Saturday Morning Quarterback: RIO NICE! Bishop Amat wins in OT, 27-24; Glendora shocks Chino Hills; West Covina knocks off No. 1 Rowland

Friday’s results
Bishop Amat 27, Loyola 24 — Cubs QB Jerry Neuheisel completed 20-of-24 for 256 yards and RB Jared Baker rushed for 109 yards, but the Lancers scored on two trick plays in the first half to make it 14-14, then won it in overtime when Jerry McClanahan floated a 14-yard TD pass sophomore to Rio Ruiz to win it. Another amazing win as they rallied in the final four minutes to tie it in regulation on Jay Anderson’s one-yard touchdown with 56 seconds left. Ruiz also threw a touchdown pass to McClanhan with seconds left in the half. The Lancers are now 8-0
San Dimas 28, Pomona 0 — That’s three straight shutouts for the Saints defense. Lets just get to the finale and Baldwin Park already.
Glendora 24, Chino Hills 23 — Amazing isn’t it. Not only is Mark Pasquarella dancing on the busride home, but so is Damien coach Greg Gano, whose Spartans are in the drivers seat.
West Covina 32, Rowland 10 — You knew at some point the Radiers were going to miss quarterback Michael Ball. The Bulldogs were just too physical and it showed.
Diamond Ranch 36, Bonita 29 — The Panthers win a shootout in the battle for second in the Miramonte. But don’t expect another miracle run to the title game.
Damien 17, Ayala 7 — This is why we have the Spartans ranked so high, because when you play as many tough teams like they have, it was only a matter of time before they cracked through. A share of the Sierra League title is almost a formality now.
Charter Oak 41, Wilson 0 — That’s three straight Miramonte league shutouts for the Chargers, who can goose the league in the finale against Los Altos in a couple weeks.
South Hills 29, Los Altos 7 — What once was a great non-league rivalry turned into another easy win for the Huskies.
Azusa 47, Duarte 6 — The Aztecs a win a way from going undefeated in league for the second straight year.
Arroyo 45, El Monte 0 — They shouldn’t be tested again until the Mid-Valley playoffs.
Rosemead 31, South El Monte 28 — The Panthers gave up the lead with 55 seconds left, then won it with eight seconds left.
Gladstone 38, Workman 0 — You knew the Lobos not having Bradford would be tough, but not this tough.
Sierra Vista 19, Bassett 0 — The Dons all but clinch a playoff berth.
Walnut 55, Nogales 17 — The Mustangs bounced back after two straight losses. Now they have to beat South Hills next week to earn a playoff spot.
Covina 47, Ganesha 0 — The Colts bounce back in a big way. It’s looking more and more like they will be No. 3 from the VVL.
Gabrielino 12, Mountain View 7 — The Eagles remain in the hung for a playoff spot.


For quarter-by-quarter updates of tonight’s games, click thread

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Thursday Night Lights: Baldwin Park takes care of business; Diamond Bar breaks through


Above: Manny Salcedo leads Baldwin Park over Northview on Friday.

THURSDAY NIGHT’S RESULTS

Baldwin Park 33, Northview 6 – Manny Salcedo threw for 147 yards and accounted for four TDs as the Braves remained on course for a possible Valle Vista League showdown against San Dimas in a few weeks. The Vikings received 151 yards rushing from Marquise Thomas, who broke the shutout with an 80-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

Diamond Bar 34, Chino 17 – Calvin Bishop accounted for three TDs, inlcuding a 95-yard kickoff return and the Brahmas broke through for their first win of the season. Andrew Cameron also passed for 190 yards for Diamond Bar, which improved to 1-7 overall and 1-2 in the Sierra League. Chino slipped to 0-8 and 0-3.

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Why the system works for some, and not others ..

When you think of all the grief that Jordan and Jamie Canada went through trying to become eligible at South Hills, their family moving into the area only to be declared ineligible because of “athletically motivated,” reasons, it stinks why others are allowed to transfer, even when on the surface it’s obvious it’s just another athletically motivated transfer. If a school has a grudge against a player, as was the case with Duarte’s administration in regards to the Canada’s, they can stop them by crying foul. If a school lets the kids do what their families wish, in Long Beach Poly’s case, as with other cases like South Hills allowing Travis Santiago to go to Charter Oak without a fight, they can transfer without suspicion. The system isn’t working, it isn’t fair, read Bob Keisser’s column in the Long Beach Press Telegram about Dylan Lagarde.

By Bob Keisser: In football, you know to watch the ball at all times, because no one has ever scored a point without catching it, running with it, kicking it or pursuing it. When it comes to quarterbacks in high school, however, you need to expand your field of vision beyond 100 yards. Perhaps to 100 miles, in some cases.

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Alemany’s Dean Herrington says of Bishop Amat in comparing them to Oaks Christian, “I think they are a more well-rounded football team.”

Bishop Amat just got enough big pat on the back, this time from Alemany coach Dean Herrington, who told the L.A. Times the Lancers are better than, gulp, Oaks Christian, the top-ranked team in the state in some polls, and No. 5 nationally by USA Today. Bishop Amat defeated Alemany 36-14. Oaks Christian defeated Alemany 28-17 in the seaon opener.

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Cross Country: Locals perform well at Mt. SAC

Once again, a local coach has stepped up and offered to help give insight to what’s going on in cross country. This comes from Glendora assistant coach Bob Ramsey


Said Ramsey: Mt. Sac is the standard for cross country in the Southern Section, and this past weekend two thirds of the local schools tested themselves against the course’s three huge hills and the intensity of the big meet atmosphere. Glendora had the top team performance, with their 80:27 effort earning them a #2 CIF-SS Div 2 ranking in the polls released Monday. The Tartans had 4 of the top 6 local performers and 5 of the top 9. In a merge of all 21 local schools, the Tartans lead with only 22 points, meaning that if they had raced against the 7 best performers from all of the other ESGV schools, Glendora would win 22-33. Los Altos, led by soph Joshua Sanchez, also put in a strong performance team performance and showed a big upside.

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The race for player of the year is on …

With less than a month before the playoffs, I’m going to list ten players in the running for player of the year. If you’re not on this list, that doesn’t mean you won’t win it. So much can change once the playoffs begin, but if it ended today, these are the top ten in consideration. In no particular order of course.


Above: Azusa QB John Chavez, who is having a terrific season for the Aztecs.

Michael Ball, QB, Rowland — He’s played enough and done enough to warrant consideration. Who knows, if he returns in the second or third round of the playoffs, assuming the Raiders are still alive, it’s not out of the question that he could do something magical and lead the Raiders to a title. Wishful thinking? Probably, but possible.

Tre Evans, RB/WR, San Dimas — He does a little of everything for the one-loss Saints, ranked No. 2 in the Mid-Valley Division. If the Saints win it all, he could very well end up CIF player of the year. He leads the team in rushing, second on receiving and is among their top tacklers.

Geoffrey Vaughns, RB/WR, South Hills — Moving the receiver to running back was the best thing to happen to the Huskies. He already has three 100-yard plus games rushing, but now is more of a combo threat with 502 rushing yards to go with 402 receiving yards. He’s also huge on defense and the most complete player they have.

Manny Salcedo, QB, Baldwin Park — Like the Saints, the Braves are a one-loss team and Salcedo is a huge reason. He is averaging a 143 yards passing, and has thrown over 100 yards in every game while almost averaging 50 yards on the ground. If the Braves win the VVL, he’s your league MVP

Adam Muema, RB, Charter Oak — Though he almost always seems injured, he continues to be the straw that stirs the drink for the defending champions. He leads the Valley with 950 yards, averaging 118 a game. He could have so much more, but he rarely plays a full game because the outcome is usually decided by the fourth quarter.

Darian Johnson, WR/DB, Bishop Amat — The most electrifying player in the Valley. What he did against St. Bonaventure, the return kick and INT for a touchdown is what legends are made of. He doesn’t have the amazing stats, he just makes amazing plays, the kind that knock the wind out of your opponents.

Steven Rivera, QB, Arroyo — There is no QB with numbers that really compare, and this kid is just a sophomore. He’s already thrown 1,306 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging almost 200 yards a game for the soon-to-be-crowned Mission Valley League champs. I still say the Knights are the Mid-Valley Division sleeper.

Jay Anderson, RB, Bishop Amat — If Anderson doesn’t move the chains as consistently as he does for the Lancers, they’re not undefeated, not even close. He has over four 100-yard plus games, averages 100 yards, and that’s against competition most on this list no nothing about, unless of course if you’re a Lancer.

John Chavez, QB, Azusa — The Aztecs QB does a little of everything for the soon-to-be back-to-back Montview league champs. He’s averaging 120 yards passing, is third on the team in rushing and second in tackles. What more could you ask of your two-way player?

Chad Jeffries, QB, Glendora –– Only a junior, he already has led the Tartans on two dramatic game-winning drives, and is among the area leaders in passing, averaging 130 yards with two 200-plus games. If the Tartans protect him, he’ll deliver.

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