PREP NOTEBOOK: Montebello football team looking good as league play approaches

By Eric Terrazas, SGVN
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Montebello High’s football team returned to the win column last week with a 20-14 victory at Pioneer.

It marked the final nonleague contest for the Oilers (3-2), who have a bye this week. They open Almont League play Oct. 5 against Keppel.

“It was a good hard-fought game,” Montebello coach Pete Gonzalez said of the Oilers victory over the Titans. “I’m glad we came out on top. It’s nice to play local teams and have good football games. It was a lot of fun.”

Oilers quarterback Matthew Saenz and running back Marcus Portillo played major roles in last week’s triumph. Saenz completed 25 of 31 attempts for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

“He had a slight injury to his shoulder during the game,” Gonzalez said of Saenz. “He came back from that and he had a great game.”

Portillo caught 11 passes for 82 yards and also added 45 yards rushing against Pioneer.

This season, Saenz has thrown 1,097 yards and seven scores while connecting on 106 of 172 attempts.

Portillo has rushed for a team-high 368 yards and six touchdowns on 97 carries. He also has a team-leading 31 receptions for 212 yards and a score.

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HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Whittier Christian sweeps La Serna in final league tuneup

LA HABRA – The Whittier Christian High School girls volleyball team closed out the nonleague portion of its schedule with an impressive 25-11, 25-15, 25-17 sweep against visiting La Serna on Tuesday.

Kylee Wolfe and Deanna Blaine formed a staunch 1-2 punch for the Heralds (17-2). Wolfe posted 17 kills to lead the Heralds while Blaine added 14 kills.

It was also the final nonleague contest for the Lancers (4-2).

Whittier Christian starts Olympic League play Thursday at Village Christian while La Serna will begin its Del Rio League schedule Tuesday at home against El Rancho.

“When (Wolfe and Blaine) get it going offensively and when we get everybody on the ball, I think we’re a real tough team,” Whittier Christian coach Shawn Hunter said. “We’re excited to get this win as we head into league. That’s when things start to count. We’re excited to take these last few games and get ready for Village Christian on Thursday.”

La Serna is also looking forward to league play.

“(Tuesday’s loss) was disappointing,” Lancers coach Monique Gayton said. “We start league play against El Rancho on Tuesday. It will be a good test for us. We’ll see how we’ll do.”

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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: El Rancho takes a break before league

El Rancho High School ended the nonleague portion of its schedule Friday with a tough 28-27 loss to Clovis East.

The defeat snapped a two-game winning streak for the Dons (3-2), who broke the 50-point barrier in those two victories against Bell Gardens (52-28) and Montebello (57-48).

Dons quarterback Joey Sanchez rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns in the loss to Clovis East. Running back Johnny Garcia added 144 yards and a score.

Though El Rancho posted 400 yards in total offense, it was hurt by turnovers.

“We put the ball on the ground five times,” El Rancho coach Vinnie Lopez said. “We weren’t executing like we normally do. We played a little sloppy. We are working on it.”

The Dons, who have a bye this week, will look to regroup as they prepare for their Del Rio League opener against California on Oct. 5 at El Rancho.

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