“They’re obviously way better than their record dictates. Coach (James) Heggins has done a fabulous job of bringing that team together. Demitrius Jackson and Wardell Crutchfield III are everything that’s advertised, and we have to do whatever we can to slow those guys down.” — San Dimas coach Bill Zernickow on facing Baldwin Park Friday.

“The competition is still on. Garrett (Pendleton) is still working a little bit of the rust off. We’re going day by day in practice, but coming back from four weeks off isn’t as easy as one might think.” — Bonita coach Eric Podley on QB Garrett Pendleton returning from injury while his replacement, Greg Spathias has led the club to a 4-0 start.

“We’re excited about where we’re at. I’ll be able to tell you by Week 10 if the nonleague schedule paid off. We felt we really had a good defense going into the season; it was just nice to see the kids mature and find out they can play some good team defense.” – Chino Hills coach Derek Bub.


By Aram Tolegian
San Dimas High School football coach Bill Zernickow isn’t looking at the numbers when it comes to Baldwin Park, his team’s opponent Friday night.

Zernickow isn’t about to let his team be fooled by the Braves’ 1-4 record. One look at the team’s nonleague schedule quickly reveals why Zernickow has taken that approach.

“They’re obviously way better than their record dictates,” said Zernickow, the reigning Tribune Coach of the Year. “Coach (James) Heggins has done a fabulous job of bringing that team together. Demitrius Jackson and Wardell Crutchfield III are everything that’s advertised, and we have to do whatever we can to slow those guys down.”

The Braves scheduled up in the nonleague, suffering losses to Rowland, South Hills, Cantwell and Bonita. The combined record of those teams is 13-4, with Bonita and Cantwell still undefeated.

The Braves and Saints each picked up their first Valle Vista League win last week. San Dimas improved its overall record to 3-2 by handling Nogales.

Baldwin Park routed Pomona to earn its first win of the season.

San Dimas appears ready to ignite after its comeback win over Monrovia two weeks ago, but Zernickow said the improvement shouldn’t stop here.

“We are getting better every single week,” Zernickow said. “We are better right now than we were against Bonita, and we will be even better in Week10 than where we are now. That’s something, as a program, we take pride in.”

Bonita has QB battle

Bonita quarterback Garrett Pendleton will play this week against Diamond Bar, but it’s still unknown whether the senior will start or come off the bench for Greg Spathias.

Bearcats coach Eric Podley said Pendleton is still rusty and Spathias, his replacement for the past five weeks, isn’t going away quietly after leading the team to a 4-0 record.

“The competition is still on,” Podley said. “Garrett is still working a little bit of the rust off.

“We’re going day by day in practice, but coming back from four weeks off isn’t as easy as one might think.”

The news isn’t good on the team’s top receiver, Casey Horine. Podley said Horine is likely done for the year with a knee injury he suffered against Claremont on Sept. 10. Horine is set to have his knee scoped at the end of the month, and while the team is hoping for a miracle, nobody’s holding their breath.

“We’re extremely disappointed, mostly for the kid,” Podley said.

“The two games he played in, he did great and you could see the potential he has. He worked hard and was poised to have a really good season. We can’t duplicate his speed or senior leadership.”

Huskies get defensive

It’s hard for Chino Hills coach Derek Bub to contain his excitement about his team’s defense.

The Huskies are allowing just 13.4 points per game despite playing a strong nonleague schedule. In eight quarters against Tesoro and Redlands East Valley, the Huskies allowed only 15 points. As you might guess, they won both games, and that has fans feeling excited with Sierra League play on the horizon.

“We’re excited about where we’re at,” Bub said. “I’ll be able to tell you by Week 10 if the nonleague schedule paid off. We felt we really had a good defense going into the season; it was just nice to see the kids mature and find out they can play some good team defense.”

Chino Hills’ dynamic secondary, led by Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Nate Harris, has lived up to its advanced billing, but what wasn’t expected was the front seven to be so strong. Bub singled out nose guard Austin Johnson as a major reason why.

“I have a nose guard as good as anybody around,” Bub said. “He makes it really easy to run a three-man front.”

aram.tolegian@sgvn.com