Football Top 10: Cantwell cracks rankings, La Mirada stays No. 1

Darion Lindsey and Jojo Turner of Cantwell-Sacred Heart trap Pioneer running back Jakob Williams for a small gain in the first half of prep football action Friday September 26, 2014 at Cantwell. (Correspondent photo by Chris Burt/Sports)

Darion Lindsey and Jojo Turner of Cantwell-Sacred Heart trap Pioneer running back Jakob Williams for a small gain in the first half of prep football action Friday September 26, 2014 at Cantwell. (Correspondent photo by Chris Burt/Sports)

DAILY TOP 10 FOOTBALL RANKINGS
1. La Mirada (4-1) —
Can the Matadores run the table? The answer could be yes. La Mirada should get a test from Bellflower on Friday, but their next test might not be until championship week.
2. La Serna (4-1) — The Lancers, despite winning their past three games, have flown under the radar. But this team looks more than capable of winning another CIF-SS title.
3. La Habra (2-3) — The Highlanders are the prohibitive favorite in the Freeway League. But you have to wonder about their defense and when it will cost them again.
4. California (3-2) — The Condors might be La Serna’s chief challenger in the Del Rio. They followed up an impressive victory over San Marino two weeks ago with a blow-out win over Magnolia last week.
5. El Rancho (2-2) — Its been hit and miss for the Dons, who at times look to be a big challenger in the Del Rio. But first they must find some consistency.
6. St. Paul (3-2) — The Swordsmen are looking like pretenders with every passing week. After opening with three blow-out wins, St. Paul has been outscored, 96-0, over the past two weeks against elite competition. Where they fit will be more known next week when they travel to La Salle.
7. Whittier (2-2) — The Cards might do some damage in the Del Rio. We’ll find out how much when they face Schurr this week.
8. Cantwell (3-1) — The Cards, after a couple of down years, might be back in the fold. They look like the favorite in the South Catholic League.
9. Schurr (1-3) — The Spartans, with so many teams in the Almont on down years, might be the league favorite. We should get a good barometer reading against Whittier on Friday.
10. Santa Fe (1-4) — Don’t sleep on the Chiefs, who despite their record, should challenge in the Del Rio.

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Friday Final: Cantwell routs Pioneer; La Serna steps up, beats Rancho Cucamonga


GAMES OF THE WEEK
Cantwell 44, Pioneer 0

By Stephen Ramirez
steve.ramirez@langnews.com
@SteveRRamirez on Twitter

Darion Lindsey and Jojo Turner of Cantwell-Sacred Heart trap Pioneer running back Jakob Williams for a small gain in the first half of prep football action Friday September 26, 2014 at Cantwell. (Correspondent photo by Chris Burt/Sports)

Darion Lindsey and Jojo Turner of Cantwell-Sacred Heart trap Pioneer running back Jakob Williams for a small gain in the first half of prep football action Friday September 26, 2014 at Cantwell. (Correspondent photo by Chris Burt/Sports)


MONTEBELLO >>
It’s been a downward cycle for the Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary football team the previous two seasons.
But early signs point to a revival, especially during the past two weeks.
Jean-luc Dauphiney rushed for 108 yards and scored two touchdowns and Matthew Valencia threw for 166 and two scores and Cantwell won its second consecutive game with a 44-0 victory over visiting Pioneer in a nonleague game on Friday.
The Cardinals outgained the Titans, 467-19, to improve to 3-1. Cantwell also sacked Pioneer quarterback Phillip Hernandez five times for a minus-33 yards. The Titans’ Jakob Williams rushed for 43 yards.
Pioneer, which had won its previous two games, slipped to 2-3.

Cantwell coach Kim Taylor: “We had a lot of energy today. We had a rough practice the other day and they came out with a lot of energy. It showed.”
Jean-luc Dauphiney: “We knew this game was pretty big,” Dauphiney said. “We came off a win last week, so we had momentum. Big props to my (offensive line), and the whole team. It was a total team effort. We thank God for everything we did.”
LA SERNA 31, RANCHO CUCAMONGA 24
WHITTIER –
In recent years, La Serna has made heads turns with victories over higher division teams. Most notably, wins in consecutive seasons over Westlake High from the Pac-5 division.
The Lancers furthered their reputation on Friday night with a wild 31-24 win over perennial Baseline League contender Rancho Cucamonga at California High School.
La Serna survived a furious Cougars rally that saw them get to the Lancers one-yard line before being turned away as time expired to seal the win.
Rancho Cucamonga running back Aaron Manning tried to get around the left edge on fourth-and-goal but was tracked down by a host of La Serna defenders, his fumble was picked up by Cougars wide receiver Blake Fisher who was tackled as the clock struck zero.

— Richard Hernadez
La Habra 55, Colony 48
LA HABRA >>
Colony High School’s football team sported a No. 1 ranking in the CIF-SS Central Division entering Friday night.
The glaring No. 1 associated with La Habra was in the win column.
Fifty-five points and 389 rushing yards for La Habra running back Carlos Martin added up to win No. 2 for La Habra, which prevailed in a shootout, 55-48.
The Highlanders (2-3) watched a 19-point fourth-quarter lead slip away when Colony’s Ryan Kinard broke a 75-yard touchdown run to give Titans (3-2) a 48-47 lead with 2:34 to play.
To cap a night of counter punching, La Habra scored in two plays, one a 42-yard Martin run, to regain a seven-point lead with 1:59 to play that would be the final margin.

— Clay Fowler
ROUNDUP: West Covina 56, Santa Fe 27 — Junior Isaiah Love ran for three touchdowns and caught a 56-yard pass from Aaron McCorkle to lead West Covina High School to a 56-27 nonleague win over Santa Fe on Friday night.
TOP 10
HOW THEY FARED

1. La Mirada (4-1) def. Artesia, 42-0
2. La Serna (4-1) def. Rancho Cucamonga, 31-24
3. La Habra (2-3) def. Colony, 55-48
4. El Rancho (2-2) lost to Diamond Ranch, 24-19
5. California (3-2) def. Magnolia, 56-6 (Thursday)
6. St. Paul (3-2) lost to JSerra, 52-0
7. Whittier (2-2), idle
8. Santa Fe (1-4) lost to West Covina, 56-27
9. Whittier Christian (0-5) lost to Western Ch., 78-74 (That’s no typo!)
10. Schurr (1-3), idle
OTHER SCORES
Paraclete 43, Montebello 0
Cantwell 44, Pioneer 0

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Thursday Final: California rolls over Magnolia, 56-6


By Stephen Ramirez
steve.ramirez@langnews.com
@SteveRRamirez on Twitter
ANAHEIM >>
California High School, coming off an impressive win at San Marino last week, wasn’t about to give a little of it back by suffering a letdown against Magnolia on Thursday.
The Condors showed it from the start.
Nathan Lowden rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns and the California followed it up with a 56-6 victory over the Sentinels at Western High School.
Quarterback Adam Satti passed for 128 yards and two scores for the Condors, who improved to 3-2 heading into next week’s bye week. Traie Kastle-Givens had four receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns and Gabriel Cosio had 75 yards and a score for California, which outgained, Magnolia, 430-117.
Jose Lopez had the lone touchdown for the Sentinels, who slipped to 2-3.
California put it away by halftime, scoring on its first four possessions to lead 28-0 after the first quarter and 42-6 at the break.
Lowden, who did all his work during the first two quarters, made it 14-0 in the first following a 7-yard run at 8:01 and an 8-yard run at 4:19
An interception by Kastle-Givens at the Magnolia 25 set up a Lowden’ 3-yard run for a 21-0 lead at 3:06.
Nathan Gudino made it 28-0 with a 4-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

California coach Kyle Trudell: “It was a big confidence booster for us. We hadn’t played an opponent with a loss until this week. It was a good win for us. But there are still a lot of things we need to work on. The kids are starting to figure it out, and we’re starting to get better. That’s all you can ask for.”
California’s Nathan Lowden: “(Last week’s win) gave us a big boost in confidence. But you can’t get a big head, and I think we showed that. We weren’t’ overconfident when we came out today and we showed what we were supposed to do.”

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Daily News Top 10: Changes in the middle, but La Mirada still shows the way

Coach Mike Moschetti has La Mirada looking good so far in 2014.  (Photo by Keith Durflinger/Whittier Daily News)

Coach Mike Moschetti has La Mirada looking good so far in 2014.
(Photo by Keith Durflinger/Whittier Daily News)

DAILY NEWS TOP 10
1. La Mirada (3-1) — How good are the Mats? They showed how good Friday, soundly beating La Habra. Going forward they might not lose the rest of the season, as they move into league play, then the CIF-SS playoffs.
2. La Serna (3-1) — If there is a team that can match La Mirada, it’s the Lancers, who look like CIF-SS contenders again. We get a good view this week when they host Rancho Cucamonga.
3. La Habra (1-3) — The Highlanders are a solid No. 3 pick, and with some separation between them and No. 4, they might stay here a while.
4. El Rancho (2-1) — The Dons look like La Serna’s chief challenger in the Del Rio League. They get a good test this week, hosting Diamond Ranch.
5. California (2-2) — Don’t sleep on the Condors, who beat a pretty good San Marino team on the road. The race for the Del League title is going to fun.
6. St. Paul (3-1) — The Swordsmen have the look of pretenders after they were walloped at Damien last week. Another big loss is expected this week, but I think they are somewhere in the middle between their 3-0 start and last week.
7. Whittier (2-2) — The Cardinals have looked good, sans last week’s loss. But this is a team that challenge for a playoff spot.
8. Santa Fe (1-3) — The Chiefs record is more to the tough schedule it as faced than their own talent level. They have another tough one this week, but they’ll soon be back in their comfort zone of the Del Rio.
9. Whittier Christian (0-4) — The Heralds were forced to forfeit their two wins, but we’ll overlook that and rank them accordingly. On the field, the defense has to get better.
10. Schurr (1-3) — The Spartans also have scheduled up a bit, but could be the top team in the Almont.

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Friday Night Football: Damien overwhelms St. Paul, 44-0; La Mirada beats La Habra; La Serna wins again


FEATURED GAMES
DAMIEN 44, ST. PAUL 0

LA VERNE >> That talk of a resurgence for the St. Paul football team might have to be put on hold.
Damien is another story.
Dylan Thigpen rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns and Michael Boragine threw for 114 and three scores as the host Spartans overwhelmed the Swordsmen, 44-0, in a nonleague game on Friday.
Damien scored on four of its first six possessions to lead 37-0 at halftime and improve to 2-1. The Spartans beat Roosevelt two weeks ago and played Charter Oak close last week before losing.
St. Paul, which dominated its first three opponents, slipped to 3-1. The Swordsmen, getting 52 yards rushing from David Castillo after the game was well in hand, had 137 yards, 103 of which came in garbage time.


Damien’s Dylan Thigpen: “We did a lot of work out here, every single one of us. Defense, offense, special teams all played really well. It was really good.”

St. Paul coach Rick Zepeda: “It was a combination of things. “We just have to line up and do what we do. We didn’t do that. We fumbled, we had tipped interceptions, snap over the head.
“We just never got started. It was our first road game. No excuses. We have to play better than this on the road.”
— Stephen Ramirez

Eric Barriere of La Habra stretches out to get the first down in the second quarter in non-conference action against La Mirada on Friday, Sept. 19, 2014 at La Habra. (Correspondent photo by Chris Burt)

Eric Barriere of La Habra stretches out to get the first down in the second quarter in non-conference action against La Mirada on Friday, Sept. 19, 2014 at La Habra. (Correspondent photo by Chris Burt)


LA MIRADA 45, LA HABRA 28
LA HABRA — La Mirada bounced back from last week’s blowout loss to Servite with an impressive 45-28 victory over host La Habra on Friday night.
The Matadores withstood a wild second half which opened with the teams trading touchdowns on six consecutive possessions.
La Mirada’s defense weathered the storm and stopped the La Habra offense on downs midway through the fourth quarter. The Matadores converted that stop into a 24-yard field goal from Nikolas Valdez to make it 45-28.
As he has all season, Tony Brown led the La Mirada offense, catching eight passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Brown has gained at least 100 yards receiving and scored a touchdown in every game this season.
La Mirada quarterback Christian Lara was also outstanding, completing 17 of 20 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown.

— Richard Hernandez
CALIFORNIA 38, SAN MARINO 35
SAN MARINO — It was an all-out air assault Friday night at San Marino High School, as the host Titans and California High combined for 617 passing yards.
But Caifornia came out victorious when senior running back Nathan Lowden scored on a 14-yard run with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter as the Condors held on for the 38-35 nonleague victory to send the Titans to their first defeat of the season.
It was the first-ever meeting between the schools.
Lowden ran for 133 yards on 29 carries and also threw a 71-yard halfback option pass to senior wide receiver Jake Mata (three receptions for 114 yards) for a score.
Senior quarterback Adam Satti threw for 240 yards and a touchdown for the Condors (2-2), completing 26 of 31 passes.

ROUNDUP
Quarterback Enrique Pacheco passed for 295 yards and three touchdowns to lead La Serna High School to a 37-18 victory over South Hills in a nonleague game at California High on Friday night.
It was the Lancers’ third consecutive victory after opening the season with a loss.
Pacheco completed 13 of 16 passes and threw a 72-yard TD pass to Jonathan Wise and a pair of TD passes to Curtis Ashton of 48 and 10 yards. Wise had four receptions for 153 yards and Ashton six catches for 106 yards. Ashton also scored on a fumble recovery. Kevin Ramos rushed for 70 yards and a score.

HOW THE TOP 10 FARED
1. La Mirada (3-1) def. La Mirada, 45-28
2. La Serna (3-1) def. South Hills, 37-18
3. La Habra (1-3) lost to La Mirada, 45-28
4. St. Paul (3-1) lost to Damien, 44-0
5. El Rancho (2-1) def. Montebello, 42-7
6. Whittier (2-2) lost to Long Beach Wilson, 21-7
7. Whittier Christian (2-2) lost to St. Margaret’s, 44-21
8. Santa Fe (1-3) lost to Burroughs/Burbank, 33-21
9. California (2-2) def. San Marino, 38-35
10. Schurr (1-3) lost to Diamond Ranch, 17-7
OTHER SCORE
Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary 41, Mary Star 6

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