Tim Peterson
Ready or not it’s here. For the first time in recent memory the football season kicks off on August 23. Have all the coaching vacancies even been filled yet? Have all the transfers been approved? Have all the transfers been completed?
Actually the season kicked off Saturday night when Crespi traveled to Arizona and beat Salpointe Catholic 35-20. Opening night on August 18? Did anybody take a dead period?
Most of the coaches I talked to don’t like it. Families plan their vacations in August and some had to cut them short to accommodate the season.
“I mean school will not be in session yet. We won’t start for two more weeks. Why are we starting the season in the middle of summer?,” a local coach told me. “It’s hard enough getting players out here but now we start games two weeks before school does?”
The heat might be a factor as well. Can you imagine the players strapping on the helmets and pads and going full throttle when it’s nearly 100 degrees outside?
Well like it or not, it’s here and the coaches and players are ready to go.
The spotlight Thursday night will be on Citrus College as Bonita and San Dimas square off in the Smudgepot. The game which used to alternate between the two schools will now be played at Citrus on a permanent basis.
“It’s just a lot less expensive,” said San Dimas Coach Bill Zernickow. “I know for our school it would cost about 12,000 more to bring in bleachers, etc. and play the game on campus.”
The Saints are loaded at running back as usual. Everybody knows about Jake Payton but he’s only part of the problem for opposing defensive coordinators. There’s also transfer Reece Alvarado, Andrew Espinosa, Denzel Mitchell, and Adam Casillas. Zernickow just takes one back out and brings in another one.
Former San Dimas running back Dillon Corona (class of 2012), who is now an assistant on Zernickow’s staff, pretty much summed it up. “Oh we always have a lot of backs,” he said.
I don’t see Bonita stopping the Saints running game. There should be a lot of points put up on the board but I like San Dimas by a couple of touchdowns.
The Saints should win the Valle Vista going away. They might get pushed by Northhview who has guys like Roy Torres, Javon Taylor and Victor Garcia all returning. The Vikings were young last year and has almost everybody back.
Nobody is talking about Covina for obvious reasons. Last year was the Colts window with a senior class that had been together for years. Coach Joe Brown is keeping it positive and is looking forward to the season. The Colts stayed with South Hills in the scrimmage Friday night and will be counting on guys like Darren Torres, Evan Stretton and David Gonzalez to keep them in the Valle Vista hunt.
Monrovia, who looks like the class of the Mid-Valley Division again has to contend with a new league this year. Paraclete and Sierra Canyon have come over with the Alpha League looking to knock the Wildcats off their pedestal. I still like Monrovia…stay tuned.
In the Southeast Division West Covina, like Monrovia in the Mid-Valley, is shooting for its third straight CIF title. But did you know that La Mirada has five current payers that have received Division 1 college offers? OL Spencer Ueli Fa’atoalia has offers from Alabama State, Nevada and Hawaii. Linebacker Koa Kaleopaa has nine offers including Colorado, Arkansas and Washington State. Tight end Tyler Lutua has several offers that include USC, UCLA and Michigan, quarterback Kevin Dillman has been offered by Florida State and UCLA among others, and Colorado wants OL Anthony Cerillo.
The road to the title will have to run through Mike Moschetti’s crew.
And it all kicks off this week. For all the football coverage click on to www.midvalleysports.com. Also check out our Friday night football show starting this week at 10:30 pm.
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La Mirada,
It is a nice problem to have over here, lots of good looking talent filling in. The thing is, as good as things may look in pratice and scrimmages over the summer, we still don’t know what will happen in real games, thats the beauty of sports. If we knew all along that our teams would win it all then the thrill would be gone.
Injuries also play a big factor on how a season goes. Especially if your healthy going into the playoffs.
@Dan
Mayfair is always tough and big, but last year we came out fast and scored early and often. They never had a chance. Norwalk is good, but the other team to watch is Bellflower. They got some real good skills, linemen not real big , but great skills. It’s also interesting that SGV league has been added to the Southeast. Everybody in the press likes Dominguez, but i think Paramount is the team to beat. Dominguez is in total re-build and Paramount is bringing most of last years starters back. Watch out for Paramount. Also, Wesco you just seems to reload every year now, so many legit kids fighting over playing time, nice problem you guys have.
La Miradda Guy, with two good runningbacks La Mirada sounds complete, I understand why the Mid Valley is so high on them, some real big lines down in that Suburban league. I don’t like the refs that go down there for CIF playoffs, two staight years WC was jacked by the refs in CIF games playing Suburban league teams, if we play I hope we play up here this year. Other than that looking forward to see how you guy’s match up with St. Paul and all their transfers this Friday. I hope La Mirada wins that game because then it makes for a better Southeast division if you guy’s are that good. What about Norwalk and Mayfair? Norwalk didn’t look half bad last year and I hear they have a lot of guys back including their big runningback.
@Dan
Running Backs, yes we have 2 very good RB’s Hills and Carasco with a youngster pushing those two. Lakewood transfer is legit, and i wont give away any more about our line.
I think the road still goes thru West Covina, but things will be very interesting. The big Lakewood transfer looks legit, and the big sophomore Cerillo, along with Luata at tight end give La Mirada a formidable offensive line. Their size reminds me of the 2010 Mayfair front line. The question I have is do they have the running backs? Sounds like they will have a pasing game with the two qb’s, Lutua and Shipp.
Our coaching staff works very hard to get the kids to the next level. The coaches stress academics, Physical fitness and of course Personal conduct. The Coaches make film of the kids and send it off to the colleges. Our coaching staff has many contacts with college recruiters as most of them have college experience. Even kids from other programs call and ask for help in recruiting. Why send your kids anywhere else?
La Mirada has done something over there. They’ve always been a solid small football school. But over the past few years, and this year is continuing the trend, they are compiling talent that is resulting in kids getting scholarship offers. They’re going to many different schools, from Western New Mexico to Alabama, and a lot in between. Good job over there, coaches.
No they should show up. I just like San Dimas.
Why do the schools agree to start early and isn’t cif job to protect the kids how are they doing this by having them play in 85 degree weather if not more.
I guess the Bearcats should’nt even bother to show up against the Saints with seemingly no players or coaches.