Tuesday Roundup: Charter Oak and host San Dimas open with wins in San Dimas tourney

For Boxscores from Tuesday’s games, click thread
Bonita High School, the Tribune’s fourth-ranked girls basketball team, shut down Rowland in the second half and cruised to an easy 49-17 victory in a first-round game in the Covina Classic Tournament on Tuesday night.

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My baseball experiment thread …

In my third year running this blog, you could probably go from football to baseball without a complaint from basketball bloggers. Unless someone is complaining about La Verne Lutheran, or chiming in on Glendora, there isn’t much of a basketball discussion. Frankly, girls soccer gets the most discussion this time of year when we’re not talking football or baseball. Heck, even girls volleyball and softball is a more popular thread item than boys and girls hoops. So lets experiment, next week I will begin to post the fall all-league teams, followed by Tribune all area teams up until Christmas. Then we will continue to discuss football, and jump right into baseball, because that’s what you want, right? Someone asked that we have a baseball thread every week, do you agree. If so, I’m on it.

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It could be a wet and slippery night in the CIF championships, who does it favor?

The weekend weather forecast is cold and rainy. The latest forecast is as follows: Thursday (Rain, 58 High, 45 low); Friday (Rain, 59 High, 47 Low), Saturday (Rain, 61 high, 49 low)…..

How will this affect Friday’s Southeast championship between Diamond Ranch-Charter Oak and Saturday’s final of Monrovia and San Dimas at Citrus College. For the Saints, it has to help. When you run as much as they do, especially through the trenches, it’s an advantage. We keep hearing how Monrovia is more athletic, more explosive, well rain can neutralize that. But, it is on an artificial surface, which takes the mud out of play, and helps with footwork. The reason Diamond Ranch and Charter Oak haven’t settled on a location as of this morning is because of the forecast. They would both like to play at Mt. SAC, but the field already is in terrible shape. Citrus is already booked for Upland and Los Osos, leaving Pasadena City College as a viable alternative, not far down the 210 freeway. It’s a beautiful stadium with an artificial surface, which is huge if your Diamond Ranch. You don’t want to go muscle-to-muscle in the mud with Charter Oak and Adam Muema. Panthers QB Gus Viramontes has been too big in the playoffs, he needs an artificial surface and his receivers need their footing. You know, they might as well even play at Ganesha at this point.

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Monday’s meet-and greet luncheon message was simple, “You will remember this game for the rest of your lives.” And then there was Oaks Christian

At Monday’s CIF luncheon with 26 finalists, each coach stands up and introduces the players and people at the table, which is usually three, maybe four players. It’s normally a smooth process, but Oak Christian coach Bill Redell came off as cocky to many. While most coaches introduce their players by position, Redell brought six players who are all big Div. I signees, and introduced them like, “Here’s Nick Montanta, Washington; Alana Fua, Brigham Young,” and so on. There was also Zac Stout (Brigham Young), Cassius Marsh (Louisiana State), Malcolm Jones ( UCLA) and Erik Kohler (Washington). Needless to say, the coaches around him weren’t thrilled by his presentation, which came off as big-timing the others in the room. It wasn’t just me, others felt it. And it came right after Rob Wigod’s “Pursue Victory with Honor,” speech. Yikes.

CIF Finals luncheon with San Dimas’ Bill Zernickow, Diamond Ranch’s Roddy Layton and Charter Oak’s Lou Farrar. BTW, A.J. Powell told me they call Charter oak Lou-Ville.
“We didn’t even know this event (champions luncheon) existed last year. It was all brand new. You had a coaching staff and players that had never experienced championship week. We had to deal with so many things like how to host it. There were so many things outside of football that you had to deal with. This year it’s all familiar and we know what we’re up against. They’re (Chargers) still the best until you knock them off. I can’t tell you how much respect I have for their team and their coaching staff, they do a tremendous job.”Diamond Ranch coach Roddy Layton

The Star-News covered Monrovia and Rio Hondo Prep at Monday’s luncheon. Nobody racks up titles like the Kares, going for their 12th championship. But our focus is Monrovia.

“It’s not going to be any different. We preach one game at a time, and to live by that this week is truly it. This is our last game of the year. We’re going to prepare for it like we have all year. San Dimas is a good football team. We know they’re good, and our kids are pumped up to play.”Monrovia coach Ryan Maddox

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Notebook: Baldwin Park boys hoops win Don Bosco tourney, Los Altos, Bishop Amat girls soccer meet Thursday; Nogales dismisses football coach

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Baldwin Park High School’s boys basketball team won its first tournament in 26 years on Saturday by beating Firebaugh 63-59 in the championship of the Don Bosco Tournament.
The Braves’ Eddie Gamboa scored 16 points in the final and Joe De La Torre had eight rebounds.
But the Braves duo of Fernie Morelos and Tomas Montes were named tournament co-MVPs. to continue, click thread

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Tribskin Pick’em, your predictions and ours

Breaking News: Just to confirm, San Dimas and Monrovia will play at Citrus College at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Diamond Ranch and Charter Oak are still weighing their options, but the leading candidate at this point is Pasadena City College on Friday night, which would be a great move for the Panthers. Mt. SAC might be too muddy and slippery. A field turf surface gives the Panthers a better shot, especially with QB Viramontes and his receivers playing so well.


Above: Former West Covina assistant and Monrovia coach Ryan Maddox getting his team ready for the perfect season.

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: 4-2/187-44
Ramirez: Last week/Total: 5-1/171-60

Last Week: Yup, Diamond Ranch did it to us again, Steve and I both missing their upset win over South Hills, setting up another Diamond Ranch-Charter Oak final. I also missed taking Rancho Cucamonga over Upland, but San Dimas, Charter Oak and Monrovia got it done, so here we go, championship week. By the way, Steve owes me a steak dinner for the head-to-head. He won in 2007, but I went back-to-back on him in 2008-09.

This week: It’s almost anti climactic making predictions now, you know how I feel. In Diamond Ranch’s case, it’s not as simple as saying “it’s hard to beat a good team twice.” Charter Oak has a psychological edge, because all they’ve ever known is beating Diamond Ranch. Could that change this week? I just can’t envision it, but I do envision a close game to the end. San Dimas? That’s another story. Monrovia is not going to face the same team it did in September, it’s at a neutral site, and then there’s the Billy Cats 0-8 record in championship games. You would be a fool not to make Monrovia the favorites and from my time covering them, I know how much it means to that community, they truly are a class act over there, a great sports school, and have a better team on paper. But I like the Saints. They won a baseball title when everyone was screaming Bishop Amat and Northview. They have kids, particularly young kids, who always fight-the-fight, a characteristic that usually ends up with things like championships.

CIF-SS Championship predictions
=Southeast Division
Friday
Diamond Ranch (7-6) vs. Charter Oak (12-1), TBA — Robledo (Charter Oak); Ramirez (Charter Oak)
Mid-Valley Division
Saturday

San Dimas (12-1) vs. Monrovia (13-0) at Citrus College, 7 p.m. — Robledo (San Dimas); Ramirez (San Dimas)


Monrovia’s cheerleaders running after one of the many touchdowns in the Cats’ 36-17 win over San Dimas in September.

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