Prolonged Downturn for St. Paul/DRL?

Over the last few days, we’ve heard about the possibility of a prolonged economic downturn.

That got me thinking about area football.


Do the Chiefs have a run in them?

This upcoming football season might be the best in years with La Habra (Southwest Division), La Mirada (Southeast), Schurr (Mid-Valley) and Whittier Christian (Mid-Valley) all serious contenders for divisional crowns in their respective divisions.

Also, look at the prospects that have surfaced this past year.

You have La Mirada’s High Five, La Habra’s Michael Sparling and Cody Clements, Schurr’s Aaron Cantu, Cantwell’s Adam Aguirre and Whittier Christian’s Jeff Worthy along with others from these schools that will likely receive offers throughout the course of the year.

It should be a great year. But what’s missing?

Notice that St. Paul and the Del Rio League are missing from both the divisional contender and prospect list above.

Is this a trend or just a bad year? Cyclical or endemic?

When I first arrived in the area, the big stars were coming from the DRL and St. Paul? Remember Dwight Tardy (St. Paul) of Washington State, Nic Grigsby (St. Paul/California) of Arizona, Romeo Pellum (Santa Fe) of Washington State/Hampton and Nate Kimbrough (Santa Fe) of Arizona State? Even Tyler Hadden (California) of Hawai’i can’t be forgotten.

This season, however, is there anyone from the DRL and St. Paul that can be mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned players? Are there any D-1 prospects? Do you see anybody down the line like that in 1-2 years? How about 3-4?

What about the teams? When I got here, St. Paul posted back-to-back semifinal appearances, with the second resulting in a CIF-SS Division 3 title. Santa Fe just missed out on a crown that Schurr ultimately claimed in 2006 and the Terris Jones-led Condors reached the semis in two of the last three years.

Is anyone going to make a run in the next couple of years? The best hope may be Santa Fe. The Chiefs always seem to have talent coming down the chute but haven’t really made a postseason run since 2006.

So, my question remains. Are St. Paul and the DRL just wading through a couple of rough years or is the beginning of a prolonged downturn?

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Email