Breaking News: Glendora’s Gonzalez gives up football, will concentrate on his baseball career


Above: Glendora’s Wallace Gonzalez, seen here last season, is no longer with the Tartans.

This was supposed to be an exciting season for the Glendora High School football team. It was thought with returning receivers Wallace Gonzalez and Aaron Stockham, considered two of the best in the area, and highly-touted junior quarterback Chad Jeffries, the Tartans would be able to score points in bunches. But it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Stockham injured his back during the summer passing league schedule and hasn’t seen the field, and now Gonzalez, who has committed to play baseball at the University of San Diego in 2011, has left the team to concentrate on that sport.


Gonzalez had 64 receptions for 1,018 yards and five TDs last season for the Tartans, who were 8-4, won a share of the Sierra League title and advanced to the CIF-Southern Section divisional quarterfinals.

“Wallace is no longer with us,” said Glendora coach Mark Pasquarella, whose team lost 10-3 to Upland last week. “He has a scholarship in baseball waiting for him, so we decided this was better for him. We mutually decided.

“When you have a player with that type of talent, it’s going to hurt your football team. But we have other outstanding receivers and they have to step up.”

One of those was supposed to be Stockham, who was expected to provide support for Jeffries, who despite his talent, had no varsity game experience going into last week’s game at Upland.

Stockham had 37 receptions for 636 yards and seven TDs last season. But an injury has limited his service this year.

“He hasn’t been able to practice,” Pasquarella said. “Our receiving corps is not what we had hoped, but we still plan on throwing the ball.”

Pasquarella had mixed reviews for his team’s Week 1 performance. The offense, which did have a chance to tie the score late against the Highlanders, was sluggish, but the defense limited one of the top offenses in Southern California to one touchdown and a field goal.

“We had the ball on the 10-yard line with two minutes left,” he said. “It was unfortunate, but hopefully if we get to meet again we’ll be able to generate more offense.

“We tackled well, which considering we had 10 practices in the gym (due to the Southern California fires), was good. To give up 10 points to that offense is doing OK.”

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