Friday Night Final: La Salle no match for Cathedral; Arcadia romps Alhambra; Muir, Keppel, Rio Hondo Prep among winners

8-30-13 XLASALLE16-L

CATHEDRAL 34, LA SALLE 9
La Salle High School football coach Russell Gordon, after the Lancers suffered a heartbreaking loss in the first round of last season’s CIF-Southern Section playoffs, stepped up his team’s schedule in hopes of hardening them while using it as a barometer of where they stand.
Time holds the answer for the former, while La Salle showed at times Friday that it’s not too far off from the latter, pushing Cathedral before losing 34-9 in both teams’ season opener at La Salle High.
La Salle coach Russell Gordon: We think this will really help us down the line. I thought we had a real good chance against a really good football team. We played great offensively and defensively and created some opportunities for ourselves. I’m very proud of the team. We can only get better from here. We kept fighting.”

STAR-NEWS TOP 10
HOW THEY FARED

1. Monrovia (0-0), idle — hosts Ayala next week
2. St. Francis (0-0), idle — travels to Chino next week
3. Rio Hondo Prep (1-0) def. Brentwood, 36-6 — Kares don’t miss a beat. But Mission Prep looms next week.
4. La Salle (0-1) lost to Cathedral, 34-9 — Big plays did in the Lancers, who forced four turnovers in loss
5. Muir (1-0) def. Salesian — The Mustangs needed OT, which doesn’t bode well for them vs. Alemany next week
6. San Marino (0-0), idle — Hosts Duarte next week
7. Temple City (0-1) lost to Simi Valley, 55-2 — A slow start for Rams…but remember last year?
8. Maranatha (1-0) def. Bassett, 41-21 — Nice way to begin the Jude Oliva era.
9. Duarte (1-0) def. Cerritos Valley Chr., 28-24 —Solid win for the Falcons…It gets tougher next week
10. Flintridge Prep (0-1) lost to Army-Navy, 42-41 — A-N edges the Rebels for the second consecutive year.
OTHER SCORES
Arcadia 38, Alhambra 6
Hoover 65, Blair 0
Keppel 22, Ganesha 18
Montclair 38, San Gabriel 6
Pasadena Poly 42, Marshall 7
Hacienda Heights Wilson 22, Bosco Tech 14

ROUNDUP: Keppel opens with win over Ganesha

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Star-News Pick ’em, your predictions and ours: Week 1

The Contest: Once again, Keith Lair and I will go head-to-head picking football games throughout the season.

This week: Week 0 has some interesting matchups, highlighted by La Salle’s step up game at home vs. Cathedral. The Phantoms were 10-3 last season, finishing third in the tough Mission League and advancing to the Western Division semifinals. La Salle had a breakout season last year, but they might be overmatched in this game. Other notable games are Alhambra vs. Arcadia, which pits two new coaching staffs; Ganesha at Keppel, which could surprise people with transfer quarterback Marqus Valenzuela, and Rio Hondo Prep, seeking a three-peat in the Northeast Division, opening up at Brentwood.

This week’s games and predictions
Alhambra vs. Arcadia at Moor Field — Ramirez (Arcadia); Lair (Arcadia)
Blair vs. Hoover at Glendale HS — Ramirez (Hoover); Lair (Hoover)
Cathedral at La Salle — Ramirez (Cathedral); Lair (Cathedral)
Ganesha at Keppel — Ramirez (Keppel); Lair (Keppel)
Maranatha at Bassett — Ramirez (Maranatha); Lair (Maranatha)
Montclair at San Gabriel — Ramirez (Montclair); Lair (Monclair)
Pasadena Poly vs. Marshall at Pasadena HS — Ramirez (Poly); Lair (Poly)
Rio Hondo Prep at Brentwood, 4 p.m. — Ramirez (RHP); Lair (RHP)
Salesian at Muir — Ramirez (Muir); Lair (Muir)
Temple City at Simi Valley — Ramirez (Simi Valley); Lair (Simi Valley)
Cerritos Valley Christian at Duarte — Ramirez (Duarte); Lair (CVC)
Hacienda Heights Wilson at Bosco Tech — Ramirez (Wilson); Lair ()Wilson
Army-Navy vs. Flintridge Prep at Occidental College — Ramirez (FP); Lair (FP)
Gabrielino at Contreras — Ramirez (Gabrielino); Lair (Gabrielino)

 

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2-minute drill: La Salle vs. Cathedral

Second-year La Salle football coach promised to step up the Lancers’ slate this season, and he’s given his team a big-time challenge in the opener. La Salle, fresh off finishing 10-1 with a Del Rey League championship, opens the 2013 season Friday with a home game against Cathedral. The Phantoms finished a solid third in the tough Mission League and advanced to the Western Division semifinals last season.
Here’s our two-minute drill preview video. Can you guess who Aram and I picked?

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Gardner leaves La Salle basketball program

La Salle High School boys basketball coach Jelani Gardner resigned on Tuesday, citing differences with school administrators.
“His resignation was based on unresolved differences in the basketball program administration and style and is a result of extensive and thorough reviews and evaluations of the program.” athletic director Anthony Harris said.
Gardner, in his only year with the Lancers, started two talented freshmen, Vance Jackson and Milan Acquuah. The Lancers went 14-10 and lost to St. Genevieve, 75-60, in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.
Gardner was a standout player at St. John Bosco. He played at Cal and Pepperdine.

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