Saturday Morning Quarterback: Bishop Amat beats Mater Dei in the final minute, 28-21; Charter Oak and South Hills Survive and Advance; West Covina, San Dimas romp into quarters

You guys are right, 5-6 season, great job Gano and staff. Great job against upland, an at large bid, 4th place in their league. Gano's record over the last two seasons is now 9-12, great coach.

DAMIENPARENT,... sorry but "MOST" the seniors worked their butts off this year. If "ALL" the seniors worked their butts off at practice Damien would still be in the playoffs and Damien would have gone undefeated in league.

And if you were at practices you'd know what I'm talking about. Pretty sad that those "select" seniors decided to test this coaching staff's patience by routinely showing poor body language and effort at practices culminating in the Chino Hills embarrassment on the sidelines...and you know what I;m talking about. Never seen a more selfsh player get over for so long...but hey he's gone now and everyone can finally move on.

Overall the Spartans did a wonderful job learning from quality coaches who did nothing but show the players respect and conducted themselves with a level of professionalism in short supply previously. I spoke to a couple of player yesterday and to an they said everyone knew who was undermining the coaching staff but at least they gave it their all in the games...well that they did and we can all agree to that.

One of the players did tell me that Alex Arevalo only made Honorable Mention???? Wow...kid was incredible all season long and easily teh best Soph I've ever seen Damien bring up since I"ve been there...and that includes kids I am big fans of...Travis and Taylor.

Mark my words Alex will make ALL CIF before he's done and this will look like a someone stole his prize...in the Sierra League...who was better at is position? What a mistake.

It took a while DAMIEN 123 but at least some one thought to congratulate and thank the coaches...lol

Gano and his staff should be congratulated. This was the fourth offense and defensive scheme for these boys in four years. That's no way to run a program. And it is not Gano's fault. Blame Carroll and Travers for being stuck in the seventy's with ridiculous traditions. Gano make your own traditions the players will follow you. Hell let's throw caution to the wind Travers and Carroll and let the boys practice under a full set of lights next season. Practicing with no lights or one bank of lights was inexcusable during the last two weeks. Save power by throwing away that golf cart or what's left of it. Donate it to TJ...

Keep in mind that this year no parents were threatening the coaching staff during half-time, no players quit the team during the season and Damien made it back to the CIF playoffs during a rebuilding year. Can you imagine what this program will look like in two years? Great Jobs coaches!

You seniors worked you butts off this year. Be proud of what you accomplished, because others before you could not do the same. The real Damien Parents are proud of you!

Wait...we've got a middle schooler wondering who his coach will be...Parents get your kids back to reading books.

So will Diamond Bar start looking for a new head football coach. Are they going to fire Martin Yet?

I for one listen to Petros almost every day just because I happen to be a big time sports junkie like allot of you guys. Having said that, I will say that when he first came on to the local sports seen, I really didn’t care to much for his style.

To me he seemed to be a bit rash and a huge show boater to boot. In fact, if you have ever listened to KLAC for any length of time, you will recall the incident where he and Steve Harman (one of the original lose cannons) got into it over the air one time. BTW, that incident was for real folks, and it wasn’t something that was manufactured for just the listening audience. However, it just goes to show you that while his style can be more than irritating at times, it still nevertheless draws in allot of fans .

In the end however, we need to keep in mind that, he is just an entertainer.

BTW, as far as his prediction goes, this guy is only giving his opinion, and of course, just like any body else, he is entitled to that.

Perhaps Petros is simply basing his thoughts on the fact that in the recent past, Amat really hasn’t been a terror in the trenches like so many of the other high school powers have been. After all, respect amongst your peers must be earned over an extended period of time and as of right now, Amat still has a ways to go before we are given that same level of respect that teams such as Long beach Poly and others have gained with their own success.

While Petros is no stranger to the high school game (he has actually broadcast a number of State high bowl games in the recent past) perhaps he is just basing that opinion on how Amat has performed over the past few years as oppose to how they played last year and in this one here.

That's cool, guess I'll have to tune into him more then.

Aaron I'm sorry but if you listen to Petros' show he's anything but an apologists. Matt Leinart won't even come on his show and some week I'm sure Carroll does t out of obligation rather than anything else.

The other week he said the Trojans lack an identity, bagged on Matt Barkley and grilled Carroll for fawning all over what calls "the greatest Trojan QB ever!!!"..at least according to Carroll....doesn't sound like an apologist to me.

Petros is a straight shooter and maybe he said something off the cuff but IF you think I'm wrong why don't you or any one else call him on his show...he'll admit if he made a fool of himself...which he freely admits is too often.

Winning takes care of all ills....Amat has bigger fish to fry than the "The Captain of the worst Trojan team ever"...at least that's what he calls himself.

He's a cool dude...maybe not everyone's cup of tea but he's okay by me.

Don't read between the lines. I said they are tough at home even in a down year. This was about them playing at home infact if that game was at MD I would be willing to bet Bishop loses. Home field matters in the playoffs. Go Lakewood.

Petros is the biggest SC apologist ever! And you proved the argument, you said yourself even in a down year Mater Dei is tough. So Mater Dei was no push over and the Lancers took care of business and in fact let them back into the game, which they won't do with Lakewood. Haggerty has shown how to make amazing adjustments in one week...ask Notre Dame.

You need to use Edison as your defense? lol That was the 4th game of the year and was a home game for MD and even in a down year MD is always tough at Santa Ana College Stadium. Like I said a down year for MD and you barely win. You are now going to be going up against the big boys from round 2 on. Lets see what the Amat Puppies are made of. I am guessing they will be lucky to be around.

Hey does anyone know why Mater Dei hasnt been dominating the last several years? They have the same coach. Its not like Amat whose decline started with Coach Salter leaving. Is it because the guys that used to go to Mater Dei go to Orange Lutheran now?

Stang Fan,

We came close to knocking off # 1 last year, just as you did this year. So you have a young team? Those boys should be ready to put it together in 2010. Good lcuk.

I can understand how most folks would look at Muir's record and wonder how in the HELL did they have a chance to win at the end, and how in the HELL will CO win another title if 4-6 Muir almost beat them?

However, the reality is Muir isn't your typical 16th seed. This was a very young team that had a LOT of potential and battled through some tough games. Their defense was always there, but the offense lacked a little something all year, until the last few games. There aren't JUST very good athletes on this team, but very good football players.

I'm not sure when the last time a 16 seed defeated a 1 seed, but I'd mentioned on the blog earlier this week that Muir would have a great shot. While CO was in control for the majority of the game, the Stangs were in striking distance the entire time. CO's championship mettle shone brightest on the two-point conversion as their defense BLASTED through to end the game, and congrats to the Chargers on a hard-fought game. But I think it would be ignorant to write off the Chargers because they almost lost to 4-6 team, because the reality is, Muir was a good team that gelled late in the year, and will be one to reckon with next year, as the majority of the team is made up of underclassmen.

Again, congrats to CO and much luck on your quest to repeat!

call what i see,

I have to agree with you, I watch the game on TV and I didn't see Ruiz rap and drive. It looked like he was afraid of the contact. Wasn't impressed with him at WR either, dropped a few real easy catches. Maybe a great athletic, but he better stick to baseball. Now he is only a sophomore, so who knows.

HuskyPride,

Let me look up the roster for your Huskies right now! Obviously your offensive line got great push for the 13 plays where Vaughns and Hart just gashed us...I don't know if it was the play calling or lack of confidence in Hernandez as he was on 3/9...but again your running game was very good.

I remember a fan asking against Walnut at the prospect of getting you guys if should even show up. Well we showed up and played a great game. 57 and 77 were going both ways, your defensive line not for the coverage sacks on Pendleton necessarily but you definitely limited the running game...but the knock downs your D-Line and linebackers shows a great rush. Also when the linebackers couldn't get the penetration they put their hands up and batted down balls which is also great instinct.

I think your DBs are suspect as they didn't really break up passes...but that may have more to do with Garret getting the ball where it needed to be as our receivers just dropped balls that were in both of their hands...12 drops makes any defense look good.

Discipline: You guys didn't play disciplined at all which was seen by, what was it six unsportsmanlike penalties. We've had discipline issues on the O-line all season as we had only one returning starter, so a lot of holding calls. But discipline on us when Harriman and McKenzie pushed Vaughns back for an insane loss. I think it was momentum of the players going forward that put Vaughns on his back at your five, which resulted in a unsportsmanlike call that I don't believe needed to be called even though I understand it.

Why's Shirley out? Was Booth in the dog house because they started Hernandez?

Sad we don't get to see you guys next year though, and same with Charter Oak. But As I've said before, Bonita fans be ready for a great season next year. For me this season was great, even with all of the growing pains our Bearcats suffered but they hung tough all season.

Also question for the Amat faithful. Ruiz seems like he has developed wonderfully at receiver...and he may be the number two now, but it looks like depending on what you guys have at the QB position he could be your number one WR next year. Just an observation.

HERE IS A VIDEO OF EDISON'S 36-29 WIN OVER MATER DEI:

http://video.ocvarsity.com/m/26682795/edison-wins-a-thriller-with-mater-dei.htm

Pac-5 representative Huntington Beach Edison high is currently the #1 team in the State of California and #6 in the U.S.A. according to Calpreps.com

At one time, Fred chose Charter Oak in a head to head matchup w/ Bishop Amat. Forget about Bishop for now. What has happened to Charter Oak? They should have dominated both Diamond Ranch and Muir. They barely escaped both games. South Hills is another overrated school. You cant claim greatness and then get manhandled by Bonita. This is why the Guru talks about the IE all the time. Corona Centennial, Redlands East Valley, Norco, and Redlands are giant strides ahead of any Valley school.

go bulldogs. Muir proved CO is not invincible.
CO is big, but we play them at home and who knows?

I agree With Aaron Pendellton played a great game. Bonita needed to play well and they did defensively but South Hills just has too many athletes.

Aaron who from South Hills other than Vaughns were you impressed with and who were you unimpressed with i'd like to know..

In the first place I said it before, I don,t have a son in this you dumb ass. And next of all I was asked what I thought about young Rio. If you don,t like my opinion, or my answer, tough sheet. In my opinion after watching this boy play safety well I suggest that you study this last game and tell me if he wasn't hesitant on every tackle he attempted. I guess I would also try to protect my son as well. Some times though you have to see things as they really are. As for the coaches, they well may feel he,s best qualified that does't make him a Sheldon Price, which is what I was asked. As for keeping my opinions to my self just let me know when you buy out the Trib or this blog. Until then I will post what the hell I please. SORRY!!! Again my opinion. ON BLUE!!!

correction: darien johnson plays both way full time and special teams! daniel kane and julian geners also play offence in the power formation

Call what I See...

It seems that you only care about one thing, I have seen you tag before and noticed that you fixate on one kid...always...Ruiz...you are so full of jealousy and resent man you cant see straight...this kid is no longer a prospect...he is full blown player now, he is a DUDE...he has 2 game winning TD's and has played great all year...he is the only player that goes 2 ways full time...what that tells us is his coaching staff has all the confidence in him to perform his jobs..and it's their opinions that matter...so keep you back handed compliments to your self, you probably wish you were related to him instead of your non starter son...the Amat nation loves this sophmore who plays like senior...better yet why dont you line up in front of him and then see how hard he hits you! ...
Amat Pride

I doubt very much the cifss would move a home game for Lakewood especially in round 2. In the past games have been moved in the semi-finals when Bishop Amat did not want to play at Eisenhower which has a decent amount of visitor seating. It cost money to rent the bigger venues and fans will just have to get their early to get seats. In the days when D-Bar had a huge following the cifss would not move the semi-final game between the brahmas-Chaminade which had limiting seating. I made sure I got their when the gates opened. Same thing the following week when Moorpark JC could not hold the large amount of fans that wanted to see the D-Bar-Newberry Park finals. They would not move the game to the large Pierce College stadium.

No doubt that there were a great many people in the stands last night at Kiefer, but weather to not it was 8,000 or 18,000, the fact remains that the Amat faithful really come out in droves to watch their team play.

You know, if the rumors are indeed true that they are considering changing the venue for the next game in order to accommodate all of the fans, then I think it pretty much works very favorably to our advantage because now, instead of being a true home game for Lakewood, it becomes a game essentially played at a neutral field.

BTW, a couple of quick comments here. Did you know that last Fridays game against Mater Dai was in fact the second time this football season that the Lancers have played the Monarchs? Yup, our freshmen (reserve) team played them earlier this year over at Mater Dai.

Also, that video that Fred put out there on Lakewood on the first game of the season sure makes them look pretty impressive. However, if they are thinking about running on Amat, then they had better think again. That running game of theirs isn’t going to go anywhere against the Lancers, and if their special teams play is still as rusty as it showed on that video clip, then they are in for a big surprise once the see Davis Cazares barreling into their back field in order to block that kick

Speaking of Davis, did anyone happen see that hit he put out there on one of they’re wide receivers. Absolutely crushing !!

Petros Rocks - that Mater Dei team that is "barely .500 in a down year" and you're not impressed that Amat needed a late TD to beat them? Undefeated, #1 seed, #1 team in California and #2 team in the country - Edison - they needed DOUBLE OVERTIME!

LancerforLife,
Cool it there they just might take our 70 championship away based on your trip . You kmow receiving favors from friends of the program to entice to go to Amat. You know they say we do recruit.

Good to see Glendora fight back against Rancho.. An encouraging sign heading into next season.. Should be very interesting to see how the Tartans transition into the Baseline.. Chad Jeffries should certainly be improved as well.. Team loses a lot of seniors though on both sides of the ball at key areas.. Going to be a struggle in the Baseline, but Pasquy seems to find an answer every year whether it was replacing Benny Rodriguez..Replacing Edmond/ Crook..Vega/Niles/Horn/Bruno/etc. etc...

Congrats to Damien.. Figured Upland would be too much.. That defense is special.. No shame in going out though and Damien made a lot of strides after seeing where they were last season..

Amat beats a MD team thats barely .500 in a down year for them and needs a late touchdown to do it? Not impressed at all.

Amat beats a MD team thats barely .500 in a down year for them and needs a late touchdown to do it? Not impressed at all.

there were not 18,000 people at the amat game. I was at the game and I watched it on prime ticket after. The 50/50 was a little over $1800 and after mr. hayward announced this at the game the fsn announcer from prime ticket got mixed up and said that there were 18000 people in attendance. It was a packed house though; i'd say between 7,000 and 8,000 people. Would have been more if the normal Mater Dei entourage decided to show up. It was all Blue and Gold last night, the visitor stands still had some extra room right before game time

At the UCLA game today, Petros rolls past our tailgate going back to his car with a hello kitty backpack ask him if he'll give props to Amat on the Challenge and he was like are they even in the playoffs. I was like yeah got Lakewood this week...and he's like oh they're going to lose...what a bag of suck.

Was there really 18,000 people at Kiefer Stadium?

Bearcat fans, it was good on us for coming out and supporting our boys. Kind of surprised South Hills didn't have their side packed to the brim since they are the "number two" team in the division.

Refs were bad but they started catching a lot of things in the second half. Defense actually stops on the whistle instead of pushing Vaughns to the ground we're looking at good field position...but he didn't have to make that call either...they did not throw him down.

Like all season defense kept the Bearcats in the game...wondering what happened to that double nickel South Hills was going to drop. Garret has gotten a lot better as the last few games have shown so I have no doubt he'll be ready and especially after getting into a camp. Look out for him to lead the San Miratonio or whatever they are going to call that league in passing next year. Receivers had seriously 12 drops that were in their hands, when it is in your hands keep it there and don't worry about the hit. Those kids catch those passes we're talking a different ball game completely.

More on Pendleton: no interceptions, footwork and mobility improved drastically, so has his touch, threw the ball where it needed to be.

O-line:Played pretty well, the sacks were coverage sacks.

Highley's leg, put South Hills in bad field position all night.

KC Huth, Daniel Harriman, Cody McKenzie played serious hard hitting defense.

The Bearcats went out and played, leaving everything on the field, went punch for punch with them. It was a great season for me, I would have liked to have seen us playing this well the entire season, but you know, it's about growth.

To the seniors, great game, all of us fans were inspired by your play. And to the underclassmen the foundation has been laid for a great season and by the sound of it, JV had a great season along with the Freshman squad so Bearcat fans it's going to be great.

Listen Up! We better get Vince out of the QB position if we want to continue winning SH! Put Brock in the drivers seat..he's a hell of alot better QB than the sophomore. There's to much favoritism and all the BS! Use your head coaches and utilize all the true talent you have an we'll go all the way! Hey SH coaches...this isn't Madden 10...this is young mens lives were talking about here! WAKE UP and smell the coffee...we can make it to the finals and Win...but not in this manner! Search deep down in your heart Bogan and you'll see what I'm talking about. Let's get it together Huskies and go into CV and take it! GO HUSKIES!

Joe amat I'm glad you value my.opinion finally.

As for the game itself, The kids played their tail off. It's like I said before, when Amat plays even up or just close to their wieght and hieght, they can stand with anyone. Very tough to beat. Everyone did what they needed to do to get it done. I don't mind telling you though I.got a little worried towards the end. Great effort by all.

As for young Rio, he is becoming a hell of a receiver which is where he should be. He has a long way to becoming a safety. If you watch him he has become very good at pushing people instead of tackling. He is far from being. A Sheldon Price. He needs to see how Davis Casaras does it. He's also gotten very good at back peddling. You can only see how hesitant he is just before the hit. A lot of people think that he is an all American at all positions but come on (papa).he is a very good prospect and played very well last night at receiver. Great consentration on the reception to end the game.

I hope they pull it off again next week.

I was at that game in 1970. A whole bunch of us Sacred Heart 7th graders were taken to the game courtesy of the former mayor of Covina, Louie Brutucao.

For those that were mocking the Amat decision to play Dominguez Week1 - that win's looking pretty good right about now. Dominguez beat Culver City, who was 9-1, 64-27! They play Redondo in the quarters - who Culver City beat. The only non-playoff teams Amat played were St Paul, Loyola, and Crespi - no bargain there. Hopefully the tough schedule will prepare them for Lakewood, whose only real test was LB Poly and Crenshaw. Should be a good one.

SD Saints looked awesome last night.
Offense is a well oiled machine
Defense has been incredible the last half of the season.
Next game will be a big test against a great team. The young men from SD best respect their next opponent and come to play their best game of the season. Valley Christian did beat Paraclete earlier this year.

Let's go Saints!!!

Bottom Line on Gano

This is not the miramonte league..

Over Paid

Over weight

Over matched

Limited talent

Out coached

Hope Travers got his money worth! LOL

Damien Class (aka Mrs. Gano or Mrs. Dominguez),

You weren't embarrassed by the showing of the Spartans last night. Don't you find it curious that when Damien played a team with talent, they got waxed! No adjustments were ever made during any game.

Did you ever go to a practice? More than 1/2 the time all the players just stood around. The offensive line was weak and didn't take splits to make room to push anyone anywhere (except Josh Polonio who worked his ass off every night). Poor coaching... Start over Travers!

Fred and Mike, I appreciate, and I'm sure many others do as well, what you two do for the local sports scene. Kudos my friends.

Cerritos College would be a good move if history is telling at all....

ALL TIME FOOTBALL ATTENDANCE RECORDS CIF Southern Section

1. 41,383 @ LA Coliseum Dec. 14, 1956 Downey vs. Anaheim

2. 33,374 @Anaheim Stadium Dec. 9, 1966 Mater Dei vs. Anaheim

3. 33,204 @Anaheim Stadium Dec. 13, 1991 Mater dei vs. Eisenhower (Rialto)

4. 31,012 @ LA Coliseum Dec. 11, 1970 Bishop Amat (La Puente) vs. Lakewood

5. 30,321 @Anaheim Stadium Dec. 2, 1994 Mater Dei vs. Los Alamitos

Ok just so we're clear....Amat 73 gets all the credit for making the right call:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: BISHOP AMAT LANCERS...DEAL WITH IT !!!!

NO ONE ELSE COMES CLOSE !

Instead of talking a good game why can't the blog community accept the fact that this year's Bishop Amat Lancers are pretty special. Any former player or coach will tell you individual awards are nice but when you look across the locker room and see all those eyes looking back at you and realize..."they're what every coach, player, fan and alumni wish for...a complete "TEAM""

10-1...where does the Mater Dei victory rank this year...wait...what happened to all the haters? Where have they gone? What happened to all the "Amat they thinks they are better than us talkers?

Recognize the truth...Bishop Amat is far superior in almost every aspect of the game ...BEFORE ..they hit the field...."GET IT"???

Now about the POY AWARD Fred....just that wasn't such a stupid idea after all ...especially when the whole city of los Anageles is shaking tehir heads and taking notice.....must be the SGV water or something?

Rumor is that Amat is going to petition CIF to move to possibly Cerritos College to accomodate the larger crowd expected. Lakewood High is just too small and can't handle the Amat following. A lot of schools know that and opt for larger playing venues out of necessity.

To "South Hills May Fall Without Changes"

Still taking that creative writing class? That post of yours was pretty darn creative.

Remember kids; Academics first,football second.

West Covina never seemed to be in serious trouble vs San Gabriel. The Matadors were scrappy,but undersized and overmatched.

Sudden, Stunning Ending for Mater Dei

Four turnovers by the Monarchs cost them in a tough loss to their old rival.

November 21, 2009 12:25 AM

By DAN ALBANO
OCVARSITY.COM

LA PUENTE - Mater Dei kept overcoming deficits and mistakes for much of its CIF-SS Pac-5 Division playoff game at Bishop Amat of La Puente on Friday night.

But the Lancers didn't go away.

Wide receiver Rio Ruiz made a juggling, 40-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jerry McClanahan with 38 seconds left to lift Bishop Amat to a dramatic, 28-21, first-round victory.

The Lancers (10-1) will face fourth-seeded Lakewood, a 41-17 winner against Newport Harbor, in the quarterfinals.

The catch by Ruiz was Bishop Amat's answer in the final minute to a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Max Wittek with 1:12 left. Mater Dei (6-5) kicked the extra point to tie the score at 21.

Bishop Amat started the winning drive at its 26 and used two receptions by Ruiz to move to the Monarchs' 40 with 46 seconds left. On the touchdown, Ruiz ran stride for stride with cornerback Matthew Billeci before snaring the ball near the 5.

Mater Dei got the ball back with 30 seconds left but Victor Blackwell lost a fumble with 20 seconds left.

"The kids played their hearts out," Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. "We executed on offense. It was a physical game. It's a tough one to lose."

Wittek completed 18 of 33 passes for 245 yards. His signature play was a rugged 11-yard run on a QB draw that set up his 1-yard score.

Blackwell had 10 receptions for 134 yards, including a touchdown.

The Monarchs were hurt by four turnovers. Bishop Amat had just one.

Mater Dei trailed 14-6 at halftime but took the second-half kickoff and drove 80 yards on nine plays to tie the score. Running back Corbin Anderson capped the drive with a 2-yard run with 6:46 left in the third. Trailing 14-12, Mater Dei went for 2 points and Wittek connected with A.J. Roth.

Mater Dei's defense kept making stops in the fourth and gave the Monarchs the ball at their 24 with 2:48 left. Roth highlighted the drive for Wittek's touchdown run by holding on for a 14-yard catch to Bishop Amat's 40 after a hard hit.

Friday marked the 34th meeting between the former Angelus League rivals. The Lancers now lead the series, 19-15.

Bishop Amat opened a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Anderson scored his second touchdown, breaking a 47 yard run on third-and-1 with 5:34 left in the first half.

Early in the second quarter, Anderson scored on a 12-yard run. Anderson capped a 74-yard drive after a Mater Dei interception at Bishop Amat's 26.

Mater Dei responded before halftime by turning to Blackwell. The wide out hung on for a tough 38-yard reception to Bishop Amat's 22 and later scored on an 11-yard pass from Wittek with 2:32 left in the second quarter.

The Monarchs' defense then got a spark from Billeci. The cornerback's interception and 40-yard return gave Mater Dei the ball at the Lancers' 35 with 2:10 left. But Bishop Amat forced Mater Dei to turn the ball over on downs.

FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS GO TO

http://www.ocvarsity.com/sports/yard-18309-mater-dei.html

GO LANCERS!

The Amat victory over Mater Dei will be replayed on Prime Ticket at 11AM Sunday morning. If you're recording, it was a LONG game - so you want to record extra at the end - you don't want to miss the last 5 minutes for sure!

GREAT win by the Lancers and props to Hags and the staff. SO many unheralded assistant coaches were doin' work last night. A very nice offensive game plan with some really good calls and clutch plays. BIG defensive performances by the usual suspects and very nice game by Martin Sandoval and Austin Lacy - who fly under the radar as a juniors with attention on the other big names. Johnson made some key deflections that could have been game breakers.. and as stated prior to the game - Blackwell is REALLY good. DJ's proving to be a very good DB and his limited use on offense has allowed him to really step up his game in that area. Teams fear of him on special teams has given us great field position lately - because teams are afraid to kick to him, so he's contributing just by being a threat. Anderson runs so hard and Jerry is so poised. It's exciting to watch the teams growth. ("Call What I See" - how 'bout that offense... and whaddya think about Rio now?)

For all those who were worried about people getting turned away or the fire marshalls shutting it down, word has it that the Lancers hosted over 18,000+ guest last night in the friendly confines of Keifer Stadium. While we've had some big ones - I'd bet that is the largest on campus attendance at any school in the SGV.

That's probably a nice $20,000+ take each for both the Lancers and Mater Dei after expenses. Add to that the home team keeps ALL revenue from parking, concessions, and merchandise sold. If you think football playoff appearances aren't important to the bottom line of a private school then you missed that math problem. And you wonder why so many coaches are under fire when they don't achieve.

For many reasons ... coaching matters.

DHSVET...pure Damien class...front and center.

No you gutless DHSVET...please say your name so every one can see what Damien produces.

what a lowlife

damien at it's redundant best

front and center

Oh billy.....

Way to go San Dimas!

Hey, does anyone know where I can view highlights of the Mater Dei vs. Amat game?

West Covina vs San Gabriel,
First off I want to give props to San Gabriel QB Israel Valdez, the kid is a leader and is pure heart. He was roughed up the through the night but kept getting back up and leading his team.
Bulldogs came and out were physical from the beginning, I believe they had a three and out
and then got the ball and quickly established the run game. Big games by Ili and Soloman and
of course the offensive line, also some key plays on defense by Haigler, Molina and Dupeasis.
The front 7 did well in stopping the run. Next week a big game with Charter Oak at our house because we won the coin flip. Go Bulldogs.

Also congratulations to Bishop Amat on beating Mater Dei, another big win for the Lancers.

Not sure why I am still shaking this morning. It's either the sound of the Muir drummers ringing in my head or the heart attack that I must have had last night.
Impressive comeback by the Mustangs for sure, but what's up with all the CO penalties? Anyone got a tally of yards? Hard to win in the playoffs with 4 turnovers and 200+ lost yards.
Well, a win is a win no matter how sick it makes you feel. On to West Covina. Let's do it CO!
Congrats to BA, SH too. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, right?

Gano please pack your bags, I understand they have a opening over at Los Altos. Hit the road Jack !!

Gano: How you go an entire season and not use a "tight end". Adding this dimesion would have helped, especially last night. Great play calling. I hope you take full responsibility for the Spartans poor showing last night. You and Josh Dominguez are over-rated. Did you make him 2nd Team All League because he took your daughter to Homecoming. He lacks toughness and drive. Watch the film... Please go back to Los Altos with your "awesome" staff.

Can any one tell me how Jake got hurt??

Oh yes SH is Just Being SH

What an accomplishment for the best running back in the SGV. 15 yards rushing! Sainz is a beast! Who was the Damien blogger who anted to discuss the best running backs in the valley and include Tinkerbelle! #43 was tiny!!!! ha!! ha!! ha!! another Pop Warner hero gets exposed! Luck your Feonides!!! Go Scots!!!

SHills won last night by their athletisism and mussle alone but we'll take the win. I know not haven Jake hurt but the lack of disiplin killed us.

6 major penelties for 80 yards (all unsportmanlike conduc) and all the trash talking are big distracsions to the team and coaches.

Playoffs is the time for players to step up, but we need the coachs to step up now too. Let's START holden players acountable for their crap and STOP alowing them to be a distracsion and burdens to the entire of the team. Every time one of these kids acts up, the coachs and players lose their focus on the game. The boys play much better without the non-sense. Didn't you coaches see the diference in how the TEAM played against Walnut and Roland without all of the distracsions?

We are in the 11th game of the seeson and still we can't get 11 players on the field ether. Come on guys, it's not that hard. Coaches, stop thinking its someone elses job to fix stuff and step up and get it done! Make the changs the team needs to be sucesful!

The things that are going on in games and on the sidelines are pretty enbarasing to the pogram and if you don't fix them it is going to end our seeson.

As coachs, you guys are way too good to alow this crap to keep hapening!

Roll Dawgs!

Prayers, Refs and homefield advantage and you still couldnt win! I'll admit, #9 on Damiens team was good... but, Upland stomped all over them during the second half! This was a refs game the first half and to think that they gave the Spartans a second chance when the clock ran out. Wow, what a way for Upland to comeback and smash that in their face!! This is my confession... SCOTS, all day every day!! NEXT???? What time is the next worship? Gano gets in the GANAS!!

Truth be told, the play calling of Gano for the Damien offense was atrocious!! Guillen, solid athlete, but why would you have him repeatedly roll to his left when he's a right handed thrower--not to mention the constant rush he had to contend with?

Add to this basic mistake to the speed and blitz of very fast defenders for Upland, and disaster soon ensues.

No imagination on the play calling, no adjustments by Damien to use the Upland speed (on defense) against itself, viola--blow-out.

Gano's play calling was hapless.

Notes on Amat

I left for the game real early last night because I just knew that if I didn’t take that precaution, that I wasn’t going to get my usual seat. Sure enough, when I got there, I had to battle with a half a dozen men women and children just to get into my 2 by 4 piece of aluminum siding that was to have become my seat last night. Yikes!

Anyway, I thought that they put up those extra seats next to the dog pound in order to accommodate the visitors, but when they made an announcement that Mat Barkley was in the crowd, I just figured that the ushers directing the people to those seats must have been UCLA fans and wouldn’t let the Monarchs sit over there. Tooo funny.

As for the game itself, wow that was a remarkable finish! However, I have to say that I was a little bit surprised that it was as close of a game as it was up until the very end. To tell you the truth, I thought that Amat really did dominate that game last night. Oh, I know, the final score showed that it was close until the very end and of course, the fact that we didn’t actually win it until the very last minute may indicate otherwiese, but what the score didn’t show last night was the way the Lancers just dominated the Monarchs in almost every facet of the game last night. Statistically speaking, Amat just killed them.

In big time plays such as turn over’s and in 3rd down conversions that were made when they had to be made, Amat again really took care of business In my opinion, the Lancers totally outclassed the Monarachs and really, the game really shouldn’t not have even been as close as it ultimately was because, Amat actually let down their guard and let them back into the game.

Sure, you can say that Amat was fortunate to have caught that big break that led to the final touchdown, but again, the game could very well have easly been a rout.

Consider this for just amomment. Amat was up 14 to nothing in the first half and it could have easily been 21 to nothing if it were not for that penalty that brought back the interception that Rio Ruiz made earlier. When Mater Dai made that first touchdown, they largely did it on a big kick off return where our overage failed to contain there big man. If it were not for that big play, Amat could have stepped on their throats at that point and never looked back.

BTW, speakingof special teams play did anyone notice that the opposing coach’s strategy was to try to keep the ball away from Johnson ? They pretty much respected Johnsons athleticism and speed (as well as the should have) because in the end, Darien didn’t have that big run back that he has become so well know for.

Speaking of Johnson, their was a rumor in the stands last night that he had sustained an injury during the course of the week, and that there was even a strong possibility that he wasn’t even going to play in the game last night. Well, if that was true, that kid had allot of heart because if he was hurting, he sure didn’t show it.

Oh, and what about Rio? I have to say that that kid had perhaps the biggest game of his young career last night. As many of you well know by now, he made that incredible juggling play with under a minute left to seal the deal, but what many of you may not realize is that deep down in his basement, the kids got a set of bowing ball pins that he throws up into the air every night just before he goes to bed. I have it on good authority that he does this every night just for Schitz and giggles. I’m kidding....or am I ??.

In this era of specialization, La Puente Bishop Amat's football team has found a way to keep its trio of future college baseball standouts happy, and their athleticism and talent are fueling a resurgent football program.

Center fielder Jay Anderson, catcher Jerry McClanahan and third baseman Rio Ruiz have temporarily put away their gloves and bats for the good of their school and the fun of football competition, and what an impact they are having.

Anderson, a running back; McClanahan, a quarterback; and Ruiz, a receiver-free safety, each made major contributions in Bishop Amat's 28-21 victory over Santa Ana Mater Dei on Friday night in a first-round game of the Pac-5 playoffs.

McClanahan, who signed with UC Irvine, fired a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ruiz with 28 seconds left to break a 21-21 deadlock. Ruiz, only a sophomore, outdueled defensive back Matthew Billeci for the ball and then waltzed into the end zone in his best home-run trot.

Ruiz, expected to take over as the quarterback next season, had eight receptions for 120 yards and made an interception on a fake punt. Anderson, a junior, scored three touchdowns and had 112 yards rushing. McClanahan completed 16 of 24 passes for 196 yards.

The victory moves Bishop Amat (10-1) into a quarterfinal game next Friday against Lakewood.

Mater Dei (6-5), loaded with a group of juniors that is going to cause big problems in 2010, rallied from a 21-14 deficit to add drama and excitement in the fourth quarter with a final drive directed by junior quarterback Max Wittek.

Taking over the ball on the 24 with 2:48 left, Wittek had a 14-yard completion to A.J. Roth and a 15-yard completion to Glen Raphael. He ran 12 yards to the one yard line before making a sneak into the end zone with 38 seconds left to seemingly send the game into overtime.

But McClanahan refused to let the game end so quickly. He got the ball on the Bishop Amat 26 and soon had the Lancers on the Mater Dei 40. He threw the ball up seemingly for Ruiz and Billeci to have a jump ball. There was contact but no flags thrown. Ruiz came away with the ball as Billeci rested helplessly on the ground.

The passing combination of Wittek and junior receiver Victor Blackwell was a sight to admire. Wittek completed 18 of 33 for 247 yards. Blackwell caught 10 passes for 135 yards.

There has to be a Mater Dei entrepreneur ready to capitalize on Blackwell. Maybe produce a T-shirt that says, "Victor Blackwell: Faster than a speeding bullet."

Whatever the plans for his senior year, understand that his combination of speed, size and leaping ability makes him an uncommon prospect.

"Certain players have the ability to take over a football game, and you want one or two nuggets like him," Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said. "You have to account for him. I don't even know how many gears he has. He's the type of kid if he touches it, he can go."

But Bishop Amat's Darien Johnson kept following Blackwell, twice breaking up passes. And it was Johnson's fumble recovery after a Blackwell catch with 20 seconds left that clinched victory.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Everyone in the southeastern conference be careful with Cal very strong running game, RB Jones a stud. Michael Ball played; glad to see the young man.

VICTOR BLACKWELL IS A GREAT TALENT AT RECEIVER! BUT LAST NIGHT DARIEN JOHNSON GOT THE BEST OF HIM. THAT GUY HAS EXCELLENT HIPS AND FEET! WAY TO LOCK EM UP DJ!

Hey Far, Far, Far Superior Level ...still been here everyday and rooting for Amat to win while ignoring idiots like you. Since you lack reading comprehension skills I'll say this again...Amat would beat CO this year. And finally, I want to thank you for your dedicated service to defending the SGV from those alien invaders from the OC...sure lets me sleep sound every night knowing that I'm safe and sound...

I know everyone here has already penciled in South Hills vs. Charter Oak, but some team might be able to sneak up and beat these guys.

The way SH let Bonita back in the game is very reminiscent of how they let Walnut back in the game too. I remember watching the Walnut game thinking to myself I can't believe it, Walnut has a shot to win this. I thought I was watching one of the biggest chokes of the year. Even though it didn't happen then, it almost happened again last night. SH needs to remember that this is not the time of year to be giving up big leads.

Maybe they both read the hype on here, who knows.

supply and demand dude, there were like, thousands of fans at amat tonight, foxsports there, mater dei there, how can you complain to fred for covering the biggest event in the valley. i'm sure there will be stories on every game tomorrow, but c'mon, the amat game was the biggest by far. ou're all a bunch of crybabies, he has to follow the team that has the following....duh

Ok Ok...congrats to Bishop. But come on...there are more teams in the valley. I know that Bishop did great tonight, but they aren't the only ones. Fred, stop being so biased.

Mater Dei best in the O.C. haha please... Be humble about ur wins, don't make Amat Nation look stupid...

Where has that COCupcakefan and the Guru run off to?

Why are they not here to compare Charter Oak and South Hills football to Bishop Amat?

I'm sure Charter Oak and South Hills could have handled the Mater Dei Monarchs in the same way...HAHAHAHAA!

ONCE AGAIN, BISHOP AMAT DEFENDS THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY FROM THE BEST OF ORANGE COUNTY!!!

Excuse me Glendora scored 21 pts. Glendora lost but DIDN'T embarrass themselves. Their offense had their way with our defense. Chad Jeffries had a great game and is just a warrior on the field.

Damien Softies

Remember the chant "ITS NOT OVER" We'll lights out, good night and sleep tight in that bubble of crap you call Gano!

Damien Homers

Lets talk running backs again tonight! LOL

What happen to the big stud QB too? LOL

SOUTHERN SECTION

First round, Friday

PAC-5 (I)

Edison 58, Millikan 14

Dana Hills 30, Orange Lutheran 10

Bishop Amat 28, Mater Dei 21

Lakewood 41, Newport Harbor 17

Servite 38, San Clemente 10

Long Beach Poly 24, Los Alamitos 7

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 41, Fountain Valley 24

Mission Viejo 41, Long Beach Wilson 14

INLAND (II)

Redlands East Valley 41, La Sierra 13

Chaparral 36, Corona Roosevelt 33

Corona Centennial 53, Miller 20

Rancho Verde 58, Great Oak 17

Norco 48, Carter 14

Arlington 28, Murrieta Valley 9

Redlands 35, Valley View 7

Vista Murrieta 38, Corona Santiago 17

WESTERN (III)

Mira Costa 42, Quartz Hill 6

Chaminade 35, Inglewood 14

St. Francis 55, Gahr 34

Palmdale 45, Santa Monica 26

Alemany 40, Highland 13

Warren 51, West Torrance 21

Redondo 42, Knight 14

Dominguez 64, Culver City 27

NORTHERN (IV)

Valencia 28, Thousand Oaks 27

Buena 41, Atascadero 14

Camarillo 35, Arroyo Grande 7

Moorpark 30, Canyon Country Canyon 0

Westlake 49, Ventura 27

Hueneme 23, Hart 15

Newbury Park 29, Righetti 27

St. Bonaventure 35, Oxnard 7

CENTRAL (V)

Colton 53, Don Lugo 3

Rancho Cucamonga 27, Glendora 14

Chaffey 34, West Valley 21

Los Osos 63, Arroyo Valley 35

Chino Hills 42, Elsinore 13

Etiwanda 38, Cajon 6

Upland 30, Damien 6

Colony 21, Paloma Valley 6

SOUTHWEST (VI)

La Habra 56, La Palma Kennedy 10

El Dorado 42, Santa Ana Valley 14

El Toro 14, Villa Park 7

Cypress 44, Troy 14

Trabuco Hills 53, Savanna 0

Garden Grove Pacifica 27, Fullerton 20

Huntington Beach 21, Anaheim 10

Tustin 31, Placentia Valencia 14

SOUTHEAST (VII)

Charter Oak 20, Muir 19

West Covina 40, San Gabriel 14

California 55, Rowland 27

Burbank 21, Alhambra 14

Schurr 14, El Rancho 7

Crescenta Valley 27, Santa Fe 24

South Hills 28, Bonita 21

EASTERN (VIII)

Summit 48, Citrus Hill 36

Palm Springs 41, Barstow 0

Kaiser 55, Palm Desert 17

Rim of the World 49, San Jacinto 34

Apple Valley 48, Silverado 27

Norte Vista 36, Riverside Notre Dame 21

La Quinta 31, Ridgecrest Burroughs 28

Serrano 34, Heritage 0

SOUTHERN (IX)

Garden Grove 34, Bellflower 13

Beckman 35, Laguna Beach 28

Westminster 20, Irvine 16

Norwalk 63, Rancho Alamitos 8

Laguna Hills 34, Estancia 7

Segerstrom 41, Mayfair 35 (OT)

Garden Grove Santiago 24, Costa Mesa 6

La Mirada 44, Santa Ana 3

NORTHWEST (X)

Oaks Christian 70, Santa Ynez 14

Harvard-Westlake 34, Compton Centennial 20

Cathedral 56, Mary Star 21

Pioneer Valley 59, Lawndale 0

Santa Maria St. Joseph 55, La Salle 0

El Segundo 24, Nordhoff 7

Gardena Serra 54, Oak Park 6

MID-VALLEY (XI)

Monrovia 40, South El Monte 7

Paraclete 45, La Puente 0

Baldwin Park 38, Gladstone 17

Whittier Christian 27, Arroyo 24

San Marino 42, Rosemead 20

Cerritos Valley Christian 45, La Canada 0

San Dimas 48, Workman 6

EAST VALLEY (XII)

St. Margaret's 33, Santa Paula 6

Aquinas 35, Sierra Canyon 12

Bishop 21, Brentwood 20

Fillmore 41, Yucca Valley 14

Oak Hills 21, Kern Valley 19

Grace Brethren 20, Sage Hill 17

Ontario Christian 14, Twentynine Palms 9

Maranatha 59, Frazier Mountain 13

NORTHEAST (XIII)

Rio Hondo Prep 34, Lancaster Desert Christian 0

Saddleback Valley Christian 21, Riverside Christian 20

Salesian 24, Animo Leadership 0

Mojave 36, Calvary Murrieta 21

Boron 36, Bell-Jeff 25

Chadwick 48, Bloomington Christian 0

Pasadena Poly 54, St. Genevieve 42

Linfield Christian 49, CSDR 22

EIGHT MAN

Division 1

Windward 45, Cate 0

Santa Clarita Christian 66, Hesperia Christian 21

Thacher 78, Excelsior 20

Division 2

Camarillo Cornerstone Christian 42, Trona 28

Joshua Springs 42, California Lutheran 28

Way to go BP! Started slow, but finished strong..tough game coming up with WC. Their win was no fluke! (tough league). The BP Boys will be ready.

C'mon fred; we all know ur a bishop homer, but pls, there were other sgv football games 2night. I was really hoping this newspaper would not die, but if ur banking on the bishop nation to carry the newspaper . . . well, I don't know. . . that may b ur plan but it seems like u would lose those readers that have allegiances 2 some of the several other schools in the sgv...for ur sake hopefully it works out 4 u and the paper. As 4 me and maybe others in the sgv we'll just hav 2 skip the trib. Thanks 4 all the yrs of covering the sgv sports. Good luck 2 u and ur bishop nation.

Lets here about all those points Damien scored against Chino and Diamond Bar once more? ONE AND DONE DAMIEN strikes yet again!

What's up with the slow scoreboard tonight? It's 11pm and some games say they're in the third quarter.

who won the westco game?

hey JJIMENEZ (and) TROJAN MAN -

fear what now? like what was said before, but you didn't believe it:

FEAR THE PLAYOFFS / FEAR THE OFFSEASON.

Koffler's "reign" of "domination" gets put in it's place for the 2nd year in a row. Let's see what Rosemead excuses for their feeble offense tonight.

I'm primed and ready for all excuses Panthers, GRRR......

Bulldogs Took care of Business Tonight

Now The Fun Begins

GO BULLDOGS

All this story line about Gano and the Soft spartans. They have been over hyped since day one of the summer. Their talent has been average at best and any good team just takes them down.

Pretty sad state of affairs to watch such a DOMINATION like tonight.

Donut man just isnt what he used to be! LOL

Trojan Man

NO FEAR ROSEMEAD! YOU SUCK AND SO DOES YOUR TROJANS

Fred all this hype about Gano. Another losing season, 5-6. What you have to go back 5 seasons since he has had a winning one. I hope our Administration enjoys their buffet coach and 5-6 record, another lossing season.

EARLY PREDICTION

DAMIEN 21
UPLAND 35

OR

DAMIEN 21
UPLAND 17

OR

DAMIEN MORE THAN UPLAND

OR

UPLAND MORE THAN DAMIEN

GO BULLDOGS!!! BRING IT HARD EACH AND EVERY PLAY!!!

the only cocky that's going anywhere is in your mouth hater!

No? No live internet stream?? Argh. No one wants to watch the Clippers.

Come on Mater Dei. Put all these cocky Amat fans back in their place. GO MONARCHS.

To the Bearcats,

I would just like to thank you for allowing me to see this season as I was lucky to be able to be home for it. What you guys have done out there has been amazing. What you did yesterday only matters that everything was building for this moment, this game. Do not dwell on the season as the new season began last Saturday morning. Now it is for you to believe you can win tonight, if you believe you will. Someone once said to me: If you want, you can. If you want this win, you will get this win. Play Great.

To Bearcat Fans,

Let's all go out and support our boys in the first round against South Hills, it's been a long time since we've played a game at CDF.

GOOOOOO Bearcats!

FRED IS THERE A REASON WHY THE MATER DEI PICTURE IS ABOVE THE AMAT PICTURE??? I THINK THERE MIGHT BE A DEEPER MEANING TO THE WAY YOU ADDED THE PICTURES, ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING.

smallcitymc,

I was stating those ratios by the sheer fact that our home side including the dog pound holds 6X the amount of fans than the visiting side. It is my understanding that we are allotted more tickets due to the fact that we are playing at home, hence, home advantage.

And believe me, if you are an MD fan, do not even begin to think about sitting on our home side....because we will drown you out in a SEA OF BLUE!!!!!

Joe,

I read to much into that ; )

AMAT WILL SHINE!

go amat

No matter what they say about Amat no other school whether the posts are good or bad or for or against can generate hits on this blog like Amat. Just look at the threads when they beat ST Bonnie and ND both well over 150 hits. Fred does know who butters his bread. They are the school many love to hate and at the same they are the school many love.

smallcitymc,
Do me a favor and post that on the POY thread. That is exactly the point I was trying to get across on the team being my choice for POY and it was totally misunderstood by quite few bloggers. You "get it " maybe others will when they read your post.

Seriously doubt MD has fair weather fans. I've seen them fill the Santa Ana Bowl which holds about 14,000. They travel deep. You also have to realize that their school is much bigger than Amat's. Amat may have 1500-1700 students and they are definitely over the 2500 mark.

My man smallcitymc,

"Needed a good laugh" was actually reposting "The Scouting Guru's" preseason prediction in the Serra League rather than writing his own opinion.... because he apparently "needed a good laugh". O think he's on the same page.

Amat squeezes by WC and ther great!!! lol oh wait... nvm... comparisons...

Fred,
Please interview Coach Rollinson from MD. I would love to know if he still describes close games as a "New York street fight"!!!

Needed a good laugh,
You're missing a key point with the Amat team. Hags has mentioned that the players know that if they miss an assignment, block, read, etc., the team could lose. He uses a team technique used by thousands of organizations. The Marines use this same system. And as a Marine (no such thing as "former" Marine) I can tell you that this is a paramount to team cohesion. Every bit of me, myself and I is stripped from you in boot camp. It is drilled into your head either by force or motivation that the unit is greater than the sum of its parts. They use fear and embarrassment not in the sense you may think of them being used. It's the fear and embarrassment of oneself being the cause of the team's failure. Human nature being what it is, you do everything you can to avoid being that ONE person. When you can get everyone on board great things happen... and so far that has been the case with Amat. They get "it."

Crowd,
I've been to Mater Dei away games a number of times and I would argue that they are fair weather fans.

Amat Dude,
I could be wrong, but playoff games are a bit different. I believe a certain amount of tickets are given to each school so I don't believe it will be a 6 to 1 ratio.

Will the game be streamed live on the internet anywhere??

9-1 baby!!
9-1
9-1
9-1
9-1
9-1
Read it and weep!
Whats next? 10-1? Oh no... hahaha
Amat 35
MD 17

Hey where is that self proclaimed Guru? Tell him I have Crow A La Mode waiting for him. Tesoro placed 4th didn't make the playoffs and yet they beat SH, but somehow SH is better than Amat according to the Guru Master, now that goes to show you that this Homer is completely in a state of denial! Give credit where credit is due.

Go Amat! Go eat Crow Guru!

Fred
MD 28
BA 14

There will be Our Fathers all around and then we're going to knock the $hit out of 'em!

Amat will shine tonight !!!

Bishop Amat, Please do not embarrass the San Gabriel Valley tonight!

bball coach -those kids have been playing those championships in gyms throughout the valley since they were in the 3rd grade in NJB, Little League, or Youth Football. What does that prove you're the "champion"of? Your block? neighborhood? city? valley? I like traveling to get a real "division" champion.

THE BALDWIN PARK VS. GLADSTONE GAME TONIGHT IS GOING TO BE QUITE INTERESTING ESPECIALLY AFTER WHAT HAPPENED IN 2007 WHEN GLADSTONE'S COACH SANCHEZ & SEVERAL PLAYERS HAD A FEUD BETWEEN THEN DUARTE COACH CRUTCHFIELD & HIS PLAYERS... WE ALL REMEMBERED WHAT HAPPENED THAT GAME!!!... IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE OLD TIMES TONIGHT WITH CRUTCHFIELD & HIS EX-DUARTE PLAYERS ON THE SIDELINES ACROSS FROM THE GLADSTONE FOOTBALL SQUAD AGAIN...

Army Shmarmy. Mater Dei will come in red and leave all pink!
Amat 35
MD 17

DEFENSE wins Championships!!

Look at Texas...the road to a Championship encompasses the entire state. A state champion plays a six playoff games and the majority of them are not close to home.

ATTENTION ALL AMAT FANS AND LANCER BACKERS!!!!!
*************************************************
Let's turn the stadium into a SEA OF BLUE tonight! Break out your Amat gear or anything that has Lancer Colors for the game tonight. Let's put the word out to all Lancer fans coming to the game tonight BLUE! BLUE! BLUE! BLUE! We really need to step up and support the boys tonight. We are the 12th man!!!! PASS THE WORD!!!

When is basketball going to figure it out would you not love to see these playoff groupings in basketball?

How would you like a Glendora vs. Damien CIF Basketball Championship? at Ontario Citizens Bank Areana

Bonita vs. Charter Oak Final in CIF Basketball

Why do we have so many different ways to determine CIF championships.

Basketball enrollment which is the correct way according to some but we all know that one of the smallest schools in the area is the best in basketball La Verne Lutheran.

Water Polo another different way

Football- Geographic location hmm novel idea

Why should any SGV team have to go to Paso Robles to play?

Good luck to all area schools. A very special good luck to AMAT Lancers and West Covina Bulldogs. Play hard, win big,and protect one another.Lucky numbers are 89-4-26

What is James Escarga a guru of again? Radios and bicycles with baskets?

Serra - As I've stated earlier this year, the Serra league is brutally tough. If you don't have the horses, you're going to get beat. Last year, Amat had four D-1 prospects in the secondary. And they did a great job. Now, that they are gone, who's going to replace them? And when you're in a Division that has the Gatorade Player of the Year returning (Ryan Kasdorf, SO Notre Dame); one of the best running backs in the state returning (Anthony Barr, Loyola) and one of the better overall teams in the So Cal with Crespi - it's hard to envision the Lancers coming away with one win in the league., But, they did beat Crespi last year and held their own with Loyola for the majority of the game, so there is hope...I just wish that Brent Seals was back on the team. Tough to see the Lancers in the playoffs.

Fred!!!

Really?!?!?!?! Red Army!!!!???

More like a handful of butterflies.

Can't wait for the game tonight. I think this is really going to bring back memories from when i was a kid coming to Amat to watch the McCutcheon teams. Kiefer is going to be rockin tonight.

Amat wins 27-21.

Go AMAT!!!!

Good Luck to the rest of the SGV. Go out there and show them our brand of Football.

I'm so excited for tonight! i can't even begin to imagine how the team and coaching staff is feeling. Kiefer will be ROCKIN' tonight!!

Our Lady, Queen of Victory,
PRAY FOR US!

P.S. Good luck to all other area schools tonight.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5seconds do you beleive in Miracles??? YES! Workman 28 San Dimas 24 in the biggest upset in SGV history. It sounds good

Good Luck Lobos

Here is a clip from the LA times:

November 20, 2009

Santa Ana Mater Dei (6-4) at No. 9 La Puente Bishop Amat (9-1), 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket

This is widely considered the most evenly matched first-round game in the Pac-5 Division playoffs, but it could turn into a rout if Bishop Amat's defense can pull off a repeat of its performance last week against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. The Lancers sacked quarterback Ryan Kasdorf four times in the second half and held tailback Kenneth Boggs to four yards during a 31-14 victory that clinched a share of the Serra League title. Mater Dei won its final three regular-season games to secure the Trinity League's third and final playoff spot. "They are scoring a lot of points and are kind of feeling it a little bit," Bishop Amat Coach Steve Hagerty said of the Monarchs, who averaged nearly 43 points per game during the late-season streak. The pick: Bishop Amat.

The OC maybe coming to town, but unfortunately there are only limited seats for the visitors. In other words, the Amat home crowd will outnumber you 6 to 1. We will be 6,000 plus fans strong versus your 1,000 fans. The rest will have to watch it on Fox at 10:30.

We will win it with the "12th" man...that is the home crowd cheering on the Lancers.

Go Big Blue!

Brace yourself Amat - The OC is coming to your House tonight.

Mater Dei by 15.

Mission Viejo to win the Championship.

The overflow crowd is coming from Amat loyals...past present and future. It is not expected that a big contingency from Mater Dei will be coming. Historically they have been fair weather friends.