What else is going on this week? I would love to know which games you would like covered?

We will obviously be in football mode this week, and also time to start putting our fall all-area girls volleyball, boys tennis, cross country, boys water polo and football teams together, but we will have time to sneak out to a few games, so what games should grab our attention. Anything in boys or girls soccer. Any great hoops games? Let us know. When I get the San Dimas boy tournament schedule, I will post it.

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Covina Girls Basketball tourney schedule; games at Northview and Bonita High Schools

2009 Covina Girls Basketball Classic
Monday, December 7th at Northview
4:00 G1 Gabrielino vs Sierra Vista
5:30 G2 Don Lugo vs West Covina
7:00 G3 Chaffey vs Valley Christian
8:30 G4 Wilson vs Northview
Tuesday @ NORTHVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
4:00 G5 Rowland vs Bonita
5:30 G6 Alta Loma vs Covina
7:00 G7 El Rancho vs Roosevelt
8:30 G8 Charter Oak vs South Hills
Wednesday, @ NORTHVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
4:00 G9 L1 vs L2
5:30 G10 L3 vs L4
7:00 G11 W1 vs W2
8:30 G12 W3 vs W4
Wednesday @ BONITA HIGH SCHOOL
4:00 W5 vs. W6
5:30 L7 vs. L8
7:00 L5 vs. L6
8:30 W7 vs. W8

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Sunday Tribbin — Rematches: Payback or Payoff?

Anything and anyone you want to talk about

We will talk to the players and coaches at tomorrow’s CIF Luncheon in Long Beach, but until then, what do you think about the rematches?
The Mid-Valley is a classic title game. San Dimas playing in its first championship against Monrovia, the only team to defeat them, 36-17, back in September. There is pressure on Monrovia, not only playing a team it already has beaten, but they have a perfect 13-0 season on the line, and their record in titles games is Buffalo Billish, for lack of better words. The Billy Cats are an astounding 0-8 in championships (Most recently losing three straight in 1997-99), and if this isn’t the year, then when, you know what I mean. They will play on Saturday and the early word is that Mt. SAC is a possibility.
How about Diamond Ranch – Charter Oak? Diamond Ranch has NEVER beaten Charter Oak in the history of their school. And think of what this would mean to the Panthers, beating South Hills and Charter Oak back-to-back, two schools that are being kicked up to the Sierra League because they were supposedly too good for schools like, well, Diamond Ranch, which makes you wonder why the Panthers aren’t moving up with them, especially when the sports programs at the Ranch are better across the board everywhere in the Valley except Bishop Amat. This will not be a blowout, the Panthers are playing with way too much confidence, but, and there’s always a but….
Charter Oak isn’t going to lose, Lou Farrar will win his fifth championship. He will become the second-winningest coach in Valley history behind DeSpain’s seven at Los Altos. They will play on Friday, and the early word also is Mt. SAC, though it’s the Panthers’ home game and there is a concern about rain ruining the field even more than it already is. Other possibilities are Cal State Fullerton and PCC. Stay tuned, it’s going to be a wild week.

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Charter Oak is a game away from back-to-back titles after 38-10 victory over California


By Fred J. Robledo
Get ready for Charter Oak-Diamond Ranch II
The Chargers fulfilled their end of the bargain on Saturday, beating visiting California 38-10 in the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division semifinal to set up a rematch in the Southeast championship on Friday against Miramonte League rival Diamond Ranch, a 31-27 upset winner over South Hills on Friday.
Chargers back Adam Muema battled food poisoning and had an upset stomach, but he took it out on the visiting Condors (9-3-1), rushing for 134 yards and four touchdowns as the top-ranked Chargers (12-1) moved a step closer to their first back-to-back championship in school history, and coach Lou Farrar’s fifth title at the school.
“If that’s what Adam does with an upset stomach, imagine what he can do when he’s healthy,” Farrar said.
Travis Santiago threw for 149 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers erased an early 10-7 deficit in the second half. After beating the Panthers in the championship last year, Farrar knows he’s going to get an inspired Panthers team that has never beaten the Chargers in the short history of their school and rivalry.
“This is the way I thought it was going to happen all along,” Farrar said. “Call me a gypsy or whatever, I kind of felt it was going to be this way. They’re the best football team in the division. They’re hot right now and did a number on South Hills. We know we’re going to have our work cut out, but it’s great to be playing for another championship. We’ll show up and see if we can get this done.”
California’s dynamic back Terris Jones rushed for 167 yards, but he was all they had as Condors quarterback Adam Contreas completed just 2-of-12 for ten yards.
“There were more weapons on their side than our side,” Cal coach Jim Arnold said. “They were everything we expected them to be. They will be a tough team to beat next week.”
The Condors took a 10-7 lead on Jones’ 19-yard touchdown with 9:36 left in the third quarter. But the Chargers came right back three plays later. Santiago found Dennis Rufus all alone over the middle, and Rufus took it the rest of the way, going 77-yards for the touchdown and a 14-10 lead with 9:36 to go in the third.
After a Robert Poage 20-yard field goal, Rufus came up with a big interception at the Condors’ 34, and on the next play, Muema scored his second touchdown, racing up the left side for a 34-yard score and a commanding 24-10 lead with 1:21 to go in the third.
After briefly taking a break, Muema returned and put the game away for good, scoring from 20-yards and a 31-10 lead with 9:16 left. He later scored his fourth touchdown with 3:48 to go on a seven-yard run.
After a scoreless first quarter, Santiago completed a 27-yard pass to Rufus along the right side to the Condors’ 27. A couple plays later, Muema scored on a spectacular 22-yard run, shaking off at least five tacklers to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead with 8:52 left in the half.

Semifinals
PAC-5

Edison 37, Lakewood 29
INLAND
Chaparral 43, Corona Centennial 35 (OT)
WESTERN
Mira Costa 51, Palmdale 27
NORTHERN
Moorpark 40, Valencia 14
CENTRAL
Los Osos 28, Rancho Cucamonga 21
SOUTHWEST
La Habra 35, Cypress 21
SOUTHEAST
Charter Oak 38, California 10
MID-VALLEY
Monrovia 35, Whittier Christian 32
NORTHEAST
Rio Hondo Prep 20, Salesian 14

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Saturday Morning Quarterback: Diamond Ranch holds off South Hills, 31-27; San Dimas pulls away from Azusa in second half, wins, 50-24

Mid-Valley Semifinal: San Dimas 50, Azusa 24
By Steve Ramirez Staff Writer
Either way, one team was going to make history at San Dimas High School on Friday night. The only question was which team. The answer proved to be the host Saints.
Ryan Kohler rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns and the San Dimas football team advanced to the school’s first CIF-Southern Section divisional championship game with a 50-24 victory over Azusa in a Mid-Valley Division semifinal..
The Saints, also getting 117 yards and two TDs from Dillon Corona and 99 yards and a TD from Jordan Taylor, improved to 12-1 and will face either top seed Monrovia or Whittier Christian in next Saturday’s championship game at a site to be determined. The Wildcats host the Heralds tonight.
Azusa, making its first trip to the semifinals, finished 11-2. The Aztecs, who led 24-21 early in the third quarter, received 149 yards from running back Kendrec McDade, 121 coming in the first half.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” said San Dimas coach Bill Zernickow, whose team rushed for 476 yards. “I’m just so proud of our kids to be able to do something like this.
“I don’t know how long the school’s been here, but being able to be the first (football team) to do it, it’s pretty special.”
It was well-earned because the Aztecs, taking advantage of their spread-option attack, had the Saints concerned in the first half, jumping out to a 14-6 lead following a 5-yard run by McDade with 8:01 left in the first quarter and a 2-yard run by quarterback John Chavez at 2:01.
Azusa, after San Dimas twice rallied to tie it at 14-14 and 21-21 in the second quarter, then opened the second half with a 63-yard drive down to the San Dimas 4. But it stalled on a third-and-5 run by Steven Blount gained just a yard.
Azusa coach Joe Scherf opted for a field goal and the lead, which he got when Jose Nunez nailed a 21-yard kick for a 24-21 advantage with 4:23 left in the quarter.
“I just felt the way our defense was playing it would be enough,” Scherf said. “We contained them in the first half and I thought we would be able to stop them. But they were just better than us.”
The Saints proved it the rest of the half.
Kohler broke off a 59-yard run for a 28-24 lead on the next series before Taylor followed with a 46-yard TD burst and a 36-24 advantage with 38 seconds left in the quarter. Kohler and Evans then sealed it with TD runs of 3 and 18 yards for a 50-24 advantage with 1:43 left in the game.


Southeast Semifinal: Diamond Ranch 31, South Hills 27
By Fred J. Robledo — Staff Writer
While South Hills contemplates the crucial call that went against them, Diamond Ranch proved again that it doesn’t matter how you play in September, it’s what you do in December that matters most. After starting 1-6 and advancing to the championship game last year, the Panthers did it again, erasing a 1-6 start to reach the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division title game with a come-from-behind 31-27 victory over South Hills at Covina District Field on Friday.
Panthers quaterback Gus Viramontes helped the Panthers overcome a 14-0 deficit by throwing for 213 yards and two touchdowns, and running for another as the Panthers won their sixth straight to face the winner of tonight’s other Southeast Division semifinal between Charter Oak and California next week.
South Hills had a chance to take the lead trailing 24-21 in the fourth quarter when Geoffrey Vaughns scored on a nine-yard run, but a late flag came over the middle — an offensive face mask on the Huskies — and they would eventually miss a 31-yard field goal with 8:32 left.
After Viramontes connected on a 33-yard pass to Ryan Gibson on a third-and-13 to the Huskies’ one, Chase Price scored from a yard to make it 31-21 with 3:12 left, and they held on after a late Huskies touchdown.
“We talked about Gus at the beginning of the year, people don’t give him enough credit,” Layton said. “A quarterback is defined by his leadership and wins, and this is a guy who has taken his team to two straight championship games.”
For Bogan, the face mask call that would have given them the lead was was a difficult one to stomach.
“That’s the first time I have ever had that called on us, an offensive lineman called for face mask,” Bogan said. “It’s hard when you’re in a game like this to have points taken off the board, but you don’t want to let it take away from how yard you battled.
“My hats off to Diamond Ranch, and for us, this is an opportunity to suck it up and grow as men and learn that life isn’t always going to go your way when you give everything you have. You only lose when you quit and we didn’t quit.”
The Panthers might be the first team ever to start 1-6 in consecutive years and reach the championship in both seasons, which Layton says is a reflection of his teams character.
“This is what we do,” Layton said. “We don’t worry about the preseason. I know a lot of teams that were 5-0 in the pre-season and they’re in the stands watching right now.”
Huskies quarterback Jacob Shirley threw for 162 yards, opening with a 13 yard touchdown to Andrew Roddy followed by a Vaughns nine-yard touchdown to give the Huskies a 14-0 lead, but the Panthers scored 18 unanswered points to take an 18-14 halftime lead.

Continue reading “Saturday Morning Quarterback: Diamond Ranch holds off South Hills, 31-27; San Dimas pulls away from Azusa in second half, wins, 50-24” »

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Girls Soccer Preview: Bishop Amat is young, talented and No. 1; Walnut, Glendora, Los Altos, South Hills round out top five


Above: Bishop Amat soccer players Jasmine Roth (13) , Alyssa Cabral (5) and April Juarez (10) .

By Fred J. Robledo
Staff Writer

For years Walnut High School has set the bar for girls soccer, although South Hills has continued to chip away in hopes of finally wrestling away the San Antonio League championship from the stingy Mustangs who have won or shared every league title this decade. Glendora and St. Lucy’s compete in the Sierra League, the area’s toughest from top to bottom, with the Regents winning the league title last season and the Tartans finishing third to make the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs. San Dimas continues to dominate the Valle Vista League and Los Altos’ youth did not stop it from winning the Miramonte League.
But as the 2009-10 girls soccer season gets under way this week, the surprise team of last season is this year’s top team out of the gate – Bishop Amat. To continue reading the rest of the top ten, click thread

Continue reading “Girls Soccer Preview: Bishop Amat is young, talented and No. 1; Walnut, Glendora, Los Altos, South Hills round out top five” »

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