Tim Peterson
Ok So I’m not Nostradamus
Part of my job for Mid Valley Sports is to write a segment called “Game Night” every week. I basically write a couple of paragraphs about the football games. I’ll talk about the strengths and weaknesses for each team and mention a few key players. Oh and at the end I pick a winner. And if I get it wrong well…let’s just say I get an earful.
Friday night I covered the Covina- Monrovia game from the Covina sideline for the first half. At halftime I made my way over to the Monrovia sideline. I wasn’t there more than a couple of minutes when I began to hear it.
“How could you pick Covina man! You know how many athletes we have. Didn’t you see them against Pomona?” said one fan.
“Yeah we put your story on the locker room wall,” said an assistant coach. “They’re using it for motivation. They’re (burned).
When the third quarter started and Monrovia scored again, the barrage continued. “Hey Peterson, you want to change you’re score now?” said the Monrovia trainer. Yeah, the trainers are getting into it now.
It’s even worse when they mistake you for a different reporter. Last week a parent ripped me for picking Whittier Christian. “Uh, I picked Monrovia,” I said.
“Yeah now you are,” he said. Really I picked Monrovia.
Of course last night I heard it from the San Gabriel fans because I picked San Dimas. It was a great game though. Congrats to the Miracle Mats…and of course to M-Town. By the way I’ll have to go against one of you this week.
The good news is they’re reading.
Almont in Attendance
The Almont league was almost completely represented Saturday night at the San Gabriel game. Schurr line coach Phil Jimenez was there on the sidelines and the Bell Gardens staff was in the stands. Montebello coaches were also sighted and even Keppel was represented with administrator John Scanlan, even though Scanlan was sporting SG gear. The only school I didn’t see was Alhambra. If you were there I welcome all rebuttals.
Monrovia Pacific Bound?
The rumors won’t go away. If Monrovia wins its second consecutive title, the Wildcats are headed out of the Mid-Valley and into the Pacific Division of the Southeast. How is this possible when the Pacific already has eight teams? Well Hoover and Glendale will be shipped out of the Pacific and into the Rio Hondo League. At least that’s what’s been floating around.
Hey CIF, after you make those changes, can you put South Hills back in the Southeast Division?
Bulldog Blitz
West Covina has lost only one game all year (September 9 at Loyola) and has outscored its three playoff opponents 156-54. The Bulldogs have scored 118 points in their last two playoff games. They’re rolling though the playoffs even easier than they did in the Hacienda League. And the scariest part is they do it all on the ground. Chris Solomon rushed for over three hundred yards and five touchdowns last week as the WC dropped 63 on La Mirada. Solomon and Jimmy Frazier have both rushed for over 1000 yards this season. Can La Serna pull something? Maybe a hamstring but as they say…anything can happen.
Hey Jude
We’re trying to dig out all of the comments we received about San Gabriel HC Jude Oliva back when the Matadors were 1-4. According to some, he not only didn’t know what he was doing and was the worst coach since Paul Hackett, but he was also responsible for the struggling economy and the rising costs of health care. Eight weeks later he has the Matadors in the Finals in only his second year at the helm.
How do you like him now?
Citrus Curse
Every time Citrus College is mentioned as a possible site for a CIF Finals game to a Monrovia guy they back away from you like you have the plague. The Wildcats have never won a Finals at Citrus and they don’t want to go within 100 yards of the place. It looks they avoided it again this year when it was confirmed Sunday that the game will be at Monrovia High.
Roggin’s Local Heroes
West Covina’s Chris Solomon and Arron Franklin were featured on the Roggin’s Heroes segment of The Challenge Sunday night after the game. Both had long touchdown runs. Also Nicholas McCarty’s touchdown pass to Justin Ballesteros in La Serna’s win over Muir was shown as well.
Tim can be reached at tim@midvalleysports.com.
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