Mission Valley League
South El Monte 65, Arroyo 50
Rosemead 54, El Monte 39
San Antonio League
Walnut 65, South Hills 53
Valle Vista League
Northview 90, Pomona 59
Nonleague
Charter Oak 49, West Covina 27

Wilson High School appears close to naming Northview High defensive coordinator Brian Zavala as its next head football coach. Zavala would replace Greg Hoyd, who resigned after one year and a 1-9 record. Neither Wilson athletic director Dave Merrill nor Zavala can comment until the Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District finishes the necessary paperwork and background checks, which are expected to be finalized soon.
Hoyd, who butted heads with the school's boosters and administration, was not a San Gabriel Valley product and never that well-received. Zavala, meanwhile, brings a wealth of experience.
He's been an assistant for 11 years and previously was with El Rancho and Rosemead before becoming the Vikings' defensive coordinator for coach Jim Arellanes the past three years. Northview had one of the area's best defensive teams in 2008, which led to a Valle Vista League title and quarterfinal appearance in the CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division playoffs. The Vikings allowed an average of just 14 points a game and held opponents to less than 10 points in eight games.
Zavala is a 1993 graduate of Temple City and was an all-conference linebacker at the University of La Verne, where he earned a B.S. degree in movement sports science and a M.A. degree in education. "Brian and I were together at El Rancho and Rosemead and came here (Northview) together," Arellanes said. "I know he's wanted this (head coach) for a long time and it will be a huge loss to our program. He's done so much behind the scenes and I really leaned on him and learned from him also." After all the turmoil the Wilson football program went through this past season, Arellanes said the Wilson football community should be proud.
"They're (Wilson) getting a hard-working coach and an excellent motivator," Arellanes said. "I know he will do everything he can to right the ship. He's very well organized, prepared, and the kids absolutely love him because he's such a great motivator."
fred.robledo@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2161

There have certainly been a number of big-time baseball players in Major League Baseball from the San Gabriel Valley, but not all of them have been, for lack of better words, great role models. Some certainly have, but the man of the moment is Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young. His $10,000 donation to the Ortega Family speaks volumes. Here's a guy who grew up in Covina, played at Bishop Amat, is an all-star and shown here winning the MVP in the all-star game. I thought one of the best quotes from Monday's charity game that raised $18,000 came from Northview coach Darren Murphy.

"It's incredible what he did. Most people think because you have a lot of money that it's not such a big deal, but it's still amazing for him to do it. He didn't have to do it. He's (Young) still in Texas, this was all communicated through the telephone and the news. He reached back and wanted to give back to his community. I would hope that he's (Young) the guy that our young kids in the area would look up to now. He's everything that I would want my players to be like. His donation just tells you what kind of person he is."

The last softball thread got out of hand in the comments section, but it started out as a good discussion, so here goes, these are the pre-season top ten softball pitchers for the spring.

Above: Los Altos' Diana-Lynn Patterson, the reigning Tribune MVP.

1. Diana-Lynn Patterson, Los Altos Sr. (0.68 ERA, 206 K's)
2. Dana Waldusky, Glendora, Sr., (Tartans don't do stats)
3. Reina Garber, South El Monte, Sr. (1.71, 136 K's)
4. Kortnie Clark, San Dimas, Jr, (1.33, 107 K's)
5. Brittney Flores, Sierra Vista, Jr. (1.42, 142 K's)
6. Veronica Ramirez, Azusa, So. (1.46, 84 K's)
7. Gypsy Ramirez, San Dimas, Sr. (1.11, 64 K's)
8. Laura Banuelos, Rowland, So. (2.70, 77 K's)
9. Chloe Wurst, Bonita, Jr. (116 K's)
10. Justine Tullis, Charter Oak, Jr. (2.72)

In the last softball thread, these comments were worth posting again ..
Posted by Patrick: Fred, i would certainly keep and eye on Diamond Bar as well as St lucy's . Diamond Bar will have Miller and LaRosa as well as some sleeper Freshman, and a transfer pitcher from Washington!

Posted by cch snp: Ok listen not gonna bag on the new bo hi coach but understand bonita will be better because of the eligibility of senior pitcher Amber Bachman who was not there last year clearly where they were lacking. The problem with bo hi are the parents who cant keep their m.. shut.

Note: If you've come back from a game and have the results, post them in the comments section. I'll update in the morning. Next week we hope to launch a daily preps scoreboard that will look similar to our blog, only you won't be able to comment, it will simply be used to update scores as they're called into us.

San Dimas' Ariel Shore scores a pair of goals in Tuesday's 4-0 win over Baldwin Park.

Tuesday's soccer results
Girls Soccer
Northview 2, Ganesha 0
La Salle 3, Bishop Amat 1
Gabrielino 2, Mountain View 0

San Dimas 4, Baldwin Park 0 - If there was admission, it certainly would have been worth the price to watch Baldwin Park High goalkeeper Jesse Garcia. But there was only so much the sophomore could do against San Dimas' relentless pressure. After tipping shots over the bar and diving to her left and right to keep the game scoreless at half, Garcia couldn't stop the Saints from opening it up in the second half. Saints forward Ariel Shore scored twice and Brooke Lambert and Breanna Celaya also scored to lead the Saints to a 4-0 victory over the Braves in Tuesday's Valle Vista League game. The Saints fired 21 shots and Garcia recorded 11 saves, but it wasn't enough.
Los Altos 1, Diamond Ranch 0 - Malaysia Avery scored the lone unassisted goal to give the Conquerors a huge win over the Panthers.
Walnut 1, South Hills 0 - Megan Leu scored the lone goal for the Mustangs, who won a big game on the road at the District Field. I caught the end of it, the Huskies had a breakaway in the 89th minute and couldn't finish it. Then in the final seconds, the referee called a foul that was a yard inside the Mustangs' penalty area, but the ref did what most ref's do that late in the game, placing the ball an inch outside the left-corner of the box instead of awarding a penalty kick. The Huskies couldn't convert and that was that.

Boys Soccer
Workman 2, Azusa 1
Wilson 3, Bonita 0
Los Altos 0, Diamond Ranch 0
La Puente 4, Gladstone 2

If you want a shot at me on the soccer field, my brother Steve, cousin Mike, Covina high school teacher Julian Soto, weeklies reporter Maritza Velazquez, soccer fanatic Joe-lodinho and our other hand-picked soccer specialists, we're knocking teams aside at the Sunday co-ed indoor soccer league at the Field of Dreams in West Covina. We're trying to get Star-Newbie reporter Miguel Melendez to join next season. He said he's in training. You can check out the standings, we're Region 69, at the top of the table and ready to take on anyone in the Valley. This season wraps up in a couple weeks, so after we win the championship and get ready to defend our title, get a team together and take us on. We're changing our name next season to Sheffield Sunday.

Below: The infamous Robledo Edgewood letterman jacket. Yes, we called a midfielder a halfback then, and yes, I played tennis too.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, the University of La Verne Baseball Team will be hosting a fundraiser to benefit the The James and Theresa Ortega Children Memorial Fund. The event will revolve around the University's Alumni Baseball game and will take place at Upland Memorial Park in Upland, CA. James Ortega Jr. played baseball at the University of La Verne. The event will start at 11:00am and run until approximately 4:00pm. The event will be free to attend and will feature a silent auction, raffle, professional athlete appearances and appearances from the Laker Girls, Clipper Girls and Chivas USA Girls. The address for Upland Memorial Park is 1100 E. Foothill Blvd., Upland, CA 91786. At the conclusion of the event, the fundraiser will move down the 10 Freeway to the Crazy Horse in West Covina, CA. From 7:00pm to 9:00pm The Crazy Horse will have a cover charge of $10. The money that is raised at the door during those hours will be donated directly to the Fund as well. During those two hours there will be music and a raffle.

Following the incredible turnout at Monday's doubleheader for the Ortega Family, it go me thinking, South Hills and Northview have to play a real game at some point, and that fans want to discuss baseball all year long. So here it goes, lets start with the expected top ten pitchers this spring.

Above: Is Northview's Eddie Pedroza the area's top pitcher?

1. Eddie Pedroza, Northview, Junior
2. Paul Paez, Bishop Amat, Junior
3. Brady Zuniga, Bishop Amat, Senior
4. Nico Calderaro, Bonita, Senor
5. Kevin Ponzo, San Dimas, Senior
6. Jason Plowman, Bonita, Senior
7. Derek Klena, South Hills, Senior
8. Adam Plutko, Glendora, Junior
9. Nick Amrhein, Damien, Junior
10. Jimmy Saucedo, South El Monte, Senior

Note: Tomorrow I'll post the top ten softball pitchers.

Above: Nogales coach Ricky Roper knows he has a special group this season.

Boys Basketball top ten poll
1. Diamond Ranch (13-3)
Finally took care of Bonita
2. Nogales (15-5)
Impressive win over Walnut
3. Bonita (16-4)
Struggling with consistency
4. Northview (13-5)
Cruising in the Valle Vista
5. Glendora (13-5)
Takes on Chino Hills Friday
6. Damien (12-6)
Starts 0-2 in Sierra
7. Bishop Amat (14-5)
Already 0-2 in Del Rey
8. Walnut (14-3)
Still a nice record isn't it?
9. Workman (12-5)
Should not lose in Montview
10. Diamond Bar (10-6)
Split a pair last week; not bad

Boys Basketball standings
Arrowhead League
Christian League
Del Rey League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League
Montview League
Mission Valley League
Miramonte League

Above: St. Lucy's Sara Kashe controls the ball in the first half during a soccer match against Walnut.

Girls Soccer top ten poll
1. St. Lucy's (8-2-4)
Seven-game unbeaten streak
2. Glendora (12-5-3)
Didn't have it against Regents
3. Bishop Amat (12-1-4)
Beaten soundly by St. Joseph
4. Walnut (6-5-2)
Not the same, but still tough
5. South Hills (9-6-1)
Gets Walnut tonight at Covina District
6. Diamond Ranch (4-4-2)
Not the start it hoped for
7. Los Altos (11-6-1)
Slipping, lost four of five
8. Charter Oak (10-5-2)
Only a 1-0 loss to Diamond Ranch
9. San Dimas
Easy pair of wins in Valle Vista
10. Baldwin Park (10-4-1)
Falling quick in Valle Vista after promising start

Girls Soccer standings
Del Rey League
Christian League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Above: South Hills and Bishop Amat battle in recent game

Boys Soccer top ten poll
1. Baldwin Park (13-1)
Beat Ganesha in showdown
2. Wilson (12-2-2)
Playing well, DRanch next
3. Sierra Vista (11-1-2)
Quick 5-0 start in Montview
4. Mountain View (10-4-2)
Gets two big Mission Valley League wins.
5. Diamond Ranch (10-2-1)
Only two losses in 13 games against a tough schedule
6. South Hills (9-6-1)
This should be a big week for Huskies
7. Bishop Amat (11-4-2)
Off to 2-0 start in Del Rey
8. West Covina (8-2-2)
Gets South Hills this week
9. Los Altos (8-2)
What, no ties?
10. Diamond Bar (8-5-2)
Easy 3-0 win over Glendora

Boys Soccer Standings
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Girls Basketball top ten poll
1. Diamond Ranch (12-4)
When you beat the closest rival in the Miramonte by 40, league is too easy.
2. Bishop Amat (15-3)
A 3-point loss to Bishop Montgomery leaves Lancers 1-1 in Del Rey.
3. South Hills (11-5)
Will the Huskies finally wrestle the control away from Walnut on Wednesday?
4. Sierra Vista (12-3)
You can say this about the Dons: It's 32-minutes of pressure
5. St. Lucy's (10-5)
Beats Glendora in opener, holding strong in Sierra
6. Bonita (12-5)
40-point loss to Diamond Ranch, don't expect it to get better at home next time around.
7. Diamond Bar (10-7)
Look who's 2-0 in Sierra. Yes, the Lady Brahmas
8. Covina (11-6)
Looks like the old Colts again, then again, the weak Valle Vista will do that too you.
9. Azusa (12-5)
Waiting for rematch with Sierra Vista on Jan. 28
10. Walnut (10-7)
Trying to defend San Antonio, but could be South Hills' year.

Girls Basketball standings
Christian League
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

At best, organizers for Monday's Ortega Family fundraiser featuring the baseball teams from Northview, Covina, South Hills and Charter Oak hoped to raise two, maybe three thousand. All four teams chipped in with $150 each to start, but over the weekend, Texas Rangers shortstop and all-star Michael Young dipped into his pockets and donated $10,000. You remember Young, who grew up in Covina, attended Bishop Amat and the longtime member of the Rangers. Then at the end of the night Monday, after fifty-fifties, auction's, snack bar sales, and a much larger crowd than expected, $8,000 more was raised, bringing the grand total to a little more than $18,000.

Above: South Hills players greet Joseph Ortega between games along with Covina Mayor Kevin Stapleton. Ortega, 20, threw out the first pitch in both games. "I'd like to thank everyone who came out here today to support our family. It means a lot. You can't ask for anything more than what the community has done. It helps, it really does."

Above: Michael Young's Godfather Pete Chavez presented the $10,000 check to Joseph Ortega on his behalf.

Northview coach Darren Murphy on Young's donation:
"It's incredible what he did. Most people think because you have a lot of money that it's not such a big deal, but it's still amazing for him to do it. He didn't have to do it. He's (Young) still in Texas, this was all communicated through the telephone and the news. He reached back and wanted to give back to his community. I would hope that he's (Young) the guy that our young kids in the area would look up to now. He's everything that I would want my players to be like. His donation just tells you what kind of person he is."

Covina Mayor Kevin Stapleton: "The unity this shows, the dedication and the love this community has for each other is heart-warming, it's wonderful to see. To have all these people here on a day off, on a three-day weekend give their money and their time to raise money for the victims of this horrible crime is beyond words. I'm at a loss for words actually, which is kind of rare for a politician, but that's how moved I am by this event."

South Hills coach Kevin Smith seemed moved by the large gathering as well, and told a story about a Northern California couple he met pulling into the parking lot. "I get tired of people saying the American people are selfish and only care about themselves. It's a three-day weekend, there's barbeques everywhere, the weather is awesome, and there's this huge turnout for high school baseball games in January. When we pulled in we met this couple from Northern California who didn't know anybody, but heard about this game in the news and wrote a check for a $100 bucks. They just said 'Here, this is a great thing you're doing.' Absolutely incredible, it really is. It takes your breath away that in a couple of weeks we could raise this kind of money for a family in need."

Anything and anyone you want to talk about

I'm working on game-coverage for the week, and athlete of the week considerations, so lets hear from you.

BTW, this post came from Don ....
I for one, don't think that Fred posts enough lists here. I mean, he does OK as far as he goes, but judging from the response to the lists he does put up, there needs to be more. A lot more. So as (another) public service, I would like to offer my top ten list of yet undone Top Ten Lists. You go ahead and figure out which ones are tongue in cheek.

1.Top Ten Football Fields
2.Top Ten Feeder Programs
3.Top Ten Snack Bars, High School Division
4.Top Ten "Travel Teams", Girls Division (we may want to expand this one to top 20 or 25)
5.Top Ten "Travel Teams", Boys Division
6.Top Ten Places for Post-Season Banquets
7.Top Ten Sports Towns, (No Freddie, West Covina and Covina do not count as the one Town)
8.Top Ten Baseball Fields
9.Top Ten Uniforms, (any sport)
10.Top Ten Snack Bars, Open Division

What: Ortega Family Fundraiser
Who: Covina vs. Charter Oak, 2 p.m.; Northview vs. South Hills, 5 p.m.
Where: Azusa Pacific University, Monday Jan. 19
Cost: Minimum $2 donation, with all snack bar sales benefitting the Ortega family

Darren Murphy grew up in Covina, attended Northview High School and coached his alma mater to a CIF-SS divisional baseball title last spring.
But the reasons Murphy, South Hills' Kevin Smith, Charter Oak's Tom Quinley and Covina High's Pete Loaiza coach are for moments like today, when the four high schools gather for an exhibition doubleheader on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Azusa Pacific University to benefit the Ortega family, who lost nine members in the impossible-to-fathom Christmas Eve Massacre in Covina.
for the rest of the story, click thread

Above: Nogales' Randal Guillory scoring two of his 18 points in Nogales' 82-61 victory over Walnut on Friday.

Walnut High School's impressive boys basketball resume included the championship of the Arroyo tournament, and victories over Bishop Amat, JSerra and West Covina. The Mustangs brought an eight-game winning streak to defending San Antonio League champion Nogales on Friday in hopes of taking the next big step. But it was Nogales that stomped all over the Mustangs, leading by as many as 36 points before settling on an 82-61 victory to improve to 15-5 and 2-0 in the San Antonio while the Mustangs dropped to 14-3 and 1-1. The Mustangs figured to have problems with the Mustangs' size, particularly against 6-foot-5 senior Randal Guillory, who finished with 18 points. But when the Nobles are draining 3-pointers, and they buried 14-of-25 attempts, they're nearly impossible to keep pace with. Aaron De Anda nailed three 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points, and sixth-man Trevon Smith knocked in four 3-pointers to finish with 18 points.

Friday's Boys Basketball results
Del Rey
Bishop Montgomery 65, Bishop Amat 42
Miramonte
Diamond Ranch 63, Bonita 56
Charter Oak 59, Wilson 47
Mission Valley
Mountain View at Arroyo, 6:30 p.m.
South El Monte 55, El Monte 41
Rosemead at Gabrielino, 6:30 p.m.
Montview
Workman 75, Duarte 35
La Puente at Sierra Vista, 6 p.m.
Gladstone at Bassett, 6 p.m.
San Antonio
Nogales 82, Walnut 61
Rowland 48, West Covina 39
Sierra League
Glendora 52, Diamond Bar 38
Chino Hills 70, Damien 53
Valle Vista
Northview 55, San Dimas 44
Baldwin Park 57, Pomona 52
Covina at Ganesha, 7 p.m.
Nonleague
Los Altos at South Hills, 7 p.m.

Wilson athletic director Dave Merrill said on Thursday the school was down to its final two head football coaching candidates and that a decision could be announced today, however, that announcement is on hold, Merrill said Friday. "We're in a holding pattern. Because of District personnel reasons, the announcement will be made early next week." I know there will be a lot of speculation over the weekend, so go ahead and speculate.

Just got word that Bishop Amat has finalized a week four game at home against powerful St. Bonaventure. Does it get much bigger than this? All St. Bonaventure did was go 14-1, beat Saugus 35-8 for the Northern Division title, then win a state bowl game a week later over Santa Rosa's Cardinal Newman, 28-6. The Seraphs' only loss was a close 14-6 setback against Pac-5 champion Long Beach Poly. The Lancers' are still looking for a week one opponent, and word is they want a Pac-5 opponent.

Pac-5 First Teamers? Bishop Amat defensive back Sheldon Price and linebacker Brent Seals were the only two Lancers named to the prestigious Pac-5 first team list. Congrats!

All-CIF SS Central Division
Offensive Player of the year: Greg Watson, QB, Rancho Cucamonga
Defensive Player of the year: Daniel Fonua, LB, Rancho Cucamonga

Above: Glendora's Wallace Gonzalez was one of only two sophomores on the first team.

First Team Offense
QB: Richard Brehaut, Los Osos
RB: Walter Kazee, Cajon
RB: AJ Johnson, Chino Hills
RB: Courtney Samuel, Ayala
RB: Josh Nunes, Upland
OL: Bryan Townsend, Rancho Cucamonga
OL: Josh Andrews, Colony
OL: Thomas Lilly, Glendora
OL: Michael Phillip, Arroyo Grande
OL: Gary Berwick, Rancho Cucamonga
OL: Shane Sweeney, Chino Hills
WR: David Quiroga, Ayala
WR: Wallace Gonzalez, Glendora
WR: Tyrone Richardson, West Valley
WR: Irshad Stolden, Rancho Cucamonga
WR: Randal Telfer, Rancho Cucamonga
UT: Arby Fields, Los Osos
PK: Alejandro Maldonado, Colton

First Team Defense
DL: Ibe Nouka, Etiwanda
DL: Sione Kauvaka, Rancho Cucamonga
DL: Jake Salter, Damien
DL: Marcus Bennett, Rancho Cucamonga
DL: Quaushawne Buckley, Colony
DL: Andrew Henderson, Paloma Valley
DL: Buddy Welka, Rancho Cucamonga
LB: Jesse Gonzalez, Los Osos
LB: Nat Berhe, Colton
LB: Lawrence Lariver, Ayala
LB: Chad Young, Glendora
LB: Logan Lazscyk, Chino Hills
DB: Taj Johnson, Upland
DB: Oshon Irabor, Upland
DB: Deveion Bauman, Chaffey
DB: Derek Brandon, Ayala
DB: Ifo Ikpre-Olomu, Chino Hills
DB: Marlon Pollard, Cajon
UT: Justin Meng, Upland
PT: Ethan Betance, Damien

Note: If you've come back from a game and have the results, post them in the comments section. I'll update in the morning. Next week we hope to launch a daily preps scoreboard that will look similar to our blog, only you won't be able to comment, it will simply be used to update scores as they're called into us.

Above: Bishop Amat's Jasmine Roth making a fine tackle in Thursday's 3-0 loss, the Lancers' first of the season.

The honeymoon is over for the Bishop Amat girls soccer team. After a great start, the Lancers are facing the harsh realities of the Del Rey League. After opening the Del Rey with a hard-earned tie on the road against Bishop Montgomery, the Lancers suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday, getting hammered 3-0 by visiting St. Joseph to fall to 12-1-4 and 0-1-1 in league. St. Joseph striker Arielle Rodrigues was the difference-maker, scoring two goals and assisting the other as the Jesters improved to 5-3-1 and 1-1-1. "We didn't show up to play," Lancers second-year coach Ruben Gonzalez said. "Nothing went right, we got outworked and we got outplayed.

Thursday's called-in results
Boys Soccer
Wilson 2, Charter Oak 1
Gladstone 2, Bassett 1
Sierra Vista 2, La Puente 0
West Covina 4, Rowland 0
Bishop Amat 4, La Salle 1
Girls Soccer
Mountain View 2, Arroyo 1
South Hills 3, Los Altos 0

Wilson is down to its final two candidates and could name its next football coach as soon as Friday or before the weekend is finished.

Damien-Glendora game story.
Glendora's Kosmond Russell scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Tartans to a 65-45 victory over Damien in the Sierra League opener for both teams Wednesday night. The Tartans nearly blew an 18-point fourth quarter lead. Glendora led 47-29 with 6:47 left, but the Spartans went on a 14-1 run to cut the lead to 48-43 with 4:17 to go. The Tartans then closed the show with a 15-0 run to improve to 12-5. Damien dropped to 12-5. Glendora's Calvin Smith had 16 points and Juan Martinez had seven. Damien was paced by Justin Latham's 13 points and Chris Adams had 10.

Wednesday's scoreboard
Baldwin Park 65, San Dimas 56
Arroyo 61, El Monte 58
Mountain View 49, Rosemead 45
Walnut 78, West Covina 74, 2 OT
Northview 102, Ganesha 56
Diamond Ranch 58, Charter Oak 44
South El Monte 62, Gabrielino 48
Sierra Vista 55, Bassett 33
Rowland 60, Wilson 58
Village Christian 67, Flintridge Prep 40
La Salle 63, Mary Star 42
St. Paul 58, Cantwell 52
Muir 47, Arcadia 29
Temple City 57, South Pasadena 41
La Mirada 83, Mayfair 67

Anything and anyone you want to talk about

Here's my Just Tribbin question of the day: Rank the Tribune's top ten bloggers of all time?

This week I called Rosemead coach Matt Koffler. Obviously he loves when I call, he picked up in the restroom, complaining that he drinks too much coffee. Okay, no further details needed, but as always, Koffler answers every question, talking about this season's 11-3 team that advanced to the championship, and what's the future holds for Panthers football.
2009 nonleague games: Covina, Monrovia, Harvard-Westlake, South Hills and Monrovia.
2009 Panthers to look out for: Joey Diaz (RB), Luis Diaz (TE/DE), Conrado Simpson (TE/DE), Matt Macias (QB).

To read the Q&A with coach Koffler, click thread

Ortega Family Fundraiser
Monday, Jan. 19, Azusa Pacific University
Charter Oak vs. Covina, 2 p.m.
Northview vs. South HIlls, 5 p.m.

When Northview coach Darren Murphy called to say the four Covina High School baseball coaches were getting together to create a charity game for the Ortega Family, who had nine family members tragically murdered on Christmas Eve, it was moving to say the least. They will play on Monday, Jan. 19, on Martin Luther King Day at Azusa Pacific University. There will be a $2 donation, but of course you can leave more. All snack bar proceeds also benefit the family. To start things off, Charter Oak, Northview, Covina and South Hills all have donated $150 each, so already there's a pot of $600 and growing. We're covering the doubleheader on Monday, but the score won't be in Tuesday's newspaper. It doesn't matter. To use a soccer term, "it's a friendly." I don't need rosters, I'm not keeping a book, I'm just going to watch baseball. But it got me thinking, in the years that follow, with four great baseball traditions in Covina, it would be great if the four schools got together in this kind of format in the future. You could call it the "Ortega Memorial tournament." But on Monday, it's a charity game, the way it should be. And as a Covina resident myself, it would be great to see APU packed.

Rowland boys basketball coach Gordon "Boom Boom" Hamlow sent the schedule for the Southern California Shootout on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Azusa Pacific University. All games are boys games except for Bishop Amat and Sonora girls, which is the second game of the day.

Southern California Shotout
Flintridge Prep vs. Walnut, 8:30 a.m.
Bishop Amat Girls vs. Sonora Girls, 9:55 a.m.
West Covina vs. Ayala, 11:30 a.m.
Rowland vs. Diamond Ranch, 12:45 p.m.
Damien vs. Northview, 2:10 p.m.
Glendora vs. Ontario Christian, 3:35 p.m.
Vista Murrieta vs. La Canada, 5 p.m.
Etiwanda vs. Golden Valley, 6:25 p.m.
Los Osos vs. Colony, 7:50 p.m.
Brea vs. Diamond Bar, 9:15 p.m.

By Steve Ramirez
Glendora High School is known for being a boys basketball power, but a pretty good wrestling program is starting to emerge at the school by the foothills. The Tartans showed their talent off last week with a solid showing at the Nogales' Super Champs Tournament, where five competitors placed among the top eight in their respective weight classes.
To continue reading, click thread

Note: These are games called into the newspaper, which you can do at 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions.

Above: South Hills' Natalie Maxey scored three goals in Tuesday's win.

Tuesday's Girls Soccer results
Los Altos 1, Bonita 0 -- Tasha Campbell's 25th minute goal was the difference in the Conquerors' Miramonte League opening win. Los Altos improved to 12-5.
South Hills 7, Nogales 1 -- Natalie Maxey scored three goals and has an assist in an easy victory over the Nobles. The Huskies improved to 8-6-1.
Mountain View 1, Rosemead 1 -- Naomi Camacho scored for the Vikings and Lizette Hernandez scored for the Panthers in a game that ended in a 1-1 tie. Mountain View is now 6-3-2.

Note: These are games called into the newspaper, which you can do at 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions.

Tuesday's Boys Soccer results
Diamond Ranch 4, Charter Oak 0 -- Simon Dewhurst scored two goals and Trey James had a goal and assist as the Panthers opened the Miramonte with a victory to improve to 9-3-1 overall.
Gladstone 2, Workman 1 -- Victor Silva scored both goals for the Gladiators, who improved to 8-5-1 and 3-0 in the Montview. Workman dropped to 3-5-2 and 1-2-1.
Sierra Vista 7, Bassett 1 -- Eddie Gomez's hat-trick paced the Dons, who improved to 10-1-2 and 4-0 in the Montview.
West Covina 2, Walnut 0, OT - Ivan Lopez scored both goals in overtime to lift the Bulldogs to a 7-2-2 and 1-0 record in the San Antonio. Walnut dropped to 5-6-1.
Wilson 3, Rowland 0 -- The Wildcats, top-ranked in the CIF polls, showed why behind a pair of goals from Salomon Reyes and goalkepper Manuel Amezquita earned his fourth shutouts as the Wildcats improved to 11-2-2.

Above: Julio Fernandez congratulated after scoring the game winning goal for Vikings.

For all the success that usually follows the Mountain View High School boys soccer team, Rosemead had its number last season. The Vikings' only Mission Valley League loss came against Rosemead, and they tied in their other meeting, which cost the Vikings the league title by a half-game to Arroyo. After dodging several Panthers' scoring chances in the opening 10 minutes of Tuesday's MVL opener, the Vikings eventually settled down and got a 56th-minute goal from Julio Fernandez to secure a 1-0 victory.
To continue reading, click thread

Hi all:
I just wanted to let you know about my latest update on Prep Stars: Where are you now?
Today I write about former Bishop Amat star Ralph Brown, who has played his part in the Arizona Cardinals advancing to the NFC title game for the first time.

By Steve Ramirez
The goal for the Northview High School wrestling team is no different than it's been for the past decade. And it has nothing do with the Vikings winning another Valle Vista League title, a CIF-Southern Section divisional championship and nearly unmatched success at the CIF State championships. For Northview wrestlers, it's all about being the best they can be, and improving from day to day, tournament to tournament and match to match.
To continue reading, click thread

Rankings update: A lot could change by next week with so many heavyweight match-ups in the first week of league. Glendora and Damien square off on Wednesday, followed by Diamond Ranch-Bonita in a battle of No. 1 and 2 on Friday. Also on Friday, Walnut and Nogales square off. Bishop Amat earned a huge nonleague win over Chino Hills and Workman starting to take control of the Montview.

Above: Damien gets Glendora on Wednesday in the always tough Sierra.

Boys Basketball Top Ten Rankings
1. Diamond Ranch (11-3)
Showdown at Bonita on Friday
2. Bonita (15-2)
Only 4-2 since Christmas
3. Damien (12-4)
1-1 against Bonita
4. Nogales (13-5)
Hosting Walnut on Friday
5. Bishop Amat (14-3)
Statement win over Chino Hills
6. Northview (11-5)
Small but efficient
7. Walnut (13-2)
On six-game win streak
8. Glendora (11-5)
Starting to find groove again
9. Diamond Bar (9-5)
an it survive tough Sierra?
10. Workman (10-5)
Already 3-0 in Montview

Boys Basketball standings
Arrowhead League
Christian League
Del Rey League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League
Montview League
Mission Valley League
Miramonte League

Rankings update: When did the Bishop Amat girls soccer team become an area power? I guess now, the true test comes in league, but a great start regardless. Glendora is a solid No. 2, then the rest are still finding themselves. Los Altos lost three straight after a good start and San Dimas is in a rut too. Those on the rise are Baldwin Park, Bonita and watch out for St. Lucy's and Walnut, I watched a good game between those two teams. They will have a lot to say before the season is finished.

Above: Walnut and St. Lucy's go head-up last week, finishing in 1-1 tie.

Girls Soccer Top Ten
1. Bishop Amat (12-0-3)
Unbelievable turnaround continues
2. Glendora (11-4-2)
Facing St. Lucy's on Wednesday
3. Los Altos (11-5)
Suddenly on three-game skid
4. St. Lucy's (5-2-4)
Solid 1-1 tie at Walnut
5. Walnut (5-5-2)
Still the best in San Antonio
6. South Hills (6-6-2)
Not winning "big" games
7. Baldwin Park (10-2-1)
Outscored opponents, 43-15
8. Charter Oak (9-4-2)
Room for improvement
9. Bonita (6-6-1)
Schedule hasn't helped record
10. San Dimas (7-4-4)
Only one win in last six games

Girls Soccer standings
Del Rey League
Christian League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Rankings: Now that I've got full records of most teams, there's no denying that Baldwin Park should be No. 1, especially after last week's 1-0 victory over Mountain View. Wilson is still going strong at No. 2 and Glendora drops a couple spots after back-to-back losses. Sierra Vista jumps up to No. 4 after a 5-2 beating over Workman.

Above: South Hills during its 2-1 victory over Bishop Amat last week.

Boys Soccer Top Ten
1. Baldwin Park (12-1)
Huge 1-0 win over Mountain View
2. Wilson (10-2-2)
On four-game winning streak
3. Glendora (9-3)
Drops three of four
4. Sierra Vista (9-1-2)
Already 3-0 in Montview
5. Mountain View (9-3-2)
Played a tough schedule
6. South Hills (4-2-2)
Solid win over Bishop Amat
7. Bishop Amat (11-4)
Gets tougher in league
8. Los Altos (7-2)
Ready to battle for Miramonte
9. Diamond Ranch (5-1-1)
Still only one loss
10. Damien (6-6-1)
Won three of four

Boys Soccer Standings
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Rankings: Diamond Ranch jumps to No. 1 after Bishop Amat's loss to Bishop Montgomery on Monday. Sierra Vista makes a huge leap to No. 4 after beating Azusa and South Hills stay at three because of its six-game win streak. West Covina makes its debut at No. 10 after a win over Bonita. Also, with Sierra Vista owning a win over South Hills and Azusa owning a win over Glendora, this is great news for the Montview.

Girls Basketball Top Ten
1. Diamond Ranch (10-4)
Could go unbeaten in Miramonte
2. Bishop Amat (13-3)
Falls to 1-1 in Del Rey
3. South Hills (9-5)
Six-game win streak
4. Sierra Vista (11-3)
Huge win over rival Azusa<
5. Bonita (11-5)
Continues to improve
6. St. Lucy's (9-4)
Facing Glendora tonight
7. Glendora (10-7)
Nonleague win over Covina
8. Azusa (10-5)
Good wins on resume
9. Covina (9-6)
Valle Vista not a lock
10. West Covina (9-7)
Solid win over Bonita

Girls Basketball standings
Christian League
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

This story comes from longtime staffer Jim McConnell, the man we call, "The King" around the office. He writes a weekly Then & Now column. This week he writes about the greatest high school scorers.

You can watch high school basketball and enjoy the subtleties of the game - or you can root for the rock to rip the nets. This columnist must admit he is not a basketball purist. I have often pondered why, and I think I now know the reason: When I was a mere boy of 9, I saw Billy Kilmer play. Kilmer, who played at Citrus High in Azusa, was front-and-center of a scoring revolution in prep basketball in the Southland.
To continue reading, click thread

This comes from Star-News prep editor Miguel Melendez ...

By Miguel A. Melendez
Staff Writer

TEMPLE CITY -- Temple City High School fired head varsity football coach Randy Backus on Monday, two months after an incident in which school officials said he grabbed a student and cursed at him.

Temple City High athletic director John Van De Veere said the decision to fire Backus was unrelated to the November incident, which did not involve a football player.

"Randy put his hands on a student inappropriately -- not sexually -- and threatened the individual," Van De Veere said. "The way I understand it, Randy came out of the locker room and the kid wanted to go in. As Randy was about to close the door, the kid threw his backpack to hold the door open, and that's when he grabbed the kid and used foul language."

The student involved was 18 at the time but decided not to press charges and was not himself disciplined, school officials said. No police report was filed, although another student did witness the incident.

Backus said he was "greatly disappointed" about his firing after just two seasons as head coach.

"The reasons were not directly given to me," he said. "I requested a meeting last week to talk about these issues and I have not had a meeting. That is why I had not resigned. I was not given a chance to defend myself."

Mid-Valley Division

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Brandon Buteyn, Paraclete
Tra Sumler, Rosemead
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kyle Swanson, Paraclete

Above: Rosemead Tra Sumler earns co-player of the year honors
First Team Offense
Andrew Culver, Paraclete
Luis Diaz, Rosemead
Angel Alejandre, Rosemead
Chris Flores, Rosemead
Marquise Williams, Monrovia
Josh Lowden, Monrovia
Josh Ouelette, Temple City
Anthony Farmer, Northview
Daniel Joseph, San Dimas
Kyle Salm, San Dimas
Rauley Zaragosa, Azusa
Erik Aguilano, Azusa
Scott Dooley, San Marino
Daniel Owen, Los Angeles Baptist
Jared Vos, Valley Christian
Jason De Kruyf, Valley Christian
Steven Colliau, South Pasadena
Albert Orozco, Baldwin Park

First Team Defense
Todd Davis, Paraclete
Brandon Owen, Paraclete
Lavonte Barnett, Paraclete
Jonny Torsney, Paraclete
Kyle Steffes, Paraclete
Tra Sumler, Rosemead
Edward Vasquez, Rosemead
Cesar Chavez, Rosemead
Joe Vasquez, Monrovia
Jermaine Arnold, Monrovia
Ryan Watkins, Temple City
Nick Conora, Temple City
Andrew Rodriguez, Northview
Christian Vargas, Northview
Mitch Mullaly, Northview
Kevin Jones, Northview
Steven Yortsos, San Marino
Chris Rodriguez, Arroyo

Note: Not sure if they voted on a second team. This is all that was emailed. Congtrats to all.

I'm leaning toward Glendora, who went to the Division II title game, play in the tough Sierra, and have senior pitcher Dana Waldusky to go with Natalie Hernandez, Kelly Nolan and Briana Dworak all back. Okay, I realize that Los Altos has senior pitcher Diana-Lynn Patterson and Washington bound shortstop Courtney Gano, so there's a good argument for No. 1. Others expected to be ranked high include San Dimas, South El Monte, Sierra Vista, Bishop Amat, and don't forget the sleepers like Azusa, with sophomore pitcher Veronica Ramirez. She's the real deal folks. Those expected to fall from last year's top rankings include Northview, too difficult to replace Hannah Fraijo. Same goes for Covina, losing pitcher Jill Huntsman. Charter Oak? Well, they're the huge question. They have the bats, but the question again, do they have the pitching to go with it?

em>Anything and anyone you want to talk about

I need athlete of the week suggestions, games you say HAVE to be covered next week, and while you're at it, how about some breaking news. Are they ever going to fill the La Puente and Wilson head football coaching positions? What football coach would you like me run down next week for a Q&A, and what kind of burning questions need to be answered. Don't know if they will answer, but we can ask.

Ortega Family Fundraiser
What: High School Baseball
Who: Charter Oak vs. Covina, 2 p.m.; South Hills vs. Northview, 5 p.m.
Where: Azusa Pacific University
When: Monday, Jan. 19.
Admission: $2 minimum donation. All donations also are accepted and all proceeds from snack bar sals will go to the family

ARCADIA - Tears freely flowed Thursday at Santa Anita when Return of the King stepped into the Winner's Circle. Friends and family members of Joseph, James and Charles Ortega had come to see their seven-year-old chestnut gelding race for perhaps the last time from the barn of trainer David Bernstein. The three Ortegas were among nine family members slain at a Covina home on Christmas Eve by Bruce Pardo, the estranged husband of Joseph's daughter Sylvia.
"This was special," Bernstein said. "It was hard to keep from crying from the moment he left the paddock." Jockey Martin Pedroza, who has raced in Breeder's Cup events and won the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap in 1989, guided Return of the King through a nearly flawless 6-furlong trip around one turn on the dirt track. Crossing the finish line Pedroza raised his whip to the sky and briefly bowed his head. "I've been riding for 26 years, the feeling I had today was amazing," Pedroza said. "It's very hard to describe. I had goose bumps up and down my arms as I was coming back (to the Winner's Circle.)"
To Continue reading click thread

What will Bishop Amat do in 2009?

Anyone and anything you want to talk about ...

Today's Just Tribbin photo shows what football players do in the off-season. This was shot during a Walnut girls soccer game. Keep working guys, we're watching ya.

Note: These are games called into the newspaper, which you can do at 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions.

Thursday's Girls Soccer Results
Bishop Amat 1, South Hills 0 -- Jasmine Rose scored the game-winner to help the Lancers remain undefeated, 11-0-3. South Hills dropped to 6-6-2.
Thursday's Boys Soccer Results
Gladstone 3, Duarte 2 -- Antonio Bernal scored two goals to help the Gladiators win and improve to 6-5-1.
Sierra Vista 5, Azusa 0 -- Alfonso Espinosa scored twice and had an assist in the Dons' easy victory over the Aztecs.
Workman 0, La Puente 0 - After 80 minutes and overtime, nothing was settled. The Lobos go to 3-3-2 while the Warriors go to 4-3-4. Both are 1-0-1 in league.

Above: St. Lucy's Lynsey Brown smiling after scoring second-half goal

The week after New Year's generally produces attractive nonleague games because tournament season is over and league starts the following week. First-year St. Lucy's girls soccer coach Robert Rodrigues said the Regents were looking forward to Thursday's nonleague encounter against Walnut since Christmas.
Walnut is not the power that won three CIF-SS championships this decade, but the Mustangs still are one of the Valley's best teams. St. Lucy's traditionally is tough as well, having last competed in a championship game in 2001. That made for a good crowd Thursday to watch how the teams measured up.
St. Lucy's defender Lynsey Browne finished a beautiful header on a corner kick from Denni Joe Berger in the 61st minute. But Walnut's Dana Catone scored in the 64th minute for the equalizer in game that fittingly ended in a 1-1 tie.
for the rest of the story, click thread

Note: These are games called into the newspaper, which you can do at 626-962-8811, Ext. 2233 or email to scores@sgvn.com. If you email, make sure to leave a contact number in case one of our reporters has questions.

Thursday's Boys Basketball results
Mountain View 61, San Gabriel 43 - George Munoz scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the second quarter and Steve Wilson added 12 as the Vikings improved to 11-5. Eric Martinez scored 19 for the Matadors.
Northview 71, Don Lugo 64 -- Joey Martinez hit all three of his 3-pointers and finished with 13 points as the Vikes improved to 11-5
Garden Grove 71, El Monte 47 -- Eddie Landeros scored 10 points in a losing effort as the Lions fall to 4-13.

Thursday's Girls Basketball results
South Hills 59, San Dimas 39 -- Melinda Gomez scored a game-high 18 points and Alexus Payton scored 17 as the Huskies overcame an early 12-6 deficit to improve to 9-5 while the Saints dropped to 6-8.
St. Lucy's 49, Ontario 45 -- Nicole Zugasti scored 11 and Sam Ourique scored 10, including clutch free throws down the stretch to pull it out, helping the Regents to to 9-4.

Baseball in January? That's right, thanks to the thoughtful gesture from Covina coach Pete Loaiza, Charter Oak's Tom Quinley, Northview's Darren Murphy and South Hiils' Kevin Smith, who have scheduled a doubleheader on Monday, January 19, to benefit the Ortega family, who had nine family members tragically murdered in what has become known throughout the country as the Christmas Eve Massacre. There will be a snackbar and donation opportunity for those attending the games with all proceeds going to the Ortega Family.

"Basically, all of us got together and decided to use a day of baseball between the four high schools from Covina as a way to raise money for the Ortega family," Northview coach Darren Murphy said. "Everyone raised in Covina or teaching at the Covina schools is somehow affected by this unfortunate tragedy, so it made sense for us to do what we do best and that's play baseball with the fundraiser attached to it."

The doubleheader will be played on Jan. 19 (Martin Luther King Day) at Azusa Pacific University, and both games will be nine innings with no emphasis on who wins.
Charter Oak vs. Covina, 2 p.m.
Northview vs. South HIlls, 5 p.m.

When I called Diamond Ranch football coach Roddy Layton to talk about football, he said, "I know why you want to do this, you want to put it on the blog and get a bunch of people talking trash about me." We laughed about it, but the truth is, Layton speaks from the heart, he doesn't hide anything, he's become one of the area's best young coaches, and again, he had plenty to say, even knowing I'm going to share it with all of you. So, here goes, a fun Q&A with Roddy Layton, just click on the thread

This is what makes the blog fun, we can't cover every game, but I received an email about the Smudgepot on turf, with a nice picture of the girls soccer team posing in front of the trophy. You send something worthwhile, I'll share it, here's what was sent:

Boys Soccer: Bonita 2, San Dimas 0
Girls Soccer: Bonita 3, San Dimas 0

The email even came with a history behind the classic.

In 1990 a simple idea was born in the San Dimas/La Verne AYSO program. Because virtually every player in the two communities grew up playing AYSO soccer either with or against each other, it seemed only natural to continue the tradition of camaraderie and competition AYSO is known for, at the high school level as well. An aluminum, sand casted soccer ball trophy, split in two, was custom made, detailed down to the stitch marks by a local AYSO referee at Alum-Alloy. This was to become the perpetual trophy, one half for the girls winner and one half for the boys winner. Only if the same school wins both the boy's and girl's game is the trophy complete. Now strongly embraced and promoted by the entire soccer community in both cities, the Soccer Ball Classic is played in the spirit of which it was created.

This comes from Star-News prep editor Miguel Melendez
It's been almost two months since Temple City football coach Randy Backus was put on paid administrative leave. Since then, I've called Temple City High School almost on a weekly basis with little information to no information on what the school board's decision is regarding the matter. I put in a call to Temple City athletic director John Van De Veere on Wednesday and it sounds like the school board and the school will come to a decision by Friday (Van De Veere has agreed to call me then when a decision has been made). As far as his job as an English teacher, Backus has long since long been reinstated. Whether he continues as football coach or not is what's up in the air.

When asked about the progress Van De Veere elaborated a bit.
There's really nothing I can tell you definitely. I know you want to print something but all I can tell you is we're still going through a process of talking to him. (School) administrators are still talking to him. At this time no (decision has been made).
Van De Veere was asked when a decision would be made.
I would say at the end of this week we should come to a conclusion. That would probably be when the decision is made. On going negotiations coming ahead of Friday, at least I hope it does, If he's going to return.
Van De Veere was asked whether this puts the him and the athletic program in some strain given the timetable of having to fill the position.
For me it's a little bit late as we speak. You know how that goes. I'm a little concerned about the time table. We have a policy in our district that we need to fly the job in-house for two weeks before we can open it up outside. I cannot put it up on the CIF website until we float it here for two weeks. As of right now I don't foresee anybody (in-house) that would be interested in the job.
Should the position open up, Van De Veere was asked whether the job would come with a teaching position at Temple City High.
That's up in the air, too. I am really trying to get someone on campus. We want to get a teaching job for that individual. But what makes that very tough is we don't know if the individual would have credentials. That's part of the interview process.

Wednesday's boys soccer results
Baldwin Park 1, Mountain View 0 - Alan Ibarra scored the winning goal int he 65th minute when he kicked the ball on goal and it was misplayed by Mountain View and ended up in the net for the lone tally.
Beckman 2, Glendora 1 -- Tyler Van Olphen scored the lone goal for the Tartans, who lost for only the second time to drop to 9-2

Below: South Hills stretched its unbeaten streak to six, scoring two first-half goals to defeat Bishop Amat, 2-1 on Wednesday. Story below

South Hills High School's boys soccer team broke from the gate slowly this season, but there's no doubt the Huskies are beginning to find their second wind.
Carlo Villegas and Austin Daugherty had first-half goals and the Huskies extended their unbeaten streak to six games with a 2-1 victory over Bishop Amat on Wednesday in a nonleague game at Covina District Field.
To continue reading, click thread

Note: Thursday's girls soccer match of the day, St. Lucy's at Walnut, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday's' result: La Salle's Kelly Tartaglione scored the winning goal in the 57th minute to give the Lancers a 2-1 girls soccer victory over Glendora. Amie Jepson scored for the Tartans, who dropped to 11-4-2.

Below: Baldwin Park's Jeannette Gamboa has 15 goals and six assists for the surging Braves, who are having their finest start ever at 9-1-2. Can they win the Valley Vista League title? Read today's story.

While most of the area's high-powered girls soccer players hone their skills at area club programs such as Barcelona, Legends or other well-known teams, Baldwin Park High School's Jeannette Gamboa developed her skills in recreation leagues in Baldwin Park, often teaming up with boys teams to improve her game.
To continue reading, click thread

Anything and anyone you want to talk about

The No. 1 high school blog among our community newspapers had well over a million page views in 2008. Thanks everyone.

From Whittier Daily News Prep Editor Roger Murray: What has been bandied about intensely over the past two weeks became official Friday when Pete Gonzalez met with St. Paul principal Lori Barr and athletic director Marc Hernandez and informed them he had decided not to resign his position as the Swordsmen's head football coach. Ms. Barr then took the alternative and relieved Gonzalez from his coaching responsibilities. Late Monday afternoon, Hernandez faxed a release announcing the final action and informing that St. Paul would begin immediately a search for Gonzalez's replacement. The release was short and to the point and included a one-line sentence explaining that this has been a confidential matter and no further details will be discussed. Ms. Barr has been unavailable for comment. Gonzalez, who led St.Paul to a Western Division championship and the semifinals in two of his three seasons in the position, said he did not resign as Dean of Boys and he intends to remain in the position at least through the school year. "I will continue to work as a dean," Gonzalez said Monday. "I want to make that clear. If I had done anything unethical or relating to conduct, I wouldn't still be at the school. She (Barr) has a plan, whatever it is, it's clear I'm not part of it. I think they expected me to resign. Maybe from a personal standpoint, in terms of my career, it may be a mistake to be fired instead of resigning, but I never told our kids to quit, and I'm not quitting, either."

Above: Glendora's Aissa Sanchez after scoring game winner against South HIlls.

Forwards know they're going to fail more often than finish, but the feisty ones never stop working, which was the case with Glendora High School's Aissa Sanchez.
The payout finally came in the 63rd minute on a long pass into the penalty area from Jessica Smetherman. Instead of trying to settle the pass with a defender at her back, Sanchez flipped the ball past the defender with the outside of her foot, then did a 360 to free herself, finishing at the near post for the lone goal and a 1-0 victory over visiting South Hills on Tuesday in a nonleague girls soccer match. Also La Habra knocks off Los Altos, 1-0.

To continue reading, click thread

I knew baseball was a hot topic during the season, but I'm surprised at how much conversation there is during the off-season. Just like football, this might be something we need to discuss all year, so give me some ideas of things you would like to discuss, whether it's top players, tournaments in the offseason, camps, etc. I'll post a baseball thread at least once a week, but your ideas help.

I'm at a loss for words over this story, Joe was a friend, and a close friend of my brother Steve and his family, doing everything that young families do together. He was one of the most generous guys I ever met, and someone you learned something from every time you ran into him. He's well known around SGV youth sports, and played for Duarte's High School's 1992 football team that advanced to the CIF championship. He worked with Magic Johnson and married his high school sweetheart Debbie, has three kids and another on the way. He was living the American Dream and was as humble a man you ever meet. We're gonna miss you Joe, God Bless and Rest in Peace.

Let's put this to a simple vote, but you can expand and explain in the comment section ...

Above: Diamond Ranch standout Chris Cunningham

Boys Basketball Top Ten Rankings
1. Diamond Ranch (9-3)
Huge win over Bishop Montgomery
2. Bonita (14-1)
Dominated area teams, won Alhambra, Glendora/Rowland tourney's
3. Nogales (12-4)
Dynamic Duo leads charge
4. Northview (10-5)
Lost twice to Bonita
5. Damien (10-4)
Can play with anyone
6. Glendora (10-5)
Not a typical Tartans start
7. Bishop Amat (11-3)
Area's biggest surprise
8. Walnut (11-2)
Arroyo tournament champions
9. Diamond Bar (9-5)
Best December in a while
10. Workman (7-5)
Buzzer-beater beats Los Altos

Boys Basketball standings
Arrowhead League
Christian League
Del Rey League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League
Montview League
Mission Valley League
Miramonte League

Above: Bishop Amat's Morgann Ellis making a pass for the Lancers

Girls Basketball Top Ten
1. Bishop Amat (12-2)
Dominated local tournaments
2. Diamond Ranch (10-4)
Three averaging double figures
3. South Hills (7-5)
Glendora tourney champs
4. St. Lucy's (8-3)
Webb tournament champions
5. Bonita (10-4)
Losses to South Hills, Northview
6. Glendora (9-6)
In finals of own tournament
7. Covina (9-4)
Still the best in the Valle Vista?
8. Azusa (8-4)
Wins over Glendora, Wilson
9. Sierra Vista (6-3)
Opened season beating SHills
10. Walnut (6-7)
The struggle continues

Girls Basketball
Christian League
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Above: South Hills and Walnut should battle it out for San Antonio

Girls Soccer Top Ten
1. Bishop Amat (10-0-2)
Unbelievable turnaround and only unbeaten
2. Glendora (9-3-2)
Great run in tournaments
3. Los Altos (11-4)
Lost two after six-straight wins
4. St. Lucy's (4-2-3)
Easy 5-0 win over San Dimas
5. South Hills (6-4-2)
Plays Glendora, BAmat next
6. Walnut (4-2-1)
Not a typical Mustangs start
7. Charter Oak (8-3-2)
Still has lot to prove
8. San Dimas (7-2-4)
Outscored opponents 43-13
9. Baldwin Park (8-2-1)
Best start in years
10. Bonita (5-5-1)
Allowing too many goals

Girls Soccer standings
Del Rey League
Christian League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

Boys Soccer rankings and schedules
1. Glendora (9-1)
Only loss to Monrovia in Ontario tournament final
2. Bishop Amat (10-3-1)
On nine-game unbeaten streak
3. Wilson (9-2-2)
Reached finals in two tournaments
4. Mountain View (7-3-2)
ecord reflects its improved schedule
5. Los Altos (7-2)
Opened with seven-straight wins
6. Diamond Ranch (5-1-1)
2-0 win over Ayala
7. Damien (6-6-1)
Faced toughest competition by far
8. South Hills (3-2-2)
Favorite in tight San Antonio
9. Diamond Bar (6-5-2)
Could make noise in the Sierra
10. Baldwin Park (10-1)
Valle Vista favorites

Boys Soccer Standings
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

This story comes from longtime staffer Jim McConnell, the man we call, "The King" around the office. He writes a weekly Then & Now column. This week he writes about his history lesson from readers, and what winning a 4-A title once meant.

Robledo: "Murray was the best I've ever seen."

The area's best high school basketball player ever?
In this reporter's opinion -- there's no way of knowing.
Basketball has been played at Southern California high schools for more than 100 years. But what exactly was it they were playing? The differences between how the game was played in the 1920s, in the 1940s, in the 1960s and today are so marked that comparing players of one era to those of another is meaningless.

To continue reading click thread

Glendora High School's boys soccer team continued its surprising turnaround Monday.
Junior midfielder Jeremy Bishop scored two goals and the Tartans, just 7-17 a year ago, won for the ninth time in 10 games with a 2-1 victory over visiting Bonita in a nonleague game at Glendora.
To continue reading, click thread

There could be many more nights like this at Workman High School. Clock winding down, score tied, and the floor spread for sophomore Cezar Guerrero and his Kobe-like finishes.
The youngster so many have been talking about since his transfer from St. John Bosco delivered like a big-timer, shaking a defender while dribbling to his right, then nailing a jump shot as time expired to lift the Lobos to a 62-60 victory over Los Altos in their final nonleague tune-up on Monday.

To continue reading, click thread

MaxPreps All-State football teams

California Division 2 All-State Team
Player of the year: Tyler Gaffney, Cathedral
Coach of the year: Darren Bennett, Tulare

Note: Congratulations to the four area players for making this prestigious state list. For a complete list of the teams, click the thread.

Division II First Team Defense
DL - Evan Williams, Charter Oak (Covina), 6-2, 250, Sr
Williams helped Charter Oak win a Southern Section Southeast Division title by racking up 92 tackles and 11 sacks. Named the Southeast Division defensive player of the year.

DB - Tra Sumler, Rosemead, 5-11, 205, Sr
The Pasadena Star News player of the year, Sumler ran for 2,451 yards on the season with 33 touchdowns and also had 15 sacks on defense. Helped the Panthers post an 11-2 record and reach the Mid-Valley Division championship game.

DB - Brandon Sermons, Diamond Ranch (Pomona), 6-1, 185, Sr
Sermons was named to the all-area team by the Inland Daily Bulletin while helping Diamond Ranch reach the Southeast Division championship game. Sermons, who had 51 tackles on the season, is headed to UCLA next year.

Second Team, Defense
P - Bobby Maldonado, Rosemead, 5-11, 185, Sr
One of the top kickers in the state, Maldonado could also punt the ball as he averaged 42 yards a kick with 14 landing inside the 20. He also had 47 touchbacks on kickoffs and booted nine field goals during the season.

The San Gabriel Valley Umpire Association will hold its first meeting for new baseball and softball umpires on Jan. 14 at Citrus College at 7 p.m. For those interested in becoming a high school umpire, contact Dennis Miller at 909-599-9919. The San Gabriel Valley Baseball and Softball Association on the west side of the Valley is also looking for umpires this spring. Those interested should contact Ron Ainsworth, 626-824-4140 or Carlos Salazar, 626-482-8800.

As we dive into another football off-season, eventually we'll discuss the best players returning at each position, go over team-by-team schedules and analysis, and keep you up to speed on the latest "Breaking News," with schools like La Puente and Wilson yet to fill their coaching vacancies. But first, here's a guess at how next year's top ten will look.

1. Charter Oak -- Muema, Golden, Thropay and coaching staff in place
2. Bishop Amat -- Won't be as good as 2008, but belongs at No. 2
3. West Covina -- Johnson and Johnson are back at QB and RB.
4. Rowland -- QB Michael Ball is only a junior -- dangerous.
5. Glendora - Have to replace Kaluzny, but all other pieces in place
6. South Hills -- Need to replace Deen, but lots of all-league underclassmen back
7. Diamond Ranch -- They slip because of so many graduating starters, but still tough
8. Damien - Schedule is tough, but Gano and staff gets 'em through it.
9. Rosemead -- Even without Sumler, Alejandre, they play defense.
10. Duarte - Along with Monrovia, could be contenders in Mid-Valley. Falcons return RB Jordan Canada.

For those schools not afraid of reporting their stats to MaxPreps so that area fans can follow their favorite teams and players, hint hint Nogales, Bonita, Workman, Glendora, Bishop Amat and Diamond Ranch, get with it. And please, don't say it's because you don't want to be scouted, lets call it what it is, lazy. If you want to go "Old School" and send your stats via email, send them to me or fax at 626-856-2758.

Trib's Top Ten Scoring Leaders (reported to MaxPreps)
Tomes Montez, Baldwin park, 18.5
Manny Acosta, South El Monte, 17.9
Dominique Williams, Garey, 17.6
Jordan Salley, La Verne Lutheran, 17.2
Chris Adams, Damien, 15.6
Danny Silva, Northview, 15.4
Carl Cooper, La Verne Lutheran, 14.0
Anthony Farmer, Northview, 13.7
Alfonso Saavedera, Rowland, 13.2

Above: Workman's Cesar Guerrero, getting ready for Los Altos tonight. The Lobos are 6-5 after the Holidays, with signature wins over Ayala, Schurr and Palmdale. They will probably go unbeaten in the Montview, but Los Altos, with wins over West Covina and Covina, could give them another good test.

Boys Hoops we plan to cover this week, let us know if there are more you're interested in...

Monday
Los Altos at Workman, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Charter Oak at Monrovia, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Bonita at Damien, 7 p.m.
Friday
Walnut at Los Altos, 6:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball standings
Arrowhead League
Christian League
Del Rey League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League
Montview League
Mission Valley League
Miramonte League

Above: Walnut's Krissy Slusser getting ready for Thursday's showdown against St. Lucy's.

Girls Soccer games we hope to cover this week. If you've got any better games, let us know...

Tuesday
South Hills at Glendora, 3:15 p.m.
Los Altos at La Habra, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday
Arroyo at Mountain View, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday
St. Lucy's at Walnut, 3:15 p.m.

Girls Soccer standings
Del Rey League
Christian League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

ESPN's Bruce Feldman and Tom Luginbill on the pressure of the student athlete in the recruiting process. Given some of our recent topics, this is a must watch.

Anything and anyone you want to talk about

As far as this blog goes, tell me what you want more of and less of in 2009? JCaz's jokes? Blogger guest threads? I'm listening.

By Brian Day, Staff Writer
COVINA - Area residents, businesses and foundations are pitching in to raise money for surviving members of a family shattered by a mass murder at a Christmas Eve party.
Through donations and fund-raisers, community members have been, and plan to continue, building the coffers of the Ortega Family Fund, set up to benefit the family of nine family members slain in the massacre that occurred in a home in the 1100 block of Knollcrest Drive.
"It's amazing how many people want to help the Ortega family," said Robert Moreno, president of the non-profit group the Man-e Moreno Foundation, which is dedicated to helping the families of homicide victims.
The Man-e Moreno Foundation is hosting an event Tuesday at Tutto's Pizza and Games in Covina to benefit the family, Moreno said. The event will be held from 5-9 p.m. at the restaurant, located at 1456 N. Citrus Ave. A charge of $6.95 will cover all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta, restaurant owner Amira Hanna said. Unlimited soda will be sold for $1.29, she added.
Twenty-five percent of profits from food sales will go the the Ortega Family Fund, Moreno said, and 100 percent of profits from drink sales will go to the fund. Not only is the restaurant being extremely helpful, Moreno said, but two local print shops, Sir Speedy and J & D Printing, volunteered to print flyers and posters advertising Tuesday's benefit.

To continue reading, click thread

Hi all:

I just wanted to let you know about my latest post on Prep Stars: Where are you now? I write about former area stars Freddie Brown, of Damien High School and Citrus College, and David Reed, of Pasadena City College, who helped Utah score a 31-17 victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on Friday.

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he's offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don't hate, enjoy it for what it's worth, which is one man's opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley.

Since I'm taking the day off, here is the Guru's New Year's gift to you. This is a updated Top-20 list of the HS non-committed players from the Inland Empire and the Valley. He also has graded out the MT.SAC players and have placed them on the list accordingly. Things change on a week to week basis and he will keep you abreast of the situation. But here is the Guru's board as of December 31, 2008.

Above: Former South Hills and Mt. SAC quarterback Nick Lamaison is No. 3 on the Guru's list after throwing for more than 3,500 yards.

1) Michael Phillip - OLT - Arroyo Valley - What else can be said for the best lineman in the Inland Empire with offers from every Pac-10 school except SC. Whoever gets him gets a stud.

2) Lester White - FS - JW North - Has offers from Boise St, Arizona State, Oregon St. and others. Many, including us, have big-time character issues with the kid, but as one D-1 HC said recently, "He is a NFL player...no question about it."

3) Nick Lamaison - QB - Mt. SAC -- Looking for the best QB in area? With apologizes to Cameron Deen and Chris Allen, THIS IS THE BEST QB AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW. He was JC Grid Wire All-America, CCCFCA Region III offensive player of the year and threw for more than 3,500 yards. One D-1A school wants to trip him out in January. He has really made a name for himself at Mt. SAC.

4) Gavin Pascarella - OLT - Corona Centennial - Boise St offered the kid and then pulled it in the fall when they got a commit from an OLT named Jake Broyles in Vegas. Needs to add on some weight and was not 100% at the end of the season. He's projects well with a spread offense.

5) Dominic Gaisie - CB - Mt. SAC - BYU just offered the kid and the University of Washington is rumored to be wanting to trip the kid out in January. Even though he is 5-9 1/2, he really shined out well for SAC this year and will be an impact player at the next level. Gives hope to the undersized DB's that can cover and tackle.

For the rest of the list, click thread.

Happy New Year from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Steve Ramirez, Miguel Melendez and I are writing stories from today's game, so lets just make this the Penn State-USC game thread. Before the BCS, this was a classic Big-10, Pac-10 showdown, and both teams probably would have been playing for a piece of the national title. It wasn't a consolation bowl, which is the feeling coming out of the USC camp after missing the BCS championship game, played next week between Florida and Oklahoma, two other 11-1 teams. If there isn't going to be a playoff system, go back to the old way and let the writers and coaches decide in the polls. Why do you have to pick two 11-1 teams and say, "this is the national title game." You can't say Penn State or USC isn't just as deserving. You can't say undefeated teams like Utah have no say either. Let's see how Utah does in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama, and then decide. Prior to the BCS, everyone played, and the voters decided after the games who the champion was. We should all be in favor of a playoff, but until that day is here, get rid of the BCS and go back to the way it was.