The early candidates for coach of the year starting to appear with Wilson’s Brian Zavala and San Dimas’ Bill Zernickow at the top of the list

For some, three weeks of football are in the bank, and already we have early candidates for coach of the year. Wilson coach Brian Zavala is a no-brainer. This is a simple case of one of the worst programs a year ago, inner-turmoil everywhere, and he steps in and changes the culture, and everyone seems to have bought in. Not only are they 2-0, but they beat a 2-0 Glenn team, an amazing turnaround after going 1-9. San Dimas’ Bill Zernickow is right there because frankly, the Saints look better this year than the senior-laden team a year ago. It’s simply great coaching, they’re not just winning, they’re crushing opponents and seemed to have improved on defense to go 3-0. Others to consider are practically every coach in the Montview league because outside of Duarte, the rest of the Montview is 13-4 and no longer the worst league in the area, that tag probably goes to the Mission Valley, though nobody in the Montview could touch Arroyo, who’s coach Jim Singiser deserves to be mentioned here as well. If Rowland coach Craig Snyder and Walnut coach Mike O’Shields continue winning and beat worthy opponents, they will leap into consideration too. And lets not forget the job Baldwin Park coach James Heggins is doing. If they defeat Bonita this week, I really believe they will go 9-0 before facing San Dimas in the VVL finale.

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Cooper back and making a difference for Walnut

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Walnut High School football fans are finally reacquainting themselves with quarterback Austin Cooper. As a sophomore, Cooper went through all the growing pains. He was 0-8 as a starter, throwing for just 441 yards with eight interceptions and one touchdown. Just five plays into the 2008 season opener against Diamond Bar, Cooper suffered a severe ankle sprain and missed the rest of the season. Now healthy, the senior is one of the big reasons the Mustangs are off to a 2-0 start and the third-ranked team in the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division poll.

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Marcus Price to speak with student athletes about the importance of college recruiting

I was sent this press release about former NFL Star Marcus Price, who will speak to high school student athletes and their parents at Azusa High School on Wednesday, Sept. 30 about the importance of college recruiting. This is open to everyone. Contact Azusa for more information.
Press release says: The start of a new school year offers high school student-athletes the opportunity to put their best foot forward in both athletics and academics. Success in both is extremely important especially for the student athlete hoping to pursue a collegiate athletic career. The recruitment process can be very confusing and frustrating for many students and their parents, but retired NFL star and Educational Speaker, Marcus Price, will be in town to clear up the myths and misconceptions of the college recruitment process through the popular seminar, “College Recruiting Simplified” at Azusa High School on Wednesday, September 30th.

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Girls Volleyball: Bonita Smudges San Dimas in three; Top Ten rankings leave Bearcats on top too


Bonita spiked San Dimas in three games Tuesday.

San Dimas High School has controlled the Smudge Pot in football, but the girls volleyball rivalry between the Saints and intra-district rival Bonita has been colored Bearcat green.
That didn’t change Tuesday.
Senior Allie LaPierre had 18 kills and 15 digs and junior Ashley Maxfeldt had 32 assists and seven aces and Bonita continued its recent dominance in the series with a 26-24, 25-16-25-20 victory in a nonleague match at San Dimas.
The Bearcats, who are ranked No. 1 in the area for the second consecutive week, are 7-0 against their rivals since 2004 and improved to 5-2 this season. San Dimas, ranked No. 7, received five kills from Ashley Burchfield. The Saints slipped to 3-2.
Bonita coach Adriana Contreras: “This is always a great match,” Bonita coach Adriana Contreras said. “San Dimas and Bonita have always been rivals, so this is great school spirit on both sides.
“This is a match that everybody, the entire team looks forward to playing. They are just very pumped for it.”
San Dimas coach Nicki Bonomo: “Bonita’s a good team,” Bonomo said. “Our girls are young and they played hard, they played well.
“They gave it their best shot. You can’t take anything away from Bonita. They are a good team.”

THIS WEEK’S TOP 10
1. Bonita (4-2)
2. Walnut (1-1)
3. South Hills (2-1)
4. Glendora (2-0)
5. Los Altos (2-0)
6. St. Lucy’s (2-3)
7. San Dimas (3-1)
8. Diamond Bar (3-3)
9. Ganesha (9-3)
10. Gladstone (4-3)

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Breaking News: Glendora’s all-everything Wallace Gonzalez has checked out of school; Could Bishop Amat or Charter Oak be the next stop?

A Glendora High school official has confirmed this morning that highly regarded baseball and football player Wallace Gonzalez has left the school one week after being removed from the football team for disciplinary reasons. Gonzalez, a 6-foot-5 junior who was one of the area’s best receivers as a sophomore, has already given a verbal commitment to attend the University of San Diego on a baseball scholarship. According to a source, Gonzalez will likely wind up at either Bishop Amat or Charter Oak. Although Gonzalez currently resides in Glendora, I have heard that he has a family member that lives in the Charter Oak school district, and has a freshman sister at Bishop Amat. To add to this news, I heard on Friday Gonzalez was set to leave the school, and at least two well-placed sources have told me his first choice is with Bishop Amat. Stay tuned.

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Football Super 32: Chargers still on top; San Dimas leaps to No. 4; Wilson checks in at No. 10

Tribune Top Ten
1. Charter Oak (3-0)
– We know the Chargers have offensive weapons, but the defensive is getting it done, allowing just 20 points in three games. Now comes the mother of all tests, Rancho Cucamonga.
2. Bishop Amat (2-0) – The gutty Little Lancers? Why not, they’re not the biggest on the D-Line, but they’re quick and have got it done two straight weeks. They need another win against Damien, then the schedule really gets difficult.
3. Glendora (1-1) – The last minute “drive” kept the Tartans from going 0-2. That’s the kind of win that sets the tone the rest of the season. They can finally put the Wallace Gonzalez situation to rest.
4. San Dimas (3-0) – Everyone talks about the big three coaches, Farrar, Bogan and Gano, but Bill Zernickow is right there. When you lose as much talent as they did and continue to win with authority, that says a lot about a coaching staff.
5. Rowland (2-0) – The Raiders made a huge leap to No. 2 in the Southeast polls. They haven’t beaten anyone worthwhile, but they have looked solid regardless.
6. South Hills (1-1) – We have seen this before, a slow start, tough schedule, this is nothing new to the Huskies who are still sorting themselves out. They get Pac-5 Tesoro on Thursday, and fortunately, Tesoro isn’t what it use to be.
7. Walnut (2-0) – The Mustangs have just beat two opponents with a combined record of 0-5, but they’re averaging over 40 points and doing it in dominating fashion.
8. Baldwin Park (3-0) — When you look at their schedule, if they beat 0-3 Bonita on Friday, they could go 9-0 before facing San Dimas at the end of the season. If the Saints beat Monrovia, they could both be 9-0 when they meet.
9. Damien (1-2) — They needed a victory over Claremont in the worst way, and got it with a 24-0 convincing victory. If they defeat Bishop Amat this week, the confidence is back.
10. Wilson (2-0) — I bet nobody thought the Wildcats could make the top ten this season, but after defeating 2-0 Glenn, they deserve it. Can we say Brian Zavala is the early coach of the year candidate?

The Middle 10
11. Arroyo (2-0), 12. Diamond Ranch (1-2), 13. Workman (3-0), 14. West Covina (0-3), 15. Rosemead (1-1), 16. Los Altos (1-1), 17. Nogales (2-1), 18. Sierra Vista (2-0), 19. La Puente, 20. Azusa (2-1).
On the bottom looking up
21. Gladstone (2-1), 22. Bonita (0-3), 23. Covina (1-1), 24. Bassett (2-1), 25. Diamond Bar (0-2), 26. Northview (0-2), 27. El Monte (0-2), 28. South El Monte (0-3), 29. Mountain View (0-3), 30. Ganesha (0-3), 31. Mountain View (0-3), 32. Duarte (0-3)

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