Blair, Marshall have rivalry in mind

Here’s a notebook from Keith Lair about the coaches at Blair and Marshall talking about creating their own Turkey Tussle. Both make some valid points. I like the doubleheader idea. It would be fun.

By Keith Lair, SGVN
twitter.com/KeithLLair

PASADENA – Muir and Pasadena high schools have the Turkey Tussle.
So it should only be fitting the other two Pasadena Unified School District football teams, Blair and Marshall, create their own regular rivalry. The schools, with populations of 1,400 fewer students than their brethren, have not met since the 2007 season.
First-year Marshall coach Jim Arellanes and assistant coach Todd Quinsey have even come up with a name for the matchup, which was an annual game until the ’08 season.
“We thought the Chicken Breast Bowl,” said Quinsey, who was head coach at Glendora last season.
It makes perfect sense, especially for a game matching seemingly equal teams. Both teams lost their season openers by the same 46-0 score last week. Both games finished with running clocks. Both teams have struggled recently and underwent several coaching changes.
Arellanes and Quinsey even suggested the game be moved to the Rose Bowl. The Marshall coach’s thoughts were that it could precede the Turkey Tussle, forming an all-PUSD twinbill.
“We could be like the JV game before the big game,” first-year Blair coach Johnny Lopez said. “People have been throwing this idea around for a long time.”

The only problem is Blair competes in the Rio Hondo League and Marshall in the Alpha League. The Pacific League’s Tussle almost always has been the final game of the regular season for Muir and Pasadena. It’s possible, but highly unlikely, that teams in the Rio Hondo and Alpha leagues would accommodate a schedule change so that a nonleague game could be played on the final day of the regular season.
Lopez, who teaches at Marshall, said he has made himself scarce this week.
“I’m going to stay away from everybody and do my thing,” Lopez said.
“It’s a rivalry game of course. I tell the players, `I’m your coach, too.’ I’ve coached all those guys since they were (little). I love all those kids. They are all of my kids.”
Blair has won the last two matchups, but Marshall had won the previous five in the decade.
ANOTHER TOP RANKING
Monrovia may be the second-ranked team in the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division poll, but the Wildcats can claim a No. 1 ranking in another poll.
Monrovia, which opens the season Friday at Ayala, is the top-ranked team in the Cal-Hi Southern California Division III poll. Because of attendance differences, Mid-Valley Division No. 1 Sierra Canyon is in Division IV and is the top-ranked team there. Rio Hondo Prep is ranked third in Division IV. The Kares are ranked No. 1 in the CIF-SS Northeast Division.
PROMISING START
Bosco Tech coach Chris Shockley knew the season opener against Wilson, a 21-6 defeat, was going to be tough, and this week’s game against Gabrielino will be just as difficult.
“We’re a young team and prone to make mistakes,” Shockley said. “But we found out we’re a team that does not give up. We displayed a lot of character in the second half.”
The Tigers committed five turnovers, almost all in the first half.
They played even in the second half.
“We did not play poorly,” Shockley said. “We played young. We have to learn we cannot make mistakes like that, but they’ll figure those things out.”
Bosco Tech is trying to play all of its home games at night, but with its Rosemead campus still without lights those games will be at Gabrielino. In Friday’s game, the Eagles will be the home team.
“We’re really, really appreciative of the San Gabriel Unified and Gabrielino for helping us out,” Shockley said. “Gabrielino has improved a lot. They have quality kids there. We’re hungry and have not played our best complete game.”
Gabrielino opened the season with a 14-7 victory over Reseda CES.

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