Tribune Super 35 Rankings: Bishop Amat well ahead of the pack, but Bonita, West Covina join top five with Hacienda League ready to start

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Question: I am convinced that if Charter Oak and South Hills were in the Hacienda and back in the Southeast Division they would have a tough time this year. But with Bonita 4-0 and West Covina coming off three big wins, could both of them compete in the Sierra?

1. Bishop Amat (4-0) — Not only the best fans, best tailgating and best place to watch a high school football game. They proved once again, they’re better than anything else in the Valley too after racing to 35-0 halftime lead over Damien.
2. Chino Hills (3-1) – After falling from No. 2 a couple weeks back, the Huskies climb back up after wins over Tesoro and Pomona. After what Tesoro did to South Hills, it makes the Huskies’ win look even better.
3. Bonita (4-0) – Who would have thought at the beginning of the year the Bearcats would climb this high in the rankings.
4. West Covina (3-1) – Consecutive wins over Venice, South Hills and Glendora have Bulldogs neck-and-neck with Bearcats as co-Hacienda League favorites.
5. Ayala (4-0) — The record looks great and they get our respect, but the truth is, they have played the easiest nonleague schedule of all Sierra League teams. The truth comes next against St. Paul and league play, which starts next week.
6. Glendora (3-1) – The Tartans had one the turnover battle to race to a 3-0 record, but it came back to bite them in a losing effort against West Covina.
7. Charter Oak (2-2) – Losing to Rancho Cucamonga and losing their starting quarterback Travis Santiago stings, but at least they have back-up Josiah Thropay, who would start on most teams in the Valley.
8. Claremont (3-1) — Pulls out a great win over Rowland after losing to Bonita a couple weeks back. Now the question, are they really Sierra League contenders?
9. Rowland (3-1) – All that Raiders momentum came to a screeching half against Claremont, but it’s just one game. You know they will compete in the Hacienda with Bonita and West Covina.
10. Azusa (3-0) — Kind of tough to ask La Puente to host Azusa in the first week of Montvliew league action, but it is what it is. The winner will in all likelihood capture the title.
The Rest: 11. Diamond Bar (4-0). 12. San Dimas (2-2), 13. Damien (2-1); 14. South Hills (1-2). 15. Walnut (2-1), 16. Covina (3-1), 17. Arroyo (3-1), 18. Diamond Ranch (1-3), 19. Rosemead (2-1); 20. Wilson (2-1), 21. Pomona (3-1), 22. Sierra Vista (3-0), 23. La Puente (2-1), 24. Baldwin Park (0-4), 25. Nogales (1-3), 26. El Monte (1-2), 27. South El Monte (1-2), 28. Ganesha (1-2), 29. Northview (0-3), 30. Los Altos (0-4), 31. Workman (1-2), 32. Bassett (1-2), 33. Mountain View (1-2), 34. Gladstone (0-3), 35. Duarte (0-2)

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  • Videoman

    After a close loss to West Covina the 3-1 Glendora team is out of the top 35. Am I missing something?

  • Mike the Clone

    Stunned as you all may be I too had to read this like five times to make sure that “Bagpiper U” was dropped like a rock!!!
    That’s brutal!

    Late!

    Mike the Clone

  • Colt74

    Leaving Glendora off the list has to be an oversight. They have be placed even at he lowest, 11th.

  • FredJ

    Let me fix it, yes, I screwed up.

  • warewolf213

    Yeah fred, Glendora is off the list and Sierra Vista is on there twice… 21 & 23

  • SGV FOOTBALL

    Fred,

    Quick correction, Ayala plays St. Paul slime and not Santa Fe.

  • http://www.WeRtheO.com WeRtheO.com

    Actually folks… Glendora is ranked #6.

  • SGV For 30 Years

    WOW, what season so far. Is it me or there a lot of good teams in the SGV? There have been quite a few supprises as we hit the start of league play. I did my pre-season rankings of teams in the Hacienda League. I said I would come back and give my rankings again once we were a few weeks in. So here we go.

    1. West Covina- They had me kind of worried with that loss to Covina. But they have bounce back and look like the clear favorite. Size, Speed, and Good Coaching spells trouble for the rest of the league.

    2. Bonita- I have to give them credit. They have shown what the words “Team Game” really mean. Their issue will be when GP gets back to you break the MOJO. Glad I don’t have to make that call.

    3. Rowland- They have looked good. I think their Bonita game could be very interesting. I’m giving Bonita the edge in that game because they keep finding ways to win.

    4. Walnut/Diamond Ranch- They opened up their playbook against Covina. Went to Coleman in the fourth quarter when they needed him. Their Defense still scares me. I still see them giving up to many big plays against the 3 teams above them. We keep hearing that DR is getting healthy for league. Their defense will be able to keep them in most games. Can’t really get a read on who they are yet.

    4b. Diamond Bar- Of these 3 teams, the Brahamas have the most suspect defense. The have struggled to stop the run this year. Cameron is nailz at QB, But the defenses in the Hacienda League are much better than anything they have seen thus far. They can do a lot to help themselves if they can win the battle for Diamond Bar this week.

    7. Loss Altos- Wow how the mighty have fallen. I haven’t seen LA this year. But I have seen Wilson. They wouldn’t win a game in this league, and they beat LA. I hate to see some go 0′fer league, but that’s what’s gonna happen here.

    Those are my rankings for the Hacienda League. I hope that all the teams make it through healthy and represent the SGV well in the play-offs. Good Luck to you all.

    SGV430 Outtt!!!

  • Ayala Ranked #5??????

    Wow….just goes to show you what a WEAK schedule will get you. According to Cal preps, the average strength of schedule for Ayala’s 4 opponents so far is negative ( -) 1.375…WOW!!! Talk about weak scheduling! Glendora’s average opponent strength so far is 25.35, Claremont’s is 24.75 & Rowland’s is 11.5. I know Ayala is 4-0 but do they deserve to be ranked ahead of those 3 teams????? I don’t think so.

  • AMAT 73

    These ratings are what they are but how in the hell do you have South Hills at 14 . Come on now at least give the teams with winning records some respect. They may have not beat world class teams but they won the games in front of them . Don’t know what you base the rankings on but they do not deserve to be in front of 3-0 , 3-1 , 2-1 teams regardless of who those teams beat. South Hills at 14 and being 1-2 is a joke.

  • AHSfbfan

    Honestly, It is embarassing to be ranked at 5 when we know we have not played the quality opponents as others. Glendora, Charter Oak Rowland should all be ranked ahead of my Bulldogs. Later in the year we might earn the respect of being a 5, but for now we have not played a winning team and have alot to prove. We really don’t know what to think of ourselves at this point with wins coming so easy.

  • FredJ

    Amat 73, interesting you didn’t make the same comment about 2-2 Charter Oak (No. 7)….Do you think I’m ranking them too high also, I mean, I have a pair of undefeated teams ranked below them.

  • FredJ

    It’s all about balancing record with reality…

  • Brandon

    Bonita has been banged up an has lost many key players in the past 2 weeks.
    This week they have a bye an will be gaining QB Garret Pendleton along with their starting center Nick Pichotta. These two players could boost a recently injured offense to be better then ever before. They will almost have the whole offensive line back to full health also. Expect to see Bonita’s offense re-amped when they play diamond bar next week.

    I’m also picking Diamond Ranch over Diamond Bar. Diamond Ranch had a reasonably way tougher schedule and even though this is not the Diamond ranch team they have had in the past they will atleast be able to claim ownership of Diamond Bar.

    Does anybody know if there is some rivalry trophy between these two schools?

  • jcaz

    Fred,

    Man, you don’t want to go there with 73, because all your going to do is get me started here…..
    :)

  • WOW!!!

    This Amat guy must really hate SH guts. Great reply Fred, cuz CO has 2 L’s and against a Glendora team who lost to West Covina. That would make SH’s loss to WC a much better loss, and that Tesoro loss… Please nobody in the valley other than Chino Hills, which they proved and maybe Amat can play with Tesoro and their massive roster/depth. So when you really think about it, based on CO, a 2 loss team being in the top 10, then SH can have a legit argument. Losing to an LA times top 25 Tesoro and Trib top 5 WC aren’t bad L’s… All we know right now is that there’s a gap between the #1 Sierra team, which is likely going to be Chino Hills and the rest of the pack. Being an Amat fan 4-0, and ur bashing SH 1-2. You should be giddy! Not crying about SH’s ranking…

    SH should be right ahead of Rowland if u factor in everything… Rowland sneaking by BP is the key and saying it was Rowland’s first game has no meaning, cuz it was SH first game, yet they still ran over them easily.

  • AMAT 73

    Come on Fred . CO is a defending CIF champ and has lost to some very good teams in RC and Glendora.You really can’t move them higher then where they are at because of the lost to Glendora who was beaten by WC but I could present an argument for Ayala being at 5 .Maybe Ayala at 7 and the rest move up a notch. If you check Aram’s blog I also said CO should be higher than 12 because if he has LH at 5 well need I say more. You are putting a lot in that win by SH over BP who have shown absolutely nothing this season so far. Now I have given you my thoughts on it ,now please tell me how you back up putting SH at 14. As I posted on Aram’s blog the Covina dropped 13 slots to 24 by losing to lowly Walnut in OT and Walnut leaps to 17 on a big win over Covina and he has SH above them at 3-1 .What is it with you guy’s and SH ?

  • Basic

    Brandon:
    I agree that it will be nice to get these guys back and help the banged up guys get some rest but with C.H. still out, it will be tough. He brings so much to both sides of the ball.

    I do wish them the best of luck and hope we can get everyone back and keep on rolling and maybe get in the playoffs at a decent seed and get a couple of wins…

  • AMAT 73

    WOW,
    It’s not that I have a hate for SH it’s more the fact that I have much respect for CO being a CIF champion regardless of division contrary to popular belief here on the blog. SH just didn’t lose to Tesoro they got demolished by them . They have lost to DR in the playoffs the past 2 years who CO beat and shut out last year in the final . Shoulda woulda coulda but I will bet you dollars to donuts the CO team that lost to Glendora who lost to WC who totally dominated SH ( but that’s a much better loss, that’s a new one a better loss) would beat SH on any given Friday. It is not basically about SH ranking but the knock on teams below who deserve respect and for you to bring in CO is just plain silly .It’s not really a good reply by Fred because I respect CO and they are fine where they are at and deserve to be there. I am not of the AMAT honks who knock CO just because they are CO ,I look at for what it is on the field . This is one of the main reasons I could care less where AMAT falls in these rankings and have gone on record saying just that . The only ranking that matters is at the end of the seasons CIF rankings and being in the number 1 slot of the PAC – 5 . But as my pal Jcaz says it’s all for shitzs and giggles so lets have some fun and toss it around a little.

  • WOW!!!

    Amat,

    Usually when one team dominates the other, it’s on the score board and all the way around! U did say dominate right? Ok so SH loses by 2 scores to West Covina, but SH had two major turnovers inside the 25 yard line and WC had zero for the game. Another for u, SH ends up with more total yards than WC did and about the same rushing yards as WC, so where’s the dominance exactly? I do remember Fred and everyone saying WC totally dominated SH, but I was trying to figure out how and when. Total Yards goes to SH, Passing yards goes to SH, rushing yards about the samae… The only difference was the score, which WC did deserve and earn! Dominating… idk how?

  • Joe Amat

    WOW!!!,

    You can’t look at total yards when evaluating a ballgame anymore than you can look at time of possession …. especially when turnovers are involved. This blog went around and around with COChargerfan on this same topic after GHS/CO.

    WC did not HAVE to gain as many yards because a mistake prone Huskie team left them with a short field that night. We don’t know if the Bulldogs may have marched the length of the field if they needed to – but they didn’t.

    If they only have to go 20-30 yds they certainly aren’t going to rack up a bunch of rushing or passing yardage. When someone drops 42 on you it is not good. Remember Fred’s blog headline? “West Covina runs over, around and through South Hills for 42-27 victory” That sounds dominant – and he was there. He wrote he watched West Covina dismantle South Hills every way imaginable.”

    And remember – it was 42 – 14 at one point, so the final score may not be indicative of the game either.

  • WOW!!!

    You can’t look at total yards? You’ve gota be kidding… The argument here is dominance… When SH offense can march down the field at will, just like the WC offense! I’d understand complete dominance if SH couldnt run or pass, but SH could do both of those! Yes, it was 42-14 at one point, but that didn’t make the WC coach bring out his big dogs! The whole game he stuck with his big boys, and tried to score every single time he had the ball! It’s a rivalry game, so who wouldn’t. The point was dominance and when two offenses go down the field at will, it’s hard to say someone dominated!

  • Joe Amat

    WOW!!!,

    You sound like you might know football a little bit and are clouded by your Huskie allegiance. I’m sure you can admit that if a team doesn’t have to go as many yards – they can’t gain as many yards.

    I’m sure you could also understand that when a team scores on their first SIX possessions like West Covina did, it isn’t necessary for them to rack up any additional passing yards. It is more important for them to keep that clock running – even if it’s 3 yards and a cloud of dust.

    Yet when you’re down 42-14 as South Hills was, you better pass a bundle to try get a quick strike – which puts the defense in more of a prevent/bend but don’t break. That in turn may give up yards – but not scores. Isn’t that the object of the game?

    So yes, yards do not always tell the whole story. Now where I could agree about yards is if a team holds an opponent to a very small number of yards and how that could indicate “domination”. I remember the Diamond Ranch game at Amat a couple seasons back. DR had a 140 some yards total offense – but 80 came on one drive. So you can’t just look at totals without knowing what took place.

    And from what I understand, Maggiore did bring in some backups on defense down the stretch, hence Fred’s comment about “concession touchdowns on a 1-yard run by Hernandez and a 4-yard run by Hart to account for the 42-27 final.”

  • WOW!!!

    I’ve been watching both SH and WC since they were freshman! I know who’s who and what coach M. had in the game. The QB was also still in at LB, so idk, why would u risk hurting your QB? Maybe it’s cuz ur really trying hard to not let SH score. Trust me Joe, I am a fan of WC and SH. This win by WC was well deserved and no fluke, which means they get full credit for the W! Dominating is another story though. Tesoro dismantles SH, yes! SH dominates BP, yes! WC dominates SH on offense yes! On defense no! To give complete domination to WC they’d have to dominate both sides of the ball. Again like I said earlier, SH and WC both marched down the field at will. No domination ther Joe, so ummm???

  • Colonel Trautman

    WOW,

    Its over WOW, simply over. The day after West Covina beat South Hills, it was out of their minds. Time for you to stop reliving the nightmare. The Bulldogs moved on to Glendora, and they have since moved on to Walnut. The simple truth is that the Bulldogs dominated both sides of the ball. The reserves were put in early during the 4th quarter (botched exchange between 2nd center and 2nd quarterback), a genuine gesture by a genuine man, Coach Maggiore. Time to focus on Monrovia, a Maggiore disciple that might require your attention.

  • diogenes

    Have not been to an Amat game for years, but it always was a good experience. With all the added ambiance, it has to be better now. But. and it is a big one, far and away the finest high school stadium and field remotely close to the SGV is at La Mirada. Either Citrus or MSAC are good. too, but not really high school venues. For those of you in the know does anywhere else come close to a Lancer home game?

  • Someone who was there

    WOW

    At the beginning of the fourth quarter, WC had the ball at SH 30 up 42-14 and had replaced EVERY starter on offense. The backup qb and backup center fumbled the exchange. The only possesion of note for SH in 2nd half up to that point ended with a 4th down reverse pass heave into the endzone with the SH kid jumping over 2 kids to make a great catch. WC had not punted up to that point and had not turned the ball over. The backups continued to play the rest of the game on offense and there were 4 starters in on defense. Did SH have some success on offense, yes. Make of it what you will, but IF Maggiore kept the starters in, it very well could have been 56 -14 or 56-21. 2 area coaches told me how surprised they were at how much WC physically dominated SH.

  • Walnut Insider

    SGV430,
    Not sure if Walnut is a #4 team in the Hacienda League yet because of the defense. Offensively, they came alive last week against Covina. I was impressed by the offense. This is the offense that O’Shields and the staff was looking for when they put it in years ago. The QB did a fantastic job of moving the ball and finding open receivers including Coleman. He also did a good job of throwing on the run, something he is going to have to get used to unfortunately because when he drops straight back, he is getting pounded. Moving him around did help him out. I am sure they would have liked to have ran the ball a bit more, but they got into a shoot out and it worked out fine. Hopefully, they can avoid a shoot out this week and get a more balanced attack.

    Walnut’s defense is the big question right now. They have given up an average of 30 points a game. And we all know that isn’t going to cut it. They have to find a way to stop teams from moving the ball with ease.

    If Walnut can tighten up that defense then they have a chance at #4. Right now it looks like 7 on 7 out there when the other team is throwing the ball. I know the staff will be working hard this week to slow down West Covina. Here’s hoping Walnut can sweep the Covinas.

  • AMAT 73

    FredJ ,
    I gave you my thoughts on CO being ranked where they are . Are we going to get yours on why SH is so high . What’s fair is fair. Maybe that would give us some insight on how these rankings work .

  • WOW!!!

    I’ve been watching both SH and WC since they were freshman! I know who’s who and what coach M. had in the game. The QB was also still in at LB, so idk, why would u risk hurting your QB? Maybe it’s cuz ur really trying hard to not let SH score. Trust me Joe, I am a fan of WC and SH. This win by WC was well deserved and no fluke, which means they get full credit for the W! Dominating is another story though. Tesoro dismantles SH, yes! SH dominates BP, yes! WC dominates SH on offense yes! On defense no! To give complete domination to WC they’d have to dominate both sides of the ball. Again like I said earlier, SH and WC both marched down the field at will. No domination ther Joe, so ummm???

  • Joe Amat

    WOW!!!,

    You posted this yesterday too. I’m not sure if you’re waiting for an answer, but I didn’t respond because I’m taking the word of “Someone who was there ” and “” who back up everything I’ve heard and read.

  • Dan

    Wow,
    I was there too and in case you didn’t get a chance, read the post by “Someone who was there” on Sept. 28 at 9:23 pm because that was an accurate description of the 4th qtr.
    The last two touchdowns by SH were on the 2nd and third teams, as was stated there were a few starters in on “D” but most were out of the game early in the 4th. To take a shot at Coach M. and try to say that he tried to score on every drive seems to shows your bitterness.
    SH offense started the game with two three and out’s, while WC drove for a TD on their second posession, On their third posession SH. responded with a 63 yard TD run by Jamel Hart out of the wildcat formation, I believe that drive was two plays total. From that point on I believe every drive by the WC first team ended in a TD until they were taken out early in the 4th qtr, they were not all short drives either. During the same timespan SH on the other hand had three drives that reached down near the WC 20 to 40, when they got near the 20 to 40, WC then stuffed the run game and all three times SH had to pass on either 3rd or 4th down. Two of those ended in picks and the other was a touchdown on a trick play [reverse pass].
    I wouldn’t say that SH marched at will on the first team, in total they had the long wildcat run plus the three other drives I described earlier that were stuffed near the redzone. The reserves came in when the score was 42 to 14.

  • ALL I CAN SAY IS

    All I can say is WOW sh lost again. WOW now that’s really something. WOW I guess that Bogan is not all that great afterall without his transfers. WOW it was a tough night for the puppies of Cameron. WOW but they were not dominated in this one .WOW I guess that’s a moral victory for them. WOW goodnight .

  • C RODRIGUEZ

    How bout some love for bosco tech. yes bosco tech. bosco tech has quietly compiled a 4-1 record so far this year. They won their first league game in 5 years. Keep an eye on them. They may suprise you Fred. There also should be a write up in the paper on Saturday regarding the Bosco Tech game. I can’t find any yet to date this year. Their record(which is a lot better than many teams in the SGV) dictates they should start to garner some coverage.