November 2011 Archives
From left, La Mirada offensive linemen Chris Cisneros, Nathan Rodriguez, Nofo Tii, Memo Monreal, Hugo Correa and Spencer Fox will try to show West Covina that hey have big boys too.
Tribune notes on West Covina coach Mike Maggiore setting everyone straight on La Mirada: Things feel eerily familiar around the West Covina High School football team this week. It was at this point in last year's playoffs that the Bulldogs faced a Mayfair team that pushed them to the brink before earning a hard-fought 28-19 victory en route to a CIF-SS Southeast Division title. Just change the name Mayfair to La Mirada and the Bulldogs' coaching staff thinks the game they expect on Friday could be a similar fit.
"They're big, physical and well-coached," West Covina Mike Maggiore said. "If people think it's going to be easy for us, I think they're wrong. They're going to be similar to Mayfair last year.
Whittier feature on La Mirada's big offensive line: An offensive lineman's world doesn't change much. It consists mainly of an imaginary three-yard box, and it doesn't matter if the ball rests near the opponent's goal line, on the 50 or inside his team's own 10.
Success from this view comes from attitude and work ethic, and that's what La Mirada High School's starting front thrives on.
Above: San Gabriel Quarterback Andy Guerrero
Tribune notebook with reaction from San Dimas' Bill Zernickow and Covina's Darryl Thomas: If San Dimas High School wins its second CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division football title in three years, it will do it the hard way. The Saints were without a home field for the 2011 season and played home games at Citrus College or Bonita High School while San Dimas' football stadium underwent improvements, including the installation of an artificial surface, and will be ready in 2012.
Star-News notebook on how San Gabriel is dealing with rematch against San Dimas.Ever since Andy Guerrero took over at quarterback at San Gabriel High School, there's been one name that seemingly went into virtual anonymity: Eric Alvarez. Alvarez, a junior who once was the starter at quarterback, was in a fierce competition with Guerrero that started over the summer and didn't come to an end until midway through the season. They shared duties until Guerrero's sudden rise at the start of the Almont League season put an end to a two-quarterback system that was producing inconsistent results.
Each morning I will publish the prep digest, which is a daily round-up of prep results from boys and girls basketball, soccer, and girls water polo, that also appear in the paper. To share your results with us, please call 626-962-8811, ext. 2233 or 2242 or email results to scores@sgvn.com. The more that call in and report results, the more we can share with you.
Tuesday's Results
BOYS BASKETBALL
Bosco Tech Tournament
First round
Mountain View 47,
Bassett 41
Mountain View (1-0) led at halftime 21-15 and finished off Bassett (0-1) in nonleague action. Leading the Vikings in scoring was Elijah Morales with 14 points. Jonathan Zepeda had eight rebounds. Damien Valenzuela was leading scorer for Bassett with 14 points and Samuel Mejia contributed 13 points.
Los Altos 58, Gabrielino 43
Quinten Howell led the Conquerors with 15 points and Vance Valencia added 14.
Top scorer for the Eagles was Tyler Shimamoto with 16 points.
Rose City Tournament
First round
L.A. Marshall 49, Marshall 45
Leading L.A. Marshall was Ishamru with 14 points. Hampton led Marshall 13 points.
Muir 79, Monrovia 40
Sierra Vista-Baldwin Park Tournament
Pool play
Covina 55, West Covina 29
The Colts (1-0) were led by Mike Peters' 15 points. Matt Hicks chipped in with 10 points and Edgardo Campos had nine rebounds.
Leading West Covina (0-2) was Jared Baldiziez with 12 points. David Kim had nine points.
South Hills 72, Azusa 58
Korey Serna had 23 points and 18 rebounds to lead South Hills (2-0) and Steven Rubin-Woods added 11 points. Azusa (0-2) was led in scoring by Des Reed with 16 points and John Bibat with 14.
Northview 80, Temple City 53
Northview (1-0) took an early 31-15 halftime lead and never looked back.
Treavon Francis led the Vikings with 36 points, 15 rebounds and three 3-pointers and Louis Lauterio had 14 points, including four 3-pointers. James Cunnigan contributed 10 rebounds. Leading the Rams (0-1) was Ryan Cosato with 17 points and Matt Der had 11.
Nonleague
Charter Oak 52, Garey 38
The Chargers (1-0) were led by Kody Brown with 21 points and 15 rebounds, Daniel Gutierrez with eight points and Chris Irei with seven.
Leading Garey (0-1) was Tre Jones scoring 11 points. Jose Olmos had nine.
Gladstone 44, South El Monte 40
Erick Martinez led Gladstone (1-0) with 10 points and Ben Reed had eight.
Leading South El Monte (0-1) was Jordan Vi with 10 points.
Wilson 53, La Puente 35
Justin Chen led the Wildcats (1-0) with 13 points and Bryan Leyva scored nine.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Wilson Ladycat Classic Tournament
First round
Wilson 56, La Mirada 27
Leading the Ladycats (1-0) was Jaimie Hou with 19 points. Kelly Calton had 13 rebounds. La Mirada's (0-1) top scorer was Kalina Glover with 11 points. [/BODY][SUB1]
Walnut 54, Azusa 23
Leading scorers for the Mustangs (1-0) were Arianne Gin with 12 points, Angela Aie with 11 and Corie Pippit, who had 10. The Aztecs (0-1) were led in scoring by Tonie Jackson's eight points.
Nonleague Duarte 57, Cantwell Sacred Heart 39
Imari Brown led the Falcons (1-0) with 25 points and Mikayla Tickey contributed with ten points. The Cardinals (0-1) were led by Priscilla Rodriguez with 18 points followed in scoring by Sylvia Garcia with nine points.
GIRLS SOCCER
Nonleague
Diamond Ranch 3, St. Paul 0
Diamond Ranch led at halftime 1-0 and never looked back for the nonleague win.
By Damien Secore, Correspondent
Having already gone farther than any other athletic team in school history, the goal for the St. Lucy girls' volleyball team was to take another step forward. Going on the road to face 2008-09 CIF state champion La Costa Canyon and a lineup that included five players who were at least 6 feet tall proved to be too tall an order, literally and figuratively. The Regents lost a late lead in the match's pivotal third game and fell in the CIF State Division II Southern California Regional Final for the second consecutive year as host La Costa Canyon parlayed its power and height into a 25-19, 18-25, 25-22, 25-18 victory.
Continue reading St. Lucy's dream of a state championship ends.
In Pasadena's prestigious Rose City Classic knockout tournament, Star-News No. 1 Pasadena defeated Arroyo Valley 80-52 in the first round while the Tribune No. 1, La Verne Lutheran, ripped Sylmar 94-58. That sets up Wednesday's quarterfinal showdowns, with a possible dream matchup of Lutheran and PHS looming on Friday.
Wednesday's quarterfinal games
Corona Roosevelt vs. La Verne Lutheran, 6:30 p.m.
Pasadena vs. Leuzinger, 8 p.m.
Friday's semifinals
Roosevelt-Lutheran winner vs. Pasadena-Leuzinger winner, 8 p.m.
Rose City Bottom half of bracket
Tonight's first round
Etiwanda vs. Cleveland, 3:30 p.m.
Canyon Springs vs. Chino Hills, 5 p.m.
Washington Prep vs. Cajon, 6:30 p.m.
Price vs. Birmingham, 8 p.m.
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
Football success is nothing new for the Ainsworth family. It's just that usually it takes place at Monrovia or Duarte high schools. Not Covina. All that changed this season, thanks to the latest Ainsworth to don football pads and entertain the Valley with his gridiron exploits. Gevontray Ainsworth, the son of former Duarte standout quarterback Greg Ainsworth, has made quite a name for himself as the leading rusher at Covina (11-1), which will host Monrovia (8-3) on Friday in a game that may feel a little weird for the Ainsworth family and Monrovia fans with an historical perspective on what that family has meant to their school's football tradition.
Kickoff for the CIF Mid-Valley Division semifinals showdown is at 7 p.m. at Covina District Field.
I got a call toward the end and stepped out, but Miguel and Aram continued so effortlessly that we skipped the retake ....Only at the Trib.
Coach Maddox on Garrison: "I talked to Steve towards the end of the season about possibly coming on. He's glad to be back and he'll be in charge of our offensive line next year. He's out there learning and assisting. He's getting himself acquainted and helping out where he can."
Former Monrovia coach Steve Garrison, who led the Wildcats to three championship games in the 90s and then stepped aside following the 2007 season after 15 years as the head coach, is back on the Wildcats' sidelines. Garrison, who spent two years at Damien and this past year at Northview as an assistant coach, is already coaching again at his former school, coach Ryan Maddox confirmed with Miguel Melendez, though Maddox said Garrison's role isn't defined yet. Maddox replaced Garrison in 2008 and guided the Wildcats to two consecutive championship games, winning last year. Apparently, Garrison has been on Monrovia's staff since the first round of the playoffs, a week after Northview's season ended. When was the last time you heard a coach with two different teams in the same season? In these circumstances? I can't think of one. It makes sense for Monrovia, Garrison coached against Covina and San Dimas in the Valle Vista league while at Northview, which helps Monrovia with scouting Covina this week and possibly San Dimas in the final. But the question is, should a coach after his team has been eliminated be able to switch to a championship contender in the same season? I don't think so.
Aram and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick'em throughout the season with the loser buying lunch in December.
Last week: Robledo (3-6); Tolegian (6-3)
Season standings: Robledo (191-55); Tolegian (193-53)
Last week: A week after going 15-0, I choked in the quarterfinals, no other way to explain it. I knew I was going out on a limb taking Charter Oak and Arroyo, but I lost all the 50-50 games too. Aram wasn't the greatest either, but on a week like this, going 6-3 was huge. Give him credit for taking Muir, and all the other favorites, it paid off. I'm two down with two weeks left, let's see what happens.
This week: The only guarantee is West Covina at La Mirada, though on the road in Whittier strange things happen. The Bulldogs are playing well, but it may take more work to get rid of La Mirada than it did their previous two opponents, but the Bulldogs should advance. Muir looked phenomenal in the first two rounds. I know DRanch had some players missing, etc, etc, but nobody smoked them like that, and that came a week after whipping No. 2 Santa Fe. When Muir is committed and focused, this is what you get, a dangerous team capable of beating anyone. Monrovia-Covina is a super fight in the Mid-Valley. No respect to the bottom half, but this is for the championship. I thought about going with Monrovia after the way the Wildcats dispatched Whittier Christian, but I think this will be Covina's finest hour, a week before the real finest hour occurs. I'm taking CTown to go to the final. San Dimas is an unbelievable situation. When they beat Azusa, San Gabriel and Monrovia back-to-back-to-back in October, who would have thought they may have to do it again to win a championship. After already beating Azusa in the rematch, now it's San Gabriel's shot at the rematch after losing 59-6 the first time. The Matadors will make it closer, but they won't make up all the difference after a 53-point blowout. And if Monrovia wins, San Dimas would have to pull the trifecta again. Now that would be amazing, especially since the Saints technically didn't have any "home" games this year. Of course if Covina wins, then it's San Dimas' shot at the rematch.
CIF-SS Playoffs
Friday's Semifinal games and predictions
Southeast Division
West Covina (11-1) at La Mirada (8-4), 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (WCovina); Tolegian (The WC)
Muir (8-4) at La Serna (9-3), 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Muir); Tolegian (Muir)
Mid-Valley Division
Monrovia (9-3) vs. Covina (11-1) , CDF, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Covina); Tolegian (Covina)
San Dimas (10-2) at San Gabriel (8-4), 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (SDimas); Tolegian (Saints)
Take a peak at Muir's highlights from Friday's win over Diamond Ranch.
Picture: The last time Covina reached the semifinals, it was ousted in the 2006 Northwest Division playoffs by Oak Park, ending the great career of QB Mike McDonough. The Colts are looking to take it a step further on Friday against MTown.
Area supremacy: There is almost equal representation from our three coverage zones in the semifinals, with three from the Tribune and two each from Whittier and Pasadena, leaving them to battle it out for regional supremacy. Call me a homer, but I like the Trib in this fight, West Covina and Covina are still the favorites to bring home the hardware.
Coin Flips: Team with home games in championships can play at home if their home field is big enough, or at a nearby neutral site. In the Mid-Valley, Monrovia will be home if they win no matter what. Covina would be home against San Gabriel and San Dimas would have the home game against Covina. In the Southeast, West Covina would have the home game against Muir, or be on the road at La Serna.
Who's No. 1 in the Tribune?: That's up for debate again. If you like the who beats who head-to-head argument, Charter Oak and Amat are in the equation no matter what happens with everyone else. If you like the who is best in their corner of the world argument, West Covina and Covina clearly lead the way.
State Bowl for Covina? Covina was ranked fifth in the Division III South state bowl rankings heading into the week. With Mt. Miguel losing, Covina should go to fourth. What they need to do is win out and hope the others ranked ahead are knocked out, sort of like watching the final weeks of the BCS. It's a slight chance, but the best chance we have for a state bowl appearance.
Division III South Rankings
1. Lompoc 12-0 -- Still alive in Norhern semi's
2. Washington (Easton) 11-0 -- In Central D-4 semis
3. Madison (San Diego) 10-0-1 -- In SD D-3 semi's
4. Mt. Miguel (Spring Valley) 8-2 -- lost in SD D-4 semis
5. Covina 11-1 -- In Mid-Valley semis
Coveritlive: Is there anywhere else we should be other than Covina District Field on Friday night? MTown vs. CTown ...enough said.
CIF-Southern Section semifinals
Friday's games
Southeast Division
West Covina (11-1) at La Mirada (8-4), 7:30 p.m.
Muir (8-4) at La Serna (9-3), 7:30 p.m.
Mid-Valley Division
Monrovia (9-3) vs. Covina (11-1) , CDF, 7:30 p.m.
San Dimas (10-2) at San Gabriel (8-4), 7:30 p.m.
The aftermath and postgame interviews following Upland's 51-13 rout of Charter Oak in Friday's second round with Tom Kiss, the Inland Insider. Tom catches up with Upland coach Tim Salter, Charter Oak's Lou Farrar and more, check it out.
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Correspondent
Saturday's CIF-SS Division II girls state volleyball showdown between back-to-back CIF-SS champions St. Lucy's and Downey had all the drama one would expect knowing a berth to the Southern California final was at stake. St. Lucy's (29-5) weathered several Downey runs and was too good down the stretch as the Regents held off the Vikings 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 25-16 at Damien High. (To continue click thread)
By Keith Lair, Staff Writer
FRESNO - Two days after Thanksgiving, Tom Ebiner was thankful for his Damien High School teammates. When the Damien senior appeared to be down and out at last week's CIF-Southern Section championships at Mt. SAC, it was his teammates who were there to lift his spirits. On Saturday, Ebiner repaid the team by finishing seventh in the CIF State Championships at Woodward Park. (To continue click thread)
Highlights from La Serna's win over Los Altos with TDro
By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Charter Oak's first big test against a CIF-Southern Section Inland Division powerhouse ended with third-seed Upland showing the Chargers they're not ready for prime time.
Charter Oak, which rolled through opponents and averaged 50 points since a September loss to Rancho Cucamonga, wore down against the Highlanders' defense, and could not slow their offense. The Highlanders stepped on the gas in the third quarter to go up 38 points, forcing a running clock in the fourth. (to continue click thread)
Tonight's results
Inland Division
Upland 51, Charter Oak 13 -- They were unfortunate to be down 21-6 at the break after moving up and down the field and coming away with nothing but field goals. The second half Upland overpowered them and Kenny Lawler showed why he's so good.
Southeast Division
West Covina 55, Pasadena 12 -- It's going to take a team playing out of its mind to beat these guys. They have the unstoppable combination of they're good, and they know they're good.
La Mirada 31, Arcadia 28 -- There goes the dream West Covina-Arcadia matchup.
La Serna 35, Los Altos 30 -- There goes the dream Los Altos-Muir matchup.
Muir 48, Diamond Ranch 0 -- The at-large Mustangs have been just as dominating if not more than No. 1 West Covina.
Mid-Valley Division
Covina 49, Alhambra 7 -- Did I hear that right, Venegas with six touchdowns? It was the first game in the refrigerator on Coveritlive, setting up the game everyone wants next.
Monrovia 61, Whittier Christian 7 -- Are you kidding? I don't care if Covina won by 42, this was a statement. I felt good about picking the Colts prior to the playoffs, I'm not so sure now.
San Dimas 30, Azusa 23 -- I got caught up in the Azusa nostalgia after watching that video like everyone else. But give credit to the Saints, it's not easy beating a good team twice, and now they have to do it again.
San Gabriel 40, Arroyo 38 -- The Knights fell agonizingly short of reaching the semifinals, but they went down swinging, and all-everything Steven Rivera will go down as one of the all-time best. Now San Gabriel gets its shot at San Dimas-San Gabriel II.
PREPXTRA LIVE POSTGAME REWIND WITH ARAM DISCUSSING FRIDAY NIGHT'S SECOND ROUND ACTION
Our local high schools are not the only ones putting their seasons on the line, Azusa Pacific University and Mt. San Antonio College are also in football playoffs. For Mt. SAC, it's just trying to continue the status quo as the Mounties host Cerritos at 1 p.m. on Saturday, seeking their fifth consectuve Southern California title. Mt. SAC will be the favorite to advance to the CCCAA title game again after routing Cerritos, 51-0, last season. But both teams have won six consecutive games.
APU, meanwhile, after routing Ottawa, of Kansas, in the first round last week, has a monster tilt at Carroll, of Helena, Mont., in the NAIA quarterfinals. The host Saints have won six national titles since 2002, including last season. This will be APU's second trip to Carroll in two seasons, losing 35-21, in the first round last year. The Cougars, who have never lost in the quarterfinals, are 0-6 lifetime against the Saints, and 0-2 in the playoffs, also losing 14-10 in 2004, in the semifinals. I guess that means the odds are in their favor, right?
Here's a little something to inspire the Cougars on the eve of their monumental task. Although it's not a football speech, the meaning is the same.
Continue reading Area Colleges: APU, Mt. SAC also seeking playoff success.
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
Think West Covina High School freshman Antonio "Noodles" Hull isn't making a contribution to the Bulldogs' bid for a second consecutive CIF-SS Southeast Division championship? Think again.
With no real way for the Bulldogs to mimic what they'll see Friday from Pasadena dual-threat quarterback Brandon Cox, head coach Mike Maggiore and staff have turned to Noodles to give their defense some semblance of what to expect when they face Cox this weekend.
Noodles has been doing his best Cox impersonation this week as the scout team quarterback.
"Well, Brandon Cox is about four or five inches taller (than Noodles) and left-handed," Maggiore said. "He's been doing a little of it."
Simulating Cox, even for a future star like Noodles, is no easy task.
Nor will trying to contain Cox on Friday be an easy task for West Covina's defense.
"Skill-wise, he's as good as anyone we've played," Maggiore said of Cox. "He's a threat on the zone read. He runs quarterback counters. Sometimes, he'll drop back and just take off if there's nothing else to do.
"There's not a lot that he doesn't do well. We just have to do our best to contain him. I think we're pretty fast on defense and have some guys who can cover. We're going to have to force him into some uncomfortable plays."
Facing Cox and Pasadena's high-octane offense will be major shift from the double-wing offense the Bulldogs had to stop last week against Norwalk. West Covina (10-1) had only 21 offensive plays in last week's 38-8 win. Drives could have lasted longer, but Bulldogs running back Jimmy Frazier carried five times in the game, scored on three of them and finished with 188 yards.
West Covina's ground game might be its best defense this week against Pasadena, assuming there are long drives that keep Cox and Co. off the field.
"We're not going to tell our guys to take a knee if they're in the open field," Maggiore said. "But we're going to run the ball and mix in some play-action. Last week, we scored pretty quick."
Thanksgiving practice returns
Practicing on Thanksgiving used to be an automatic for the Los Altos football team until recently. It hadn't happened in any of the past four seasons, but thanks to the Conquerors' win over Burroughs last week the enjoyment of the holiday while knowing there's another game to be played will be felt again in Hacienda Heights.
"We're pretty stoked," Los Altos coach Dale Ziola said. "We expected to win in the playoffs. No one but us, but that's worked for us all year long.
"The kids are special. They've been through heck. They've gone through three different coaches and three different programs. They've been kicked on and spit on and now they're having a great time.
"Those seniors, man. They're awesome. To get in the playoffs was cool, but to win that playoff game for those seniors was just the coolest thing in the world."
The Conquerors continue to amaze under first-year coach Ziola. Los Altos was 0-10 last year but enters Friday's home game against La Serna at 8-3.
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
With both teams needing one more win to set up the marquee matchup most area fans want to see in the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division football playoffs, Covina and Monrovia high schools promise they won't be looking ahead on Friday when they play second-round games.
Monrovia, last year's division champion, and Covina, the division's top-ranked team,
appear to be on a collision course to meet in the semifinals next week. But first, they must win on the road. For Covina, that means beating Alhambra at Moor Field. For Monrovia, it means beating Whittier Christian at Whittier College.
"That's for everybody else to talk about," Monrovia coach Ryan Maddox said regarding a potential game with Covina. "Our kids know Whittier Christian is a good program. They know Whittier Christian can play football, so there's been no talk around us about Covina at all.
"The kids know we have to play great on Friday night to even think about playing next week."
Friday's game will mark the third time in as many seasons Monrovia (8-3) has played Whittier Christian (7-4). Last season, the Wildcats beat the Heralds in the division championship game. Both teams have lost several key contributors from last year's rosters, but Maddox expects nothing but a good challenge from Whittier Christian.
"I don't say this to sound arrogant by any stretch, but when you progress in the playoffs like we have and they have each year you're going to see the same teams," Maddox said. "They're doing the right things over there and they do what they do very well.
That's why they've had the success that they've had."
While the Monrovia-Whittier Christian game figures to be competitive, the local punditry doesn't think Covina-Alhambra will be much of a game.
The only person not buying that is Colts coach Darryl Thomas.
"They're good, they're well-coached and they do a whole lot of different things defensively," Thomas said. "And on offense, they want to confuse you. We have to make sure we bring our `A' game."
Ever since Alhambra's stunning 69-14 loss to San Gabriel, most of the Valley has jumped off the Moors' bandwagon. But since that game, Alhambra (9-2) has bounced back to beat Bell Gardens and La Puente.
Thomas thinks judging the Moors by one bad game against San Gabriel is foolish for anybody to do, especially his own team.
"They had a bad night," Thomas said of Alhambra's loss to San Gabriel.
"San Gabriel had everything bounce their way. For you to score that many points, things have to bounce your way. Other than that, they've been a very tough team. I think they gave up almost a quarter of the points they've allowed on season just in that one game."
Covina (10-1) got a scare last week when leading rusher Gevontray Ainsworth injured his ankle in the first quarter against South El Monte and did not return. Thomas said Ainsworth is back practicing and will be ready to go on Friday night.
For Monrovia, early season struggles have given way to a seven-game winning streak with the lowest margin of victory being 12 points.
Defense has been the catalyst for the Wildcats and that stands to reason with super recruit Ellis McCarthy patrolling the line.
Many fans will remember last year's championship run for the exploits of quarterback Nick Bueno and the offense, but Maddox maintains defense is what got Monrovia a ring last year. He said it will be what gets them another one this year should they win it all.
"I'll be honest, last year's team definitely hung its hat on the defense," Maddox said. "Now we could put up points, but we were spectacular on defense last year. That allowed us to do what we did last year. We're getting to that point where we're starting to play how we did last year on defense."
Fox Sports Analyst and San Gabriel Valley friend Chris Rix joins the conversation at the 7:45 mark, talking about Charter Oak-Upland, and his thoughts on Bishop Amat's season and QB Rio Ruiz. Great, great stuff, click the player...
Aram posted this on his blog this morning and I had to share it too. Great video produced by Azusa's football team, so good it might even make Aztec Pride cry with joy.
By John Honell, Correspondent
LA VERNE - Delayed by traffic and no GPS, Bonita Vista High School took more than four hours to drive from Chula Vista for the opening round of the Southern California State-CIF Division II playoff match against second-seeded St. Lucy's. It will seem like a much longer ride home as the Regents (28-6) defeated the Barons in four games, 26-24, 25-17, 17-25, 25-17 on Tuesday at Damien High. (To continue click thread)
CIF-State Playoffs -- Division II
Saturday's Southern California Regional Quarterfinals
St. Lucy's (28-6) vs. Downey (27-5), Damien HS, 7 p.m.
La Salle (20-6) at La Costa Canyon (29-8), 7 p.m.
Michelle Yamamoto, left, and Leeah Powell are two of the top players on the Bishop Amat girls basketball team this season. (Keith Durflinger / Staff Photographer)
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
It's hard to imagine an encore resembling anything close to last year's local girls basketball season, but if it happens it probably will be the same teams producing the magic. Last year's impressive run by Bonita High School is something that won't soon be forgotten. On their way to a deep run in the postseason, the Bearcats avenged an earlier loss to area stalwart Bishop Amat. Another meeting in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs between those teams won't happen because of division realignment, but they appear ready to take their fans on another fantastic journey. It won't be all about the Bearcats and Lancers this season. Duarte returns every key contributor from last year's record-setting team, and Diamond Ranch is loaded once again. It should all add up to another stellar winter on the hardwood. Here's how they stack up at the dawn of a new season. (Click to continue top ten story)
Girls Hoops preseason top ten
1. Bishop Amat
2. Diamond Ranch
3. Bonita
4. Duarte
5. Wilson
6. St. Lucy's
7. Diamond Bar
8. Rosemead
9. Arroyo
10. Walnut
I've had a few emails praising area coaches in what certainly has been the year of the coach in high school football. We'll crown a coach of the year in a few weeks, but has there been a year like this with so many that are deserving. Duarte's Tip Sanders led the Falcons back after back-to-back 0-10 seasons, leading them to 6-3 and on the brink of a playoff berth. La Puente's Brandon Rohrer led the Warriors to their best start in school history before finishing 9-2. And look at Azusa's Joe Scherf, going undefeated his fourth straight year in the Montview, and still alive in the quarterfinals. There is probably no better feel good story than what's happening at Los Altos, where coach Dale Ziola is 8-3 and in the quarterfinals after the Conqs' program was left for dead, 0-10 last year with virtually nobody wanting a piece of that job. West Covina's Mike Maggiore continues to establish himself as one of the Valley greats, gunning for his second straight and third CIF title. And how about Roddy "playoff" Layton. That's all he does is advance in the postseason. What if this is the year he finally gets the prize. The Valle Vista League is full of contenders. Covina coach Darryl Thomas may finally gets his CIF title in a few weeks, Bill Zernickow is on course to take San Dimas back to the title game and what about Pomona's Anthony Rice, whose team is now part of the SGV conversation. The Mission Valley league is full of feel good stories too. El Monte and coach Joel Sanchez chased their first league title since 1979, South El Monte's Ibis Aguilar got the Eagles in the postseason after a miserable 2010, and Arroyo coach Jim Singiser has his first real shot at a title with one of the Valley's all-time greats at QB. Damien coach Greg Gano's team finally turned the page in the Sierra when few thought they could and Sweet Lou Pa Farrar is back at it again, winning a Sierra League title and chasing a title in a division that you thought was unthinkable last year. It's not right we have to pick just one in a few weeks, but no matter who gets it, there are so many others that are just as deserving.
Well this sort of squashes our plans for Coveritlive, unless you want Mike the Cousin there for a live Q&A...let us know what you think.
Friday's up-to-date game time and locations
CIF-SS Playoffs
Inland Division
Charter Oak (10-1) at Upland (11-0), 7:30 p.m.
Southeast Division
West Covina (10-1) at Pasadena (6-5), 7 p.m.
La Mirada (7-4) at Arcadia (9-2), 7 p.m.
La Serna (8-3) at Los Altos (8-3), 7:30 p.m.
Diamond Ranch (6-5) at Muir (7-4), 7:30 p.m.
Mid-Valley Division
Covina (10-1) vs. Alhambra (8-2) at Moor Field, 7 p.m.
Monrovia (8-3) vs. Whittier Christian (7-4) at Whittier College, 7 p.m.
San Dimas (9-2) vs. Azusa (8-3) at Citrus College, 7 p.m.
San Gabriel (7-4) at Arroyo (10-1), 7 p.m.
"I think our parents are thinking it's going to be the same Azusa, but our kids are pretty dialed in. Our kids saw them in person and saw them on film. I think it's basically trying to get our parents to believe that they're going to be good, too. They're two different groups." -- San Dimas coach Bill Zernickow
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
It's hard to imagine San Dimas High School would be at any disadvantage Friday when the Saints play the same Azusa team they beat by 25 points on Sept. 8 in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division playoffs. But some disadvantages can be of the mental variety, and nobody knows how true the age-old adage "it's hard to beat the same twice in the same season" better than Saints coach Bill Zernickow. (To continue click thread)
By Aram Tolegian, staff writer
Upon being told about this newspaper's discovery that he's the Valley's all-time leading in passing in career yards and touchdowns, Arroyo quarterback Steven Rivera took things in stride.
"I called him up and told him about it because I was pretty excited," Arroyo coach Jim Singiser said. "His reaction was `Thank you, coach.' "We've got more to do."
Rivera's four-year total of 8,296 passing yards and 91 touchdowns makes him tops in Valley history. His 91 career touchdown passes rank seventh on the CIF-Southern Section list. Rivera needs 179 yards this week against San Gabriel to move into 10th on the Southern Section's all-time yards list.
La Verne Lutheran head coach Eric Cooper has a talented team featuring the likes of Cameron Osorno (15), Grant Jerrett (33) Eric Cooper Jr. (21) McKay Anderson (20) and Brian Beard Jr (1). The Trojans are seeking their third consecutive state championship. (Keith Birmingham / Staff Photographer)
The new CIF-Southern Section Division realignment will benefit some teams more than others for the 2011-12 boys basketball season, but there is no doubt the area is in for an exciting season with back-to- back state champion La Verne Lutheran boasting one of the best teams in the country and Damien in position to make a run at the Division 3AAA title with St. Mary's-bound senior Chris Reyes topping a deep Spartans roster that includes two heralded freshmen. (To continue reading Top Ten preview, click thread)
Tribune boys hoops preseason top ten (2010 record)
1. La Verne Lutheran (23-5)
2. Damien (26-4)
3. Glendora (21-7)
4. Ayala (19-9)
5. Chino Hills (22-7)
6. Northview (23-7)
7. Covina (17-12)
8. Bishop Amat (21-8)
9. Rowland (17-12)
10. Bonita (26-4)
Aram and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick'em throughout the season with the loser buying lunch in December.
Last week: Robledo (15-0); Tolegian (13-2)
Season standings: Robledo (188-49); Tolegian (187-50)
Last Week: I was first-round playoffs clutch, going 15-0 to turn Aram's one-game lead into my one-game lead heading into the quarterfinals. I got Aram on two big picks, taking Los Altos over fourth-seed Burroughs, and with Azusa's big win over Cerritos Valley Christian.
This week: I know everyone wants to dismiss Charter Oak's chances against Upland, but even Calpreps has it a close game, picking Upland 38-31. I realize the Chargers need to play the perfect game, and if they get on top early, I'm not sure Upland's the comeback type. The first quarter is everything and if this is going to work, Charter Oak can't be intimidated, they need to swing first, forget they're on live television and slug it out. The way people are talking, you would think they're facing the '85 Bears, but it's just Upland. Charter Oak won't be able to stop them consistently, but the Chargers can score and they're so much better than when they faced Rancho Cucamonga earlier in the season. If my money's on anyone, it's on Travis Santiago. He's a winner, and I'm riding him to the finish line. Momentum swings once you get to the playoffs, and so do our picks from week to week. That's why I like Azusa over San Dimas, I love the way they're playing, and the fact San Dimas smoked them 41-16 earlier in the year and is a 20-point favorite on Calpreps is more reason for me to believe the Aztecs will get it done in the rematch. After what Muir did to No. 2 Santa Fe doesn't mean I'm picking the Mustangs over DRanch, but it does mean I'm taking Los Altos over La Serna because I have no faith in the Del Rio League teams. DRanch is not Santa Fe, and will do enough to get back in the semifinals again over Muir. Arcadia-La Mirada coud be epic, but I'll take the Apaches in a close one and West Covina rolls over PHS. I like Covina and Monrovia big, and our other feel good story with Arroyo, who I picked to go to the finals in the Mid-Valley, getting it done at home against feisty San Gabriel.
This week's games and predictions
Inland Division
Charter Oak (10-1) at Upland (11-0) -- Robledo (Charter Oak); Tolegian (Upland)
Southeast Division
West Covina (10-1) at Pasadena (6-5) -- Robledo (WC); Tolegian (WestCo)
La Mirada (7-4) at Arcadia (9-2) -- Robledo (Arcadia); Tolegian (Arcadia)
La Serna (8-3) at Los Altos (8-3) -- Robledo (Los Altos); Tolegian (Conqs)
Diamond Ranch (6-5) at Muir (7-4) -- Robledo (DRanch); Tolegian (Muir)
Mid-Valley Division
Covina (10-1) vs. Alhambra (8-2) -- Robledo (Covina); Tolegian (Colts)
Monrovia (8-3) vs. Whittier Christian (7-4) -- Robledo (Monrovia); Tolegian (M-Town)
San Dimas (9-2) vs. Azusa (8-3) -- Robledo (Azusa); Robledo (Saints)
San Gabriel (7-4) at Arroyo (10-1) -- Robledo (Arroyo); Tolegian (Arroyo)
By John Sherrard, Correspondent
The Wilson High School girls tennis team was in unchartered territory in Monday's CIF-Southern Section finals. For the first time in school history the Wildcats captured the CIF-SS Division 5 title at The Claremont Club by defeating Carpinteria, 14-4. Wilson never had advanced past the third round. It lost in last year's quarterfinals to Aquinas. (To continue click thread)
After defeating La Salle in straight sets to claim its second straight CIF-Southern Section Division 2AA title, St. Lucy's beings the CIF-State Division II playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Southern California bracket. St. Lucy's (27-6) will face the San Diego Section's Bonita Vista (30-5) Tuesday night at 7 p.m., at Damien High School.
Southern California bracket
Top Half
Whittier Christian at La Costa Canyon
La Salle at Palisades Charter
Bottom Half
Downey at Madera
Bonita Vista at St. Lucy's
The winter season is already here, a week earlier than usual. Boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, and wrestling begin on Monday. Our boys basketball preview will run on Tuesday and girls on Wednesday. Boys and Girls soccer will run the following Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 29 and 30, followed by wrestling. I'm asking that all coaches, athletic directors or tournament directors to email tournament brackets to fred.robledo@sgvn.com so that we can run schedules and cover games. Also, instead of boxscores for boys and girls basketball and soccer, we are writing roundups like we did in girls volleyball, so that we can give you more information on games and how they unfolded. The more of you than call in results, the more stories we will have online and in the paper to share with the area. Please call in your results to 626-962-8811, ext. 2242, 2233 or email to sports@sgvn.com. If you email results, please leave a phone number so that we can call back if we have questions, thanks.
Arroyo quarterback Steven Rivera will rank as the best quarterback statistically in San Gabriel Valley history when his career is finished. His 35 touchdowns this season leaves him 7 shy of the Valley record of 42 shared by Bishop Amat's Pat Haden and Los Altos' Felipe Aguilar. Aguilar, who finished with nearly 6,000 yards and 75 TDs in his three-year career, had 42 touchdowns in 2000 during an undefeated 14-0 championship campaign. Rivera's four-year total of 8,295 passing yards and 91 TDs ranks him among the best all-time in the CIF-SS record books and the season isn't done yet. I posted the CIF all-time record holders to show where Rivera ranks all-time. He is already in the top ten all-time for touchdowns in a career (7th), and needs 180 yards to move into 10th all-time on the career passing list.
Rivera through the years
2011 - 3,191, 35 TDs
2010 - 1,963, 21 TDs
2009 - 1,941, 25 TDs
2008 - 1,200, 10 TDs
Career total: 8,296 yards, 91 TDs
CIF-CAREER PASSING YARD LEADERS
11,003 Michael Herrick, Valencia/Valencia 2003-05
10,764 Jimmy Clausen, Oaks Christian 2003-06
9,971 Keith Smith, Newbury Park 1991-93
9,821 Chris Czernek, Newbury Park 1994-96
9,471 Matt Barkley, Mater Dei 2005-08
9,182 Todd Marinovich, Mater Dei (2 yrs.);
Capistrano Valley (2 Yrs.) 1984-87
8,873 Aaron Flowers, Artesia 1990-92
8,634 Matt Engel, El Segundo 2000-02
8,617 Chris Lewis, Long Beach Poly 1996-98
8,475 Jamie McGee, Sage Hill 2004-07
TOUCHDOWN PASSES CAREER
No. Player/School Years
146 Jimmy Clausen, Oaks Christian 2003-06
134 Robert Del La Cruz, Cathedral 1997-99
107 Chris Lewis, Long Beach Poly 1996-98
104 Darius Banks, Culver City 2005-07
95 Matt Engel, El Segundo 2000-02
93 Sean Sudol, La Sierra 2003-05
91 Steven Rivera, Arroyo 2008-11
90 Zac Wasserman, Westlake 1997-99
90 Jason Whieldon, Orange Lutheran 1997-99
90 Jamie McGee, Sage Hill 2005-07
87 Keith Smith, Newbury Park 1991-93
What would you consider the game of the week, and where would you send MIke the Cousin for this week's Coveritlive
Rancho Cucamonga's Hail Mary win over Chino Hills with the Inland Insider, Tom Kiss
CIF-SS Playoffs
Friday's Quarterfinals, 7:30 p.m. (subject to change)
Inland Division
Chaparral (7-4) at Corona Centennial (10-1)
Rancho Cucamonga (10-1) at Redlands East Valley (11-0).
Charter Oak (10-1) at Upland (11-0)
Vista Murrieta (6-5) vs. J.W. North, (10-1) at Riverside CC
Southeast Division
West Covina (10-1) at Pasadena (6-5)
La Mirada (7-4) at Arcadia (9-2)
La Serna (8-3) at Los Altos (8-3)
Diamond Ranch (6-5) at Muir (7-4)
Mid-Valley Division
Covina (10-1) vs. Alhambra (8-2) at Moor Field
Monrovia (8-3) vs. Whittier Christian (7-4) at Whittier College
San Dimas (9-2) vs. Azusa (8-3) at Citrus College
San Gabriel (7-4) at Arroyo (10-1)
Video highlights and interiews with TDro in Arcadia's first-round win over Bonita..
By Keith Lair, Staff Writer
Bonita High School's return to the CIF-Southern Section water polo championship was well worth the wait. The Bearcats had not been to a title game in six years. The 13 seniors on the team waited four years. Bonita got defensive in a 5-2 victory over Pasadena Poly on Saturday in the CIF-SS Division 5 title game at Irvine High's William Woollett Jr. swim complex. (To continue click thread)
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, correspondent
IRVINE -- A famous athlete once said, "to be the man, you've got to beat the man."
For the second year in a row, Nogales High and star utility player Nick Estevez remain the man after its 8-6 victory Saturday morning in the CIF-Southern Section Division 7 championship over Don Lugo at the William Woollett Aquatics Center.
Estevez had a game-high four goals to lead the Nobles (29-4) to their second consecutive title despite trailing much of the game. Estevez needed one goal to break the CIF-SS single-season scoring record that is now his at 233. (to continue click thread)
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, correspondent
IRVINE -- Damien High coach Grant Miller knew heading into Saturday's CIF-Southern Section Division 3 boys water polo championship that his Spartans were the clear underdog against reigning champion Laguna Beach. The Br(eakers (25-6) had handily beaten the Spartans (24-7) earlier in the season and continued their dominance Saturday with a 14-8 victory to successfully defend their title at the William Woollett Aquatics Center. (To continue click thread)
Above: Bonita's Marissa Scott on Saturday's CIF-SS finals
By Keith Lair, Staff Writer
The Glendora and Bonita high school cross country teams received subtle reminders about how important each runner's point counts. Both teams earned berths in this week's CIF State meet. In the Tartans' case, it was by the slimmest of margins. Glendora finished in a three-way tie for seventh in Saturday's CIF-Southern Section Division 2 championships at Mt. SAC. Seven teams advanced to the state meet at Fresno's Woodward Park. (To continue click thread)
For Friday night games stories, go to our Tribune home page.
By Fred J. RobledoStaff Writer
Bishop Amat gave it everything it had against mighty Santa Margarita High School in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division playoffs, and for a few moments it looked like the undersized Lancers might pull off a stunning second half comeback. But the Eagles were simply too overpowering, amassing over 500 yards total offense and closing the game with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to end the Lancers' season, 45-21 on Friday at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. (To continue click thread)
Friday's CIF-SS Playoff Results
Pac-5 Division
Santa Margarita 45, Bishop Amat 21 -- Rio Ruiz came out firing, completing 22 of 29 for 279 yards and three touchdowns, and the Lancers only trailed 24-21 going into the fourth. But the Eagles wore them down, scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns, and amassing over 500 total yards with a school record 30 first downs.
Inland Division
Rancho Cucamonga 39, Chino Hills 38 -- Rancho Cucamonga's Dimitry Morales connects on a Hail Mary pass with no time left as the Huskies blow an 11-point lead late.
Charter Oak 63, Corona Saniago 21 -- Another spectacular night for the area's No. 1 team. Now you really have to wonder, can they beat Upland. If they do, I say it's Charter Oak's finest hour.
Vista Murreita 38, Damien 13 -- The Spartans were never in it, falling behind early and not able to catch-up. It was a good run for the Spartans, who should be much better in 2012.
Southeast Division
Top Half
West Covina 38, Norwalk 8 -- Jimmy Frazier and the crew went nuts against Norwalk, but there's still a long way to go. I'm wondering what happens the next time the Bulldogs are in a close one.
Pasadena 57, California 43 Put this in the "oh my" category. I can't rememer the last time the Bulldogs won a playoff game.
Arcadia 39, Bonita 13 -- Was it really this easy. And is there anything going to stop a West Covina-Arcadia semifinal?
La Mirada 35, Crescenta Valley 33 -- Well, someone in the Suburban league had to win.
Bottom Half
Los Altos 37, Burroughs 29 I called this on the Tribskin Pick'em. The Conquerors are a dangerous, dangerous team.
La Serna 47, Mayfair 34 -- There goes my prediction of a West Covina-Mayfair final. Like Governor Perry said, "oops."
Diamond Ranch 35, Bellflower 33 Was there any doubt? Well, actually there was, but the Panthers pulled it out, just like they always do come playoff time.
Muir 39, Santa Fe 7 -- I thought all along Santa Fe wasn't a number two and Muir proved it. I'm loving the DRanch-Muir second round game.
Mid-Valley Division
Top Bracket
Covina 36, South El Monte 14 -- You knew the Colts would be too much, and they will be too much for Alhambra next week too. Pencil them in to the semifinals.
Alhambra 20, La Puente 14 -- The close score is just what I thought, that it could have gone either way. Too bad for the Warriors, a tough ending after a 9-0 start. Shades of Amat, 2010.
Whittier Christian 40, El Monte 16 -- The final score ought to make Monrovia a little nervous, since the Cats get the Heralds next.
Monrovia 24, Pomona 7 -- This proves to me that when Monrovia plays Covina in the semifinals, that IS for the Mid-Valley title.
Bottom Bracket
San Dimas 31, San Marino 21 -- The Saints weren't as impressive as I thought they would be, but then again, the Titants were better than I thought too.
Azusa 35, Cerritos Valley Christian 14 -- Great win for coach Scherf and the boys. I'm not sure San Dimas wants to face these guys again after beating them early in the season.
San Gabriel 9, Maranatha 3 -- The most surprising result in the first round of the Mid-Valley. I thought the Olympic was better than this.
Arroyo 42, Sierra Vista 14 I'm loving my Knights prediction to go to the finals because I've got Steven Rivera and a gritty group that is going to lay it all on the line.
CIF championship photo gallery
The Regents overcame two game points en route to a three-game victory over La Salle to win their second consecutive CIF-SS title at Cypress College.
"We knew we had to come together," senior opposite hitter Jasmine Warmington said. "We knew we had each other's backs and we knew the front line had to swing away because our defense would be there to pick us up. We came together as a team."
St. Lucy's scored a 25-18, 30-28, 31-29 win in their final CIF-SS game. Both teams will be playing in the CIF State playoffs on Tuesday.
"It's almost surreal," senior setter Jackie Macy said of the title.
"I almost had to pinch myself to make sure it was true. We knew we could win it no matter what and we kept pushing as a team."
The Lancers had three game points in the second game, but the Regents rallied and closed out the game for a 2-0 lead. They had four chances to close out the third game, only for the Regents to close out the match.
"Our girls just won the points they had to win and that was the difference," St. Lucy's coach Sean Douglas said. "I have great kids. They are never down. They never quit, even when it was (game) point. It didn't matter. They wanted the ball."
St. Lucy's, which swept La Salle in the semifinals last year and then defeated the Lancers in three easy games in September, had little trouble closing out La Salle in the first game. The Lancers committed 12 unforced errors in the game.
"I think all the emotion and nerves were going on and once we started playing it began going back and forth," La Salle coach Tiare Tuitama said. "The fact is it's St. Lucy's. They've always been a good, tough team and it is somewhat emotional playing them. But the girls need to keep their heads up and the fact that we came this far, stepped foot on this court, it's a big deal. You learn from it."
That slow La Salle start changed midway through the second game.
"La Salle played phenomenally," Douglas said. "They made great adjustments to our game, we adjusted to their game. Both teams played great."
St. Lucy's got out to an 8-3 lead, but the Lancers found their momentum and took the lead for the first time in the match at 18-17. Katrina Palffy, who had seven kills, scored on a dump shot and Jessica Kenney's ace gave the Lancers a 23-19 lead. The Regents, behind a Veronica LaPierre block and an Arden Davis ace, closed to within 23-22. A Palffy kill gave the Lancers their first game point.
"It's tough to close them out," Palffy said. "What got to us was that it was the fact it was St. Lucy's. We've played them before, they've beaten us before. We just couldn't put it together."
Warmington then had one of her game-high 13 kills and Marissa Hageman's block to tie it at 24.
La Salle had game point at 28-27, but St. Lucy's scored the next three points to take the game and a 2-0 lead.
La Salle led most of the third game and had an eye on extending the match to four games with a 24-22 lead on a Haley DeSales kill. But the Regents responded again.
Three consecutive points gave St. Lucy's match point at 26-25. The Regents had match point at 27-26 and 29-28. When it was tied at 29, La Salle's setter went to the floor when her left ankle buckled and the pass went errant.
The Regents had their title, again, when the Lancers touched the net on a pass.
Warmington and Macy said playing in the finals was a big help.
"It definitely was a factor," Warmington said. "We knew what to expect. We knew we would get it done. Sometimes we have highs and we had to pick each other up to stay high."
keith.lair@sgvn.com
By Keith Lair, Staff Writer
Sergio Gonzalez has sipped the taste of a championship and so has his Arcadia High School teammates. Bonita's Marissa Scott, Whittier Christian's Kellian Hunt, La Salle's Daniel De La Torre, Rowland's Nick Rivera and Whittier's Aaron Mora would like that same taste, too. All six will be among the favorites to win a CIF-Southern Section individual cross country championship on Saturday at Mt. SAC. (To continue click thread)
Continue reading Cross Country finals Saturday at Mt. SAC.
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
Badly in need of a knockout punch to get rid of pesky San Marino, the San Dimas High School football team turned to fullback Domonic Jollevet. He did not disappoint. Jollevet broke away for a 77-yard touchdown run with just under three minutes to play to turn a three-point San Dimas lead into a 31-21 victory over the Titans in the first round of the Mid-Valley Division playoffs at Citrus College on Thursday night.
Bishop Amat quarterback Rio Ruiz, who hasn't played since suffering a knee injury in a 14-3 loss to Loyola in Week 9, will participate in a light-practice today and suit up for Friday's CIF-SS first-round playoff game against Santa Margarita at Saddleback College. Sophomore Koa Haynes, who has taken most reps this week is likely to start, though coaches say they will make that decision on Friday during warm-ups.
Remember how many of you said Cezar Guerrero was too small and too selfish to play big-time college basketball. I won't say I told you so, but here's your answer: Cezar Guerrero hit eight 3-pointers and tied the Oklahoma State freshman scoring record with 29 points, rescuing the Cowboys from a late 11-point deficit to beat Texas-San Antonio 90-85 in overtime Wednesday night in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Nogales High School's Nick Estevez was so caught up in making sure the Nobles advanced to Saturday's CIF-Southern Section Division 7 water polo final, he had no idea he was inching closer to inking his hame in the history books. Estevez's fifth and final goal late in the fourth quarter, a no-look, back-handed whip off the side netting, gave him 229 goals -- matching the CIF-SS single-season record set by Hoover's Hakop Kaplanyan in 2009. (To continue click thread).
Bonita's dramatic overtime victory: Keaton Renta scored four goals, including the eventual game-winner, and Matt Zachary had a steal with three seconds left in overtime as Bonita reached the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 championship game with a 10-9 win over defending champion La Serna in Wednesday's semifinals.
Below: Nogales' Nick Estevez after tying the CIF-SS record with 229 goals.
Wednesday's CIF-Southern Section Boys Water Polo Semifinals
Division 3
Laguna Beach 14, La Canada 5
Damien 10, Palos Verdes 8
Saturday's championship
Laguna Beach vs. Damien, 11:45 a.m., Irvine
Division 7
Nogales 8, Santa Ynez 6
Don Lugo 9, Nipomo 8
Saturday's Championship
Nogales vs. Don Lugo, 9:15, Irvine.
Division 5
Pasadena Poly 13, Hoover 6
Bonita 10, La Serna 9, 2 OTs
Saturday's championship
Pasadena Poly vs. Bonita, 5:30 p.m.
CIF-SS just released the girls volleyball championship schedule for the weekend, and St. Lucy's Priory, which is going for its second consecutive 2AA title, will face La Salle at 7 pm. on Friday at Cypress College in Gym 2.
This seemed as an obvious choice with St. Lucy's being an all-girls school with no football team and the La Salle football team not making the playoffs. CIF-SS generally puts the championship-round teams on Saturday if their football teams are playing on Friday.
Fred's thoughts: If Charter Oak were playing anyone else in the second round besides Upland and Corona Centennial, I would have picked them to win. But that's not the case and Upland is simply too good and I love the Highlanders' chances of winning it all. However, nothing is simple in a division as competitive as this, so don't assume Charter Oak flies past Corona Santiago, though I'm taking the Chargers because they're better than those outside the fishbowl realize. On paper, Santiago can compete and it wouldn't be a surprise at all if they beat the Chargers because they scored 34 points in a 56-34 loss to No. 1 Corona Centennial and blew out usually strong Norco, 49-22. And yes, Chino Hills beat Santiago, but that was a long time ago. This isn't going to be the year Damien wins anyway, so I'm glad they got undefeated Vista Murrietta so that we can tell just how far the young Spartans have come. Let's hope they're competitive, and don't count out Chino Hills so quick against Rancho Cucamonga. I don't think they'll win, but they have a better chance than most give them credit for.
CIF-SS Inland Division Predictions
Top Half
Redlands (4-6) at #1 Corona Centennial (9-1)
Los Osos (6-4) at Chaparral (6-4)
Chino Hills (6-4) at Rancho Cucamonga (9-1)
Norco (6-4) at #4 Redlands East Valley (10-0)
Bottom Half
Murrieta Valley (7-3) at #3 Upland (10-0)
Corona Santiago (7-3) at Charter Oak (9-1)
Yucaipa (9-1) at Riverside North (9-1)
Damien (7-3) at #2 Vista Murrieta (5-5)
First Round Winners
Corona Centennial over Redlands
Los Osos over Chaparral
Rancho Cucamonga over Chino Hills
Redlands East Valley over Norco
Upland over Murrieta Valley
Charter Oak over Corona Santiago
Riverside North over Yucaipa
Vista Murrieta over Damien
Quarterfinal Winners
Corona Centenial over Los Osos
Redlands East Valley over Rancho Cucamonga
Upland over Charter Oak
J.W. North over Vista Murrieta
Semifinal Winners
Corona Centennial over Redlands East Valley
Upland over J.W. North
Championship
Upland over Corona Centennial
"We feel that we can compete with this team. They're big and we haven't seen a line this big all season. They played Maranatha and beat them because they were able to run the ball right over Maranatha. We feel we have a good scheme in for them and that we'll be able to matchup." -- Azusa coach Joe Scherf on their first-round chances against Valley Christian.
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
Despite taking a different path, Azusa High School feels like it arrived at the same destination as last year as it pertains to the Aztecs' draw in the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division football playoffs. Azusa, which finished 7-3 and won the Montview League, will host an Olympic League team in the first round for the second consecutive season. The Aztecs play Cerritos Valley Christian (4-6) on Friday at Citrus College. Azusa played Village Christian of Sun Valley and lost in last year's first round.
Continue reading Azusa hopes its better prepared this time.
By Aram Tolegian
The status of El Monte quarterback Brandon "B-Mart" Martinez is up in the air for Friday's first-round game against Whittier Christian. Martinez, one of the better run/pass threats in the area, sprained his ankle in last week's loss to Arroyo. He has been getting treatment and likely will be a game-time decision, according to Lions coach Joel Sanchez. (To continue click thread)
By Aram Tolegian
La Puente set to bounce back After finishing 9-1 but falling far short of Azusa in the Montview League championship game, La Puente drew Alhambra in one of the first round's most evenly matched games. Going by pure records, the game actually appears quite sexy. Alhambra enters 8-2 and, like La Puente, the Moors were embarrassed in their league title game. Also like La Puente, they're looking to bounce back with a big playoff run. (To continue click thread).
Continue reading La Puente ready for "third season.".
St. Lucy's semifinal winning photo gallery from Keith Birmingham
By Fred J. Robledo Staff Writer
St. Lucy's is back in the title game and senior Jasmine Warmington explained it best following the Regents' 25-23, 25-21, 25-19 sweep over visiting Tesoro in Tuesday's CIF-Southern Section Division 2AA semifinal. There were lingering doubts heading into the playoffs whether the second-seed Regents had enough to make a serious push to defend their title, but the Regents regained their focus and will have an opportunity at a second straight championship. (To continue click thread)
Tuesday's semifinal results
Division 2AA
La Salle def. South Torrance 25-16, 25-17, 25-23
St. Lucy's def. Tesoro 25-23, 25-21, 25-19
Division 3A
Rim of the World def. San Dimas 25-10, 25-22, 25-
Fred's thoughts: I know we all keep calling West Covina a slam dunk, but there is no slam dunk in the playoffs, but they're the big favorites. California might test them in the second round, and for sure once they get to the semifinals, whether it's Bonita, Arcadia or La Mirada, it won't be easy. Remember, if Covina and South Hills could come within seconds of beating West Covina, why couldn't of few of these teams. In fact La Mirada played La Habra super tough, losing by only a touchdown, and they blew out Mayfair, another good team, toward the end of the season. On the bottom half, I like Mayfair to come out of it, despite its loss to La Mirada. The Suburban League champs lost two games to Pac-5 teams (Los Alamitos (56-21) and Lakewood (42-29), and crushed Mid-Valley's Cerritos Valley Christian 56-21. We haven't talked about the Suburban enough, but if you're looking for another league comparable to the Hacienda if not better, it could be our friends from Whittier.
Southeast Division Predictions
Top Half
Norwalk (3-7) at #1 West Covina (9-1)
Pasadena (5-5) at California (7-3)
Bonita (6-4) at Arcadia (8-2)
Crescenta Valley (6-4) at #4 La Mirada (6-4)
Bottom Half
Los Altos (7-3) at #3 Burbank Burroughs (6-4)
La Serna (7-3) at Mayfair (7-3)
Bellflower (7-3) at Diamond Ranch (5-5)
Muir (6-4) at #2 Santa Fe (6-4)
Second Round winners
West Covina over Norwalk
California over Pasadena
Arcadia over Bonita
La Mirada over Crescenta Valley
Los Altos over Burroughs
Mayfair over La Serna
Diamond Ranch over Bellflower
Santa Fe over Muir
Quarterfinal Winners
West Covina over California
Arcadia over La Mirada
Mayfair over Los Altos
Diamond Ranch over Santa Fe
Semifinal Winners
West Covina over Arcadia
Mayfair over Diamond Ranch
Championsip
West Covina over Mayfair
The CIF-Southern Section has finished the boys and girls basketball division realignment, which combines enrollment with how teams have done in the CIF playoffs the past four years. However, looking at it, enrollment played a bigger role than past CIF success, which should further infuriate the public vs. private debate when you look at the Divisions. There will be plenty of talk about the Boys 4AA Division that includes powers La Verne Lutheran, Price, Harvard-Westlake and Serra, but is that fair for teams like Workman, Blair, La Salle and Maranatha in the same Division? In Damien's new 3AAA Division, Bonita is there with Westside power Pasadena, making an interesting and somewhat fair Division, but one of the big local winners is Bishop Amat in 3A with area teams like La Puente, Monrovia, Pomona, San Dimas and other locals, though power St. John Bosco also is in the division. In girls basketball we won't get to see another Bishop Amat-Bonita playoff game unless it's in the state playoffs. Bonita is in 3AAA and Amat is in 3A, which it should dominate with teams like Azusa, El Monte, Gladstone, Mountain View and Pomona all in it...Hey, I'll let you break it down and get back to us. What do you think?
Below: Bishop Amat and Ayala are No. 1 and 2 respectively in Division 3, check out Amat's title win over Ayala in last year's championship. Should be another great season.
Note: I'm listing only divisions with area teams ranked. Visit the CIF website for all the rankings.
CIF-Southern Section boys preseason rankings
Division 2: 1 Claremont, 2, Capistrano Valley, 3. ML King, 4. La Habra, 5. Foothill, 6. Arlington, 7. Great Oak, 8. Canyon Springs, 9. Mission Viejo, 10. Santa Ana.
Division 4: 1. El Rancho, 2. Oak Hills, 3. Salesian, 4. Ganesha, 5. Artesia, 6. Santa Monica, 7. Cathedral, 8. Crescenta Valley, 9. Bonita, 10. North Torrance.
Division 5: 1. Baldwin Park, 2. Carpinteria, 3. Animo Leadership, 4. La Canada, 4. Oaks Christian, 6. Victor Valley, 7. Cajon, 8. Los Amigos, 9. Mountain View, 10. Lakeside.
CIF-Southern Section girls preseason rankings
Division 2: 1. Buena, 2. Long Beach Wilson, 3. Palos Verdes, 4. Newbury Park, 5. Los Osos, 6. Sunny Hill, 7. Corona Santiago, 8. Upland, 9. Glendora, 10. Great Oak.
Division 3: 1. Bishop Amat, 2. Ayala, 3. Granite Hills, 4. Righetti, 5. Serrano, 6. Pacifica, 7. Flintridge Prep, 8. Quartz Hill, 9. St. Joseph, 10. La Mirada.
Division 6: 1. St. Margaret's, 2. San Dimas, 3. Hemet, 4. Ocean View, 5. South Pasadena, 6. Tahquitz, 7. San Marino, 8. Segerstrom, 9. La Canada, 10. Northview.
Division 7: 1. Animo Leadership, 2. Sierra Canyon, 3. Marshall, 4. Rim of the World, 5. Citrus Valley, 6. Desert Hot Springs, 7. Viewpoint, 8. Arroyo, 9. St. Genevieve, 10. Mary Star of the Sea.
By Aram Tolegian Staff Writer
Try telling Damien High School things could have been worse as the Spartans prepare for the first round of the CIF-SS Inland Division football playoffs and you're likely to get a rude reception. Damien drew a road game against No. 2-seeded Vista Murrieta, which is technically 5-5, but 10-0 on the field. Vista Murrieta had to forfeit five wins earlier this season. Still, the Spartans avoided top-seeded Corona Centennial (9-1) and No. 3 seed Upland (10-0). (To continue click thread)
By Aram Tolegian
The set-up is there for West Covina to sleepwalk into its first-round game against Norwalk. The Bulldogs (9-1) are the Southeast Division's top seed, the division's defending champion and hosting a Norwalk team that is 3-7. Don't think Norwalk will have the Bulldogs' full attention? Think again. After watching film of Norwalk, Maggiore is certain his team will be in for a rude surprise if they're taking things lightly on Friday night. "They're running the double wing and if they can keep our offense off the field, like how I think they're planning to do, then that does worry me," Maggiore said. "It's good to be the No. 1 seed, but at the same time you don't get any points for that.
Continue reading West Covina not looking past Norwalk.
Here's something that should boost confidence in our youth. The Damien High football team has joined forces with a newly formed student community outreach club at Damien to help a local charity, Sowing Seeds for Life, which provides food, goods and services to the needy in the east San Gabriel Valley.
Among their projects is a toy drive that began at Damien's home game Thursday night against Ayala of Chino Hills, which Damien won, 42-15. Ten large boxes of toys were collected and the toys will be handed out at Sowing Seeds for Life's fourth annual Christmas in the Park event, to be held Dec. 3 from noon to 4 p.m. at Ganesha Park in Pomona. The toy drive will run through Nov. 18, so anyone wishing to donate toys can drop them off at the Damien administration office. Senior Jacky Yao, who created the community outreach program at the start of the school year, said, "A big thing was Coach (Greg) Gano getting the football team involved. That helped so much."
"You guys have been talking about them all year, so it wasn't a shock to see their skill talent. I do read the papers, so I guess I'm not shocked by it. They're definitely a good team and from what people have said, this is one of their best teams that they've had in a number of years." -- Bonita coach Eric Podley
By Aram Tolegian Staff Writer
Given how things looked at the mid-point of the season, the Bonita High School football team really can't complain too much about getting powerful Arcadia in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division playoffs. At 8-2, the Apaches are thought by many to be the second-best team in the division and the team most likely to give No. 1 seed West Covina its best game.
Continue reading Two-Minute Drill: Bonita vs. Arcadia.
Fred's thoughts: Covina has an easy road to the semifinals, but once there, they will have their toughest game of the playoffs against either Monrovia or Whittier Christian, but I'm going with the Wildcats to beat the Heralds in the second round. To me, Covina-Monrovia is the real championship, and I like the Colts to outslug the Cats. On the bottom half, San Dimas is the favorite on paper, but Maranatha, Cerritos Valley Christian and Arroyo all got a shot. I love Arroyo's draw and chance of getting to the semifinals, and if there, I'll take them in an upset over San Dimas. In the final, however, Covina wins by at least two touchdowns no matter who they face.
Mid-Valley Division Predictions
Top Half
South El Monte (7-3) at #1 Covina (9-1)
Alhambra (8-2) at La Puente (9-1)
El Monte (7-3) at Whittier Christian (6-4)
Pomona (6-4) at #4 Monrovia (7-3)
Bottom half
San Marino (7-3) at #3 San Dimas (8-2), Thursday at Citrus
Cerritos Valley Christian (4-6) at Azusa (7-3)
Maranatha (8-2) at San Gabriel (6-4)
Sierra Vista (6-4) at #2 Arroyo (9-1)
Second Round Winners
Covina over South El Monte
Alhambra over La Puente
Whittier Christian over El Monte
Monrovia over Pomona
San Dimas over San Marino
Azusa over Cerritos Valley Christian
Maranatha over San Gabriel
Arroyo over Sierra Vista
Quarterfinal winners
Covina over Alhambra
Monrovia over Whittier Christian
San Dimas over Azusa
Arroyo over Maranatha
Semifinal winners
Covina over Monrovia
Arroyo over San Dimas
Championship
Covina over Arroyo
Aram and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick'em throughout the season with the loser buying lunch in December.
Last week: Robledo (13-4); Tolegian (14-3)
Season standings: Robledo (173-49); Tolegian (174-48)
Last week: Aram got me by one again, taking the regular season on Friday's Claremont win over South Hills. We both missed on South El Monte beating Rosemead, Wilson over Baldwin Park and Gladstone over Workman. Those MVL and Montview league games get us every time. I got Aram taking Los Altos over Diamond Bar, but he got me with Gabrielino over Mountain View. But now the fun time is here, the playoffs, and this race doesn't end until Week 14 is over.
This week's games: First, no reason to take Bishop Amat, still uncertain whether QB Rio Ruiz will play with that sore knee, and without him, they go from a decent shot to, "so you're telling me there's a chance." My gut on Rio is that there's a 50/50 chance of him playing, but Hagerty needs to know sooner rather than later so he can game-plan. I like Charter Oak in a blowout and Chino Hills and Damien to give it a good shot before bowing out. The Southeast was extremely difficult to project. My upset special is Los Altos over Burroughs, and though I went against Bonita, I will not be surprised if they upset Arcadia. In the Mid-Valley, I'm going with Azusa and Arroyo, but predict the remainder of the Montview and MVL all lose. Pomona-Monrovia is the biggie, and I guarantee the Devils make this close and are capable of pulling the upset over the defending champs.
This week's games and predictions
All games start at 7:30 p.m., unless we're alerted to a change
Thursday's game
San Marino at San Dimas (8-2), at Citrus 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SDimas); Aram (Z)
Friday's games
Bishop Amat (6-4) vs. Santa Margarita (8-2) at Saddleback College, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SM); Aram (SM)
Norwalk (3-7) at West Covina (9-1), 7 p.m. -- Robledo (WC); Aram (Solomon)
Bonita (6-4) at Arcadia (8-2), 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Arcadia); Aram (Arcadia)
Los Altos (7-3) vs. Burroughs (6-4) at Glendale HS, 7:30 p.m. - Robledo (Los Altos); Aram (BB)
Bellflower (7-3) vs. Diamond Ranch (5-5) at Ganesha, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Dranch); Aram (Roddy)
South El Monte (7-3) vs. Covina (9-1) at CDF, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Covina); Aram (Chovina)
Alhambra (8-2) at La Puente (9-1), 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (Alhambra); Aram (Alhambra)
El Monte (7-3) vs. Whittier Christian (6-4) at W. College, 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (WChris); Aram (The WC)
Pomona (6-4) at Monrovia (7-3), 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Monrovia); Aram (Big Bob)
Cerritos Valley Christian (4-6) vs. Azusa (7-3) at Citrus, 7 p.m. - Robledo (Azusa); Aram (Valley Christian)
Sierra Vista (6-4) at Arroyo (9-1), 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Arroyo); Aram (Arrojo)
Chino Hills (6-4) vs. Rancho Cucamonga (9-1) at Los Osos, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (RC); Aram (Rancho)
Corona Santiago (7-3) at Charter Oak (9-1), 7:30 p.m. -- Robledo (COak); Aram (Santiago ... Travis Santiago)
Damien (7-3) at Vista Murrieta (5-5), 7 p.m. -- Robledo (VM); Aram (VM)
With Bishop Amat at Santa Margarita on Friday, I will update on Coveritlive, but we're not sure where to send Mike the Cousin for the feature game? Bonita-Arcadia? Pomona-Monrovia? You tell us.
Listen to pairings draw Interviews with Charter Oak coach Lou Farrar (27:30), Bishop Amat coach Steve Hagerty (36:00) and Arroyo coach Jim Singiser (57:30). Hagerty ends with a great message for the SGV.
Mid-Valley Division
Top Half
South El Monte (7-3) at #1 Covina (9-1)
Alhambra (8-2) at La Puente (9-1)
El Monte (7-3) at Whittier Christian (6-4)
Pomona (6-4) at #4 Monrovia (7-3)
Bottom half
San Marino (7-3) at #3 San Dimas (8-2), Thursday at Citrus
Cerritos Valley Christian (4-6) at Azusa (7-3)
Maranatha (8-2) at San Gabriel (6-4)
Sierra Vista (6-4) at #2 Arroyo (9-1)
First impression: Great draw for Arroyo; terrible draw for Azusa; best game of first round, Pomona at Monrovia
Inland Division
Top Half
Redlands (4-6) at #1 Corona Centennial (9-1)
Los Osos (6-4) at Chaparral (6-4)
Chino Hills (6-4) at Rancho Cucamonga (9-1)
Norco (6-4) at #4 Redlands East Valley (10-0)
Bottom Half
Murrieta Valley (7-3) at #3 Upland (10-0)
Corona Santiago (7-3) at Charter Oak (9-1)
Yucaipa (9-1) at Riverside North (9-1)
Damien (7-3) at #2 Vista Murrieta (5-5)
First impression: Charter Oak has winnable first-round game, then probably says goodbye in second round to mighty Upland. Damien and Chino Hills both in over their head, meaning best Sierra will probably do is 1-2 in the first round.
Pac-5 Division
Top Half
Long Beach Wilson (5-5) at #1 Servite (9-1)
Tesoro (6-4) at Edison (8-2)
Lakewood (7-3) at San Clemente (9-1)
St. John Bosco (7-3) at #4 Alemany (8-2)
Bottom Half
Newport Harbor (5-5) at #3 Long Beach Poly (9-1)
Bishop Amat (6-4) at Santa Margarita (8-2)
Huntington Beach (8-2) at Loyola (8-2)
Long Beach Cabrillo (7-3) at #2 Mission Viejo (8-2)
First Impression: It was going to be tough for Amat no matter what, and playing a team that just took Servite to overtime on Friday is what it is, probably a long night on the road.
Southeast Division
Top Half
Norwalk (3-7) at #1 West Covina (9-1)
Pasadena (5-5) at California (7-3)
Bonita (6-4) at Arcadia (8-2)
Crescenta Valley (6-4) at #4 La Mirada (6-4)
Bottom Half
Los Altos (7-3) at #3 Burbank Burroughs (6-4)
La Serna (7-3) at Mayfair (7-3)
Bellflower (7-3) at Diamond Ranch (5-5)
Muir (6-4) at #2 Santa Fe (6-4)
First impression: Best first-round game is Bonita at Arcadia, and with the exception of West Covina, I won't be surprised if the second, third and fourth seeds were upset. There's that much parity.
San Dimas makes historyy: The third time was the charm for the San Dimas High School volleyball team. The Saints have been knocked out in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division 3A tournament the last two years. The Saints lost the first game but battled back to beat Arrowhead Christian of Redlands, 20-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-18 at Bonita High School on Saturday to move into the semifinals for the first time in school history.
South Torrance holds off Claremont Claremont shook off a mistake-filled opening game and played an inspired match before succumbing 25-21, 27-29, 25-13, 25-22 in front of a standing-room only crowd at South Torrance's tiny gym.
Saturday's Quarterfinal results
Division 2AA
South Torrance def. Claremont 25-21, 27-29, 25-13, 25-22
St. Lucy's def. Aliso Niguel 25-14, 25-12, 26-28, 25-21
Division 2A
Downey def. Diamond Bar 25-17, 22-25, 25-18, 25-16
Oxnard def. Bonita 26-24, 25-17, 25-13
Division 3A
San Dimas def. Arrowhead Christian 20-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-18
Tuesday's semifinals schedule
Division 2AA
La Salle (29-4) at South Torrance (30-5), 7 p.m.
Tesoro (23-6) at St. Lucy's (25-6), 7 p.m.
Division 3A
San Dimas (24-1) at Rim of the World (24-8)
Campbell Hall (19-8) at Brentwood (20-7), 7 p.m.
CIF-Southern Section Playoffs
Boys Water Polo
Saturday's quarterfinal results
Division 3
Damien 13, Peninsula 8
Division 5
Bonita 11, Chadwick 5
Division 7
Nogales 16, Lompoc Cabrillo 10
Wednesday's semifinal schedule
Division 3
Laguna Beach vs. La Canada at William Woollett, 3:30 p.m.
Damien vs. Palos Verdes at William Woollett, 2 p.m.
Division 5
Pasadena Poly vs. Hoover, at Mt. SAC, 6:30 p.m.
Bonita vs. La Serna at Mt. SAC, 7:30 p.m.
Division 7
Nogales vs. Santa Ynez at Mt. SAC, 3 p.m.
Nipomo vs. Don Lugo at Mt. SAC, 4:30 p.m.
BREAKING NEWS, AMAT MAKES PLAYOFFS:
Bishop Amat needed a miracle to make the CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 playoffs and came down with a Hail Mary on Friday night to reach the postseason.
Needing Crespi to lose to Loyola and Alemany to defeat Notre Dame to force a three-way tie between Bishop Amat, Notre Dame and Crespi for third place in the Serra League, Bishop Amat got its wish.
Loyola rallied from an early deficit to force overtime, then pulled out a 36-35 win over Crespi. This came moments after Alemany held off Notre Dame for a 21-14 win, leaving Crespi, Notre Dame and Bishop Amat tied for third with 1-3 records in the Serra, forcing a three-way coin flip late Friday.
Bishop Amat coach Steve Hagerty, whose Lancers (6-4, 1-3) had a bye after finishing league last week, drove to Notre Dame hoping that he would have an opportunity to be in a coin flip situation, and got it.
On the coin flip, Crespi and Amat both drew tails while Notre Dame drew heads, which eliminated Notre Dame. And since Amat beat Crespi head-to-head during league, Amat won the tiebreaker over Crespi.
Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it.
"It (coin flip) worked out exactly how it had to work out for us," Hagerty said. "It's the first time in a while something like this happened for us. We had a few kids at the game and they were waiting for me to come out of the office and give them the news. I'm especially happy for our seniors, who get to play football again. We've got new life, now we have to go back to work."
Alemany won the Serra League with an 8-2 and 4-0 mark and Loyola was second at 8-2 and 3-1. The CIF-SS pairings are announced on Sunday.
Friday's results
Etiwanda 45, Glendora 24 -- Glendora High School wanted to go out on a winning note, but Etiwanda quarterback Larry Cutbirth had other ideas as the visiting Eagles downed Glendora, 45-24, in the Baseline League finale on Friday at Citrus College.
Claremont 45, South Hills 28 -- In a game in which they moved the ball almost at will, the only downer for the Wolfpack (6-4 overall, 2-3 Sierra League) in Friday's 45-28 win over the Huskies is it came one day after they were eliminated from postseason contention.
BRACKETOLOGY: Here's how I think the Mid-Valley playoff Division will shape up. The four at large should be Maranatha (7-2) (assuming Maranatha wins tonight), Pomona (6-4), South El Monte (7-3) and South Pasadena (6-4). I gave South Pas an edge over Sierra Vista. South Pasadena's non-league win over Alhambra was convincing enough. WE HAVE UNTIL SUNDAY FOR THE DRAW, LETS SEE SOME OF YOUR MOCK BRACKETS IN THE SOUTHEAST, INLAND, MID-VALLEY??
Fred's Mid-Valley Bracketology predictions
Top Bracket
1. Covina (9-1) vs. South Pasadena (6-4)
San Gabriel (6-4) vs. El Monte (7-3)
Cerritos Valley Christian (4-6) vs. La Puente (9-1)
4. Monrovia (7-3) vs. Pomona (6-4)
Bottom Half
3. San Dimas (8-2) vs. South El Monte (7-3)
Whittier Christian (6-3) vs. San Marino (7-3)
Azusa (7-3) vs. Alhambra (8-2)
2. Arroyo (9-1) vs. Maranatha (7-2)
I'm not saying I totally disagree with the coach, players are punished for coaches and administrators' mistakes far to often, but you gotta love the rah, rah speech the coach gave to get the board to forget that rules are rules, delivering a made-for-TV stunning reversal. You know that wouldn't fly around here: ...In one of the busiest - and certainly most stunning - administrative ruling football seasons in recent memory, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association probably pulled off the biggest stunner in the nation Wednesday.
Azusa dominates: Let there be no doubt about who's still the boss in the Montview League.
By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
El Monte High School's first league title since 1979 is going to have to wait until Arroyo High School quarterback Steven Rivera graduates.
The senior delivered another stellar performance in his Mission Valley League finale, leading the Knights to a 35-20 victory and their third-straight undefeated league title on Thursday. Rivera completed 31-of-43 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for another TD on a record night in which he set the school's single-season record for passing yards and touchdown passes in a season. (To continue click thread).
Tonight's results
Arroyo 35, El Monte 20 -- The Lions and Brandon Martinez will have to wait until next season, Arroyo and Rivera were too polished and experienced in championship games, and for Rivera, the records and legend continue to grow.
Azusa 50, La Puente 21 -- The win doesn't surprise as much as the final score. No way did I think the Aztecs would put 50 on L.P. Considering they started 0-3, I like their chances in the first round better than last year when they were 10-0 and killing everyone. They feel more poished now.
West Covina 42, Diamond Ranch 14 -- Bulldogs look tooooo good right now, almost like a can't miss. They're the Servite of the Southeast. I know that's know what Bulldogs fans want me to say, but it is what it is.
Charter Oak 38, Chino Hills 7 -- Considering all the talk this morning of Travis Santiago's freak ankle sprain and slim chances of playing, you knew he would play if he could, that's who he is. When Mike the Cousin's first update on the game was "Touchdown Charter Oak." I knew it was over.
San Dimas 36, Pomona 31 -- Saints won the all-important second guaranteed spot from the Valle Vista, but here's the truth. Whoever gets these two in the first round is not going to be happy about their draw.
Damien 42, Ayala 15 -- The Spartans showed grit after getting humbled by Charter Oak. It may not be pleasant in the playoffs being the third team from the Sierra, but no doubt the Spartans lived up to the preseason hype Aram put on them.
Los Altos 52, Diamond Bar 35
-- What I said about Damien, I feel about Los Altos. They had moments in the season they could have tanked, but they rebounded, and took care of business in Week 10. Great job by Ziola.
Sierra Vista 27, Duarte 21 -- Great finish by the Dons. They played Azusa and La Puente tougher than everyone else, so I was not surprised. But I'm not sure the Dons get an at-large, and the Falcons, despite a great turnaround, won't make it either.
ovina 40, Northview 7C -- They did what they were supposed to do, which is not always easy against your nothing-to-lose rival.
Bonita 47, Rowland 28 -- Nobody, repeat nobody, will want to be the team that gets Bonita in the first round. In fact, I guarantee a first-round win.
Gabrielino 7, Mountain View 6
-- Doesn't sound like the most exciting one-point victory, unless you like this type of stuff.
South El Monte 33, Rosemead 31 -- What I said about Damien and Los Altos is true of the Eagles too, though we haven't given the Eagles enough credit or props all year. This is a team that nearly knocked off El Monte too, and has come a long way since last year's miserable season. If they don't get an at-large berth, then they got robbed.
Gladstone 21, Workman 20, 2OT-- There was no playoff spot on the line, but they sure did compete like there was one. It's what you love about high school football.
Wilson 42, Baldwin Park 26 -- First thought was, "Oh my." As tough as this must of felt for a proud Braves program, you have to feel good for Wilson, who ends the season on a good note after starting 0-9.
Watch Travis Santiago put anklegate to rest with a brilliant performance in the Sierra League championship over Chino Hills with the Inland Insider, Tom Kiss, who has highlights and reactions.
Diamond Ranch Roddy Layton is another impressed with the Bulldogs machine, all on TDro's highlights and interviews.
Aram, Fred, Mike the Cousin and TDro talk about Thursday night's championships...check it out on PREPXTRA Live's postgame Rewind.
CIF-Southern Section Girls Volleyball playoff results
Thursday's second round
Division 2AA
Claremont def. La Reina 25-21, 25-17, 25-19
La Salle def. South Hills, 25-17, 25-23, 21-25, 26-24
Oaks Christian def. Bishop Amat 25-18, 25-22, 25-20
Tesoro def. Chino Hills 25-22, 25-23, 25-20
St. Lucy's def. San Marino 25-18, 23-25, 25-11, 25-14
Division 2A
Diamond Bar def. Arcadia 25-20, 25-15, 25-15
Adolfo Camarillo def. Los Altos 25-16, 25-18, 25-20
Bonita def. Palm Desert 25-7, 25-22, 22-25, 25-19
Division 3A
San Dimas def. Bell Gardens 25-21, 25-20, 32-30
La Sierra def. Northview 15-25, 25-3, 25-14, 25-23
Campbell Hall def. Covina 25-19, 25-23, 25-12
Division 4A
Hemet def. Gladstone 25-9, 25-11, 25-11
Pacifica Christian def. Azusa 25-15, 25-13, 25-21
Saddleback Valley Christian def. Duarte 25-22, 19-25, 23-25, 25-10, 15-13
Grace Brethren def. La Puente 25-16, 18-25, 25-15, 25-23
Saturday's Quarterfinals
Division 2AA
Claremont (21-8) at South Torrance (29-5), 7 p.m.
St. Lucy's (24-6) at Aliso Niguel (17-9), 7 p.m.
Division 2A
Downey (24-5) at Diamond Bar (18-5), 7 p.m.
Bonita (17-6) at Oxnard (17-17), 7 p.m.
Division 3A
Arrowhead Christian (14-9) vs. San Dimas (23-1) at Bonita, 7 p.m.
We need your help: Coaches, parents and volleyball caretakers, please have someone call in the results of tonight's playoff matches to 626-962-8811, ext. 2242 or 2233 so that we can follow with a write-up of as many games as possible. We will cover as much as we can throughout the playoffs, but we need your help tracking scores. For those at games, when it's over, post the final score on the thread or quickly email it to me at fred.robledo@sgvn.com. Hopefully we can update most of the scores tonight, thanks.
Bonita boys water polo opens playoffs with 20-4 win over PHS: Bonita High School water polo coach John Ashby calls it a "natural goal." The Bearcats' attack is anything but natural. It's lightning-quick. It's decimating. It has carried the Bearcats to the top of the CIF-Southern Section polls and the top seed for the Division 5 tournament.
Above: Bonita goalkeeper Caleb Guarino in action.
CIF-Southern Section Playoffs
Boys Water Polo
Saturday's quarterfinals
Division 3
Damien vs. Peninsula at Palos Verdes HS, 2 p.m.
Division 5
Bonita vs. Chadwick at Mira Costa HS, 2:30 p.m.
Division 7
Nogales vs. Lompoc Cabrillo at Lompoc Aquatics Center, 11 a.m.
Wednesday's first-round results
Division 3
Damien 17, Tesoro 5
Division 5
Bonita 20, Pasadena 4
Hoover 14, Walnut 13
Thursday'sfirst round
Division 7
Don Lugo 13, Wilson 8
Nogales, 21, Colony 12
Girls Tennis
Saturday's second round
Division 2
Diamond Bar at Pasadena Poly, 2 p.m.
Santa Monica at South Hills, 2 p.m.
Division 4
Viewpoint at Arroyo, 2 p.m.
Division 5
Aquinas at Covina, 2 p.m.
Granite Hills at Gladstone, 2 p.m.
Wilson at San Jacinto, 2 p.m.
Thursday's first-round results
Division 2
Cypress 9 Claremont 9, (Cypress wins on games 75-73)
Diamond Bar 14, Placentia Valencia 4
El Dorado 14, St. Lucy's 4
Arcadia 16, Walnut 2
Santa Monica 9, Rowland 9 (San Monica wins on games 69-68)
South Hills 11, Murrieta Valley 7
Division 4
Bellflower 10, Rosemead 8
Arroyo 17, Norte Vista 1
Division 5
Covina 9, Capistrano Valley Christian 9 (Covina wins on games 72-71)
Gladstone 11, San Dimas 7
Chino 14, Duarte 4
Wilson 17, Don Lugo 1
Aram got the tough news from Charter Oak, read it on his "In the Huddle" blog: "It was a freaky thing," Charter Oak coach Lou Farrar said. "You can't plan that."
By Bob Ramsey, Correspondent
The cross country postseason begins Saturday, with the CIF-Southern Section Prelims at Mt. SAC in Walnut. In CIF competition, schools are divided into five enrollment-based divisions, and roughly the top half of each league qualifies for the prelims. Sixteen teams in each division advance to the Nov. 19 finals, also at Mt. SAC. Twenty-two area teams advanced to the prelims, with 13 qualifying both their boys' and girls' teams. The top local contenders among the boys are Ayala and Glendora in Div. II, along with Damien in Div. III, while Bonita (Div. III) has the strongest chance to advance on the girls' side. (To cotinue click thread)
Continue reading CIF-SS Cross Country prelims on Saturday .
The SGV girls signees talk with the Inland Insider about their decisions.
Photo gallery of today's signees at the Tribune
By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
National signing day came and went, but the smiles, hard work and commitment it took for athletes to realize their dreams will last a lifetime.
For Bishop Amat baseball standout Rio Ruiz who signed a national letter of intent to play at USC, and South Hills' Britney Rodriguez, who signed to play softball at UCLA, it was a chance to fulfill a verbal commitment they made after their freshman year.
"It's a big relief knowing all the pressure is gone and it's actually official now," Rodriguez said. "It feels great knowing I'm going to a competitive school academically and athletically." For Damien basketball standout Chris Reyes, it was a day to finally realize his dream of playing Division I basketball by signing with the University of St. Mary's, and for La Verne Lutheran standout and reigning boys basketball player of the year Grant Jerrett, a day to soak it in a little longer, opting to make his decision official on Monday when he signs with the University of Arizona. (To continue, click thread).
The boys signees talk with Tom about their college choice.
2011 SIGNEES: TOP ROW: Brianna Kennedy (Bonita, Loyola Marymount), Chris Reyes (Damien, St. Mary's), Jason Haney (Damien, Virginia Tech), Joe Munoz (Los Altos, San Diego State), Nick Hynes (Covina, Arizona)
TOP ROW TW0: Amber Stewart (Bonita, UC Irvine), Hanna Lancaster (St.Lucy's, UC Irvine), Erika Williams (Diamond Ranch, CS Bakersfield),Chelsea Barnes (Diamond Ranch, Loyola Marymount), Rio Ruiz (BishopAmat, USC), Victoria Dennis (Bonita, UC Irvine), Vahn Bozian (Ayala,USC), Nick Hynes (Covina, Arizona).
TOP ROW THREE: Brandi Harkness (St.Lucy's, St. Joseph), Justin Garza(Bonita, Cal State Fullerton), Dylan Goodwin (Diamond Ranch, Central Michigan), Karly Shockey (Chino Hills, Sacred Heart), Jackie Macy (St. Lucy's, Colgate), Daniel Zamora (Bishop Amat, Stony Brook).
MIDDLE ROW: Laura Swan (St. Lucy's, University of Illinois Chicago), Danielle O'Toole (St. Lucy's, San Diego State), Paige Gumz (Chino Hills, Fresno State), Brogan Hoenisch (Chino Hills, Cal State San Marcos), C.J. Saylor (South Hills, San Diego State), Chad Lee (Damien, Stony Brook).
SECOND BOTTOM ROW: Taylor Langdon (Glendora, Fresno State), Nikki Girard (Chino Hills, Arizona State), Cassie Padilla (Bishop Amat, Santa Clara), Garie Blando (Chino Hills, UNLV), Alyssa Villalpando (Los Altos, Hawaii), Mariah Midyette (Los Altos, Bucknell), Carly Simpson (Diamond Bar, Nevada Reno), Ty France (South Hills, San Diego State).
BOTTOM FRONT: Brandi Wilson (Hawaii University), Kayla Papez (Charter Oak, Sacramento State), Danielle Mavridis (St. Lucy's, University of San Diego), Sarah Macias (South Hills, Wayne State), Britney Rodriguez (South Hills, UCLA), Kristen Stewart (South Hills, Utah)
Note: I will post video interviews later tonight.
Wednesday's National Letters of Intent Signees
Baseball
Rio Ruiz, Bishop Amat, USC
Justin Garza, Bonita, Cal State Fullerton
Vahn Bozian, Ayala, USC
C.J. Saylor, South Hills, San Diego State
Ty France, South Hills, San Diego State
Chad Lee, Damien, Stony Brook
Carlos Martinez, Nogales, Hawaii
Joe Munoz, Los Altos, San Diego State
Daniel Zamora, Bishop Amat, Stoney Brook
Nick Hynes, Covina, Arizona
Dylan Goodwin, Diamond Ranch, Central Michigan
Softball
Cassie Padilla, Bishop Amat, Santa Clara
Britney Rodriguez, South Hills, UCLA
Danielle O'Toole, St. Lucy's, San Diego State
Danielle Mavridis, St. Lucy's, University of San Diego
Brandi Harkness, St. Lucy's, St. Joseph's
Laura Swan, St. Lucy's, University of Illinois at Chicago
Nikki Innamorato, Chino Hills, Cal Poly SLO
Nikki Girard, Chino Hills, Arizona State
Paige Gumz, Chino Hills, Fresno State
Garie Blando, Chino Hills, UNLV
Brogan Hoenisch, Chino Hills, Cal State San Marcos;
Jackie Wagner, Arroyo, Utah State
Kayla Papez, Charter Oak, Sacramento State
Taylor Castro, West Covina, Cal Baptist
Taylor Langdon, Glendora, Fresno State
Sarah Moore, Ayala, Missouri
Alyssa Villapando, Los Altos, University of Hawaii
Mariah Midyette, Los Altos, Bucknell University
Sarah Macias, South Hills, Wayne State
Kristen Stewart, South Hills, Utah
Taylor Miller, Glendora, La Sierra University
Girls Volleyball
Victoria Dennis, Bonita, UC Irvine
Jackie Macy, St. Lucy's, University of Colgate
Taylor Scott, Claremont, Mississippi State
Brandi Wilson, Glendora, Hawaii
Karly Shockey, Chino Hills, Sacred Heart
Boys Basketball
Grant Jerrett, La Verne Lutheran, Arizona
Chris Reyes, Damien, St. Mary's
Girls Basketball
Brianna Kennedy, Bonita, Loyola Marymount
Chelsea Barnes, Diamond Ranch, Loyola Marymount
Erika Williams, Diamond Ranch, Cal State Bakersfield
Girls Water Polo
Ambyr Stewart, Bonita, UC Irvine
Hanna Lancaster, St. Lucy's, UC Irvine
Girls Golf
Carly Simpson, Diamond Bar, Nevada-Reno
Boys Swimming
Jason Haney, Damien, Virgina Tech
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
The timing couldn't be worse for Charter Oak High School's football team to have had its star tailback on crutches over this past weekend. Kurt Scoby, the Chargers' leading rusher, has a sprained ankle and might miss Thursday's Sierra League championship game against Chino Hills. "He was told to stay on crutches all weekend and ice it around the clock," Chargers coach Lou Farrar said. "He's a tough kid and if there's a way he can get on the field Thursday night, then he'll get on the field. A lot depends on how much treatment he gets between now and Thursday." Farrar officially listed Scoby as questionable and said his coaching staff will start working on a plan in case the sophomore sensation doesn't play. (To continue click thread)
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
Consider the plight of the Bishop Amat High School football team.
The Lancers' regular-season schedule is over. The team is on a bye week and its playoff fate is up in the air. And if you go out to Amat any afternoon this week, the Lancers are in pads practicing for a future they don't know for sure exists. Amat's postseason hopes rest on the performances of others and the luck of a coin flip, assuming those performances turn out in Amat's favor.
What a great start for SGV girls volleyball, both the Sierra and Montview Leagues swept through the first round, both going 4-0. You might expect that from the Sierra, but the Montview? Great stuff. In fact, in 17 matches, we have 14 teams moving on.
Bishop Amat wins: The South Pasadena High School volleyball team was on the verge of taking control of Tuesday's CIF-Southern Section Division 2AA first-round playoff match against Bishop Amat. Not once, but twice. But the Lancers, the second-place team from the Del Rey League, responded with a pair of runs and scored a three-game sweep, 25-22, 25-19, 25-15
San Dimas wins: Good teams find a way to win, even on an off-night. San Dimas High School proved that by beating Rosemead 21-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-22 in an opening-round game of the CIF-Southern Section Division 3A volleyball playoffs at The University of La Verne on Tuesday.
CIF-SS Girls Volleyball playoffs
Tuesday's first-round results
Divsion 1A
Laguna Beach def. Glendora 25-15, 25-14, 25-18
Division 2A
Claremont def. Elsinore 26-24, 25-14, 25-6
South Hills def. Serrano 25-22, 25-20, 25-11
Bishop Amat def. South Pasadena 25-22, 25-19, 25-15
Chino Hills def. Paloma Valley 25-13, 25-15, 25-15
St. Lucy's def. Corona Centennial 25-14, 25-10, 25-10
Division 2A
Diamond Bar def. Sunny Hills 25-15, 25-16, 25-13
Los Altos def. Village Christian 26-28, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25, 15-8
Troy def. Walnut 25-12, 25-19, 25-6
Division 3A
Rim of the Word def. Pomona 25-0, 25-0, 25-0
San Dimas def. Rosemead 21-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-22
Northview def. Bolsa Grande 17-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-16
Covina def. El Monte 22-25, 21-15, 25-17, 25-13, 15-9
Division 4A
Gladstone def. La Sierra Academy 25-12, 25-13, 25-20
Azusa def. Desert 21-25, 25-12, 25-20, 25-23
Duarte def. Pomona Catholic 21-25, 25-22, 17-25, 25-22, 15-12
La Puente def. Upland Christian 25-17, 25-16, 25-17
THURSDAY'S SECOND-ROUND SCHEDULE
Division 2AA
La Reina at Claremont, 7 p.m.
La Salle at South Hills, 7 p.m.
Oaks Christian at Bishop Amat, 7 p.m.
Tesoro at Chino Hills, 7 p.m.
St. Lucy's at San Marino, 7 p.m.
Division 2A
Diamond Bar at Arcadia, 7 p.m.
Adolfo Camarillo at Los Altos, 7 p.m.
Palm Desert at Bonita, 7 p.m.
Division 3A
San Dimas at Bell Gardens, 7 p.m.
La Sierra at Northview, 7 p.m.
Campbell Hall at Covina, 7 p.m.
Division 4A
Hemet at Gladstone, 7 p.m.
Azusa at Pacifica, 7 p.m.
Saddleback Valley Christian at Duarte, 7 p.m.
La Puente at Grace Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Results: Coaches, parents and volleyball caretakers, please have someone call in the results of tonight's playoff matches to 626-962-8811, ext. 2242 or 2233 so that we can follow with a write-up of as many games as possible. We will cover two games tonight, and cover as much as we can throughout the playoffs. But we need your help tracking scores. For those at games, when it's over, post the final score on the thread or quickly email it to me at fred.robledo@sgvn.com. Hopefully we can update most of the scores tonight, thanks.
Great episode of PrePxtra Live, opening with Damien coach Greg Gano saying that if he had to pick a winner between Charter Oak and Bishop Amat, he would take Amat. CIF-SS spokesperson Thom Simmons joins us on the phone (7:31 mark) to talk about Mid-Valley Division playoff scenarios. Players from La Puente-Azusa at 26:00 minute mark; players from El Monte-Arroyo at 39:30 mark; players from Chino Hills-Charter Oak at 56:00 mark and finally, Charter Oak QB Travis Santiago and Arroyo QB Steven Rivera on together at 1:23.30 ....check it out.
Tribune Super 35 Rankings
1. Charter Oak (8-1) -- From this point forward, Charter Oak plays big-boy football, starting with trying to dethrone three-time Sierra League champ Chino Hills at their house on Friday followed by the Inland playoffs. We think our Chargers are good enough to get to the second round and possibly the semifinals. Do you?
2. West Covina (8-1) -- Best thing that could happen to the Bulldogs is having a Week 10 championship game with Diamond Ranch. The best way to prepare to defend a title is having a game that means something, and this means a lot. If they lose, there goes the No. 1 seed in the Southeast and the No. 1 league entry. But if recents results mean anything, expect the Bulldogs to make a statement and win big at home in their league finale.
3. Bishop Amat (6-4) -- The Lancers need a Hail Mary to get to the playoffs after last week's disaster at Notre Dame, failing to take advantage of an INT that set up a first down at the 12 with almost two minutes left and a chance to control their own destiny. They lost, finished 1-3 in the Serra and now have to not only hope Crespi and Notre Dame lose to Loyola and Alemany respectively in the final games on Friday, but hope to win a three-way coin flip afterward. Is this Friday Night Lights or what?
4. Covina (9-1) -- All that stands between the Colts and the No. 1 seed in the Mid-Valley is pesky rival Northview. You don't think the Colts stumble now do you? They've an over-time loss against the top team in the Southeast from being undefeated. This is their year, now they have to go out and get it done.
5. Chino Hills (6-3) -- The sleeping giant is back ready to go after its fourth straight Sierra League title. Since winning the title in 2008, the Huskies are 16-3 in the Sierra, and have never gone 5-0 in league.
6. Damien (6-3) -- Do you really think we should drop the Spartans after a close loss to Chino Hills and one that got away against Charter Oak? The Spartans are a year away from really making some noise, but they do not want to end the season with three straight losses after how they started. They get Ayala and need to win to get into the playoffs.
7. San Dimas (7-2) -- With only two guaranteed playoff spots in the Valle Vista, the Saints need to beat surprising Pomona to lock down No. 2, otherwise they likely get in as a wild-card with an unpredictable playoff road. I thought Pomona worked Northview much easier than San Dimas did, but I still like the Saints on Thursday against the Devils.
8. Arroyo (8-1) -- Quarterback Steven Rivera has 28 touchdowns to lead the SGV, but all he's thinking about is beating El Monte and winning his third straight undefeated Mission Valley league title. If the Knights get hot in the playoffs, Rivera could go after the SGV single-season touchdown passing record of 42, set by Bishop Amat's Pat Haden in the early 1970s and equaled by Los Altos' Felipe Aguilar in 2000 during a 14-0 season.
9. La Puente (9-0) -- How good is the area's only undefeated team? We will find out on Friday when they try to snap three-time defending league champ Azusa's 25-game league winning streak.
10. Bonita (5-4) -- The Bearcats got a huge overtime win against Diamond Bar and now just need to beat Rowland to get into the playoffs. Said it before and will say it again, they will be the biggest sleeper in the Southeast playoffs.
The rest: 11. Los Altos (6-3), 12. Ayala (3-6), 13. Claremont (5-4), 14. Diamond Ranch (5-4), 15. Pomona (6-3), 16. Azusa (6-3), 17. El Monte (7-2), 18. South Hills (3-6), 19. Glendora (3-6), 20. Diamond Bar (4-5), 21. Rosemead (5-4), 22. South El Monte (6-3), 23. Nogales (5-5), 24. Duarte (6-2), 25. Walnut (2-8), 26. Rowland (2-7), 27. Northview (2-7), 28. Sierra Vista (5-4), 29. Mountain View (3-6), 30. Baldwin Park (2-7), 31. Workman (4-5), 32. Gladstone (2-7), 33. Ganesha (1-8), 34. Bassett (1-8), 35. Wilson (0-9).
We have drills on all four league championships games this week, will show you the rest tomorrow since its a short week. Look below, the last time La Puente won the league title in 2007. Since then, it's been all Azusa.
Inland Division
1. Centennial/Corona (8-1), 2. Vista Murrieta (4-5 or 9-0 reality), 3. Upland (9-0), 4. Redlands East Valley (9-0), 5. Rancho Cucamonga (8-1), 6. Charter Oak (8-1), 7. J.W. North (8-1), 8, Yucaipa (9-0), 9. Chino Hills (6-3), 10. Chaparral (5-4).
Fred's thoughts: We continue to poke fun at the Sierra League's chance in the Inland, yet Charter Oak is No. 6 and Chino Hills 9, and don't forget, Chino Hills played Corona Centennial tough in last year's semifinals. Let's hope the Chargers and Huskies surprise some I.E. folks.
Mid-Valley Division
1. Covina (8-1), 2. Arroyo (8-1), 3. La Puente (9-0), 4. San Dimas (7-2), 5. Monrovia (6-3), 6. Whittier Christian (6-3), 7. Pomona (6-3), 8. El Monte (7-2), 9. Azusa (6-3), 10. Alhambra (7-2).
Fred's thoughts: You know what's crazy about this, say Covina, Arroyo, La Puente, San Dimas and Morovia win out. San Dimas would be on the opposite side of Covina's bracket, moving Monrovia to No. 4. That could mean Monrovia vs. Covina in the semifinals with San Dimas on the side of the bracket with La Puente-Arroyo. You tell me, who gets the best of that deal?
Southeast Division
1. West Covina (8-1), 2. Arcadia (7-2), 3. Santa Fe (5-4), 4. La Serna (7-2), 5. Diamond Ranch (5-4), 6. Mayfair (5-4), 7. Bonita (5-4), 8. Los Altos (6-3), 9. Bellflower (6-3), 10. La Mirada (5-4).
Fred's thoughts: I can't remember a top ten bracket this unimpressive except for West Covina and Arcadia. Santa Fe at No. 3 with four losses? Do you remember what Charter Oak did to them? Let's face it, if Arcadia doesn't face West Covina in the finals, who is going to beat West Covina among this group?
Aram and I will go head-to-head in Tribskin Pick'em throughout the season with the loser buying lunch in December.
Last week: Robledo (16-2); Tolegian (17-1)
Season standings: Robledo (160-45); Tolegian (160-45)
Last week: For those who question our predictions, neither one of us have had more than three losses in a single week for a third consecutive week. Not bad when you're picking over 18 games. Aram edged me again with another hot week, going 17-1 to my 16-2, leaving us in a dead heat going into week 10 and the playoffs that follow. Aram got me taking Notre Dame over Amat and I got him on Nogales over Baldwin Park. But Aram got the extra victory with Claremont's overtime win over Ayala.
This week: Here we go, four championships on the line Thursday. The Montview League is the most intriguing and will be our game of the week. Do you take Azusa and its 25-game unbeaten streak in league. Or La Puente, the only undefeated left on the best run in school history? Here's the deal, I've seen them both, and when push comes to shove, I'm going with Azusa, the defending champs. They have the most dangerous weapon on the field, running back Desmond Reed. El Monte hopes to party like its 1979 and is one of the feel-good stories of the season. They showed the heart of a Lion by scoring two touchdowns in the final minute to beat South El Monte, but I don't vision a Cinderella finish here. Arroyo is the best team in the Mission Valley with the best player in Steven Rivera. They don't lose, especially at home. Charter Oak didn't come this far to lose now. We still don't know the health of Kurt Scoby, who injured his ankle in Friday's win over Damien, but Scoby or no Scoby, the Chargers win their first Sierra League title on Thursday. They're just better, and they're going to prove it. Finally, Diamond Ranch at West Covina is merely a formality. The Bulldogs are the best team and have been the best team for weeks. They're not giving up their No. 1 ranking in the Southeast now. Finally, Aram doesn't have another Bishop Amat game to steal a win from me, but speaking of Amat, their only "so you're telling me there's a chance," way of making the playoffs is if Notre Dame and Crespi lose on Friday, and the Lancers win a three-way coin flip later that night. Man, how would you like to be at Amat practices this week?
This week's games and predictions
Wednesday's game
Bassett at Ganesha, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Ganesha); Tolegian (Ganesha)
Thursday's games
El Monte at Arroyo, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Arroyo); Tolegian (Rivera)
La Puente vs. Azusa at Citrus College, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Azusa); Tolegian (Azteca)
Diamond Ranch at West Covina, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (WCovina); Tolegian (Noodles)
Charter Oak at Chino Hills, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (COak); Tolegian (Charguhs)
Pomona vs. San Dimas at Bonita, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (San Dimas); Tolegian (Saints)
Ayala at Damien, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Damien); Tolegian (Damien)
Diamond Bar at Los Altos, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Los Altos); Tolegian (Fighting Ryan Maines)
Rosemead at South El Monte, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Rosemead); Tolegian (Koffmead)
Duarte at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (SVista); Tolegian (SV)
Covina vs. Northview at Covina District, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Covina); Tolegian (Chovina)
Bonita at Rowland, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Bonita); Tolegian (Podley)
Mountain View at Gabrielino, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (MView); Tolegian (Gabrielino)
Workman vs. Gladstone at La Puente, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Workman); Tolegian (Workman)
Baldwin Park at Wilson, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (BPark); Tolegian (Bravos)
Friday's games
Glendora vs. Etiwanda at Citrus College, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (Etiwanda); Tolegian (Eti)
South Hills at Claremont, 7 p.m. -- Robledo (South Hills); Tolegian (Pack)
Where to send Mike the Cousin? What's our game of the week? Tough questions on Thursday with four league championships, and three of them with undefeated league teams playing for the title. El Monte and Arroyo for the Mission Valley, La Puente and Azusa for the Montview and Chino Hills and Charter Oak for the Sierra where all teams are undefeated in league. West Covina has clinched a tie in the Hacienda, but Diamond Ranch can share it with a win and grab the No. 1 seed in league and knock the Bulldogs from the top ranking in the Southeast. Lots and lots on the line.
High School football schedule
Wednesday's game
Bassett at Ganesha, 7:00pm
Thursday's games
El Monte at Arroyo, 7 p.m.
La Puente vs. Azusa at Citrus College, 7 p.m.
Diamond Ranch at West Covina, 7 p.m.
Charter Oak at Chino Hills, 7 p.m.
Pomona vs. San Dimas at Bonita, 7 p.m.
Ayala at Damien, 7 p.m.
Diamond Bar at Los Altos, 7 p.m.
Rosemead at South El Monte, 7 p.m.
Duarte at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m.
Mountain View at Gabrielino, 7 p.m.
Workman vs. Gladstone at La Puente, 7 p.m.
Friday's games
Covina vs. Northview at Covina District, 7 p.m.
Bonita at Rowland, 7 p.m.
Glendora vs. Etiwanda at Citrus College, 7 p.m.
South Hills at Claremont, 7 p.m.
Baldwin Park at Wilson, 7 p.m.
For standings, schedules and all statistical leaders, look at the SGV Tribune MaxPreps Widget.
To view at all the CIF-Southern Section Girls Volleyball Divisional pairings, click here.
By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
St. Lucy's, and San Dimas were the area's only top seeds in its respective divisions when the CIF-Southern Section Girls Volleyball polls were released on Saturday. St. Lucy's, the Sierra League champion and defending Division 2AA title holders, faltered down the stretch in the Sierra League, but still earned the No. 2 seed in Division 2AA and will host Big VIII at-large Corona Centennial in Tuesday's first-round match at St. Lucy's. In all divisions, wild card matches are Monday, followed by the first and second rounds on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. All matches start at 7 p.m. (To continue reading click thread).
CIF-SS Girls Volleyball playoff Schedule
Monday's wild card game
Division 1A
Glendora at Immaculate Heart.
Tuesday's first round
Division 2A
Claremont at Elsinore
South Hills at Serrano
South Pasadena at Bishop Amat
Chino Hills at Paloma Valley
Corona Centennial at St. Lucy's
Division 2A
Sunny Hills at Diamond Bar
Los Altos at Village Christian
Bonita - bye
Walnut at Troy
Division 3A
Pomona at Rim of the World
Rosemead at San Dimas
Northview at Bolsa Grande
El Monte at Covina
Division 4A
Gladstone at La Sierra Academy
Desert at Azusa
Duarte at Pomona Catholic
Upland Christian at La Puente
All matches start at 7 p.m.
For quarter updates of tonight's games, click thread.
The Inland Insider has Sierra League highlights and interviews from Charter Oak and Chino Hills' win, setting up Thursday's league title between the two at Chino Hills.
By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Charter Oak, ranked sixth in the CIF-Southern Section Inland Division, kept its record perfect in the Sierra League with a 41-28 victory over Damien on Friday, setting the stage for next week's league title against defending champ Chino Hills.
It was kind of bittersweet, however, because sophomore running back Kurt Scoby, who rushed for 89 yards and four touchdowns, injured his ankle late in the fourth quarter and left to the hospital for x-rays. (to continue click thread)
Tonight's results and game stories
Charter Oak 41, Damien 28 -- The greatest show in the SGV dominated, the score says they won by 13, but they were up 34-7 middle of the third quarter. Let's hope Scoby is OK. Some of the things he did, the Chargers need to make the offense complete. The last thing they need is an chink in the armor now.
Chino Hills 36, South Hills 13 -- Limiting South Hills to just 13 is a good sign heading into Charter Oak.
West Covina 40, Rowland 7 -- The best thing for the Bulldogs is to have a league championship they can get up for after winning on cruise control the past few weeks.
Bonita 27, Diamond Bar 20, OT -- After starting 0-2 and looking like it wasn't going anywhere, Bearcats very much in the thick of things. If you're looking for a sleeper in the playoffs, start right here.
Notre Dame 17, Bishop Amat 12 -- It was there for the taking. You have to read the story to digest it all, but after getting a gift interception to set up first down at the 12 with 1:58 left, they couldn't cash in. This is what it comes down too. Bishop Amat needs Alemany and Loyola to win next week, then hope to win a three-way coin flip for the third playoff spot.
El Monte 20, South El Monte 13 -- Yes, the Lions can finally play for their first league title since 1979 at Arroyo next week. Great turnaround.
Arroyo 49, Gabrielino 3 -- About what you expected, setting the stage for MVL All-the-marbles game with El Monte.
Azusa 41, Gladstone 7 -- Aztecs romp again, and will go for fourth straight undefeated league title next week.
La Puente 49, Duarte 7-- The Warriors won nine games for the first time in school history and can now win the league title next week at Azusa.
Rancho Cucamonga 34, Glendora 13 -- Going in the Tartans still had playoff hopes, but nobody is surprised by the result. Say what you want, but given all the circumstances, they were better than anyone expected.
Workman 33, Ganesha 6 -- That's few times the Lobos put up a lot of points.
Rosemead 32, Mountain View 0 -- Keeping their playoff hopes alive, Panthers get a blowout win to impress Mid-Valley posters.
Pomona 35, Wilson 21 -- Much closer than expected, give it up for the Cats, they're not laying down by any means.
Diamond Ranch 29, Walnut 14 -- Coach Roddy said they would be playing for the league title after beating Bonita to open league. They didn't do it as easily as he said, but they did get to the title game as promised.
Claremont 35, Ayala 34, OT -- A huge loss for Ayala, but if the Bulldogs beat Damien next week, they each would have two wins and the Bulldogs could get in the playoffs. That's providing South Hills beats Claremont.
Sierra Vista 62, Bassett 0 -- The Dons have had a few games where their offense rolled like this. Just not enough of them.
Nogales 18, Baldwin Park 13 -- Beating Northview and Baldwin Park back-to-back is a big achievement for the Nobles, who will someday compete for the Valle Vista title. But not yet.
TDro's highlights for Bishop Amat at Notre Dame, and the wild finish.
Watch the postgame game discussion with all of us on TribXtra
Thursday's result
San Dimas 34, Northview 6. -- The Saints led 21-0 at half and cruised home, setting up next week's showdown with Pomona. I"m sure coach Z wasn't happy with Sean Kennedy's endzone flip, but it was at least an 8.5
Bishop Amat quarterback Rio Ruiz got his MRI results back Thursday and there was good news. It came back negative, leaving Ruiz with just a sprain, not any damage to his ACL or MCL. However, he is still sore, hasn't practiced this week and will sit out Friday's game at Notre Dame in the hope Amat wins and makes the playoffs. Sophomore Koa Haynes will get the start at QB for the Lancers Friday. If Amat wins and gets in, Ruiz will have two weeks off before the playoffs since the Lancers have a bye in week 10. From everything I hear, if healthy, Ruiz will return for the postseason run.
Joe Amat, one of the founding bloggers and expert on anything to do with CIF, wrote in the "Super 35" rankings thread that in a power poll, Bishop Amat is his No. 1. What a surprise. But I love it when when JMAT gets going like this, when he's got a point to make, he makes his point. I don't know who he was responding to in this comment, but he opens talking about a Charter Oak-Bishop Amat matchup.
Joe Amat: "You want them to play every year? Not realistic. In some years it would be good-others...not so much. Now remember, since the inception of this blog I have never said that we played a game that we could not lose. Why schedule someone if there isn't a chance they can beat you? Same way with CO and WC. Each of those teams "could have" won. We put it on the carpet a couple times, penalties to call back score, or a pick he or there, the game changes. It could happen, but the odds (and results) are on Amat's side ina big way.
Amat played CO two years in a row when CO was the preseason #1 and Amat was a non playoff team. Amat swept them with CO getting shut out 1 year and a garbage time TD the other. CO opted out of the third year. Amat replaced them with Rancho Cucamonga (who Amat also swept) and CO went to Damien (who CO lost to)
Amat swept WC 42-6 in a year WC went 10-3 (not too shabby) before losing to Diamond Ranch in the semis (who Amat also beat) and Then "they went toe to toe" with us in a 21-7 loss the next year and stopped playing last year. west Covina continues to challenge someone at higher levels and that makes them better. You learn and improve more by getting tested than blowing people out.
Which is why Amat took a lot of heat even when we played the COs , Glendoras, Damiens, West Covinas, Diamond Ranchs, Ranchos. Too soft a schedule. Then they win in their division and people clamor for a matchup. Now you want us to play again?
Enjoyed seeing other lists and love to see more. The reason I set my "Power Poll" with Amat at the top is due to facts and proof. Amat has proved -this year and in recent years--they can beat teams close caliber of a CO/WC like Venice and Damien, AND teams better like Crespi. Iin very recent history there is long list of victims better than any either of those teams have defeated. CO and WC haven't shown they can *win* the games against the Ranchos, Vista Murriettas, Mater Deis, Loyolas, etc.. Pllay them tough...tie...but not win
They get kudos when "they go toe to toe with the best" (like Fred questionably wrote after the CO/RC game)and thats worthy of moving UP on the list? Amat loses to Alemany by 5 and the sky is falling. WC gets a pass due to injuries, but Amat playing a 7-3 game before their best two-way player goes down against the #5 team in the State is cause to move them below the Bulldogs? OK for "a list" or "ranking (beauty contest) but not for a "Power Poll" based on who would beat teams below them.
Amat is at the top of my list because of what we know, have seen, and has been proven. CO or WC would go there because of what you might "think". But you have the right to "think" that....even if you're wrong ;-D
Joe Amat's Power Poll (assuming Rio plays, explaints Joe)
1. Bishop Amat (5-2)
2. Charter Oak (7-1)
3. Chino Hills (5-3)
4. West Covina (7-1)
5. Damien (6-2)
6. Ayala (3-5).
7. South Hills (3-5)
8. Covina (8-1)
9. Claremont (4-4)
10. Glendora (3-5)
Listen to Petros and Money butter-up Maddox, talking about schedules, Monrovia's title and of course, big-time recruit Ellis McCarthy, whom Maddox is hoping goes to USC. In fact, Maddox sort of broke some news, saying USC is at the top of McCarthy's list, followed by California and Oregon ... That doesn't sound good for UCLA. Maddox explained Monrovia's slow start (losses to Arcadia, South Hills and San Dimas), saying it was because of a, "CIF championship hangover," and goes on to say the San Dimas loss "fired them up." ... I don't if that's the case, there's probably nothing like the Rio Hondo league to get the confidence going again, right?
"The kid is the top quarterback in the Valley, bar none. He's the best quarterback I've seen in a long time and he's the best quarterback they've ever had throwing the ball. There's no question. He's a weapon. You go into a game trying to contain that guy and you can't contain him. I think everybody they've played has said the same thing. And guess what, 63 points later they're still saying the same thing, `We should have contained him.' " -- Damien coach Greg Gano on Travis Santiago
By Aram Tolegian
Damien High School football coach Greg Gano knows it's no secret his team has to stop Charter Oak quarterback Travis Santiago to have a chance to upset the Valley's top-ranked Chargers. But doing it may be another story.
"The kid is the top quarterback in the Valley, bar none," Gano said of Santiago. "He's the best quarterback I've seen in a long time and he's the best quarterback they've ever had throwing the ball. There's no question. He's a weapon.
"You go into a game trying to contain that guy and you can't contain him. I think everybody they've played has said the same thing. And guess what, 63 points later they're still saying the same thing, `We should have contained him.' "
Damien sophomore pitcher Grant Hockin, the grandson of Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, who passed last May, has given a verbal commitment to attend UCLA on a baseball scholarship. Hockin's brother Chad, a junior who had a sensational postseason run last year, is also being courted by several D-1 schools.
By Aram Tolegian
El Monte High School is one win away from putting itself in position to play the biggest game in recent school history. The win they need to get to make it happen? Rival South El Monte on Friday. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at South El Monte. If the Lions win and heavily favored Arroyo takes care of business against Gabrielino, the teams will meet in Week 10 for the Mission Valley League championship.
"Who better to play this week to get to the big show, which would be next week, than South El Monte?" El Monte coach Joel Sanchez said. That's the message Sanchez has been delivering to his players in practice this week. El Monte (6-2, 3-0) is tied with Arroyo (7-1, 3-0) for first place in the league standings. South El Monte (6-2, 2-1) holds its playoff fate in its own hands. If the Eagles can beat El Monte on Friday, they will take a big step toward reaching the Mid-Valley Division playoffs.
By Fred J. Robledo, staff Writer
Admittedly, it wasn't La Puente High School junior Elisa Valenzuela's best performance.
But when the big moments arrived in the deciding fifth game, Valenzuela came through in the clutch. After watching visiting Azusa rally from two-games down to force a fifth game that teetered back and forth -- Valenzuela ended the evening's longest rally with a thunderous kill down the line to give the Warriors a 14-12 lead.
But the Aztecs, just as they had all night, battled back and tied it at 14-14 on Andriah Afati's innocent poke over the net. Then it was Valenzuela's turn again. She hit another winner to go up again 15-14, then served out the match, leading La Puente to its fourth straight Montview League girls volleyball title, 25-17, 26-24, 21-25, 21-25, 16-14. (To continue click thread).
The Inland Insider, Tom Kiss, was at Tuesday's finals and has highlights and interviews, check it out.
By Clay Fowler, Staff Writer
It was appropriate the Sierra League cross country finals took place on a college campus, given the way the Ayala High School boys' team impatiently lingered outside the scorers' tent like students waiting for test scores to be posted. The team, led by coach Dawn Staab, stepped on the heels of an official on the way to the bulletin board before the results were posted, confirming a sweep of the league titles by the Ayala girls and boys, who set a school record at Mt. San Antonio College.
Damien claimed the top two spots in the boys' race but Ayala placed its five runners third, fifth, sixth, eighth and 14th to edge the Spartans 36-47. Ayala's time of 79:50 for its top five runners beat the school record at Mt.SAC by 12 seconds.
The Ayala girls finished behind the Claremont sophomore duo of Megan Renken and Marin Arft, but the Bulldogs placed all five runners in the top 10 to edge Claremont 32-40.
Seniors Jaclyn Gonzalez and Chandler Colquitt finished third and fourth, respectively, for Ayala. The final three runners placed seventh, eighth and 10th while Claremont's top group was rounded out by ninth-, 13th- and 15th-place finishes.
"It's been a rollercoaster season for the girls, and for them to win it outright was awesome," Staab said. "You've got to hand it to those Claremont girls. They're great competitors, but in the end its the pack that matters. Our teams seem to be putting the wheels on the wagon just in time for CIF."
Baseline League
A Rancho Cucamonga boys team ranked first in the state in Division I looked the part in the Baseline League finals at Mt. SAC. After placing five runners in the top six the Cougars acted the part, too.
Senior Luis Gutierrez led the Cougars to a league championship by finishing first in 15:24 despite suffering from what he thought was the flu.
"This isn't really what matters to us," Gutierrez said. "What means a lot is winning the CIF prelims and finals. We treated this like a workout, just wanted to finish with all the team members not too far apart."
Mission accomplished for Rancho Cucamonga, whose second-place finisher, Jon Dileva, crossed the finish line 14 seconds after Gutierrez. A total of 14 seconds separated the remaining four Cougars runners. Alta Loma's Cole McDowell, who placed fourth in 15:44, was the only runner not from Rancho Cucamonga to finish in the top six. "This is the best team we've ever had," Rancho Cucamonga coach Terry Tierney said. "Our time at the Mt. SAC Invitational two weeks ago was the fastest we've ever run here. We're going to CIF to win."
Glendora, winners of the girls' race, finished second in the boys' race. Leading his team to a third-place finish, Etiwanda senior Jesse Martinez placed seventh in 15:55 ahead of four consecutive Glendora runners.
The Rancho Cucamonga girls finished second with a team score of 60 to edge Etiwanda, which had a team score of 64.
Glendora claimed the top three places, but Rancho Cucamonga's Carolina Guzman came in fourth with a time of 19:26. Los Osos' Alex Gonzalez rounded out the top five with a time of 19:37 to help Los Osos to a fourth-place finish with a team score of 79.
Tribune Super 35 Rankings
1. Charter Oak (7-1) -- Ranked sixth in the Inland Division, the Chargers need to win out, finish 9-1, win the Sierra League and then hope for a top four seed. That would give them the best chance of advancing a round or two in the playoffs, then who knows? I said it last year, and it's true again: Charter Oak's back-to-back Southeast titles were great, but a deep run in the Inland could be their finest hour, and what I mean by that is a semifinal or championship appearance. Do they have a chance? The next two weeks are telling, if they whip Damien and Chino Hills, they've got a good chance. If they sneak past or lose to one of those two, It's a sign they're not ready for the big boys.
2. West Covina (7-1) -- At the end of the day, they're playing like defending champions. They've got the athletes, swagger, coach, and a division that anyone with their talent would love to be in. They're dominating like Charter Oak, Los Altos and South Hills did earlier this century. Farrar's got five titles and Bogan and Gano have four each. This should be the year Maggiore gets to three, and if the Division remains as it is for the next two years, you're looking at La Habra North.
3. Bishop Amat (6-3) -- That swagger, the momentum finally gained in the Crespi win left with Rio Ruiz's injured knee in Friday's 14-3 loss to Loyola. It took that long for the Lancers to get over the Servite loss and get their mojo back, but now with Ruiz's future uncertain, they're going to have to dig deep to get a win on the road at Notre Dame and make the playoffs. And since we all like predictions, here's one: If Amat makes the playoffs, Ruiz, providing he gets a favorable MRI and feels good, will play in the playoffs. My gut is you don't come this far and miss the glory part of your senior year.
4. Covina (8-1) -- You get the question, how would Covina do in the Southeast? Answer, win the Mid-Valley first. The Colts are in that dangerous position of being ranked No. 1, being the team everyone is talking about to win it. They have a week off then finish with rival Northview. I'm on board, I won't pick them to lose against anybody.
5. Chino Hills (5-3) -- It didn't take a football expert to know this might happen, that the Huskies' tough preseason schedule and the losses that came with it had no bearing on the Sierra League. Although it faces Charter Oak next week in what could be two undefeated teams playing for the league title, they better not sleep on South Hills, who scores on everyone.
6. Damien (6-2) -- The Spartans are probably still kicking themselves after feeling they gave one away to Chino Hills. They better get over it quick because Charter Oak is sitting at home ready to deliver another dagger on Friday. It's been a solid year for the Spartans, but I'm sure Gano and the boys would love to top it off with a signature win, something Gano's still searching for since arriving at Damien.
7. San Dimas (6-2) -- The Mid-Valley pollsters jumped the Saints a few spots to No. 4, moving them past No. 5 Monrovia, who was mysteriously ranked ahead of San Dimas last week, even though the Saints beat them at their place, and has a better record. The Saints still have work left to keep the No. 4 ranking. I'm not so sure they beat Pomona in week 10, and in fact, I may go with the Red Devils in that one.
8. Arroyo (7-1) -- Quarterback Steven Rivera continues adding to his legacy with another great fourth quarter in the Knights' 28-21 win over Rosemead. Here's what's concerning though: If this is a Mid-Valley contender, don't they need to win in more convincing fashion? The Knights have had a few close calls, it's that time of the year where I would like them to step on the gas.
9. La Puente (8-0) -- If I used the Maxpreps computer rankings, La Puente would be ranked 18th in the area, despite being the only undefeated team. But this is where Aram's, "how you fare in your own world," kicks in. Hey, when you're unbeaten you're unbeaten. But let's see how the Boise State Warriors do in the last two weeks against Duarte and Azusa, their toughest two opponents in the Montview.
10. Bonita (4-4) -- I don't know if they deserve the No. 10 ranking, but they feel like a top ten team. They've beaten Los Altos and Walnut back-to-back and with a win over Diamond Bar, will probably make the playoffs.
The rest: 11. South Hills (3-5); 12. Los Altos (6-3), 13. Pomona (5-3), 14. El Monte (6-2), 14. South El Monte (6-2), 15. Duarte (6-1), 16. Diamond Ranch (4-4), 17. Glendora (3-5), 18. Claremont (4-4), 19. Ayala (3-5), 20. Diamond Bar (4-4), 21. Azusa (4-3), 22. Rosemead (4-4), 23. Walnut (2-7), 24. Nogales (4-5), 25. Rowland (2-6), 26. Northview (2-6), 27. Sierra Vista (4-4), 28. Baldwin Park (2-6), 29. Mountain View (3-5), 30. Gladstone (2-6), 31. Mountain View (3-5), 32. Workman (3-5), 33. Ganesha (1-7), 34. Bassett (1-7), 35. Wilson (0-8).
More Two-Minute drills to follow, including Diamond Bar at Bonita and Charter Oak at Damien.
By Bob Ramsey, Correspondent
This is League Championship week for cross country. After months of training and racing, league titles and CIF berths will be settled. For most athletes, this will be the end of their season, but a number of local teams will advance from league finals to a postseason that could lead to the Southern Section finals and state meet. The top half of each league advances to the Nov. 12 CIF prelims, but teams ranked in the top 13 in the most recent CIF divisional polls can earn an at-large place in the meet. Here's a breakdown of the contenders for the league titles and CIF spots. (To continue click thread).
Links
Tribune Prep Sports
Miguel Melendez's prep blog
In the Huddle
ESPN
OC Varsity
San Bernardino Sun Preps
LA times Varsity Blog
Daily Bulletin Preps
Whittier Daily News Preps
LA Daily News Preps
Long Beach Press Telegram Preps
Daily Breeze Preps
Dyestat Track and Cross Country
MaxPreps
Rivals.Com
College Level Athletes
Miguel Melendez's prep blog
In the Huddle
ESPN
OC Varsity
San Bernardino Sun Preps
LA times Varsity Blog
Daily Bulletin Preps
Whittier Daily News Preps
LA Daily News Preps
Long Beach Press Telegram Preps
Daily Breeze Preps
Dyestat Track and Cross Country
MaxPreps
Rivals.Com
College Level Athletes
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