Tribune Super Rankings:
1. Bishop Amat (3-0) — You need to step back and realize how impressive this is. They lose Davis Cazares, Daniel Kane, Darien Johnson and now Austin Lacy on defense. They lose Jerry McClanahan and Jay Anderson on offense, yet these guys keep winning and winning. Amat honks better sit back and enjoy.
2. Glendora (3-0) — If they beat West Covina this week, they’re hands down, without a doubt No. 2 in the area until/unless Bishop Amat gets knocked off.
3. Charter Oak (2-1) — Even when they lost to Glendora I thought their offense had the potential to be better than the back-to-back champs’ offense. Come playoff time, the Chargers could be the Valley’s best chance for Inland advancement. I didn’t say title, I said advancement (in the playoffs).
4. Chino Hills (2-1) — You measure a team by how they perform in the big games, and beating Tesoro was certainly a big step forward.
5. Rowland (3-0) — What strikes me so far isn’t that Rowland’s offense is moving so fluidly behind QB Michael Ball, it’s the Raiders’ defense. Since the first half of Baldwin Park, the Raiders’ defense has been nails.
6. Bonita (3-0) — The feel good story of the year so far. Tip your hap to coach Eric Podley and the gang. Without their starting QB they beat San Dimas, Claremont and Santa Fe.
7. West Covina (2-1) — The Bulldogs have the best running game in the Valley and a defense that compliments it. There is only one test left, can they handle a high-flying pass-oriented team? That comes Friday against Glendora.
8. South Hills (1-1) — Got worked over good by West Covina, but don’t count them out by any stretch. Let’s see how they react on the road at Tesoro.
9. Damien (2-0) — After 35-0 win over Chaffey, Spartans back in top ten where they belong. They can really fly up the board with a win at Bishop Amat next.
10. Azusa (3-0) — The Aztecs are rising so quick in popularity they were on the Fred Roggin show over the weekend during the high school spotlight. They’re the true Boise State in these parts.
The rest: 11. Ayala (3-0), 12. Claremont (2-1). 13. Arroyo (3-0), 14. Covina (3-0), 15. Diamond Bar (3-0), 16. San Dimas (1-2), 17. Walnut (1-1), 18. Pomona (3-0), 19. La Puente (2-0), 20. Diamond Ranch (0-3), 21. Baldwin Park (0-3), 22. Rosemead (1-1), 23. Wilson (1-1), 24. Sierra Vista (2-0), 25. South El Monte (1-1), 26. Gladstone (0-2), 27. Northview (0-2), 28. Nogales (0-3), 29. Los Altos (0-3), 30. El Monte (0-2), 31. Ganesha (1-1), 32. Workman (1-1), 33. Bassett (1-2), 34. Mountain View (1-1), 35. Duarte (0-2).

St. Lucy’s has done a lot of this lately.

Here’s this week’s Girls Volleyball Top 10

TOP 10
1. St. Lucy’s (4-1) – The Regents showed they are the real deal, sweeping both Los Altos and Bonita. They may not leave this spot all year. Can’t wait for the Regent-Chino Hills tilt.
2. Chino Hills (9-1) – Followed up a pair of sweeps by going 6-1 in the Arcadia Tournament.
3. Bonita (7-2) – The Bearcats, despite the sweep to St. Lucy’s, look like the team to beat in the Hacienda League. They are No. 2 in CIF-SS 2-A.
4. South Hills (3-1) – Earned a five-game win against Brentwood before beating former league rival Walnut.
5. Los Altos (1-1) – The Conquerors, who are still formidable, looked out of sync in three-game loss to St. Lucy’s. But the Regents have a way of doing that to the opposition.
6. Glendora (3-0) – The Tartans beat three teams they should to begin the season. Can they keep it up against Los Osos?
7. San Dimas (4-3) – The Saints, who lost in four to rival Bontia, are the favorite in the Valle Vista League.
8. Diamond Bar (5-4) – The Brahmas are off to a steady start, and may surprise some people in the Hacienda.
9. Bishop Amat (1-1) – The Lancers get an early test against South Hills tonight.
10. Charter Oak (4-2) – It’s hard to gauge the Chargers, who beat San Dimas, but then lost to Northview, which lost to Gladstone. This may be a tough slot to fill all season.

“Maybe we can swap, the Chargers for the Clippers. No disrespect to the Clippers. You can have them back. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. I really like the Clippers, but I feel they deserve their own fan base because in L.A. they’re overshadowed. The Clippers deserve a shot at having their own identity.” — Lakers forward Ron Artest.

“My philosophy has always been, if you’ve got a gun, keep shooting until someone stops you. My system requires aggressive kids willing to get their noses dirty.” — Dons offensive coordinator Don Le Gro .

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to longtime Valley football fans that Sierra Vista High School junior Giovanni Rivera carried the ball 42 times when he rushed for 318 yards Friday against Mountain View. The Dons (2-0) are averaging more than 400 rushing yards a game. Rivera is averaging 308 yards and running mate Erick Garcia is averaging 119. The return of the Dons rushing game coincides with the return of former coach Don Le Gro as the offensive coordinator.

By Fred J. Robledo
Bishop Amat learned last week that senior linebacker Austin Lacy, also a standout on the basketball team, transferred back to Pasadena High, which he attended in 2008. Lacy, who battled a life-threatening virus in March that affected his heart, is healthy again. But his father, Darryl, said because his son missed so much school due to his illness, he needed to return to a public school to make up his grades.

Continue reading “Austin Lacy leaves Amat, returns to Pasadena; Wallace Gonzalez debut comes next week” »

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Arroyo junior Steven Rivera, one of the area’s top high school quarterbacks, sprained an ankle in the first quarter of the Knights’ 12-8 victory over Montebello and is questionable for Friday’s showdown against perennial power Hart. Back-up Eddie Federico took over for Rivera and led a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback, rallying the Knights from 8-0 down with two touchdown passes in the final four minutes to help them remain undefeated.

Continue reading “Rivera likely out for Arroyo against Hart” »

Correspondent John Honell is a longtime contributor to the Tribune, and well-known throughout the San Gabriel Valley. He knows the area’s history, coaches, and always seems to have insider information. He will share some of it with his “Touching Base” pieces that will run from time to time.

Touching Base with Nut N Honey, Week Three

Aram may be late jumping (Aram and jumping aren’t usually found in the same sentence) on the Azusa bandwagon but he isn’t the only one. It is hard to estimate crowds in the Citrus College stands but, it appeared there were a couple of thousand fans on hand for the win over Ontario Christian. It looked like a couple of hundred on the other side of the field and half of those were rival Montview League coaches looking nervous. (To continue, click thread)

Continue reading “Touching Base with John Honell — Week III” »