Tim Peterson
By Tim Peterson
Don’t be fooled by the final score. La Mirada didn’t mess around with Bellflower. This was domination in every sense of the word. The Matadores were bigger, stronger and definitely much faster. Tony Brown is every bit as advertised.
Brown has the size that is tough for any corner to match. He also has great hands and when you throw in his speed as well it’s really no contest. The only question is what position he will play at the next level. He’s just as much a threat to score offensively as he is defensively.
Friday night when Bellflower quarterback Demetrius Reed fumbled the ball, Brown had not only recovered it but was in the endzone before half of the Buccaneer players even knew the ball was loose. Sometimes you hear about a kid but when you see him up close and personal you realize much of the talk and the ink was hype. Not so with Brown. This kid is going places.
“Oh he’s one of the best in the valley. And the thing is he’s one of the humblest kids you’ll ever meet,” said La Mirada head coach Mike Moschetti. “He works hard every day to get better. Just a great kid.”
And it’s not just Brown. The Mats also have quarterback Christian Lara and running backs Niko Carrasco and Sei-j Lauago. Have you seen the size of the offensive/defensive lines?
40-20 was the final score but Moschetti emptied his bench at 40-7. It was over early in the third quarter. What’s scary is Moschetti wasn’t happy with the way his team played overall on defense.
“We were horrible on defense. We allowed way too many yards and big plays,” Moschetti said.
It makes you wonder how much better they can get. Bellflower was undefeated coming in. The Matadores won’t be tested again until they travel to Norwalk November 7. I’ll hear it from NorRock fans but can the Lancers keep up?
The teams that Arroyo and Rosemead put on the field Friday night definitely wasn’t the best the schools have ever had. But it was still Arroyo-Rosemead and again it was a great finish. It was still a battle between rivals and it ultimately determined the first and second place teams in the MVL.
“It’s always one of the best games of the year. Two programs that respect but do not fear one another,” said Rosemead HC Marc Paramo via Facebook.
And after the Panthers beat the Knights 28-27 this from Arroyo HC Jim Singiser on Paramo’s Facebook page: “Congrats brother…much respect.”
I know Glendale is improved. John Tuttle has done a great job of bringing pride and respect back to the program. Daniel Jung is a good back. But seriously how does Arcadia lose to Glendale? That hadn’t happened since 1991. The Nitros have scored seven points in their last three games while being shutout by La Canada and Muir. The Apaches lost? Huh? What?
What’s going on in Arcadia? Using this as a barometer and with Hoover out of the way, Arcadia won’t win another game this year. What is it? Changing demographics? Changing coaches? What’s up? The days of Todd Golper, Myles Carr and Jon Dimalante seem like 100 years ago.
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tim@midvalleysports.com or on Twitter @tspeterson40
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