November 2010 Archives

By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
It seems only fitting that before the Monrovia and San Dimas high School football teams can entertain the thought of a CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division title, the two rivals would have to square off one more time. When the Wildcats visit the Saints on Saturday night in the semifinals, it will mark the fourth time in 14 months that the two teams have played. Monrovia won the first meeting in September 2009. Since then, San Dimas has beaten the Wildcats in last year's Mid-Valley title game and again this season in a nonleague game. (To continue reading, click thread).

During the week I will post box scores emailed or phoned into us the previous night. For you results to appear in the newspaper and on the blog, call your results to 626-962-8811, ext. 2233 or 2242 or email them to scores@sgvn.com. For Monday's results, click thread.

By Steve Ramirez, Staff Writer
La Verne Lutheran made history last season, and there's good reason to believe the Trojans might make a little more this season. Lutheran, which won the CIF State Division 5 title last season, could be even better in 2010-11.
The Trojans will have to be. "After what they accomplished last year, we expect to be better," said Lutheran coach Eric Cooper, whose Trojans begin the season ranked No. 1 in the area. "But we're in a tougher division, so the challenge will be tougher." (To continue, click thread).

SGVN Pre-season Top Ten
1. La Verne Luthgeran (28-8)
2. Damien (22-9)
3. Bonita (24-5)
4. Bishop Amat (21-9)
5. Glendora (16-9)
6. Chino Hills (23-6)
7. San Dimas (19-6)
8. Walnut (14-14)
9. Northview (16-14)
10. Rowland (12-16)

Steve and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick'em throughout the season for our annual dinner bet. I lead the overall series, two years to one.
Last Week: Robledo (11-1); Ramirez (9-3).
Season: Robledo (189-55); Ramirez (184-60).

Last week: I was four-for-four in the Mid-Valley and Southeast, the only game I missed was taking Norco over Vista Murrieta, which wasn't close. I blame our Norco blogger for that and me for listening. Steve missed one in every division, taking Muir, Covina and Roosevelt, who all lost.

This week: I'm going to be a mood spoiler, there will only be only one team left after the weekend, West Covina, who will go on to win the Southeast title, unless of course they run into injuries or a turnover-filled game that costs them. I can't imagine them losing to Mayfair, though road trips are never easy. I have seen Bonita twice, against West Covina and Muir, and both times, didn't come away extremely impressed. I do love how they battle, but they got a juggernaut in La Serna, who has won ten straight. The way Whittier schools have beat up on us in the Mid-Valley division, I'm taking La Serna, who does own a win over La Mirada. Speaking of the Mid-Valley, Monrovia will return the favor against San Dimas. It's like the 'Cats have two championships, Saturday's to exact some revenge, then next week where they hope to win their first title after nine championship tries. We know they hate the name BillyCats, but until they win a title ...well, they're the Billycats. If you thought just because Bishop Amat was eliminated there was no football at the highest level, look again, Chino Hills is hosting undefeated Corona Centennial, who many believe are better than Servite and Mission Viejo. It's the game of all games for the Huskies. I don't think they win or come close, but what a treat for everyone. On Friday, Mike "The Cousin" Robledo and I will do dual Coveritlive's. He will be at West Covina and I will be at Chino Hills. We will blog 'em both together, and you can join us during the chat. Should be a lot of fun.

This week's games and predictions
CIF-SS Semifinals
Mid-Valley Division
Friday
Whittier Christian vs. Village Christian at Glendale HS, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Whittier Christian); Ramirez (Village Chr.)
Saturday
Monrovia at San Dimas, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Monrovia); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Southeast Division
Friday
West Covina vs. Mayfair at Bellflower HS, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (WCovina); Ramirez (WCovina)
Saturday
La Serna at Bonita, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (La Serna); Ramirez (Bonita)
Inland Division
Friday
Corona Centennial at Chino Hills, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Cor. Cent); Ramirez (Cor. Cent.)
Saturday
Rancho Cucamonga at Vista Murrieta, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Vista); Ramirez (Vista)

Chino Hills with have their hands full with Corona Centennial QB Michael Eubank

South Hills defeated Temecula Great Oak, 7-4, in the final of the Cory Lidle Thanksgiving baseball tournament on Sunday. The Huskies' Ryan Peterson hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to give South Hills a 5-4 lead. South Hills' Ty France was named MVP of the tournament and was awarded the Cory Lidle Foundation scholarship.

Boys and girls basketball begins this week, beginning with the Sierra Vista-Baldwin Park Tip-Off Tournament, which includes Glendora, Verbum Dei and many other good local teams. We need all the other tournament schedules listed, so if you have them and want your tournament posted, email to fred.robledo@sgvn.com or fax to 626-856-2758. We need scores from basketball games called to our sports desk nightly. Remember, the number is 626-962-8811, ext. 2242 or 2233 or you can email results to scores@sgvn.com.

BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS
Baldwin Park/Sierra Vista tournament, Nov 29-Dec.4
Arroyo Tournament, Dec. 6-13
Azusa tournament, Dec. 14-18
Covina Tournament, Dec. 27
Nogales Tournament, Dec. 27

GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Wilson tournament, Nov. 29--Dec.4
Covina tournament, Dec. 7-11
Duarte tournament, Dec. 6-11
Arroyo tournament, Dec. 8-13
Rowland tournament, Dec. 28-30

Sierra Vista-Baldwin Park Winter Tip-Off
Boys Basketball Nov. 30-Dec. 4
Today's round-robin games
El Monte vs. Esteban Torres, 6 p.m., Sierra Vista HS
Rosemead vs. Sierra Vista, 7:30 p.m., Sierra Vista HS
Southeast vs. Rowland, 6 p.m., Baldwin Park Hs
Academia Avance vs. Baldwin Park, 7:30 p.m., Baldwin Park HS
Tuesday's round-robin games
South East vs. Santa Fe at Sierra Vista, 3 p.m.
LA Garfield vs. Diamond Bar at Sierra Vista, 4:30 p.m.
Covina vs. Sierra Vista at Sierra Vista, 6 p.m.
Glendora vs. Azusa at Sierra Vista, 7:30 p.m.
Rowland vs. Esteban Torres, at Baldwin Park, 3 p.m.
South El Monte vs. Bell Gardens at Baldwin Park, 4:30 p.m.
Rosemead vs. Baldwin Park at Baldwin Park, 6 p.m.
Verbum Dei vs. Arroyo at Baldwin Park, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday's round robin
Academia Advance vs. Covina at Sierra Vista, 3 p.m.
El Monte vs. Rowland at Sierra Vista, 4:30 p.m.
Baldwin Park vs. Sierra Vista at Sierra Vista, 6 p.m.
South El Monte vs. Glendora at Sierra Vista, 7:30 p.m.
Arroyo vs. Garfield at Baldwin Park, 3 p.m.
Esteban Torres vs. Santa Fe at Baldwin Park, 4:30 p.m.
Bell Gardens vs. Azusa at Baldwin Park, 6 p.m.
Verbum Dei vs. Diamond Bar at Baldwin Park, 7 p.m.
Thursday's round-robin
Academia Advance vs. Sierra Vista at Sierra Vista, 3 p.m.
El Monte vs. Santa Fe at Sierra Vista, 4:30 p.m.
Glendora vs. Bell Gardens at Sierra Vista, 6 p.m.
Garfield vs. Verbum Dei at Sierra Vista, 7:30 p.m.
Esteban Torres vs. South East at Baldwin Park, 3 p.m.
South El Monte vs. Azusa at Baldwin Park, 4:30 p.m
Covina vs. Rosemead at Baldwin Park, 6 p.m.
Arroyo vs. Diamond Bar at Baldwin Park, 7:30 p.m.
Friday - Semifinals, 7:30 p.m. at Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista
Saturday - Championship, Baldwin Park HS, 8:30 p.m.

With seniors C.J. Cooper going to UTEP and Bruce English going to Loyola Marymount, La Verne Lutheran's big underclassmen made their intentions known over the weekend. Trojans 6-foot-9 junior forward/center Grant Jerrett and 6-foot-4 sophomore Eric Cooper Jr., both committed to Arizona -- giving the Trojans four division one players in their starting lineup.

I bet Monrovia is thinking they should be 3-0 against these guys. They won the first of three encounters last season 36-17 and lead 77-64 in total points over three games. But the Saints beat them 12-7 in the pouring rain for a championship and again with a fourth quarter come-from-behind 35-34 overtime win in September. Maybe the 'Cats are just unlucky, they've lost nine straight championship games. Still, they looked so good when I saw them against South Hills, I just can't imagine them losing to the Saints again. In any case, this is what the playoffs needed, a spicy rematch.

CIF-State Southern California playoffs
Tonight's regional semifinals
Division II
St. Lucy's def. Downey 25-22, 20-25, 25-23, 25-15
Troy def. Chino Hills18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21

Next: St. Lucy's will face Troy on Tuesday in the Southern California Regional finals at the University of La Verne, 7:30 p.m. If the Regents win again, they play for the state title in San Jose on Saturday.

I'm rarely hard on the refs because I realize it's a thankless job and we need those guys to keep the local circuit going, but what happened tonight at Muir was a fiasco. It's just ridiculous to have that many flags in one game. Every other play, there was a flag. Sometimes these guys let the game get away from them and it becomes this cycle of flag after flag after flag. Terrible. -- Aram's comment on Saturday Morning QB

There were so many flags and the game was so long Aram and I had to change our plans in the middle of the Bonita-Muir game. I hope I get a final tally, but there was easily over 30 flags, maybe closer to 40. Instead of writing a game story and having Aram write a column -- Aram left at halftime and bolted to the office, where I called in scoring updates and quotes from coaches to him. Without a press facility or place to write from the field, this was all we could do, the game ending at 10:45, right on deadline. Aram sent his story soon after I sent comments from coach Podley and Howard to him. It was that kind of night, and unusually cold too. My poor cousin Mike, he finished his live blog shaking on the chilly tower at Muir, learning first-hand these nights aren't always as comfortable as an Amat press box. Gotta love winter football.

Bonita game story: The Bonita and Muir high school football teams entered Friday's Southeast Division second-round playoff game playing their best ball of the season, and naturally, nothing was decided until the fourth quarter.

Fridays results
CIF-SS quarterfinals
Southeast Division
Bonita 49, Muir 25 -- It was one of the ugliest, coldest and longest regulation game I've ever covered. There must have been more than 30 penalties and at least 20 against Muir alone. Bonita scored twice in the final minute to make the score look lopsided, but it was back-and-forth for most of the game. Muir's Howard Vaughn scored on fourth and goal from the one to cut Bonita's lead to 30-25 with 4:49 left, then Muir recovered the onside kick. But after Bonita's K.C. Huth sacked Mustangs QB Jeffrey Davis for a loss, Muir threw a desperation pass on fourth-and-16 from their own 45 and didn't get it, then drew an unsportsmanlike for throwing a helmet - which gave the Cats a first down at the Mustangs' 30. Giomani Johnson scored two plays later on a 30-yard touchdown to make it 37-25, then Johnson scored again with eight seconds -- his third touchdown of the fourth quarter to make it 43-25. Bonita scored again on the final play of the game with Muir trying to flea-flick the ball around to make something happen. Johnson rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns and QB Garrett Pendleton threw for 161 yards. Muir's Davis passed for 118 yards and rushed for 50.
West Covina 47, Santa Fe 7 -- The Chiefs were as close as 14-7 late in the first quarter, but stopping the Bulldogs four quarters seems impossible these days.

Mid-Valley Division
Village Christian 34, Rosemead 0 -- If you thought Village Christian's win over Azusa last week was a surprise, then you probably weren't surprised this week to see how easily they disposed of the Panthers.
Whittier Christian 28, Covina 17 -- You knew the Valle Vista league champions had a tough game on the road. The Heralds are no joke, a legitimate threat to win the division.
San Dimas 56, Maranatha 20 -- The Saints are looking like last years championship team again, leading 42-0 at half. Next up, a rematch at home with Monrovia.
Inland Division
Chino Hills 45, Etiwanda 21 -- The Huskies move on to take on top seed Corona Centennial, who many believe are the best team in all of Southern California.

CIF-SS Semifinals
Mid-Valley Division
Friday
Whittier Christian at Village Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Monrovia at San Dimas, 7 p.m.
Southeast Division
Friday
West Covina at Mayfair, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
La Serna at Bonita, 7 p.m.
Inland Division
Friday
Corona Centennial at Chino HIlls, 7 p.m.

The Inland Insider reports from Chino Hills' win over Etiwanda, setting up the Huskies' home game next week with powerful Corona Centennial.

Aram's Turkey Day feature on Rosemead's Matt Fregoso:The numbers don't add up when it comes to Rosemead High School running back Matt Fregoso. Five feet seven and 145 pounds shouldn't equal 2,336 yards and 28 touchdowns.

"I think the kids know what's at stake. They hear about the Covina game every day. If you don't play well, if you overlook, don't play hard and lose focus, then you're done. I don't think we're having any type of problem from a mental aspect." -- West Covina coach Mike Maggiore on facing the Chiefs.

By Aram Tolegian, staff writer
West Covina, the top seed in the Southeast Division, should get a bit more of a challenge Friday in the second round against Santa Fe. The Bulldogs (10-1) had little trouble with Bellflower last week, but Santa Fe brings a defense capable of giving West Covina some resistance, at least for a little while.
"They have a very tough defense," Maggiore said of the Chiefs, who held Bonita and Charter Oak to season-low point totals this season. "They play extremely hard and they're really well-coached. They play the run well, so it's going to be a challenge for our guys."

LIVE BLOGGING: For all our Star-News and Tribune readers, Mike "The Cousin" Robledo will do his Coveritlive Blog on Friday at Muir. If you can't make it Bearcats fans, we got it covered.

"There might be trouble swirling around the practice or during the game sometimes, but when it came time to play football it's a community that respects the game. The kids in the community know when it comes to football, it's all business." Bonita coach Eric Podley on Muir, where he was the offensive coordinator on the 1989 co-championship team.

Above: Muir coach Ken Howard is in his seventh season, during which the Mustangs have won four Pacific League titles and are making their fourth quarterfinal appearance, although they've never been beyond that.

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Bonita High School football coach Eric Podley doesn't need a history lesson when it comes to the Bearcats' opponent on Friday, Muir. After crushing California 51-6 in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division playoffs, the Bearcats (10-1) play at Muir (6-4) in the quarterfinals Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Mustangs knocked off La Mirada 33-14 for their sixth consecutive victory. (To continue, click thread).

By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
After watching Village Christian knock off No. 1 seed Azusa, Rosemead High School football coach Matt Koffler is hoping his team won't be next. The Panthers, fresh off their win over Temple City last Friday, visit the Crusaders in the second round of the Mid-Valley Division playoffs on Friday at Glendale High. Kickoff is 7 p.m. (to continue, click thread).

From the Bulletin's Mr. Clay Fowler: Chino Hills' highly recruited defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu verbally committed to Oregon this morning, he confirmed after the Huskies won their playoff opener 70-42 over Corona Friday night. The 5-foot-10 180-pound senior chose Oregon among scholarship offers from most of the Pac-10 save UCLA and USC, according to scout.com. Ekpre-Olomu plays a variety of positions for Chino Hills, including wide receiver and running back but he set a school record with eight interceptions as a sophomore playing safety. Oregon plans to use him in the secondary, according to Ekpre-Olomu.

San Dimas stand-out hurdler and triple jumper Katherine Salcido will be signing her letter of intent with UCLA in February, this newspaper has learned. Salcido will compete in the heptathlon for the Bruins. She chose UCLA over Stanford. Not a bad pair of choices.

The St. Lucy's Priory and Chino Hills girls volleyball teams, who fought it out for the CIF-Southern Section Division 2AA title on Saturday, with the Regents winning in four sets, appear to be on another collision course after both swept their first round matches in the CIF State Southern California Regionals.
St. Lucy's, the top seed in Division II, swept No. 8 Mt. Carmel, 25-21, 25-16, 25-12 at Damien High School. The No. 3 Huskies, forced to take to the road, took down No. 6 Palisades, 25-17, 25-19, 25-10.
The Regents will host Downey, which defeated Edison, of Fresno, while Chino Hills will host Troy, who defeated Scripps Ranch, on Saturday. If both win, they will meet for the regional final next Tuesday, with St. Lucy's hosting.
St. Lucy's coach Sean Douglas, despite his team's easy win, wasn't pleased with the Regents' effort.
"The whole problem is that your whole goal all year is to win (a Southern Section title)," Douglas said. "You don't talk about going to state, don't talk about anything else, you just want to win (the section). And we came in here still thinking about winning the championship.
"We didn't play well tonight at all. Luckily, we were able to get through. It was kind of a hangover match. We have to step it up for the next rounds."
Said junior Jasmine Warmington, who had a team-high nine kills: "I just think we need to focus a little more," Warmington said. "We know what it takes to win and we know we have it, but we have to execute better. We have to play every game like it's the championship."

Football Notebook: San Dimas facing another tough test in Maranatha quarterback Andrew Elfers, who has thrown for 3,000 yards and 34 touchdowns.....Arroyo coach Jim Singiser agrees with call that cost his team a shot at forcing overtime against San Dimas ..... Former Duarte coach and Baldwin Park defensive coordinator Wardell Crutchfield has resigned.

Southeast Quarterfinals: Bonita at Muir, Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Mid-Valley Quarterfinals: Maranatha at San Dimas, 7 p.m.

Adrian Wojnarowski writes for Yahoo sports and is one of my favorite basketball writers. This was truly a magnificent piece on Kobe Bryant and his road to becoming a champion, which is a great read for high school athletes to help them understand the preparation and focus that it takes.

"How to truly make players better, what that really means. It's not just passing to your guys and getting them shots. It's not getting this or that many players into double figures. That's bull[expletive]. That's not how you win championships. You've got to change the culture of your team - that's how you truly make guys better. In a way, you have to help them to get the same DNA that you have, the same focus you have, maybe even close to the same drive. That's how you make guys better. I've never understood this stuff, where a star player sits out and a team goes into the tank. Well, they need him because he makes them better. Well, if he's making them better, they should be able to survive without him. That's how you lead your guys. You've got to be able to make guys suffice on their own, without you. If you're there all the time and they take you away, they shouldn't need a respirator.
"Once I understood all that, I looked at things completely different. I took my hands off. I didn't try to control them. I let them make decisions, make their own [expletive]-ups and I was there to try and help them through it." -- Kobe Bryant

With only six teams remaining we can start thinking about player of the year, coach of the year and theTribune's first-team. Go ahead and fill in the blanks and comment away, but if you're like me, you have no idea who deserves player of the year yet. Even filling in the top 25 spots won't be easy. There is nobody that stands out as MVP, then again we're only in the second round of the playoffs. But there are teams finished like Charter Oak, Claremont, South Hills, Damien, Bishop Amat, Baldwin Park and Azusa that still warrant strong consideration. That's where the tough decisions come, weighing individual performances and level of competition against teams that continue on in the playoffs.

Above: Arroyo was one of several SGV teams that lost in the first round on Friday. Coach Jim Singiser looks like how I feel thinking about All-Area. Narrowing it down and picking the right guys won't be easy. It never is.

2010 All-Area Team
The Super 25
QB - Pick one
RB - Pick two
OL - Pick five
AP - Pick one
WR - Pick three, which could include a tight end
PK - Pick one
First Team Defense
DL - Pick four
LB - Pick four
DB - Pick three
P - Pick one

FOR STATS, CHECKOUT MAXPREPS

Winter top ten previews for boys and girls basketball and boys and girls soccer will run on consecutive days from Nov. 30 through Dec. 3. Winter sports teams begin playing on Nov. 29. We will run a wrestling preview the following week. TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES: Please email or fax your tournament schedules to me so we can post your schedules on the blog, in the newspaper, update them after each round, and of course so we know which games to cover. You can fax to 626-856-2758 attention Fred in sports or email them directly (which is preferred) to fred.robledo@sgvn.com.

Steve and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick'em throughout the season for our annual dinner bet. I lead the overall series, two years to one.
Last Week: Robledo (11-4); Ramirez (13-2).
Season: Robledo (178-54); Ramirez (175-57).

Last week: Steve picked up a pair of wins and now trails by just three heading into Friday's quarterfinals. We both missed taking Bishop Amat and Azusa, but I also took Arroyo and Baldwin Park, who lost to San Dimas and Schurr respectively, which were two games Ramirez picked correctly.

This week: To make it interesting, we will pick the remaining games in the Southeast, Inland and Mid-Valley Division, where six of our local teams remain. The most intriguing game is Bonita at Muir, which is where I'm headed this week. It's a tough game for the Bearcats for several reasons, like being on the road where there are only about 500 seats for the visitors, a venue that can be quite intimidating. Muir is a big-game type of team too. They may fall asleep during the regular season, but when they're inspired, they can play with anyone as we saw against Charter Oak last year, and again this year with their upset over La Mirada 33-14 in the first round. For teams that wish to throw it, like Bonita, it can be dangerous because of the Mustangs' speedy and athletic corners. But I like Bonita because they can run too, and the way to beat Muir is to pound it all night because that's been their weakness for years, their rush defense. Even though they moved the ball offensively at times against Bishop Amat earlier this year, they couldn't stop Amat's run game at all. You can pencil West Covina into the next round, but I'm afraid all we will have left is San Dimas in the Mid-Valley after Friday out of respect for the Olympic League, which went 3-0 and proved what everyone's been saying, that they have the best league in the division from top to bottom. I would have liked Covina's chances at home against Whittier Christian, but not on the road at Whittier College. CalPreps' computers has Covina winning 29-22, but that's probably because they factored in the Colts' win over West Covina back in the beginning of the season, and we know what would happen if they played now. I'm rooting for the Colts, but after what happened to Azusa, I'm not betting against Olympic League teams unless one of them goes up against Monrovia. Speaking of the Olympic, that means I have Rosemead going down, and going down hard to Village Christian. Chino Hills is rather fortunate to get Etiwanda in the second round of the powerful Inland. Not a bad draw when you can face the weakest of the eight remaining, so I like their chances of moving on. So, after Friday we should have four remaining, West Covina, Bonita, San Dimas and Chino Hills.

Friday's games and predictions
CIF-SS quarterfinals
Southeast Division
All games scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Southeast Division
Santa Fe (7-4) at West Covina (10-1) -- Robledo (WCovina); Ramirez (WCovina)
Burbank Burroughs (7-4) at Mayfair (7-4) -- Robledo (Mayfair); Ramirez (Mayfair)
Bonita (10-1) at Muir (7-4) -- Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Muir)
La Serna (10-1) at Norwalk (7-4) -- Robledo (La Serna); Ramirez (La Serna)
Mid-Valley Division
Rosemead (8-3) at Village Christian (7-4) -- Robledo (Village Christian); Ramirez (Village Chr.)
Covina (10-1) vs. Whittier Christian (10-1) -- Robledo (Whittier Christian); Ramirez (Covina)
Maranatha (8-3) at San Dimas (7-4) -- Robledo (San Dimas); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Schurr (7-5) at Monrovia (9-2) -- Robledo (Monrovia); Ramirez (Monrovia)
Inland Division
Corona Centennial (11-0) at Upland (8-3) -- Robledo (Centennial); Ramirez (Centennial)
Chino Hills (9-2) at Etiwanda (6-5) -- Robledo (CHills); Ramirez (CHills)
Rancho Cucamonga (10-1) at Corona Roosevelt (9-2) -- Robledo (Rancho); Ramirez (Roosevelt)
Vista Murrieta (10-1) at Norco (9-2) -- Robledo (Norco); Ramirez (VMurrieta)

St. Lucy's was awarded the top seed in the Southern California Division Division II bracket after defeating Chino Hills in four sets to claim Saturday's Division 2AA title. The Huskies didn't fall far, earning a third seed, meaning if they both advance two rounds in the state playoffs, they would meet at St. Lucy's on Nov. 30 for the Southern California Regional Final, with the winner advancing to the state finals at the Event Center at San Jose State University. What I love about the state playoffs is that the lower seed is always at home, something the CIF-SS should consider instead of coin flips, I'm all for rewarding home games to teams that had the best regular seasons. In the first-round however, champions are at home, which is why Chino Hills is still on the road in the first round. In any case, wouldn't it be great to do watch these two go at it again? First-round games are Tuesday night. I need the volleyball experts to tell us if we've got a shot at St. Lucy's-Chino Hills IV. That Troy (29-1) looks dangerous, but the Huskies would get Troy at home.

Southern California Division II Regional
Tuesday's first round
All matches begin at 7 p.m.
Top Bracket
8. Mt. Carmel (21-15) at 1. St. Lucys (30-9) at Damien High
5. Downey (27-3) at 4. Fresno Edison (26-6)
Bottom Bracket
3. Chino Hills (29-4) at 6. Palisades Charter (22-8)
7. Troy (29-1) at San Diego Scripps Ranch (27-12).

Is that too much to ask? I'd ask for Covina-San Dimas II, but that road is full of landmines named Whittier Christian, Village Christian and Monrovia.

You make the call: What's our best choice for game of the week, Santa Fe at West Covina, Maranatha at San Dimas or Bonita at Muir?

Friday's CIF-SS quarterfinals
Southeast Division
Santa Fe (7-4) at West Covina (10-1)
Burbank Burroughs (7-4) at Mayfair (7-4)
Bonita (10-1) at Muir (7-4)
La Serna (10-1) at Norwalk (7-4)
Mid-Valley Division
Rosemead (8-3) at Village Christian (7-4)
Covina (10-1) at Whittier Christian (10-1)
Maranatha (8-3) at San Dimas (7-4)
Schurr (7-5) at Monrovia (9-2)
Inland Division
Corona Centennial (11-0) at Upland (8-3)
Chino Hills (9-2) at Etiwanda (6-5)
Rancho Cucamonga (10-1) at Corona Roosevelt (9-2)
Vista Murrieta (10-1) at Norco (9-2)

Check out Keith Birmingham's championship photo gallery.
By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
It wasn't that Chino Hills didn't push enough or want it enough during Saturday's CIF-Southern Section Division 2AA girls volleyball championship at Cypress College.
St. Lucy's just pushed and wanted it a little more.
After splitting during the season and sharing the Sierra League title, the rubber match came down to the clutch points, St. Lucy's winning just enough to pull out a come-from-behind 22-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-20 four-set victory to claim their first championship over a Huskies team that advanced to the finals in their first-ever trip to the playoffs. (to continue, click thread)

Photo gallery of Nogales' first boys water polo title in school history. We will post the story later tonight.
Below: Nobles celebrate by pushing head coach Alex Matal into the pool.

For quarter-by-quarter updates of tonight's games, click thread.

Tonight's Results
Pac-5
Tesoro 31, Bishop Amat 21 -- Quarterback Rio Ruiz had a tough night, committing four turnovers in the second half. The Lancers rallied from 14-0 down to tie the score at half and it was 21-21 going into the fourth, but three turnovers in the fourth quarter were too much to overcome. It's going to be a long off-season for the boys in blue, who watched their 17-game home win streak come to and end.
Mid-Valley
San Dimas 21, Arroyo 14 -- The Saints scored with 54 seconds left for the go-ahead touchdown. Arroyo scored on a trick play with no time left, but it was ruled an illegal pass, the defending champs moving on.
Village Christian 31, Azusa 24 -- The Aztecs gave up more points than they had all season combined. An excruciating ending for the three-time Montview League champs and the Mid-Valley's top seed.
Covina 42, La Canada 14 -- The Valle Vista league champs jumped to a huge halftime lead and never looked back.
Rosemead 49, Temple City 36 -- This was wild from start to end, the Panthers doing just enough to survive and advance.
Maranatha 41, La Puente 28 -- The Minutemen one of three Olympic League teams to advance, proving what everyone thought about the Olympic having the best league in the division.
Schurr 31, Baldwin Park 7 -- The Braves never had a shot, falling behind 31-0, the only Valle Vista league team to lose in the first round.
Monrovia 41, Gladstone 3 -- The Wildcats proved why they're the real Mid-Valley favorites, winning easy at home.
Southeast Division
Bonita 51, California 6 -- The Bearcats scored like crazy, but now they get upset-minded Muir on the road next week. That should be a dandy.
West Covina 49, Bellflower 0 -- The Bulldogs showed why they're the division's top seed, getting a shutout to boot.
Mayfair 25, Diamond Ranch 20 -- The postseason magic is over for the Panthers, who advanced to the previous two Southeast title games.
La Serna 13, Walnut 10, OT -- The Mustangs almost pulled off a shocker, giving La Serna all it could handle before falling in overtime.
Inland Division
Vista Murrieta 28, Charter Oak 7 -- The Chargers won't be practicing on Thanksgiving for the first time in years.
Chino Hills 70, Corona 42 -- The Huskies jumped out to a huge lead, Corona came back, then the Huskies stretched their legs again.
Roosevelt 28, Claremont 21 -- The Wolfpack ended their season with three straight losses after a promising start.

CIF-SS Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 19
Mid-Valley Division
Rosemead at Village Christian
Covina at Whittier Christian
Maranatha at San Dimas
Schurr at Monrovia
Southeast Division
Santa Fe at West Covina
Burroughs at Mayfair
Bonita at Muir
La Serna at Norwalk

FOR ALL CIF-SS RESULTS CLICK THREAD

Highlights and interviews with the Inland Insider, Tom Kiss

Highlighs of Amat's 31-21 loss to Tesoro ...

They might not meet during the regular season, but Bishop Amat and Charter Oak were eye-to-eye on Wednesday. A mix-up on Bishop Amat's watering schedule flooded the field on Wednesday, forcing the Lancers to practice at Charter Oak, adjacent to where the Chargers were preparing for their first-round game Friday. A caller insisted Kiefer was flooded ankle high, but coach Steve Hagerty said that was not true, that they didn't want to practice on it in fear of tearing the field up. Hagerty said he has no concern Kiefer will be in tip-top shape come Friday.

I love the confidence I read from Azusa players, and that's what it is, plain old confidence, don't confuse it with anything else. That belief is what gives them an opportunity to go a long way. They understand their situation, why they have skeptics, and when one of your team leaders, Edwin Garcia says, "Anything less than a CIF championship would be a disappointment. We want to earn respect because we know we're lacking that respect," it tells me they get it and are ready for the journey that lies ahead. I still don't know if they're talented enough to win it all. None of us do, that remains to be seen. But I know this, you can't win it if you don't believe you can win it first, and these boys believe they can. That's half the battle right there.

Above: Azusa High defensive line left to right: Luis Nunez, Alex Tapia, Edwin Garcia and Nick Valverde ( Photo by Keith Birmingham)

By Aram Tolegian
AZUSA - The Azusa High School football team knows that despite its 10-0 record and No. 1 seed in the Mid-Valley Division playoffs, there are still plenty of doubters around the Valley when it comes to the Aztecs' validity. "They haven't played anyone," the skeptics say. Others argue that Azusa comes from the weak Montview League.
After allowing just 30 total points this season, there's one group of Aztecs that's anxiously awaiting its chance to show the Valley just how real Azusa is, and that would be the defensive line. (To continue click thread).

With no football in town tonight, I thought I would play Aram's over/under game for the first round of the playoffs. It's real simple I'll put out a number to a corresponding stat or situation and then give my take...You can give yours

Charter Oak's chances of knocking off second-seed Vista Murrieta
OVER/UNDER: 25 percent
Fred's bet: UNDER -- still not buying it

Bishop Amat's 50-50 amount on Friday Night
OVER/UNDER: $2,500
Fred's bet: OVER -- I've seen it climb to $2,800 before.

Number of teams from the Montview and Mission Valley League left after the first-round of the Mid-Valley.
OVER/UNDER: 1 1/2
Fred's bet: OVER - Some think Azusa and Arroyo aren't slam dunks, so the rest must be in deep trouble. I have them both winning, however.

Number of times we quote a coach in the paper on Saturday blaming the ref's for what happened.
OVER/UNDER: 2
Freds bet: UNDER -- Though I have witnessed it too many times before.

Number of yards quarterback Steven Rivera throws for against San Dimas
OVER/UNDER: 275
Fred's bet: UNDER -- They need to mix up the run and pass.

Number of times Aram reports "Breaking News" before Monday.
OVER/UNDER: 1/2
Fred's bet: OVER -- I would hate to have his phone bill.

Total rushing yards for Amat running back Jalen Moore against Tesoro's powerful D-Line
OVER/UNDER: 115
Fred's bet: UNDER -- He gets his 100, but they need to air it out too.

Number of total rushing yards for West Covina against Bellflower
OVER/UNDER: 300
Fred's bet: OVER -- Seen it too many times against better teams

With 16 area football teams in the playoffs, how many will be left after Friday's first round?
OVER/UNDER: 8
Fred's bet: OVER -- I like the favorites, plus a couple upset.

When the question of who was the best football player in the San Gabriel Valley comes up, John Sciarra's name usually is near the top of the discussion.
The former Bishop Amat High School star, who is in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and played in the 1981 Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles, was that good.
Sciarra will reflect on his career Friday when he speaks at the Pasadena Quarterbacks Club at Brookside Golf Club.
The weekly luncheon, which begins at 11:30 a.m., costs $25 for members and $30 for non-members.
This is the final meeting of the season for the 66-year-old organization, and it may have saved the best for last.

The area will have two boys water polo teams in Saturday's CIF-SS Ford Championships.
Here's Wednesday's results:

Division 3
Damien 11, Palos Verdes 9 - The Spartans used a five-goal surge to rally for a victory at William Woollet Aquatic Center. Damien will face Laguna Beach in the finals there at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Division 5
La Serna 9, Bonita 8 - The Bearcats fell behind La Serna 6-2 and could never quite catchup, although they had chances, before losing at Mt. San Antonio College. Bonita had two shots blocked in the final 12 seconds. The Bearcats also had a goal wiped out when officials ruled it had not crossed the goal line.
Division 7
Nogales 7, Nipomo 3 -- Nogales will make its first trip after beating Nipomo in a Division 7 semifinal at Arroyo Grande High School. Raul Castaneda had three goals and Nick Estevez two. The Nobles will face top-seeded Santa Ynez at 9:20 a.m. on Saturday.

The Lancers will need their fans more than ever, especially if they're fortunate enough to get a home game against Mission Viejo in the semis.

Fred's explanation: This is the only division where the seeds will likely play out until the end with Mission Viejo over Servite in a undefeated Pac-5 final -- the game everyone not in the SGV (and Amat haters) is hoping for. The only chance Bishop Amat has of advancing to play for its sixth championship is if they get Mission Viejo in a home game where they haven't lost in three years. That's why Amat needed to lose the second-round coin flip because Mission Viejo lost its coin-flip too, so both will be on the road in the semifinals should they advance. There's no guarantee the Lancers beat Mater Dei or Long Beach Poly on the road in the second round, but if you're thinking big picture, the Lancers' only chance is being at home in the semis, so take the road in the quarters with the hopes of winning the coin flip of all coin flips to get a home game in the semifinals. If that happens, could you imagine the scene at Kiefer should Mission Viejo come to town. Alemany's road to the semi's looks pretty good too, but like Amat, they would need to get Servite at home to have a shot in that tiny stadium in Mission Hills, where the hometown refs are unfriendly to visiting teams, and the school unfriendly to the visiting press. I still haven't forgiven them them for telling us they had no room in their press box only to see several empty seats while we did our work from the visiting stands. Unreal.

Pac-5 Division Predictions
Top Seeds: 1. Mission Viejo (10-0), 2. Servite (10-0), 3. Alemany (9-1), 4. Bishop Amat (9-1).
Unseeded Sleepers: Lakewood, Long Beach Poly, San Clemente, Mater Dei.

Pac-5 Division
Top Bracket
Long Beach Wilson (5-5) at No. 1 Mission Viejo (10-0) -- Mission Viejo
Edison (7-3) vs. Santa Margarita (8-2) -- Santa Margarita
Mater Dei (6-4) vs. Long Beach Poly (8-2) -- Mater Dei
Tesoro at No. 4 Bishop Amat (9-1) -- Bishop Amat
Bottom Bracket
Newport Harbor (6-4) at No. 3 Alemany (10-0) -- Alemany
San Clemente (8-2) at Lakewood (9-1) -- San Clemente
Crespi (7-3) vs. Los Alamitos (8-2) -- Crespi
Long Beach Jordan (6-4) vs. Servite (10-0) -- Servite

Quarterfinals
Top Bracket
Mission Viejo over Santa Margarita
Bishop Amat over Mater Dei
Bottom Bracket
Alemany over San Clemente
Servite over Crespi
Semifinals
Mission Viejo over Bishop Amat
Servite over Alemany
Championship
Mission Viejo over Servite

"They're 9-1. They do a lot of fun stuff on offense. They're tough on defense. They have 2,200 students, we have 1,300. It's going to be an uphill battle for the Saints. We'll rise to the challenge, I hope." -- San Dimas coach Bill Zernickow on facing Arroyo.

"At some point we're going to have to get through tough teams. You get who you get. It would be nice to be rewarded for being 9-1 instead of having to prove we deserve to be 9-1." -- Arroyo coach Jim Singiser

By Aram Tolegian
San Dimas football coach Bill Zernickow has heard the talk all week about how his Saints caught a break in drawing Arroyo in Friday's first round of the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division playoffs, and he's not buying it. (To continue reading, click thread).

"When this group become seniors, I truly believe we could have one of the best teams in the country. Our front seven on defense is pretty special." -- Tesoro coach Brian Barnes on the Titans' defensive front.

"I think any kid who has to cover a receiver for eight seconds would be in trouble. There were probably a dozen times where we had our arm on him (Adams), but that's not enough; you have to get him down, and we didn't do that." -- Bishop Amat coach Steve Hagerty on the Lancers' secondary, noting they gave Alemany QB Vernon Adams too much time to beat them last week.

By Fred J. Robledo
If fourth-seeded Bishop Amat (9-1) doesn't take care of business against visiting Tesoro (7-3) in Friday's first- round CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division opener at Kiefer Stadium, the Lancers better hope they avoid the Titans in the near future. The Titans start nine sophomores and have a defensive front that Lancers coach Steve Hagerty says is the best they will have faced all season - and he won't get an argument about that from Titans coach Brian Barnes. (To continue click thread).

Here is a look at raw footage of Chino Hills 14-13 win over Tesoro earlier this season.

For the first time in years, don't expect the Chargers to be practicing on Thanksgiving, not with a first-round game at No. 2 Vista Murrieta.

Fred's explanation: A lot of folks will tell you that with all due respect to Pac-5 powers Mission Viejo and Servite, Corona Centennial is the best team in the Southland with a no-huddle that's unstoppable because of their giant, mobile, offensive line and QB Michael Eubank. That means you can eliminate whoever stands in their way, like Upland in round two and Redlands East Valley in the semifinals. That's right, I'm taking Redlands Easy Valley to eliminate the Huskies in round two for a couple reasons. One, Redlands East Valley would have the home game and two, Chino Hills beat them on the road in October, 14-3, and I'm sure a return trip won't be as kind. For Claremont and Charter Oak, I'm afraid the road ends in the first round, though Claremont has a realistic chance of advancing while the Chargers is a long shot.

Inland Division Predictions
Top Seeds: 1. Corona Centennial (10-0), 2. Vista Murrieta (9-1), 3. Rancho Cucamonga (9-1), 4. Chino Hills (8-2).
Unseeded Sleepers: Norco, Redlands East Valley, Upland, Claremont.

Inland Division
Top Bracket
Yucaipa (6-4) at No. 1 Corona Centennial (10-0) -- Centennial
Chaparral (4-6) at Upland (7-3) -- Upland
Etiwanda (5-5) vs. Redlands East Valley (8-2) -- Redlands East Valley
Corona (5-5) at No. 4 Chino Hills (8-2) -- Chino Hills
Bottom Bracket
Murrieta Valley (6-4) vs. No. 3 Rancho Cucamonga (9-1) -- Rancho Cucamonga
Claremont (7-3) at Corona Roosevelt (8-2) -- Roosevelt
Norco (8-2) at Redlands (7-2-1) -- Norco
Charter Oak (6-4) at No. 2 Vista Murrieta (9-1) -- Vista Murrieta

Quarterfinals
Top Bracket
Centennial over Upland
Redlands East Valley over Chino Hills
Bottom Bracket
Rancho Cucamonga over Roosevelt
Vista Murrieta over Norco
Semifinals
Centennial over Redlands East Valley
Vista Murrieta over Rancho Cucamonga
Championship
Corona Centennial over Vista Murrieta

Charter Oak is a defending champion and if they believe they're champions this is a speech they should keep close to the chest in Friday's first-rounder that nobody thinks they can win.

Above: Damien High's Austin Miller shooting a shot earlier this season.

By Steve Ramirez, Staff Writer
Damien High School has been here before. The Spartans have advanced to the CIF-Southern Section boys water polo semifinals each of the past two seasons, only to see their season end in heartache. Damien hopes to change the recent trend when it faces Palos Verdes today at 2 p.m. in a Division 3 semifinal at William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center in Irvine. The winner advances to Saturday's championship match.

Boys Water Polo
Today's Semifinals
Division 3
Palos Verdes vs. Damien at William Woollett Center in Irvine, 2 p.m.
Division 5
Bonita vs. La Serna at Mt. SAC, 6 p.m.
Division 7
Nogales vs. Nipomo at Arroyo Grande HS, 3 p.m.

Breaking News: Chino Hills, St. Lucy's Division 2AA Volleyball championship at Cypress College, Saturday, 1 p.m.

"This means everything to us," Chino Hills coach Dana Buzzerio said. "And to play St. Lucy's in the final, that's exactly how we would want it to be."

"Reaching the finals is what we've dreamed of for a long time now," St. Lucy's senior Alissa Young said. "Now we get a chance to win a crown against our league rivals."

Above: St. Lucy's and Chino Hills tied for the Sierra League title and split the season series, Chino Hills sweeping at home and St. Lucy's winning in five at their place. After winning semifinals matches on Tuesday, the two will meet again for the Division 2AA crown Friday or Saturday at Cypress College. CIF's finals schedule will be announced Wednesday.

CIF-SS PLAYOFFS
Girls Volleyball
Tuesday's Semifinal results
Division 2AA
St. Lucy's def. La Salle 25-18, 25-16, 25-16
Chino Hills def. Oaks Christian 20-25, 25-14, 26-24, 25-18

Highlights: The Inland Insider was at Chino Hills's victory over Oaks Christian, sending the Huskies to their first championship ever.

Girls Tennis
Tuesday's quarterfinal results
Division 2
Arcadia 11, Diamond Bar 7
Division 5
Aquinas 11, Wilson 6

Note: Inland and Pac-5 predictions on Wednesday.

Fred's explanation: With all due respect to No. 2 La Serna, a 9-1 giant just like West Covina and Bonita, I'll take our side of town against their side of town on any given Friday. It's as simple as that. Am I taking a 6-4 Burroughs seriously at the No. 4 seed? Not really, I have them falling in the second round. Am I taking a 7-3 La Mirada seriously as the No. 3 seed? No, I'm taking Muir in a first-round upset after the way the Mustangs handled PHS in the Turkey Tussle, plus the Mustangs are great in this situation, almost knocking off No. 1 Charter Oak in the first round last year. I am taking the team that should have been seeded, Bonita, whose only loss came against West Covina and should be at least the No. 4 seed. Heck, if Amat could get a No. 4 seed over league champ Long Beach Poly because of strength of schedule, then why aren't the Bearcats No. 4 with a win over Claremont and only loss to the top team? In any case, that's why I like West Covina and Bonita to meet in the championship again, they're the two best after the way Bonita took care of Diamond Ranch in the finale, and they also have everyone healthy. But in the end, West Covina has too many horse's. What happened in October (a 55-21 win over Bonita) will happen again in December, sort of like waiting for a Charter Oak-Diamond Ranch rematch and knowing what the outcome will be. Normally I would like La Mirada's chances, but this isn't one of their great teams, and they've had great teams. La Serna is always tough too, I just like Bonita's nine wins better than La Serna's nine wins.

Southeast Division Predictions
Top Seeds: 1. West Covina (9-1), 2. La Serna (9-1), 3. La Mirada (7-3), 4. Burbank Burroughs (6-4).
Unseeded Sleepers: Diamond Ranch, Muir, Bonita, Walnut, Arcadia

Southeast Division Division
Top Bracket
Bellflower (Suburban 4) at No. 1 West Covina (9-1) - WCovina
Burbank (7-3) at Santa Fe (6-4) -- Burbank
Diamond Ranch (5-5) at Mayfair (6-4) -- Mayfair
El Rancho (6-4) at No. 4 Burroughs (6-4) -- Burroughs
Bottom Bracket
Muir (6-4) at No. 3 La Mirada (7-3) -- Muir
California (3-7) at Bonita (9-1) -- Bonita
Norwalk (6-4) at Arcadia (7-3) -- Arcadia
Walnut (6-4) at No. 2 La Serna (9-1) -- La Serna
Quarterfinals
Top Bracket
West Covina over Burbank
Burroughs over Mayfair
Bottom Bracket
Bonita over Muir
La Serna over Arcadia
Semifinals
West Covina over Burroughs
Bonita over La Serna
Championship
West Covina over Bonita

"It's like a left and right hook, then maybe a little punch to the gut because if you get into the playoffs you get to go two hours to get your butt kicked and go home. But they think it will be good for CIF." -- That's what Charter Oak coach Lou Farrar said last spring after it was announced the Chargers were moving to the Sierra League and Inland Division. Judging from today's comments on facing powerhouse Vista Murrieta, nothing's changed. Farrar compared Vista to Auburn.

By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
Chino Hills High School's celebration after winning the Sierra League didn't last long this past weekend. The Huskies were made the No. 4 seed in the Inland Division playoffs, then found out their reward would be hosting Corona on Friday night. That's enough to wipe the small off anybody's face, according to Huskies coach Derek Bub. (To continue, click thread)

SECOND ROUND COIN FLIPS: Second-round flips already have been taken, click the thread for results, home games denoted by *. Bishop Amat will be on the road in the second round; Covina would be home against Whittier Christian, Azusa would be at Rosemead, and Arroyo would be home against Maranatha. Bonita would be home against La Mirada and Diamond Ranch home against Burroughs -- but this is assuming they all win. Check it out.

CIF Football Playoffs
Friday's First Round
Pac-5 Division
Tesoro at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m.
Southeast Division
Bellflower at West Covina, 7:30 p.m.
Diamond Ranch at Mayfair, 7:30 p.m.
California at Bonita, 7:30 p.m.
Walnut at La Serna, 7 p.m.
Mid-Valley Division
Village Christian vs. Azusa at Citrus, 7:30 p.m.
Temple City at Rosemead, 7 p.m.
La Canada vs. Covina at Covina District Field, 7 p.m.
San Dimas at Arroyo, 7:30 p.m.
La Puente at Maranatha, 7 p.m.
Baldwin Park at Schurr, 7 p.m.
Gladstone at Monrovia, 7 p.m.
Inland Division
Corona at Chino Hills, 7:30 p.m.
Claremont at Roosevelt, 7:30 p.m.
Charter Oak at Vista Murrieta, 7 p.m.

"We take a bus no matter if we're home or away. I don't worry about home or away. I like our road uniforms. I think they look good." -- Diamond Ranch coach Roddy Layton on first round game at Mayfair.

By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
After missing last season's postseason despite a 7-3 record, there was no local team this year more happy to see its season extended than Walnut High School's football team. The Mustangs parlayed a 6-4 record and fourth-place finish in the powerful Hacienda League into a first-round game at La Serna in the Southeast Division playoffs. To continue click thread

Note: Southeast Division prediction on Tuesday, Inland and Pac-5 on Wednesday.

Above: Monrovia QB Nick Bueno has been waiting a year to get over last year's championship loss to San Dimas. His chance for redemption is now.

Fred's explanation: This is an extremely tough division to predict because I'm not too familiar with the Olympic, but have heard nothing but good things about their league from coaches and our reporters at the Star-News and Whittier. You heard me say time and time again that Covina deserved the No. 1 seed on paper based on who they beat and overall record, but now it's time to pick the winners and based on what I've seen this year, Monrovia is the most talented with the most dangerous weapon in QB Nick Bueno. And let's face it, they have the most to prove after losing a heartbreaker to San Dimas in last year's title game. I know I've dubbed them the Billy Cats after nine straight losses in championship games, but that's all gonna end in a few weeks when they hang their first banner. Azusa is going to have a dream run as well, you don't give up just 30 points all season and disappear. I keep going back to how they dismantled Bell Gardens in the opener 48-0, a team that is 7-3. Then I witnessed the 28-0 thumping over La Puente, an 8-2 team. You might balk at their schedule, but they whipped that schedule like I've never seen a team whip a schedule before, outscoring their opponents 392-30. Forget the heights and weights of Aztecs players they've got the biggest muscle of all, the one right smack in the middle of their chest and that's going to take them a long way. Now for a big, however. I won't be surprised if Whittier Christian, San Dimas or Covina make a run, though the Saints have a tough one at Arroyo in the opener. The Colts have a never-say-die attitude that I admire, but if they get to Azusa, I don't see it happening. I wouldn't be surprised if Baldwin Park makes a run, though having Monrovia in round two makes that difficult. That's what I love about this division, no matter how many times I go over it, I can think of five to six teams that have a real shot of winning it all. But in the end, I love the dreamy matchup of Monrovia and Azusa.
Steve's take: Fred is right for the most part. It's a tough division, but at the end of the day none of the teams are better than Monrovia and Azusa, who should meet in the final. Yes, Covina and San Dimas, who I believe will take down Arroyo, can make a run. But Monrovia's strength comes in the middle in the package of Ellis McCarthy, who in this division just can't be blocked. Nick Bueno is the key to the offense, but football, regardless of level, always is decided by what happens up front. You can have all the speed on the outside, but if you can't block up front, you, my friends, are not going to win. Look how unstoppable Oregon looked last year, with speedy backs LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. But the Ducks offensive line couldn't keep Ohio State's defensive tackles out of the backfield, and lost. That's where Monrovia has the advantage with McCarthy. That edge will be enough in the next few weeks.

Mid-Valley Division Predictions
Top Seeds: 1. Azusa (10-0), 2. Monrovia (8-2), 3. Arroyo (9-1), 4. Covina (9-1)
Unseeded Sleepers: San Dimas, Baldwin Park, Whittier Christian.

Mid-Valley Division
Top Bracket
Village Christian (6-4) at No. 1 Azusa (10-0) -- Azusa
Temple City (4-6) at Rosemead (7-3) -- Rosemead
Bell Gardens (7-3) at Whittier Christian (9-1) -- Whittier Christian
La Canada (5-5) at No. 4 Covina (9-1) -- Covina
Bottom Bracket
San Dimas (6-4) at No. 3 Arroyo (9-1) -- Arroyo
La Puente (8-2) at Maranatha (7-3) -- Maranatha
Baldwin Park (5-5) at Schurr (6-4) -- Baldwin Park
Gladstone (5-5) at No. 2 Monrovia (8-2) -- Monrovia

Quarterfinals
Top Bracket
Azusa over Rosemead
Whittier Christian over Covina
Bottom Bracket
Arroyo over Maranatha
Monrovia over Baldwin Park
Semifinals
Azusa over Whittier Christian
Monrovia over Arroyo
Championship
Monrovia over Azusa

STEVE'S BRACKET
Top Bracket
Village Christian (6-4) at No. 1 Azusa (10-0) -- Azusa
Temple City (4-6) at Rosemead (7-3) -- Rosemead
Bell Gardens (7-3) at Whittier Christian (9-1) -- Whittier Christian
La Canada (5-5) at No. 4 Covina (9-1) -- Covina
Bottom Bracket
San Dimas (6-4) at No. 3 Arroyo (9-1) -- San Dimas
La Puente (8-2) at Maranatha (7-3) -- Maranatha
Baldwin Park (5-5) at Schurr (6-4) -- Schurr
Gladstone (5-5) at No. 2 Monrovia (8-2) -- Monrovia
Quarterfinals
Azusa over Rosemead
Covina over Whittier Christian
San Dimas over Maranatha
Monrovia over Schurr
Semifinals
Azusa over Covina
Monrovia over San Dimas
Championship
Monrovia over Azusa

Today's pairings story: Two local teams rode strong regular seasons to No. 1 seeds when the CIF-Southern Section office released football playoff pairings on Sunday morning. Undefeated Azusa (10-0) was given the No. 1 seed in the Mid-Valley Division. The Aztecs will host Village Christian (6-4) on Friday night at Citrus College.

Steve and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick'em throughout the season for our annual dinner bet. I lead the overall series, two years to one.
Last Week: Robledo (14-4); Ramirez (14-4).
Season: Robledo (167-50); Ramirez (162-55).

Last week: I lead Steve by five after the regular season. We both had a so-so week, both missing on Alemany over Bishop Amat and Claremont over Damien. I got him taking Charter Oak over South Hills and Baldwin Park over Northview, but he got me right back taking Bonita over Diamond Ranch and Rosemead over El Monte -- two games I shouldn't of missed, but oh well.

This week: Finally, the playoffs have arrived and the game that sticks out like a sore thumb is San Dimas at Arroyo. As much as I lover the heart of a defending champion, I'm going with Arroyo because they're at home, QB Steven Rivera hasn't lost as a starter this year, and I don't agree with Aram suggesting maybe they should have tanked a game to avoid San Dimas. If you're a player, you want the challenge. You have to go through everyone anyway, might as well get it over with in round one. Knights coach Jim Singiser will have them ready -- he has too. For whatever reason, it feels like the night San Dimas went to Rosemead in 2008 and got smacked. It won't go down exactly like that, but watch how the Knights rise to the occasion in their first real step-up game with the talented junior at QB. I found it interesting that Amat is only a 28-21 CalPreps projection winner over Tesoro. Those looking at the second round should stop right there, Tesoro's one of those "on any given Friday" dangerous teams. One week they're whipping South Hills 59-6 and the next they're losing to Chino Hills. They lost two straight entering the playoffs, one a 30-7 loss to power Mission Viejo. The good news is Tesoro doesn't throw the ball around the park like Alemany did, they mix it up, which plays into Amat's hands and at home, where they haven't lost in three years, no way I'm going against the Lancers. Azusa is a 15-point favorite over Village Christian, but more importantly, if the Aztecs are a real contender, and I think they're, the top seed must take care of business. You don't allow just 30 points all season and lose in round one. I'm on the Aztecs bandwagon, they will get it done. Bonita is a 48-3 calpreps projection winner over California -- take that to the bank. Finally, those going fishing absolutely and without question are Charter Oak, Gladstone and Diamond Ranch, just think their opponents are too tough on the road. West Covina and Covina are slam dunks and those with the potential for upsets include La Puente over Mayfair, and Walnut over La Serna, though I picked both to lose.

Friday's games and predictions
San Dimas at Arroyo, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Arroyo); Ramirez (San Dimas)
Tesoro at Bishop Amat, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (BAmat); Ramirez (BAmat)
Village Christian at Azusa 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
La Canada at Covina, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Covina); Ramirez (Covina)
Charter Oak at Vista Murrieta, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (VMurrieta); Ramirez (VMurrieta)
California at Bonita, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Bonita)
Bellflower at West Covina, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (WCovina); Ramirez (WCovina)
Diamond Ranch at Mayfair. 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Mayfair); Ramirez (Mayfair)
Temple City at Rosemead, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rosemead); Ramirez (Rosemead)
Walnut at La Serna, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (La Serna); Ramirez (La Serna)
La Puente at Maranatha, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Maranatha); Ramirez (Maranatha)
Baldwin Park at Schurr, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (BPark); Ramirez (Schurr)
Gladstone at Monrovia, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Monrovia); Ramirez (Monrovia)
Corona at Chino Hills, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (CHills); Ramirez (CHills)
Claremont at Roosevelt, 7:30 p.m. Robledo (Roosevelt); Ramirez (Roosevelt)

The beat goes on at Duarte High School where boys basketball coach Wil White called this morning to say he was fired, disputing principal Eric Barba's assertion that he quit. White's credentials are strong, he was head women's coach at East L.A. College, San Bernardino College and coached the boys basketball team at Blair prior to joining the Falcons last year, where they won three games, which actually was an improvement from previous years. White was about to begin his second season in a couple weeks, but according to White, he had a disagreement with principal Eric Barba and the two parted ways. "I just want people to know that coach White didn't walk out, I love the kids, I love the community, and I am confident we were getting close to turning the corner. Without going into everything, I was let go and not happy with the reasons or the way he (Barba) spoke with me. I spend way too much money taking these kids around and putting in my time to be demeaned for a $1,500 stipend. I felt I had to put that out there."
Principal Barba sent an email in response. I won't share all of it, but his message was clear. Here it is. Wil White was called in Friday, November 5th to discuss an issue. Within 5 minutes of the meeting he took his school keys off his key chain and put them on my desk mumbling nonsense. I have no doubt he cares for the young men on the team but you can't quit on your team weeks before the season starts. We had to quickly come up with plan B coaching wise. Luckily we had several great applicants last year. We will announce a new coach soon. Had Wil White called me or the athletic director that first weekend after he quit we would have been able to work something out. No one wants to replace a coach this close to the start of the season.

Click here to view the CIF-Southern Section Football pairings sheets.

Southeast and Mid-Valley breakdown: For more on pairings day, check out Aram's In the Huddle Blog.

Bishop Amat coach Steve Hagerty on Lancers' No. 4 seed.

Pac-5 Division
Top Bracket
LB Wilson (Moore 4) at No. 1 Mission Viejo
Edison (Sunset 2) at Santa Margarita (Trinity 2)
Mater Dei (Trinity 3) at LB Poly (Moore 1)
Tesoro (South Coast 3) at No. 4 Bishop Amat (Serra 2)
Bottom Bracket
Newport Harbor (Sunset 3) at No. 3 Alemany (Serra 1)
San Clemente (South Coast 2) at Lakewood (Moore 2)
Crespi (Serra 3) at Los Alamitos (Sunset 1)
L.B. Jordan (Moore 3) at No. 2 Servite (Trinity 1)

Note: Amat lost the coin flip and will be on the road should it reach the second round.

Southeast Division
Top Bracket
Bellflower (Suburban 4) at No. 1 West Covina (Hacienda 1)
Burbank (Pacific 3) at Santa Fe (Del Rio 2)
Diamond Ranch (Hacienda 3) at Mayfair (Suburban 2)
El Rancho (Del Rio at large) at No. 4 Burroughs (Pacific 1)
Bottom Bracket
Muir (Pacific 4) at No. 3 La Mirada (Suburban 1)
California (Del Rio 3) at Bonita (Hacienda 2)
Norwalk (Suburban 3) at Arcadia (Pacific 2)
Walnut (Hacienda 4) at No. 2 La Serna (Del Rio 1)

Mid-Valley Division
Top Bracket
Village Christian (Olympic at-large) at No. 1 Azusa (Montview 1)
Temple City (Rio Hondo 2) at Rosemead (MVL 2)
Bell Gardens ( Almont 2) at Whittier Christian (Olympic 1)
La Canada (Rio Hondo at large) at No. 4 Covina (Valle Vista 1)
Bottom Bracket
San Dimas (Valle Vista at-large) at No. 3 Arroyo (Mission Valley 1)
La Puente (Montview 2) at Maranatha (Olympic 2)
Baldwin Park (Valle Vista 2) at Schurr (Almont 1)
Gladstone (Montview at large) at No. 2 Monrovia (Rio Hondo 1)

Inland Division:
Top Bracket
Yucaipa (Citrus Belt 3) at No. 1 Corona Centennial (Big VIII No. 1)
Chaparral (Southwestern 2) at Upland (Baseline 2)
Etiwanda (Baseline 3) at Redlands East Valley (Citrus Belt 1)
Corona (Big VIII 4) at No. 4 Chino Hills (Sierra 1)
Bottom Bracket
Murrieta Valley (Southwestern 3) at Rancho Cucamonga (Baseline 1)
Claremont (No. 2) at Roosevelt (Big VIII 2)
Norco (Big VIII 3) at Redlands (Citrus Belt 2)
Charter Oak (Sierra 3) at Vista Murrieta (Southwestern 1)

CIF-SS assistant commissioner Rob Wigod explains how Amat got the No. 4 seed.

Breaking News: The Azusa Pacific University football team, which was 6-3 in the regular season, received an at-large bid to NAIA championship tournament and will face No. 2 seed Carroll, of Helena, Mont. The Cougars are in the postseason for the first since 2005.
CCCAA: The SoCal Regional brackets are out, and Mt. SAC, as expected, received the No. 1 seed. The Mounties will host No. 4 seed Bakersfield, which it defeated earlier this season, in the National Bowl at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. Cerritos is the No. 3 seed, and will travel to No. 2 Saddleback in the Southern California Bowl. The winners meet on Nov. 27 for the SoCal Regional finals, with the CCCAA championship game scheduled for Dec. 11 at the regional champion.

Saturday's Quarterfinal Results
Division 2AA
St. Lucy's def. South Torrance, 25-23, 25-17, 25-20 - Regents get La Salle on the road in the semifinals.
Chino Hills def. Riverside Poly, 25-23, 25-23, 17-25, 25-21. - The Huskies catch break with 2AA top seed La Canada losing to Oaks Christian, which Chino Hills faces on Tuesday.
Division 2A
Palm Springs def. Bonita, 13-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-17.
Troy def. Diamond Bar 25-19, 25-18, 25-14.
Division 3A
Windward def. San Dimas 25-16, 25-8, 25-16.

You can access the CIF-SS playoff brackets on the Section website during the following times listed below Sunday. I will post the brackets later that afternoon, but between now and then, discuss it all you want. Who gets the four Mid-Valley wild card berths? How far will Bishop Amat fall and will they get a first round home game, which is a 50-50 proposition now? With so many fans on pins and needles, remember what the Guru predicted in his mock draft. He had the Amat-Alemany loser facing the Santa Margarita-Mater Dei winner in the first round. Santa Margarita won 17-7. Guess we'll find out if he's right tomorrow. Where will they send Charter Oak? Did Bonita do enough to give the Hacienda two top four seeds along with giant West Covina? And for our own silly purposes, is there a new No. 1 in Tuesday's final regular season Trib poll?

Sunday's pairings times
At large: The at-large wild card berths for all divisions posted at 10 a.m.

Inland Division: Santiago High School, 10 a.m.
Mid-Valley Division: Covina High School, 10 a.m.
Pac-5 Division: CIF Section office, 11 a.m.
Southeast Division: CIF Section office, Noon

Amat, Alemany raw footage

Bishop Amat game story: In the final moments of Alemany's 38-30 Serra League-clinching victory over Bishop Amat on Friday, Lancers receiver Wallace Gonzalez looked up and down the sideline and told everyone to come back with motivation on Monday.
The Lancers need it, their undefeated record gone, their possible top-four seed in Sunday's Pac-5 Division draw gone, and possibly a home game in the first round of next week's playoffs as well - all perks that belong to the Warriors, who won the battle of the unbeatens to improve to 10-0 and 5-0. (to continue click thread)

Tonight's scores
Alemany 38, Bishop Amat 30 -- The Lancers led 17-14 after scoring with 50 seconds left in the first half, but Alemany scored TWICE in the final 44 seconds to take a 28-17 lead at the break and never trailed again. Jalen Moore rushed for 111 yards and four TDs, but the Lancers' hopes of an undefeated season came crashing down in Mission Hills. Bishop Amat's defense, which has been a rock this season, was unable to contain Alemany.
Charter Oak 34, South Hills 31, OT -- Travis Santiago passed for 285 yards, including some big completions to Dennis Rufus in the fourth quarter to setup Kurt Scoby's winning TD in overtime. The Chargers, with the Sierra League's tie-breaker system, lost the tiebreaker to Claremont for second, but held the head-to-head advantage against Damien, to get the league's final playoff spot.
Damien 31, Claremont 27 -- Damien rallied to defeat Claremont and finished in a three-way tie for second with the Wolfpack and Charter Oak, but lost a series of tiebreakers.
West Covina 58, Diamond Bar 20 -- The Bulldogs look ready for a postseason run after another convincing win.
Bonita 38, Diamond Ranch 10 -- Did the Bearcats earn a top-four seed in the Southeast Division? I guess we find out Sunday.
Walnut 35, Los Altos 14 -- Walnut earns a playoff bid with the victory.
Rosemead 42, El Monte 29 -- Ground Koffler was too much for the Lions. Rosemead clinched a playoff spot with the win.
Gabrielino 28, South El Monte 13 -- Gabrielino wins the battle of the Eagles.
Arroyo 42, Mountain View 24 -- The Knights complete their run through the Mission Valley. Playoffs are next.
Azusa 42, Gladstone 0 -- The Aztecs complete an undefeated regular season. Can they go 14-0?
Baldwin Park 45, Northview 14 -- The Braves clinch second place and a playoff bid with the win, while also ending Northview's season. The game also effected San Dimas, which will not need to receive an at-large bid to the Mid-Valley playoffs. Will they get it?

The Inland Insider was at Chino Hills' win over Ayala. Let's hope QB Caleb Carrillo is alright. He was injured and taken away by helicopter. When we learn more, we will share it with you.

Tonight's results
Rancho Cucamonga 42, Glendora 28 -- The Tartans jumped to a 21-7 lead but couldn't hold on, falling to the Baseline League champs to end their season.
San Dimas 49, Wilson 9 -- The Saints rebounded from last week's stinging loss to Covina. If Baldwin Park beats Northview Friday the Saints finish third, but they surely have the resume to earn one of the four Mid-Valley playoff berths.
Chino Hills 36, Ayala 8 -- The Huskies wrap-up at least a share of the Sierra League title in a game that was delayed after Bulldogs quarterback Caleb Carrillo was injured. A helicopter was summoned and the game resumed later. Let's pray he's ok.

SATURDAY'S QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
Division 2AA
Riverside Poly at Chino Hills, 7 p.m.
South Torrance at St. Lucy's, 7 p.m.
Division 2A
Diamond Bar at Troy, 7 p.m.
Bonita at Palm Springs, 7 p.m.
Division 3A
San Dimas at Windward, 7 p.m.
Note: If you plan on attending I suggest you check with the school's for game time. All schools are supposed to play at 7 p.m., but if the schools agree to switch the times, they can.

It's down the Fabulous Five for the area girls volleyball teams as Bonita, St. Lucy's, Chino Hills, San Dimas and Diamond Bar -- yes the Brahmas -- all advanced to the quarterfinals. Northview, Walnut, Azusa and Los Altos saw their season's end.
Here's a brief rundown of Thursday's results:

DIVISION 2AA
St. Lucy's 3, St. Joseph/Lakewood 1 -- Alissa Young had 15 kills and Jasmine Warmington 13 and the visiting Regents advanced to the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season by beating the Jesters, 25-17, 24-26, 25-17, 25-18. St. Lucy's improved to 26-9 and will face either Tesoro or South Torrance in the quarterfinals. Arianna Sifuentes also had 25 digs, with Megan Callen getting six blocks for the Regents.
Chino Hills 3, Santiago/Corona 0 -- Carly Shockey had 11 kills and four aces to lead the visiting Huskies to a 25-20, 25-22, 25-19 victory. Chino Hills, the No. 4 seed, also received eight kills from Katie Morley and 18 digs from Heather Trueman to improve to 28-4. The Huskies will face either Riverside Poly or El Segundo on Saturday.
DIVISION 2A
Bonita 3, La Habra 0 -- Bonita High School, hoping to win its first CIF-Southern Section girls volleyball title after losing in the finals last season, got off to a solid start on Thursday. Outside hitter Katie Kirby had 15 kills and Victoria Dennis had 12 and the host Bearcats opened the Division 2A playoffs by cruising to a 25-11, 25-20, 25-9 victory over La Habra in a second-round match. Bonita, which had a first-round bye, won for the 11th time in 12 matches and improved to 22-4. The Bearcats travel to Palm Springs in Saturday's quarterfinals.
Ashley Maxfeldt also had 33 assists and three aces for No. 2-seeded Bonita, which went undefeated in winning the Hacienda League. Bonita, also getting four blocks from Dennis, lost to league rival Los Altos in the 3AA finals last season.
Diamond Bar 3, Burroughs 0 -- Kathleen Torres had 18 kills and Rachel Scott seven blocks as the host Brahmas advanced to the quarterfinals with a 25-21, 25-17, 25-23 victory. Diamond Bar (14-9), also getting four aces from Eyanna Shubin, will travel to top-seeded Troy on Saturday. Burroughs finished 13-9.
Whittier Chr. 3, Los Altos 1 -- Hannah Nabbout had 18 kills and 11 digs and the Heralds ended the host Conquerors' season. Los Altos, which won its first CIF-SS title last year by beating Bonita, finished 18-6.
Downey 3, Walnut 2 -- Heather Schnars had 18 kills and Makayla Taylor had 14 and the visiting Vikings rallied to beat the Mustangs, 23-25, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23, 15-2. Walnut finished 13-13.
DIVISION 3A
San Dimas 3, La Quinta/Westminster 1 -- Kaileen Mejia and Yamani Wallace had seven blocks each and the No. 2 seeded Saints reached the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year by rallying for a 21-25, 25-19, 25-9, 25-21 victory over the host Aztecs. San Dimas (22-4) will face either Winward or Arrowhead Christian in Saturday's quarterfinals.
DIVISION 4A
Fairmont Prep 3, Azusa 0 -- Payel Patel had nine kills and the host Huskies beat the Aztecs, 25-21, 25-14, 25-17. Azusa finished 16-3.

"That receiver is just a monster, and the quarterback has a cannon for an arm. He's got one of the strongest arms I've seen, and (Gonzalez), even if we have good coverage on him, he can still catch the ball, and that's a little scary." -- Alemany coach Dean Herrington on Bishop Amat QB Rio Ruiz and WR Wallace Gonzalez.

There is nothing like the anticipation of two 9-0 teams going into the final week, except for, well, 13-0 teams going into the title game. In any case, the Daily News caught up with Alemany coach Dean Herrington, who weighed in.

Alemany's been doing a lot of this all season ...

BTW, I heard both freshman teams were undefeated entering Wednesday's game, with South Hills' freshman winning 31-29.

Friday's results
La Puente 63, Duarte 0 -- Except for the loss to Azusa, the Warriors have been fantastic. Looking forward to finding out how the Montview duo fares in the playoffs.
Sierra Vista 3, Bassett 0 -- At the end of the day, the Dons have a respectable 7-3 overall record. But it probably won't be good enough to get them to the postseason.
Pomona 42, Nogales 19 -- The Devils finished strong, and remember how well they played against San Dimas and Covina.
Ganesha 53, Workman 35 -- If you enjoy a shootout, this was for you. Giants have something to build on for 2011.

A signature moment: At least 34 area athletes signed on the dotted line, including 11 in baseball and eight in girls volleyball, marking one of the largest signing groups in recent memory.

I can't thank Tom Kiss, AKA, the Inland Insider enough for all his video's this year. His coverage of football, cross country and the way he wraps it all together has been a huge addition to the blog, allowing you to get to know the athletes you cheer for a little better. But you know, I'm starting to wonder if he's got a real job because he dropped by on signing day and spoke with nearly everyone, bringing another new feature that we're happy to share, a behind-the-scenes look at signing day with interviews. All joking aside, thanks again Tom.

Girls first...

Guys second ...

Photo gallery from signing day

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
It was after their freshman year when Los Altos High School's Courtney Gano and Diamond Bar's Stephany La Rosa gave verbal commitments to the University of Washington and UCLA, respectively, and accepted full softball scholarships.
On Wednesday they were part of an enormous senior class in the East San Gabriel Valley that signed national letters of intent on the first day of the early signing period for all sports except football, boys and girls soccer and boys water polo. At least 34 area athletes signed on the dotted line, including 11 in baseball and eight in girls volleyball, marking one of the largest signing groups in recent memory. (To continue click thread)

Don't worry, faces won't look so small in tomorrow's paper.

From top row: Remontay McClain (APU); Rouric Bridgewater (Arizona State); Joe Chavez (UC Riverside); Antonio Gonzales (UC Riverside); Kenny Mathews (Cal State Fullerton), Adam McCreery (Arizona State); Jonathan Munoz (UC Irvine); Seby Zavala (San Diego State)
From second row: C.J. Cooper (UTEP), Bruce English (LMU), Megan Callen (North Florida), Samantha Lepp (Sonoma State), Taylor Anderson (LMU), Ashley Maxfeldt (LMU), Alissa Young (Sacred Heart), Jasmine Russell (Wake Forrest), Amanda Brown (Eastern Washington)
From third row: Mayko Wang (UNLV), Nicole Zugasti (CS Dominguez Hills), Gretchen Jaques (Texas), Andrea Grant (BYU), Samantha Nieves (Middle Tennessee State), Breeanna Sandoval (CS Bakersfield), Matt Munoz (San Diego State)
From front row: Jackie McCartin (Washington), Stephany La Rosa (UCLA), Courtney Gano (Washington).

At least 33 area athletes signing national letters of intent this afternoon and most showed for our group picture which will run in Thursday's front page in Sports. If you have a shot at school that you would like to share you can email it to me at fred.robledo@sgvn.com and I will post it on the blog. Also, the Inland Insider stopped by and did tons of video interviews that he will share later tonight, you're going to love it. Congrats to all the signees.

Area athletes that signed Wednesday
Boys Basketball
C.J. Cooper, La Verne Lutheran, UTEP
Bruce English, La Verne Lutheran, Loyola Marymount
Girls Basketball
Taylor Anderson, Bonita, Loyola Marymount
Nicole Zugasti, Cal State Dominguez Hills
Softball
Courtney Gano, Los Altos, University of Washington
Breeanna Sandoval, Bonita, Cal State Bakersfield
Stephany La Rosa, Diamond Bar, UCLA
Samantha Nieves, South Hills, Middle Tennessee State
Samantha Lepp, Walnut, Sonoma State
Girls Volleyball
Ashley Maxfeldt, Bonita, Loyola Marymount
Jasmine Russell, Los Altos, Wake Forrest
Megan Callen, St. Lucy's, University of North Florida
Alissa Young, St. Lucy's Sacred Heart University
Deanna Dalton, St. Lucy's, West Point (Army)
Jordyn Siko, Chino Hills, CS Bakersfield
Kellie Finneran, Chino Hills, Bridgewater College, Virginia
Amanda Brown, Los Altos, Eastern Washington
Swimming
Andrea Grant, Walnut, Brigham Young University
Gretchen Jaques, Glendora, University of Texas
Baseball
Kenny Mathews, Diamond Bar, Cal State Fullerton
Rouric Bridgewater, Diamond Ranch, Arizona State
Jordan McCraney, Bishop Amat, USC
Seby Zavala, Bishop Amat, San Diego State
Adrian Franco, Bishop Amat, San Diego State
Matt Munoz, San Dimas, San Diego State
Jonathan Munoz, Diamond Bar, UC Irvine
Adam McCreery, Bonita, Arizona State
Antonio Gonzales, Damien, UC Riverside
Joe Chavez, Damien, UC Riverside
Cameron Pongs, Chino Hills, San Diego State
Gymnastics
Jackie McCartin, San Dimas, University of Washington
Track
Remontay McClain, Covina, Azusa Pacific
Girls Golf
Mayko Wang, Los Altos, UNLV

By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
Saturday mornings are not an easy proposition for Bishop Amat linemen Christian Orduno and Julian Gener. Instead of springing out of bed like the teenagers they are, both struggle like senior citizens. The night before, you could find them banging heads in the trenches, pulling double duty on offense and defense, and most importantly paving the way for Amat to remain unbeaten. (To continue, click thread

Above: Bishop Amat's Christian Orduno (left) and Julian Gener (right) are a huge reason why the Lancers are 9-0 and playing Alemany for the Serra League title on Friday.

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he's offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don't hate, enjoy it for what it's worth, which is one man's opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley. Today the Guru talks Bracketology. The Guru shared this with us last year and was pretty darn close.

Guru says: Today we will take a look at the Southwest Division and break it down. But first, I have to admit, I made a mistake yesterday when I projected the Inland Division. One of the bloggers was absolutely correct. You can't seed two teams in the same league in the same bracket. It's my fault... maybe I have been hanging around the San Fernando Valley too much. (To continue, click thread)

Thursday's second-round schedule
All games start at 7 p.m.
Division 2AA
Chino Hills at Corona Santiago, 5 p.m.
St. Lucy's at Lakewood St. Joseph
Division 2A
Burbank Burroughs at Diamond Bar
Whittier Christian at Los Altos
Downey at Walnut
La Habra at Bonita
Division 3A
Brentwood at Northview
San Dimas at Westminster La Quinta
Division 4A
Fairmont Prep at Azusa

La Puente waited a year for redemption. Instead, it was just another heartache for the Warriors.
Hope Searcy had 15 kills and Kaylene Burkhart had 13, and California City ousted Montview League champion La Puente with a 25-20, 17-25, 25-15, 29-27 victory over the Warriors in a CIF-Southern Section Division 4A first- round match Tuesday.
The visiting Ravens, who had to withstand an 8-0 blitz by La Puente in the fourth game, improved to 15-11 and will face either Santa Clara or Milken Community in the second round Thursday.
The Warriors, getting 14 kills from Elisa Valenzuela and 11 from Rocio Armendariz, finished 17-7. They lost in the second round for the second consecutive season.
"It's very disappointing for our seniors," said La Puente coach Daniel Krawiec, whose Warriors were ranked No. 6 in the final Division 4A poll.
"We were looking to go pretty far this year, but like I talked to them before, 'It's mental. Can you hang in there?' "

Other Scores
2AA
St. Lucy's def. South Pasadena 25-10, 25-12, 25-4
Chino Hills def. Oak Park, 25-22, 25-16, 25-15
La Salle def. South Hills, 23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10
2A
Diamond Bar def. La Serna 19-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-23.
La Habra def. Rio Mesa 25-16, 25-20, 25-20
Los Altos def. Burbank 25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 25-16
Santa Fe def. Fullerton 23-25, 15-25, 25-15, 25-20, 15-7
Whittier Christian def. La Quinta 25-14, 25-17, 25-18
3AA
Pasadena Poly def. Culver City 25-21, 25-20, 25-14
3A
Valley View def. El Monte 25-12, 25-21, 25-13
Gabrielino def. Covina 25-12, 24-26, 22-25, 25-23, 15-7
San Dimas def. Ramona 25-19, 25-15, 25-21
4AA
St. Paul def. Loara 25-16, 25-19, 25-23
4A
Alverno def. Gladstone 25-18, 25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 15-11
Azusa def. Pomona Catholic 25-13, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21

HIGHLIGHTS AND INTERVIEWS FOLLOWING CHINO HILLS' SWEEP

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he's offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don't hate, enjoy it for what it's worth, which is one man's opinion on the talent in the San Gabriel Valley. Today the Guru talks Bracketology. The Guru shared this with us last year and was pretty darn close.

From the Guru: OK, it's time for Dr. Bracketology to put his pencils, pens and paper to work for you and get you up to snuff as we head into week 10 of the high school football season. Today I will concentrate on the Pac-5 and Inland DIvision. Tomorrow, I will try to put together a Southeast and Mid-Valley bracket for you. The CIF-Southern Section will announce its playoff pairings on Sunday.For a breakdown of the Pac-5 and Inland and how it might shake out for Sunday's draw, click the thread and enjoy.

1. Bishop Amat (9-0) -- The Lancers can solidify a top-four Pac-5 playoff seed with a win over undefeated Alemany (9-0) for the Serra League title on Friday. The Lancers are looking to start 10-0 for the first time since 1994.
2. West Covina (8-1) -- The Bulldogs have done so much to solidify No. 1 in the Southeast you wonder if they might stumble in the finale against Diamond Bar. Don't get caught watching the paint dry. If you don't believe me, see Covina.
3. Chino Hills (7-2) -- The Huskies will likely finish in a tie for first with Claremont, but the Wolfpack get the top seed from the league because of its head-to-head victory. But since the Huskies' loss to Claremont, they have proven to be the best in league and have the best shot at a deep Inland playoff run.
4. Covina (9-1) -- Two thrilling fourth-quarter comebacks over West Covina and San Dimas has the Colts No. 4 -- their highest ranking since the 2006 season. I don't know if they're this good, but on paper they deserve to be here.
5. Bonita (8-1) -- After Bonita crushed Rowland, I wondered if the West Covina loss was an aberration. We will find how just how good they're at home against Diamond Ranch on Friday.
6. Claremont (7-2) -- The Wolfpack's stinging loss to West Covina won't cost them the league title unless they lose again to Damien, which would throw the Sierra League playoff picture into a mess. If that happens, we have some sorting out to do on Friday. If Claremont wins, they're the league No. 1. If they lose, it's possible they could fall out of the playoffs entirely.
7. Azusa (9-0) -- From a numbers standpoint it's staggering. The Aztecs only have allowed 30 points in nine games. That's so good I'm going to write it again: They've only allowed 30 points in nine games.
8. Arroyo (8-1) -- The Mission Valley league champs will finish 9-0 and likely grab the No. 3 seed in the Mid-Valley Division if the current rankings stay true to form. Are the Knights good enough to win the Division? Well, they got the best QB in the Division, so let's see how it shakes out.
9. Charter Oak (6-4) -- For other teams being 6-4 and ranked ninth is a good season, but for the Chargers it's a disappointment because they went 0-4 in the step-up games against Glendora, Rancho Cucamonga, Claremont and Chino Hills. They get South Hills, which is no step-up, but a must win for the playoffs.
10. Diamond Ranch (5-4) -- The Panthers shouldn't worry too much about the West Covina blowout. They can reassert their swagger on Friday against Bonita.

The Rest:11. Glendora (5-4), 12. Damien (5-4), 13. South Hills (3-6), 14. San Dimas (5-4), 15. Walnut (5-4), 16. Diamond Bar (6-3), 16. La Puente (6-2), 17. Baldwin Park (4-5), 18. Rowland (4-6), 19. Ayala (4-5), 20. Rosemead (6-3), 22. Pomona (4-5), 23. Northview (3-6), 24. El Monte (4-5), 25. Sierra Vista (6-3), 26. Wilson (4-5), 27. Gladstone (5-4), 28. Mountain View (5-4), 29. Ganesha (3-6), 30. Nogales (1-8), 31. South El Monte (1-8), 32. Bassett (3-6), 33. Workman (2-7), 34. Los Altos (0-9), 35. Duarte (0-8).

Hey look, I got quoted, think I will run out and buy some copies: For Covina, it's an unnecessary risk that's brought on by most voters' shortsightedness, says Tribune preps sports editor Fred J. Robledo, who voted in Monday's poll and had Covina ranked No. 1, followed by Monrovia, Azusa and Arroyo. "At some point, who beat who has to matter," Robledo said. "You can't just go by wins and losses. Covina's victories were so much better than anybody in the division. Nobody has a win like Covina's over West Covina."

Because of the Veterans Holiday, I just learned that Bassett is hosting Sierra Vista on Wedneday, joining La Puente, who is hosting Duarte Wednesday night too. We have three games scheduled Thursday and the rest Friday. If there are any other schools that have moved their games, please let us know, otherwise I will assume the rest of the schedule is correct.

Mid-Valley Division
1. Azusa (9-0), 2. Monrovia (7-2), 3. Arroyo (8-1), 4. Covina (9-1), 5. Whittier Christian (8-1), 6. Schurr (6-3), 7. San Dimas (5-4), 8. Cerritos Valley Christian (5-4), 9. Maranatha (7-3), 10. La Puente (7-2).
Fred's thoughts: I think our constant complaining moved the Colts up a spot. With this vote Covina should get the No. 4 seed with Azusa No. 1, meaning they could meet in a semifinal with Monrovia and Arroyo possibly squared off on the other side if this is how it unfolds at Sunday's pairings. However, with San Dimas, Maranatha, Whittier Christian, Rosemead and Baldwin park lurking, expect some upsets.
Southeast Division
1. West Covina (8-1), 2. La Serna (8-1), 3. La Mirada (6-3), 4. Bonita (8-1), 5. Mayfair (6-4), 6. Diamond Ranch (5-4), 7. Arcadia (6-3), 8. Burroughs (5-4), 9. Burbank (7-2), 10. Muir (5-4).
Fred's thoughts: Diamond Ranch has a great chance to earn a top four seed with a win over Bonita, while the Bearcats would secure a top four seed with a win. When the pairings are released, I love Walnut and Diamond Bar as sleepers depending on who they get.
Inland Division
1. Corona Centennial (9-0), 2. Vista Murrieta (8-1), 3. Rancho Cucamonga (8-1), 4. Roosevelt (8-1), 5. Chino Hills (7-2), 6. Redlands East Valley (7-2), 7. Norco (7-2), 8. Upland (5-4), 9. A.B. Miller (5-4), 10. Claremont (7-2).
Fred's thoughts: The Wolfpack almost fell out of top ten after losing to South Hills. Whatever happens, I'm not expecting the Sierra League to be alive after the second round, and quite possibly all three teams could go out in the first round. Just too tough of a division.
Pac-5 Division
1. Mission Viejo (9-0), 2. Servite (9-0), 3. Bishop Amat (9-0), 4. Alemany (9-0), 5. Long Beach Poly (7-2), 6. Lakewood (8-1), 7. Mater Dei (6-3), 8. Santa Margarita (7-2), 9. Edison (7-2), 10. Los Alamitos (7-2).
Fred's thoughts: Nothing changes except the winner of Amat-Alemany gets a No. 3 seed at best and gets a home game while the loser isn't guaranteed a home game and could have a much, much tougher first round game. And for those wondering, word is Amat RB Zach Shay won't be available on Friday.

In the past whenever we have players signing national letters of intent we try to send photographers to the school, but with a list this large it's impossible to be everywhere. What I've done in recent years is invite the athletes to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune office to take a group picture that we can celebrate on the front page of sports on Thursday. This is the fairest way to satisfy everyone, so all athletes on the list below are invited here Wednesday at 2 p.m., for a group shot. I will call your coaches to notify them, but you can also email me if you have questions. Please wear something indicating your college of choice. If there are athletes signing that I missed, please email me at fred.robledo@sgvn.com so that you can be included.

The November 2009 signing class below

Those expected to sign national letters of intent on Wednesday, Nov. 10, the early signing period.

Boys Basketball
C.J. Cooper, La Verne Lutheran, UTEP
Bruce English, La Verne Lutheran, Loyola Marymount
Girls Basketball
Taylor Anderson, Bonita, Loyola Marymount
Nicole Zugasti, Cal State Dominguez Hills
Softball
Courtney Gano, Los Altos, University of Washington
Breeana Sandoval, Bonita, Cal State Bakersfield
Stephanie La Rosa, Diamond Bar, UCLA
Samantha Nieves, South Hills, Middle Tennessee State
Girls Volleyball
Ashley Maxfeldt, Bonita, Loyola Marymount
Jasmine Russell, Los Altos, Wake Forrest
Megan Callen, St. Lucy's, University of North Florida
Alissa Young, St. Lucy's Sacred Heart University
Deanna Dalton, St. Lucy's, West Point (Army)
Jordyn Siko, Chino Hills, CS Bakersfield
Kellie Finneran, Chino Hills, Bridgewater College, Virginia
Amanda Brown, Los Altos, Eastern Washington
Swimming
Andrea Grant, Walnut, Brigham Young University
Gretchen Jaques, Glendora, University of Texas
Baseball
Kenny Mathews, Diamond Bar, Cal State Fullerton
Rouric Bridgewater, Diamond Ranch, Arizona State
Jordan McCraney, Bishop Amat, USC
Seby Zavala, Bishop Amat, San Diego State
Adrian Franco, Bishop Amat, San Diego State
Matt Munoz, San Dimas, San Diego State
Jonathon Munoz, Diamond Bar, UC Irvine
Adam McCreery, Bonita, Azrizona State
Antonio Gonzalez, Damien, UC Riverside
Joe Chavez, Damien, UC Riverside
Gymnastics
Jackie McCartin, San Dimas, University of Washington
Girls Golf
Mako Wang, Los Altos, UNLV
Track
Remontay McClain, Covina, Azusa Pacific

Steve and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick'em throughout the season for our annual dinner bet. I lead the overall series, two years to one.
Last Week: Robledo (15-3); Ramirez (16-2).
Season: Robledo (153-46); Ramirez (148-51).

Last week: Steve picked up a game and is making a run. He's gone 36-3 over the past two weeks but I have a five-game lead going into week ten. We both lost taking Claremont over South Hills and Wilson over Pomona, and Steve picked up one by taking Chino Hills when I took Charter Oak. Nice that we both called Covina over San Dimas, but this week it gets tougher.

This week: How close is Bishop Amat-Alemany? Calpreps is predicting a 28-27 Amat victory. Alemany has a huge advantage being at home, but I'm taking Amat because of the extra week to prepare, and when you compare Serra scores, Alemany's offense is averaging 29 points while the Lancers are averaging 41, which could be 50 if the Lancers' offense played fourth quarters. The Lancers' defense played well against Notre Dame, but they did give up 28 to Crespi and 31 to Loyola, which is a concern, especially with the playoffs beginning next week, but I think the Lancers will do enough to squeak it about. South Hills and Charter Oak is a doozy, but on paper, Calpreps gives the Chargers a 14-point advantage. I don't think it's that much, but I like the Chargers at home, though they haven't been able to win a big game this season. This is a big game, but it's not a step-up game, so take C.O. You want a surprise? I'm taking Diamond Ranch over Bonita, reason being I'm taking the team that runs and uses the clock over the team that throws it all over the park. Diamond Ranch has the athletes to match-up even though Calpreps is making Bonita a 24-point favorite, which is way, way too much. Other interesting picks, Claremont bounces back and beats Damien to clinch the top-seed in the Sierra and taking El Monte to surprise Rosemead and finish second in the Mission Valley League.

Ramirez will update this afternoon
This week's games and predictions
Wednesday's game
Duarte at La Puente, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (La Puente); Ramirez (La Puente)
Sierra Vista at Bassett, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SVista); Ramirez (SVista)
Pomona at Nogales, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Pomona); Ramirez (Pomona)
Workman at Ganesha, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Ganesha); Ramirez (Ganesha)
Thursday's games
Glendora vs. Rancho Cucamonga at Citrus College, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (RC); Ramirez (RC)
Ayala at Chino Hills, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (CHills); Ramirez (CHills)
San Dimas at Wilson, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SDimas); Ramirez (SDimas)
Friday's games
Bishop Amat at Alemany, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (BAmat); Ramirez (BAmat)
Claremont at Damien, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Claremont); Ramirez (Claremont)
South Hills at Charter Oak, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (COak); Ramirez (South Hills)
Diamond Bar at West Covina, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (WCovina); Ramirez (WCovina)
Diamond Ranch at Bonita, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (DRanch); Ramirez (Bonita)
Walnut at Los Altos, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Walnut); Ramirez (Walnut)
El Monte at Rosemead, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (El Monte); Ramirez (Rosemead)
Gabrielino at South El Monte, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Gabrielino); Ramirez (Gabrielino)
Mountain View at Arroyo, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Arroyo); Ramirez (Arroyo)
Azusa vs. Gladstone at Citrus College, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
Baldwin Park vs. Northview at CDF, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (BPark); Ramirez (Northview)

Bishop Amat has taken on Northview and South Hills in huge nonleague baseball games the past two years. This year Amat coach Andy Nieto says they have finalized a game with Bonita on Monday, April 25, which will probably be played at Mt. SAC under the lights.

Thought I would share my selections to the CIF-Southern Section office this morning. Here ya go.

Inland Division
1. Corona Centennial, 2. Vista Murrieta, 3. Rancho Cucamonga, 4. Roosevelt, 5. Chino Hills, 6. Redlands East Valley, 7. Norco, 8. Redlands, 9. Upland, 10. Claremont
Mid-Valley
1. Covina, 2. Monrovia, 3. Azusa, 4. Arroyo, 5. Whittier Christian, 6. Schurr, 7. San Dimas, 8. Cerritos Valley Christian, 9. Maranatha, 10. Baldwin Park
Pac-5
1. Mission Viejo, 2. Servite, 3. Bishop Amat, 4. Alemany, 5. Long Beach Poly, 6. Lakewood, 7. Mater Dei, 8. Edison, 9. Santa Margarita, 10. Tesoro
Southeast
1. West Covina, 2. Bonita, 3. La Mirada, 4. La Serna, 5. Diamond Ranch, 6. Mayfair, 7. Norwalk, 8. Arcadia, 9. Muir, 10. Burbank.

For boys water polo pairings, visit CIF's website
By Steve Ramirez
Damien, who have advanced to the semifinals the past two years, open Division 3 on Wednesday with a home game against Estancia (20-5). Ayala, which finished second to the Spartans in the Sierra League, travels to Mira Costa (20-7). Bonita, which went 8-0 in the Hacienda League, opens Division 5, also on Wednesday, with a home game against either Burbank (13-12) or La Salle (17-9). Walnut (20-7), which finished second to the Bearcats, hosts Whittier (9-6), with Los Altos (11-18) traveling to Crescenta Valley (23-4).

Boys Water Polo
Area's CIF playoff games
Division 3
Tuesday's wild-card
Claremont at Temple City, 3 p.m.
Wednesday's first round
Ayala at Mira Costa, 3 p.m.
Estancia at Damien, 3 p.m.
Division 5
Wednesday's first round
Los Altos at Crescenta Valley, 3 p.m.
Whittier at Walnut, 3 p.m.
Burbank/La Salle winner at Bonita, 3 p.m.
Division 7
Tuesday's wild card
San Dimas at Lompoc Cabrillo, 3 p.m.
Sierra Vista at Garden Grove, 3 p.m.
Thursday's first round
Rancho Alamitos at Wilson, 3 p.m.
Santa Ana/Summit winner at Nogales, 3 p.m.

For Covina the regular season is over, so let me explain why they deserve the top seed in the Mid-Valley because if things remain status quo and they don't get a top four seed, then voters need to check themselves. Whether or not you wanna believe it, Covina earned No. 1 on paper. The win over West Covina, the Southeast Division's top team with wins over South Hills, Bonita, Diamond Ranch and Glendora, is by far and away the most impressive win in the division by a landslide. Add the win over defending champ San Dimas (who owns a win over Monrovia) and what you have are two victories more impressive than any win Azusa or Arroyo have on their resume. That's no disrespect to Azusa or Arroyo, it's just the truth. The Colts should be ahead of Monrovia for beating West Covina and having the same record, but with a win over San Dimas too it's a no-brainer. And lets not forget the win over Baldwin Park. That leaves Whittier Christian, who many think could be the top team in the division and not disputing that. But I don't see a major victory on their schedule and they haven't faced anyone lower than division ten. Any way you look at it, Covina deserves the top seed, whether or not you think they're good enough to win it.

Here are the rankings going into the final week
1. Azusa (9-0)
2. Monrovia (7-2)
3. Arroyo (8-1)
4. Whittier Christian (8-1)
5. Covina (9-1)

Here it is, highlights and interviews from the Colts' 27-23 comeback win over the Saints.

Alemany's 21-14 victory over Notre Dame was much closer than anyone expected after the way Amat dismantled Notre Dame the week before, but don't read much into it, Amat will still have their hands full on Friday. I will be there with Mike "The Cousin" Robledo's live blog in case any of you can't make the trip to Mission Hills.

This week's schedule
Thursday's games
Glendora vs. Rancho Cucamonga at Citrus College, 7 pm
Ayala at Chino Hills, 7 pm
Friday's games
Bishop Amat at Alemany, 7 pm
Claremont at Damien, 7 pm
South Hills at Charter Oak, 7 pm
Diamond Bar at West Covina, 7 pm
Diamond Ranch at Bonita, 7 pm
Walnut at Los Altos, 7 pm
El Monte at Rosemead, 7 pm
Gabrielino at South El Monte, 7 pm
Mountain View at Arroyo, 7 pm
Azusa vs. Gladstone at Citrus College, 7 pm
Duarte at La Puente, 7 pm
Sierra Vista at Bassett, 7 pm
Workman at Ganesha, 7 pm
Baldwin Park vs. Northview at CDF, 7 pm
Pomona at Nogales, 7 pm
San Dimas at Wilson, 7 pm

Covina 27, San Dimas 23 -- After starting the year with a miracle comeback that ended with Covina scoring three touchdowns in the final five minutes to pull out a victory over West Covina, the Colts did it again, only this time it was for the Valle Vista League title.

For quarter updates of tonight's games, click thread.

Friday's results
Covina 27, San Dimas 23 -- Colts battle back from 23-6 halftime deficit, Billy Livingston's 17-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Carillo with 28 seconds left was the game-winner. Colts win their first league title since 2006.
South Hills 29, Claremont 14 -- And you thought the Huskies were left for dead? What it means is that South Hills' game against Charter Oak next week will likely be for third and the final playoff spot. Unreal.
West Covina 41, Diamond Ranch 10 -- The Southeast's top-ranked Bulldogs crushed the Panthers like they have everyone else, which secures the inaugural Hacienda League title.
Chino Hills 29, Charter Oak 22 -- What a perfect night for Chino Hills, not just getting the win, but with South Hills' win they're now in a tie for first place in the Sierra with Claremont.
Damien 37, Ayala 14 -- The Spartans are not out of the playoff picture left. If they can pull a South Hills and beat Claremont, they have a chance to get in.
Upland 41, Glendora 14 -- The Tartans' playoff hopes were bleak entering tonight, now they're gone, and they still have to play Rancho Cucamonga.
Diamond Bar 34, Los Altos 6 -- The Brahmas are finishing the year the way it started, but need a huge win in the final week against West Covina to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Bonita 57, Rowland 0 -- The most impressive result of the night. The Bearcats answered a tough loss against West Covina with a crushing win over the Raiders.
Arroyo 40, El Monte 7 -- The Knights wrapped up the Mission Valley League title and another win should guarantee a Mid-Valley Division playoff seed.
Mountain View 15, Gabrielino 7 -- The Vikings' kept their faint playoff hopes alive in what has been a solid turnaround since a year ago.
Rosemead 34, South El Monte 0 -- The Panthers will play El Monte next week for sole possession of second in the MVL.
Gladstone 49, Duarte 0 -- The Gladiators probably won't make the playoffs, but they have improved over last year.
Sierra Vista 21, Ganesha 13 -- The Dons can still finish 7-3 with a victory next week. Is that good enough for a Mid-Valley at-large?
La Puente 41, Bassett 6 -- The Warriors continued to look solid and can lock up second in the Montview with a win next week.
Azusa 36, Workman 0 -- The Mid-Valley's top-ranked Aztecs are doing what everyone expects, winning and winning easy.
Baldwin Park 57, Nogales 6 -- With San Dimas losing, if the Braves beat Northview next week they will finish second and get the automatic playoff spot from the VVL.
Pomona 41, Wilson 21 -- The Red Devils got a win after playing Covina and San Dimas tough earlier in the year.
Walnut 35, Northview 0 -- The Vikings shouldn't feel so bad, a win over Baldwin Park in the finale gives them a shot at the playoffs.

The Inland Insider with Charter Oak, Chino Hills highlights and interviews

By John Honell, Correspondent
Overcoming high temperatures, the Bonita girls and the Los Altos boys took top honors in the inaugural Hacienda League cross country finals at Mt. San Antonio College on Thursday. One runner from the Bonita girls team collapsed after her race and was taken to a local hospital for observation for problems associated with the heat. (to continue click thread).
Below: Bonita's Marissa Scott won the girls Hacienda League title on Thursday

Los Altos softball standout Courtney Gano gave a verbal commitment to the University of Washington after her freshman season but will make it official next Wednesday during the early signing period from Nov. 10-17. Basketball, softball, soccer, volleyball, baseball and other athletes who choose to do so (other than football) will make their college intentions official. We're gathering a list of area athletes signing on Wednesday, so if you know anyone signing at your school, let us know.

ESPN Rise: Before the season began, there was doubt whether Ruiz might not suit up for the Lancers' football team because he happens to be one of the top juniors in the nation in baseball and made the U.S. Under-16 National Team. Ruiz did not give up the sport and is shining as Bishop Amat's quarterback. The 2009-10 California Sophomore Athlete of the Year completed 22 of 24 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns last Friday as the Lancers improved to 8-0 with a 52-7 romp past Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.). Ruiz completed 20 straight passes at one point in the game and tied a reported CIF Southern Section record for most consecutive completions. He has passed for 1,615 yards and 17 touchdowns for the season.

"He's one of the best defensive linemen we've seen since Shaun Cody. He's the man." Charter Oak coach Lou Farrar on Chino Hills nose guard Auston Johnson.

By Aram Tolegian, staff wrtier
The good news for the Charter Oak and Chino Hills high school football teams is that the loser of Friday's showdown will still probably make the CIF Southern Section Inland Division playoffs. The bad news is who that team will likely play in the first round. If everything goes according plan, the Sierra League's third-place team will likely get a road date with a league champion from one of the division's first-place teams. That might mean a trip to play Centennial of Corona, which is considered to be one of the better teams in the entire Southland.

"In this game, some of our runs that have gone for 60 yards will go for 10 or 15. And that's fine, too. That just forces us to put drives together. Their speed is definitely a factor. We caught Bonita's kids from behind a couple times, but we're not going to catch Diamond Ranch's kids if they get in the open." -- West Covina coach Mike Maggiore on facing Diamond Ranch's speed.

By Aram Tolegian
West Covina coach Mike Maggiore doesn't think playing what amounts to a second consecutive Hacienda League championship game Friday will be too much for his team's emotions to handle. The Bulldogs, fresh off their rout of previously unbeaten Bonita, hits the road Friday to take on Diamond Ranch, which like West Covina is 4-0 in league.

That's the question we're wondering in the office. We all want Alemany to beat Notre Dame this week so we can have two 9-0 teams, Amat and Alemany, fighting for the Serra League title next week. If Amat wins, then you seriously have to wonder if a Pac-5 championship is possible. With Darien Johnson, Jerry McClanahan, Jay Anderson, Austin Lacy, Daniel Kane and Davis Cazares all not back from last year's team, nobody expected them to be this good, yet they look better than ever. They're averaging 36 points while allowing just 14 points -- a 23-point margin of victory. I thought with Ruiz, Zach Shay and Jalen Moore all juniors, next year might be the Lancers' best shot at a Pac-5 title, especially with sophomore Dionza Blue and a handful of other underclassmen returning. But could this be the year Amat shocks everyone and wins its sixth championship? The way they're playing, it's not a silly question, even for Aram, AKA, the anti-Lancer.

Here's this week's rankings:

1. St. Lucy's (16-7)
2. Chino Hills (24-4)
3. Bonita (19-3)
4. Los Altos (15-5)
5. San Dimas (18-4)
6. Ayala (13-8)
7. La Puente (15-4)
8. El Monte (14-2)
9. Glendora (19-10)
10. South Hills (11-10)
Note: Rankings are through games played Monday, Nov. 1

By Steve Ramirez, Staff Writer
The Mission Valley League girls volleyball title will stay at Gabrielino High School. Senior outside hitter Amanda Watkins had 20 kills and Ashley Van Oosten had eight as the Eagles clinched their seventh consecutive league title with a 27-25, 25-12, 25-13 victory over host El Monte on Wednesday. (to continue click thread)

"What an absolute thrill for our players, coaches, staff and university," said Broncos coach Greg Kamansky, who led the Broncos to their first national championship in March and national championship games in each of the last two seasons. "We'll have an opportunity to savor the successes last season by playing against a program that represents the very best that our sport has to offer. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we look forward to the challenge of playing against a talented team that should be the preseason top-ranked team in the country and coached by one of basketball's true icons and ambassadors.''

Tip-off is at 4 p.m., and can be viewed on the Duke home page

We're getting to close to one of my favorites times of the year, soccer season, and particularly girls soccer, which has been a fun blog topic in recent years. The Hacienda League is the most intriguing, we're finally going to have Los Altos and Walnut in the same league and playoff division, and they will be challenged by Bonita and Diamond Ranch. Even better, Bishop Amat should return to dominating form, with the Del Rey League moving to Division 3 with the Hacienda, and Sierra League, which boasts St. Lucy's, Ayala, Claremont, Chino Hills and South Hills, creating a division that puts all the area's best teams -- with the exception of Glendora (Baseline, Division 2) -- competing for a divisional crown and true area champion. Division 6 is interesting because reigning champ Sierra Vista now has to compete with teams from the Rio Hondo and Valle Vista Leagues, meaning San Dimas might have a shot at a divisional title. In any case, care to weight in on an early top ten?

Below: Los Altos' Lauren Stupin is among the area's top girls players returning.

Career Day at Damien High School was an enjoyable experience for me on Tuesday, especially with nearly the entire boys basketball team signed-up for a class and sitting in while I rambled on about a career in journalism. They wanted to know who the area's top-ranked boys team is going to be, so I had to look 'em in the eye and say, "not you," that belongs to the CIF champs around the corner, La Verne Lutheran -- you know the guys up the street from Bonita. The Spartans players gave me a hard time and said they would love to play the Trojans, though we know it won't happen, at least not this year. In any case, it's almost that time, care to weigh in on the top boys basketball teams, and how the new league's will affect the landscape.

Below: Okay, at least we can establish that Damien has the best boys basketball fans in the Valley. Nothing rivals "The Pit."

For Southern Section league finals results, most are posted on this link.

Sierra League finals: Junior Jaclyn Gonzalez has been one of the many standouts on Ayala's stellar girls cross country team, but Gonzalez had never been in the position she faced Tuesday afternoon, as she held off Claremont's Merin Arft to capture first place in the Sierra League finals at hot and dry Mt. San Antonio College.

Diamond Ranch football coach Roddy Layton confirmed that he served a one-game suspension during the Panthers' 48-14 victory over Los Altos on Friday for an undisclosed blue-book violation that falls under undue influence. School officials made the decision after consulting with the CIF-Southern Section. Layton chose not to explain, but he will return to the sidelines when Diamond Ranch hosts West Covina for sole possession of first in the Hacienda League.

1. Bishop Amat (9-0) -- Lancers winning by an average of 23 points a game -- remarkable considering the competition. They remained No. 3 in the Pac-5 and have two weeks often before the showdown at Alemany for first in the Serra and a likely top four playoff seed.
2. West Covina (7-1) -- The Bulldogs have won all their step-up games and won them convincingly, which is why they're No. 1 in the Southeast and No. 2 in our poll. Until someone proves they can handle their athletic backfield and ferocious defense, they will continue to win.
3. Claremont (7-1) -- No. 5 in the Inland Poll and closing in on a Sierra League title. They can clinch at least a tie with a win over South Hills, which appears almost a lock considering the amount of points South Hills gives up.
4. Chino Hills (6-2) -- Dismantled South Hills and has looked like a beast ever since losing to Claremont. But now they get Charter Oak and an offense similar to what they faced against Claremont in a losing effort.
5. Covina (8-1) -- The Colts can wrap-up the Valle Vista league title with a win at the defending champ Saints, which would give them two weeks off before the playoff. With the No. 5 ranking in the Mid-Valley, the Colts desperately need it to prove to pollsters they deserve a top-rour seed come playoff time.
6. Bonita (7-1) -- They didn't look very athletic against West Covina, but who does against them? The Bearcats are still a force and will have a chance to prove themselves against Diamond Ranch in their league finale.
7. Azusa (8-0) -- They have been in playoff mode for more than a month, having the best season in school history and should without a doubt finish 10-0 and end up with the top seed in the Mid-Valley.
8. Charter Oak (5-3) -- It's been well noted the Chargers are 0-3 in step-up games and they've got another on Friday at home against Chino Hills. If you're to believe the Chargers have any chance in the Inland Division, they have to prove they can win games like this.
9. Diamond Ranch (5-3) -- The Panthers continue to look impressive in the Hacienda but now comes the test against West Covina at home, followed by Bonita in the finale.
10. Arroyo (7-1) -- The Knights needed to beat Rosemead to feel confident about their Mission League title hopes, but they will have to beat fellow 3-0 El Monte on Friday to actually claim the MVL.

The Rest:11. Glendora (5-3), 12. San Dimas (5-3), 13. Damien (4-4), 14. Walnut (4-4), 15. Diamond Bar (5-3), 16. Rowland (4-5), 17. South Hills (2-6), 18. La Puente (6-2), 19. Ayala (4-4), 20. Baldwin Park (3-5), 21. Rosemead (5-3), 22. El Monte (4-4), 23. Pomona (3-5), 24. Northview (3-5), 25. Wilson (4-4), 26. Gladstone (4-4), 27. Sierra Vista (5-3), 28. Mountain View (4-4), 29. Ganesha (3-5), 30. Nogales (1-7), 31. South El Monte (1-7), 32. Bassett (3-5), 33. Workman (2-6), 34. Los Altos (0-8), 35. Duarte (0-7).

Raw footage from Bonita, West Covina game on Friday.

By Aram Tolegian, staff writer
The task of trying to slow down the West Covina High School football team this week goes to Diamond Ranch. And Panthers coach Roddy Layton appears just as perplexed as you might expect, given how unstoppable the Bulldogs have become. "Speed kills, so they're good," Layton said. "We've watched them on film and seen them live. They do a lot good of things, so pick your poison on offense - 1, 5, 20, 21, 84 - there are several (jersey) numbers."

By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
It's not often that El Monte High School is playing for the Mission Valley League football championship in Week 9, but that's exactly the case for the Lions this season.
El Monte (4-4, 3-0) has won its first three league games to put itself in position to take over sole control of first place if the Lions can beat defending league champion Arroyo (7-1, 3-0) on Friday.

Fred and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick'em throughout the season for our annual dinner bet. I lead the overall series, two years to one.
Last Week: Robledo (16-1); Ramirez (16-1).
Season: Robledo (138-43); Ramirez (132-49).

Last week: Fred and I had a pretty good week, both going 16-1. I got him by going with the runaway train that is West Covina, which beat Bonita. He got me back, with Walnut's win over Rowland. I was afraid that would bite me, but when you are down, you have to go further out on the limb. Oh well, there's always this week.

This week:There are some big games this week as we wind down the league season and get ready for the playoff run. Three games -- West Covina vs. Diamond Ranch at Ganesha; Covina at San Dimas and Arroyo at El Monte -- have league title implications. The big ones are of course West Covina- Diamond Ranch and Covina at San Dimas. As much as I love how Diamond Ranch can turn on the switch in October and November, I just can't see how they match up well with West Covina, which is basically taking the place of Charter Oak and we all know how Roddy's Ranchers did against the Chargers the past two seasons. Go with WesCov. I also like the Colts to beat San Dimas and win the Valle Vista League. Sorry coach Z, but there's just too much speed. I know the last time I picked against Z and the Saints, it bit me, but... I also like Arroyo over El Monte. The Knights just have too much for the Lions, who have made a nice run to set this battle up.
Here's our picks:

Friday's games
Glendora at Upland, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Upland); Ramirez (Upland)
Los Altos at Diamond Bar, 7:00pm -- Robledo (DBar); Ramirez (DBar)
Rowland at Bonita, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Bonita); Ramirez (Bonita)
West Covina vs. Diamond Ranch at Ganesha, 7:00pm -- Robledo (WCov); Ramirez (WCov)
Arroyo at El Monte, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Arroyo); Ramirez (Arroyo)
Gabrielino at Mountain View, 7:00pm -- Robledo (MntVw); Ramirez (MntVw)
South El Monte at Rosemead, 7:00pm - Robledo (Rsmd); Ramirez (Rsmd)
Duarte vs. Gladstone at Citrus College, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Gladstone); Ramirez (Gladstone)
Ganesha at Sierra Vista, 7:00pm -- Robledo (SVista); Ramirez (SVista)
La Puente at Bassett, 7:00pm -- Robledo (LPuente); Ramirez (LPuente)
Workman vs. Azusa at La Puente, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Azusa); Ramirez (Azusa)
Chino Hills at Charter Oak, 7:00pm -- Robledo (ChOak); Ramirez (CHills)
Damien at Ayala, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Damien); Ramirez (Damien)
South Hills vs. Claremont at Covina District, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Claremont); Ramirez (Claremont)
Covina at San Dimas, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Covina); Ramirez (Covina)
Nogales at Baldwin Park, 7:00pm -- Robledo (BPark); Ramirez (BPark)
Wilson at Pomona, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Wilson); Ramirez (Wilson)
Northview at Walnut, 7:00pm -- Robledo (Walnut); Ramirez (Walnut)