think again,
Not asking for names because you know the post would get deleted. If they declined then what would be the point because CIF surely will not punish the schools or coaches. Just asking for an incident that has happened , not what some over zealous boosters are doing without the schools knowledge. If they are doing it behind the schools back student still has to pass entrance exams to gain entry and submit trascripts along with letters of recommendations from previous schools. If that is the case then someone at the school has to be making sure this recruit is passed thru and I can't believe that goes on without the head of the school ( Travers ) knowing.It is not easy to gain entrance to Damien or AMAT as you think.

Why Delete

Amat 73 and LLSF are wrong.

Sorry boys, why would any parent that declined an offer want to post the info. Wouldn't want my kid's name on this blog.

But can tell you, it happened. Maybe not by Travers, but the dollar boys are out there trying to get kids lured to Damien.

You're being dumb if you think its not going on! Like I said, another kid in the works right now! Alum is willing to foot the bill to get the kid.

His transfer would go thru like clock work and I might add, would be a good long term pick up for Damien or any school in this area. Big time upside potential!

Steve before I throw up...where were all these silent and not so silent blog virgins with their rightous indignation over the past three years...at least! Don't get me wrong I think everyone should have never crossed the line but did it really take over three years to figure out right from wrong and righteous from ridiculous? I'm not sure who's worst the drive by guys without a conscience or the conscientious objectors without a sense of their duplicity. And by the way Steve...these are the same people who bag on you and Fred and then ask for a little professionalism when their ox is getting the business. funny huh?

what happened? i don't see anything that would make anyone shudder? will some one please explain?

Of course it's out of control again. Dr. Frankenstein created this monster and now he left Igor in charge.

Steve get a hold of the blog or just shut it down until Fred is back. This entire thread is a huge back-slide to the old blog's style. If you are really holding each post and reviewing them, than you have shown a serious lack of judgment. Please reel it back in.

Off the rails!!

more facts
How about if you insert LA the last few years or SH this year . There was a thread on a SH transfer that CIF denied due to his transfer being athletically motivated and the player not the coach or school suffered the consequences. What first needs to be done is what do the bloggers consider recruiting because I believe there is a misconception as to what recruiting exactly means. In this day and age of open enrollment in public schools they would be dumb not to present their athletic programs at open houses to incoming freshmen or go to the feeder jr. highs that are in their respective area.

Gee Steve, LSSF asks a question and when someone answers it you delete the comment.

A coach did try and recruit. Travers and Carroll told the coaches,"Damien does not recruit!"

LSSF, is right but so are the parents and players who were contacted. Isn't that the case?

Now to name names is wrong and pointless. To say a player is not recruited is to ignore the truth. To say Fr. Travers and Carroll do not allow "revcruiting" is also the "truth".

Steve, what's wrong with this very accurate, non accusatory and very complimentary statement.

Off the rails again. Steve you are a real pro.

if damien is recruiting they should fire the guy in charge,thanks for sending jason plowman to the bonita, you guys really showed him..hit #6 homerun yesterday.the plowman family are a class act.. maybe most of the kids go to damien because they know they wont make the local high school team. leave them alone. to win a cif ring,its has to come from the hearts,not the parents wallets..cant buy championships,you have to win them...

If Damien does recruit they sure are bad at it.... Anyone says that they recruit athletes are liars... Do they answer questions when people call or ask? Yes... That's not recruiting. Besides if you want your son in a good enviornment why wouldn't you at least check it out...

LSSF,
You hit it right on the head. I have yet to see any one of these posters who come on here with those allegations concerning either AMAT or Damien have any proof of this or at least give an instance where they can point out this happening. Now on the reformed blog I doubt they will let any person post a name of where it happened but then again you never know. I have seen some questionable things still coming up posted.

insert any school for "Damien" when talking "recruits " and the questions are the same

Here's where the conversation usually stalls:

Those of you who claim that Damien recruits athletes please

1. Name the recruited athlete.
2. Name the school employee who recruited him to Damien.
3. Describe the circumstances around the recruitment.
4. What was the student offered to attend Damien? How do you know?

Until these questions are answered, its all a bunch of hot air and rumors. Nothing new for this blog.

SGV Football

You don't have to say "Yes" or attend Damien to have been recruited.

Figure it out!

Good to see things have really changed here on the blog. I thought that the goal was to clean-up the content here and to stop negative posts. Looks that that didn't last too long. Here we go again with people posting about what they 'know', yet offering no facts. Awesome.

SGV Football,
That is sort the same question I posed to you earlier on this thread when you insinuated that AMAT recruits upperclassmen. I did not see a reply on that question. I believe a lot of people call it recuiting because we do go out to the feeder schools and pitch to the 8th graders. Also by having camps,open houses and so forth they consider that recruiting which by the way I am starting to notice many public high schools are now having open houses which I am sure the athletic department is there in full force. I have never on this blog seen anyone name one upperclassmen recruit for AMAT and I an sure it will be the same case for Damien.It is a very rare occassion when that happens and probably it happens only when coming from another private school that has closed such as when Mission High closed for boys and we took in a few upper and lower classmen.

Did I hurt your feelings "thinking man"? It wasn't my intention, so tone down the rhetoric.

Name one kid, senior or junior, who played football or basketball this season for Damien because he was recruited.

JUST ONE!

What's this we are hearing about Gregory being out at Ayala??? Any truth to the rumor that influential Ayala parents are having their way and getting Martin to oust Gregory???

If I have a freshman going to Damien, who will he be coached by. Who is on the Varsity staff?

checkingin, sorry to disappoint you but the only thing you got right was "if that coach did recruit he should have been fired"...he was. I know for a fact players were recruited. most of the recruited players regretted their playing days but enjoyed the students and school. sorry to disappoint you. too often damien alumni turn a blind eye to the truth no matter how much they hear the whispers. damien has made a whole sale upgrade across the board. at the very least we won't have to hear the nonsense of damien not having enough talent to win championships after the basketball team was 30 seconds away from playing at the Honda Center. no one, and I mean no one believed Damien had that kind of talent but the truth finally raised it's ugly head, DAMIEN'S TEAM WAS VERY VERY TALENTED, seems like the baseball team might follow suit. what would bloggers have said if damien would have held that lead? eisenhower won state didn't they? and damien was leading that team by 10. gano will prove one thing, just like leyba has, damien has always had the best talent short of amat in the valley, east or west.

checkingin, were you one of the damien bloggers who thought damien lacked the talent to compete beyond league? i don't care to look back so I'll take your word

sorry to break the news to you but gano will not need to recruit to win, but i'm sure players will follow him based on his past success and maybe even his assistants will get players to follow them as well.

who knows how things will pan out but one thing I do know, the basketball team had 8th grade studs in the stands during the losing streak and before the playoff run...and that looks odd at best

SGV Football/Checking

You guys obviously don't know what going on. Just because you haven't been that competitive doesn't mean the recruiting isn’t happening. Just maybe some athletes have declined for other reasons. Oh Yes Mr. SGV Football, my son was recruited many times as stated. Doesn’t mean I’ll run to CIF. Who cares, we know it happened and the point is: DAMIEN DOES RECRUIT and tries to lure players!

And believe me I learned of another plan in the works for very talented freshmen. Maybe the bill gets paid another way, but the kid shows up on your doorstep and the coach surely knows what’s going on! WAKE UP, deals are made in different ways. You think the big donators don’t want to win?

So get our facts straight before you pop off, because deals and plans are made behind the scenes.

And that's no BS SGV FOOTBALL!

Anthony White named as Temple City High School Head Coach for football with San Gabriel's Jude Oliver as his Offensive Coordinator.

73,

SJB is now in the Orange County Area for releaguing purposes. This is convenient for the Trinity League because their are now only 6 large private schools and the Trinity League is basically protected from change.

However, if you substitute Loyola for SJB it's about the same travel to Glendale for their games. Amat, Loyola, St Paul, St Francis and Damien would be pretty good for travel too.

You're right about affecting the divisions. The other Parochial Division would have Crespi, Notre Dame, Alemeny, Chaminade, and now Harvard/Westlake and Serra. It would be tough to decide which league would be in the Pac-5 and which would be in DIII.

Amat and Loyola have never been below the highest level of competition, while Crespi and ND have recently moved up with great success. Damien, St Paul and St Francis could probably hang that level more than Serra, Chaminade and Harvard Westlake.

That'd be a tough call.... but I like the geography.

Hey fellas,

Sorry to disappoint your active imaginations, but Damien does not and has not recruited its athletes---this from a former DHS athlete and long time follower of the school.

The bulk of its students comes from the "feeder" parochial schools, whose students are pretty much off the radar as compared to contemporaries from the public school system.

While Damien may offer some financial assistance to SOME students, that aid is based on family need and unique circumstance(s) that would affect a boy's ability to stay at the school. To view this honorable program any other way is a definite disservice to the school and its stated purpose for the existence of this aid.

I know NOTHING of Coach Gano other than having seen the competitive teams he's lead at Los Altos against Damien in the recent past. If, as others have stated, Coach involves himself in things that the DHS administration views as questionable i.e., overt recruiting, then he's in for a surprise about how fast they'll "shake" him from his position and move on to someone else.

If it is another way, given these times of "moral relativism" and Damien has changed its view, then its lost me and many other like-minded supporters.

Case in point, if Damien actively recruited football players as is often alleged on this blog, wouldn't they have produced more competitive teams then they have over the last six or seven years---where only two or three of those teams made into CIF?

If there was recruiting going on, the guy doing it needed to be fired.

Don't know if it would work due to divisions but a league of AMAT , Damien .St John Bosco , St Paul , and St Francis might be the way to go as far as travel time . Steve since you are in charge why not give coach Lou a call and inquire who's in on that week one openning.

loveshsfootball,

Last round of re-leaguing the proposal came up moving Damien from the MtSac area (public schools)into the Parochial Area. A Damien parent (I believe H2O Polo) filed suit, or at least threatened to do so. Damien folks can expand on those details.

i agree that Damien should be playing in a catholic league with Loyola-St. John Bosco- St. Paul and Amat-why doesnt the CIF and the Cathloic Association make it happen??-and does anyone have any updates on the releaguing? when will it be finalized?

Think again,
You sound legit. Is this all new with the installation of Gano? I would be really surprised and disappointed if this is the new direction of Damien's program.

No, I don't want to re-think that. I never used the word "CHEAT". The tactics used by private schools are fine with me. The camps that Amat has for kids are no different than the camps that Glendora operates for the youth. Damien should do this. The new basketball arena and football field are great selling points.

As far as the "my son was recruited by Damien" talk...I call B.S. If it did happen please report it to the CIF. They can investigate and verify. Anyone can make a claim on an anonymous blog.

AMAT73, you are right. I am not considering the current coaching staff at Damien. Most kids are brought in as freshmen. An upperclass transfer will always be scrutinized. I have heard the stories of Gano at Los Altos. We'll just have to see what happens.

D-MO, Tesero tried to swap around their schedule but it wasn't going to work for one of the other schools. Still looking.

SGV Football

You're not quite right..

Damien does recruit and I was one who should know. My kid was asked to transfer manys times but we declined. I had numerous visits by parnets, Alum, and reps who tried to lure us over. It was all in the best interest of your program, but my son just didnt feel like attending an all boys school.

Right now that is happpening with another talented kid who's family that have little or no money, but the kid can play football. I know that Gano is also out making contacts at places I won't disclose, but the visits have been conducted.

Rest assured, its going on!

SGV Football,
I know you must be talking pre Gano era. Get ready he recruits upperclassmen.That's how he did it at LA and he will do it at Damien. Now as for AMAT when was the last time you have seen upperclassnmen come into AMAT for athletic purposes and start on our teams. If you consider open houses, visiting feeder Catholic schools or holding camps for junior high students then yes we recruit which I am sure Damien does all of the above also. Those standards you speak of academics , disciplne also go at AMAT as we saw a couple of seasons ago with one of our top running backs who was asked to leave because of a off campus situation. Believe me when I tell you Mgsr. does not give up money for scholarships as often as it is thought on this blog. He has other agendas such as cementing his legacy at AMAT .

sgv football ..so all those schools "cheat"...is that what you're saying?

D-Mo,
Yeah, I hear it will be an all-star team comprising the Little Rascals, Three Stooges, Mr. Rourke and Tattoo from Fantasy Island, and Isaac from the Love Boat. Good luck!

Patrick,

Damien wishes to stay in the Sierra League. It's very simple. Why play in a league where you have to travel 40+ miles one way to play a league game? Teams like Amat, Loyola, Crespi and SO Notre Dame recruit to a certain degree. Damien does not. Name one player for Damien who was recruited. They don't give any financial inducements for top athletes. If you can't hang in the classroom, you're gone. If you are a discipline problem, you're gone.

Chino Hills and Glendora field strong teams in multiple sports. They aren't hurting. Ayala and Diamond Bar also are no pushovers. Chino is the only school that should move on. They should go to a lower division.

Just askin,
I agree. I dont understand why CIF feels Damien belongs in a public league being that #1.They are Catholic(supposedly) and #2. They are open enrollment(an advantage public schools dont have when it comes to boundaries). Its very suspect to see Damien official pulling so hard to stay in the Sierra league!

Has Charter Oak found a team to play in week 1 yet?

why doesn't Damien go into a Catholic league with Amat? They are fairly close & it would make the league a 6 team league. Why does Damien always get to skate away from the big boys?

I heard Glendora was possibly headed to the Baseline and Ganesha to the Montview. That was in article written by Pete Marshall of the SB sun written immediatley after the Mt Sac releaguing meeting earlier this month.

is there any other info on the league changes?

NY,

That's exactly right. Probably a reason you don't have many comments on this, as it's not much different than what we've gone through before, although it is great that we get an extra playoff spot for the league.

That alignment was during the era when the OC schools gave the public school leagues a try (Servite and Santa Margarita played in D5). That led to the public OC schools essentially "boycotting" MD & SM got them thinking about the new "all OC" Trinity League.

Obviously Alemany, with one of the Harrington bros as coach, is much different than the Aemany then - and Notre Dame has probably developed into a better program than SJB. That being said there's no reason to think that in time we shouldn't get back to where we were. After all, as recent as when this years seniors were freshmen, the Lancers we beat Mater Dei and Loyola in league (who were the semifinalists and champions, respectively) and may have done well in the playoffs if it weren't for a 3way coin flip (we actually had a better record than the at-large team that year). Unfortunately, a couple horrific years in an bad situation did a lot towards erasing that recent memory. We'll be fine.

Coaching matters.

Joe Amat,

Isn't this "new" league "realignment" VERY similar to the former Del Rey League of the 1990's. Substitute St. John Bosco for Notre Dame and there it is...any chance that means Amat will return to its form of the 1990s???

i heard the silliest rumor that glendora wants to join the montview league. i am dead serious, that was something i heard. not a fact, just a rumor......

i heard the silliest rumor that glendora wants to join the montview league. i am dead serious, that was something i heard. not a fact, just a rumor......

I know it's baseball and track seasons but does anyone know, or can they relay (no track pun intended) if any other players are signing in regards to football. Also it would be nice to know if players are going to schools to play that might not be "scholarship" type schools but players will at least get a chance to 'continue the dream" of playing at the next level. Those players deserve our respect and admiration as well as the ones that go Div 1. Most bloggers who played probably wished they could have extended their playing days for a couple of years. I know a few Damien players who are moving on up. Best of luck to every player. Just know you've made your schools, coaches, fans and parents evry proud.

About Chris Allen don't be surprised if it's baseball that gets him to the next level. I have heard he possibly could be giving his verbal soon! Oh and yes i have the school also.

Is it true that Covina will be abolishing all of their sports programs except Football, boys/girls basketball, baseball, because of budget cuts. Was told all other coaches were given pick slips this week?
If this is true than what about other schools in the C.V.U.S.D. {NORTHVIEW,SOUTH HILLS]will they be cut programs too?

both allen and cid will probablly be doing the jc gig. neither have a d1/1aa or even a good d2 scholly offer. don't know why, just what i've heard

Fred
Someone asked last week about Albert Cid and Chris Allen . Any scholarship offers for football on these guys.

There is an ugly rumor going around. An administrator at Claremont actually said that he heard that Damien wants out of the Sierra League because they are tired of constantly losing to Glendora. The administrator was corrected. Glendora wants Damien out. Damien wants to stay.

Preseason
@Dominguez
open(Best Valley Team)
open(Hopefully Damien Renews)
@St.Bonnies
open(St.Paul hopefully)
open(maybe Mission League Crossover)
LEAGUE
Alemany
Crespi
Loyola
Notre Dame

Not sure of the rules of this new configuration. Just games I would like to see.

Let's also be clear about how "too strong" is interpreted. Sure it's great to "play the best" in a strong league. However, the feeling of the CAA is that if that many "top teams" are in one league, two very deserving teams will always be eliminated from playoff contention. It should be noted that Alemany fought this tooth-and-nail, but didn't really have a leg to stand on - so it's not much of a surprise. Another consideration is finding permanent homes for Oaks and St Bonnies in all other sports - and how putting them in a different "football only" situation impacts those schools schedules.

The great news, as Fred said (which should be a great weekly Blog topic.. or at least the title of your Friday article "Fred Said"!) The Serra League now get's 3 automatic playoff bids and that impacts the rest of the Pac-5. This move, essentially, eliminates the "At-Large" bid (unless there's any other re-leaguing that I don't anticipate) that's been floating out there in all of Pac-5. That battle for 3rd place in the Trinity League just became a lot more heated because the 4th place team is now outta luck!

73,

Duh on ME! It's for the 2010 season, check. reading comprehension is fundamental.

tcbruin,
All of our local games will be on their second year of play. they should expire after the 09 season so we will have the openning for Alemany without cancelling any game. What it will mean is one less pre-league game for us in 2010.

Fred, I am not a softball pitchers parent. However, after looking on Maxpreps I can understand why some pitchers parents are concerned about the accuracy of the stats being posted regarding "runs" and "earned runs"...how their daughter's stats are accurate yet other schools in their league misrepresent their pitchers by erroneously recording these numbers. For instance, in the San Antonio league you have both Walnut and South Hills that are pretty realistic with their numbers...Walnut for instance shows their pitchers having given up 8 runs, 7 of which were earned, with 3 errors on fielding. South Hills pitching has given up 14 runs, 9 earned with 7 errors on fielding. Now go check out Rowland. They have given up 49 runs, with only 23 earned? Their starting pitcher shows having given up 26 of those runs, yet only 10 were earned. Even worse, and totally inaccurate, is West Covina. They have given up 43 runs...with only, count'em, 4, yes 4, earned runs! Even if you consider the 15 errors they have posted, each error would have to account for 2 to 3 "unearned" runs each! Who keeps these coaches honest? Are these numbers the ones being referred to when selecting your top pitchers? And are these numbers being referred to when voting comes around for league recognition? I'm sure that all the coaches concerned are pretty savvy about what is taking place. However, for the players sake, if not the parents peace of mind, some care should be taken in keeping these numbers accurate, don't you think?

Anyone,

Since Amat's 2009 season schedule was already setup, does this mean a non-league game already scheduled is going to have to be dropped to accommodate and extra league game?

There was a fear that it could be "too strong." This is the best case for Amat, because three playoff spots are guaranteed.

how close or serious were the talks to make the Serra League a six team league? I thought there was discussion to bring both St Bonaventure and Oaks Christian in...