CIF-SS Polls
Mid-Valley Division
1. Monrovia, 2. San Dimas, 3. Azusa, 4. Baldwin Park, 5. Paraclete, 6. San Marino, 7. Village Christian, 8. Arroyo, 9. Gladstone, 10. La Puente.
Pac-5 Division
1. Edison, 2. Mission Viejo, 3. Servite, 4t. Notre Dame, 4t. Lakewood, 6. Fountain Valley, 7. Bishop Amat, 8. Los Alamitos, 9. Dana Hills, 10. Millikan
Southeast Division
1. Rowland, 2. Charter Oak, 3. South Hills, 4. Burbank, 5. Crescenta Valley, 6. Walnut, 7. Bell Gardens, 8. Schurr, 9. Santa Fe, 10. Burroughs.
Central Division
1. Upland, 2.Colton 3 Rancho Cucamonga , 4. Colony, 5. Chino Hills, 6. Ayala, 7. Etiwanda, 8. Elsinore, 9. Cajon, 10. Arroyo Valley..

While we wait for the status on Glendora two-way standout Andre Holmes, who injured his right knee and watched the rest of the Damien game on crtuches, there are two other high-profile injuries to report. Workman’s Kalin Bradford, among the area leaders with 846 yards and nine touchdowns, injured his right knee in Friday’s game and will have an MRI this week. X-Rays were negative, but coach Fred DeLelio said they’re aren’t taking any chances. “We will probably sit him down the next two weeks and go from there,” DeLilio said. Wilson quarterback Moses Vega injured his shoulder against Rowland Friday, but coach Brian Zavala is optimistic he will bounce back. “The x-rays were negative. He feels ok, hopefully he can bounce back soon.”

Steve and I will go head-to-head throughout the season. Here is our updated records on the Tribskin Pick’em thread.

Robledo: Last week/Total: 14-3/112-35
Ramirez: Last week/Total: 12-5/103-44

Last Week: Steve and I missed on the same three games, taking Glendora over Damien, Los Altos over Bonita and drumroll….Northview over Ganesha. Let me type that again, Northview over Ganesha? When you think of tough Northview was last year, it’s amazing to think they would lose to Ganesha a year later. I picked up two games on Steve because he was foolish enough to take Pomona over Baldwin Park and El Monte over South El Monte.

This week: There are four games I want to point out, first, Bishop Amat is almost in a must win in the Serra opener. With two of three at home, they do not want to wait to the season finale at home against Notre Dame, who has owned them since moving to the Serra, to clinch a playoff berth. Loyola is also the easiest of the three Serra teams, so take care of business now. With Glendora losing Andre Holmes to a knee injury, this could seriously dampen their playoff hopes. I’m taking Chino Hills at home over the Tartans, who will likely have to beat Ayala later to reach the postseason. If Michael Ball had been healthy, I might have changed plans and took the Raiders over West Covina, but not now. There is just no way they’re going to win without Ball on the field. I’m also taking Damien over Ayala. Think of it, if the Spartans win, all they have to do is beat Diamond Bar and Chino the final two weeks to finish .500, and with it a second place finish in the Sierra.

This week’s games and predictions
Thursday’s games
Diamond Bar at Chino, 7 p.m. — Robledo (DBar); Ramirez (Diamond Bar)
Baldwin Park vs. Northview at CDF, 7 p.m. — Robledo (BPark); Ramirez (Baldwin Park)
Friday’s games
Loyola at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m — Robledo (BAmat); Ramirez (Bishop Amat)
Pomona at San Dimas, 7 p.m. — Robledo (SDimas); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Glendora at Chino Hills, 7 p.m. — Robledo (CHills); Ramirez (Chino Hills)
West Covina at Rowland, 7 p.m. — Robledo (WCovina); Ramirez (Rowland)
Diamond Ranch at Bonita, 7 p.m. — Robledo (DRanch); Ramirez (Diamond Ranch)
Ayala at Damien, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Damien); Ramirez (Damien)
Charter Oak at Wilson, 7 p.m. — Robledo (COak); Ramirez (Charter Oak)
South Hills at Los Altos, 7 p.m. — Robledo (SHills); Ramirez (South Hills)
Azusa at Duarte, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
El Monte at Arroyo, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Arroyo); Ramirez (Arroyo)
Rosemead at South El Monte, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Rosemead); Ramirez (Rosemead)
Gladstone vs. Workman at Citrus College, 7 p.m — Robledo (Gladstone); Ramirez (Gladstone)
Bassett at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Sierra Vista); Ramirez (Bassett)
Nogales at Walnut, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Walnut); Ramirez (Walnut)
Covina vs. Ganesha at Covina District, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Covina); Ramirez (Covina)
Mountain View at Gabrielino, 7 p.m. — Robledo (Gabrielino); Ramirez (Gabrielino)

Breaking News: Fine, I’m being a little sarcastic, but the stats are on MaxPreps for all to read and digest.Go check it out.

By the numbers
Quarterback Jerry McClanahan — 55 of 83 for 672 yards with 4 TDs against just 1 INT
Running Back Jay Anderson — 120 carries for 550 yards (91 average) with 11 TDs
Receiving Darien Johnson — 14 receptions for 233 yards; 4 kickoff returns for TDs, 2 punt returns for TDs, INT return for a TD.

Anything and anyone you want to talk about

Game of the week? As long as Bishop Amat keeps winning, they will start to dominate games of the week from here on out, and Friday is warranted facing Loyola in the Serra opener. This is the biggest of the three games by far, if the Lancers win, they will undoubtedly make the playoffs as a Pac-5 wild card at worst, which will take some pressure off in pursuit of winning the Serra title. If they lose, hold your breath, because they will either have to win at Crespi or home in the season finale against Notre Dame to get in. They might be 7-0, but the “real” season starts now.

Athletes of the week: Looking for nominations for boys and girls athletes of the week.

Thursday’s games
Diamond Bar at Chino, 7 p.m.
Baldwin Park vs. Northview at Covina District Stadium, 7 p.m.
Friday’s games
Loyola at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m
Pomona at San Dimas, 7 p.m.
Glendora at Chino Hills, 7 p.m.
West Covina at Rowland, 7 p.m.
Diamond Ranch at Bonita, 7 p.m.
Ayala at Damien, 7 p.m.
Charter Oak at Wilson, 7 p.m.
South Hills at Los Altos, 7 p.m.
Azusa at Duarte, 7 p.m.
El Monte at Arroyo, 7 p.m.
Rosemead at South El Monte, 7 p.m.
Gladstone vs. Workman at Citrus College, 7 p.m
Bassett at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m.
Nogales at Walnut, 7 p.m.
Covina vs. Ganesha at Covina District, 7 p.m.
Mountain View at Gabrielino, 7 p.m.

Damien coach Greg Gano
“It’s a long time coming. Our kids played a heck of a football game. Maybe we will get some momentum, because we’re a better team than what we showed against Chino Hills (38-6 loss). We needed this very badly.”
Glendora’s Mark Pasquarella on losing Andre Holmes to a first-quarter knee injury.
“We kind of scrambled a little bit because he’s a big part of what we do. But the big issue was we couldn’t protect our quarterback. If we can’t protect him it’s going to be a long night no matter who we’re playing.”

Friday’s results
Damien 21, Glendora 0 — The Spartans are back in the Sierra League race after blanking the Tartans and sacking quarterback Chad Jeffries five times. The news is worse for Glendora, who lost RB/DB Andre Holmes to a knee injury in the first quarter. He watched the rest of the game on crutches.
Bishop Amat 36, Alemany 14 — The wins are more impressive by the week. The Lancers are no longer squeaking by quality opponents, they’re shoving them aside with the powerful Serra League up next.
Bonita 26, Los Altos 20 — It went back-and-forth with the Bearcats mounting a last minute drive to pull it off. The heartache continues for the Conqs.
Charter Oak 12, Diamond Ranch 0 — The Panthers usually play the Chargers tough, but the outcome is always the same, another loss.
La Puente 38, Bassett 6 — Another easy win for the Warriors, making you wonder what happened against Azusa.
Workman 45, Sierra Vista 20 — The Lobos keep themselves in the thick of the Montview race with a whipping over the Dons.
South Hills 42, Nogales 17 — The Huskies put on the breaks by halftime and cruised home. They get Los Altos before finishing with Walnut and Rowland.
West Covina 31, Walnut 11 — The Bulldogs bounce back, winning the game both teams had to have in a tight playoff race in the San Antonio.
San Dimas 35, Covina 0 — The Saints defense does it again, blanking an offensive-minded Colts squad.
Ganesha 9, Northview 7 — The Vikings allow the Giants to win their first Valle Vista league game since 2002 … Can you say, “ouch.”
Rowland 56, Wilson 12 — The Raiders don’t have any problems in game one after Michael Ball’s injury, but they still have South Hills and West Covina to deal with at some point.
Arroyo 41, Gabrielino 0 — The Knights continue to cruise through the Mission Valley league, winning another easy one.
Rosemead 41, Mountain View 7 — The Panthers need wins to get themselves back in the playoffs. This only helps.
Ayala 43, Diamond Bar 10 — The Brahmas continue to struggle and struggle badly.
South El Monte 22, El Monte 19 — That’s 2-0 in the MVL for the Eagles, who won the first annual Griffin Bowl

For quarter-by-quarter updates, click thread

By Steve Ramirez, Staff Writer
LONG BEACH – Dwayne DeSpain’s status at Los Altos, and in the Valley, was legendary. The former Los Altos High School football coach is arguably the best coach in the area’s history, and now he has his spot among the best in the CIF-Southern Section.
DeSpain, who won seven CIF-SS divisional titles from 1972-1988, was inducted into the CIF-SS Hall of Fame on Thursday during the CIF-SS Council meeting at The Grand Event Center. “I humbly accept it,” said DeSpain, who now lives in San Diego. “I had a great staff. They were very loyal and they worked hard. And I had good principals who backed us 100 percent, and we had great athletes.”

Continue reading “Los Altos’ Dwayne DeSpain finally gets hall pass” »