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“There ‘s daggers in men’s smiles.”—Shakespeare

Kick it!

Right off the top: I don’t know you feel about it, but I find the whole “Elf on the Shelf” thing very creepy.

How does that happen? Does it happen for you? Because it sure doesn’t happen very often to me…How can it be your team (Los Angeles Rams) and your fantasy team (El Monte Jets) win on the same day? It feels like millennium.

Last Add El Monte: It’s bad argument to say Joel Sanchez and his coaching staff don’t know what they’re doing. I have to play my gray hair card on this one…Three playoff appearances in four years, arguably this could be the golden age of El Monte football.

(Now I’m not saying Sanchez is Bill Walsh, so spare me that rant.)

Are they doing it differently? Yeah, but for any Mission Valley League school to advance deep in the Mid-Valley Division playoff structure it is going to require doing something more than business as usual. This is the same at Temple City as well.

There is such a talent differential in leagues and divisions that football success going forward, most likely, will by big maneuvers and calculated rolls of the dice.

Lesson from history, if indeed history is still being taught, but Confederate General Robert E. Lee found success during the Civil War not by doing the conventional but the unconventional. He divided his forces after winning at Fredericksburg in December of 1862 and then divided them again at Chancellorsville, a few months later, where only a setting sun prevented him from total victory.

Lee’s military actions were the equivalent of going for it on fourth and nine in a bad spot on the field. The reason he did it was because he believed it gave him the best chance of winning. So in his mind, and those he worked with, confidence was supreme so it didn’t seem like long odds to him.

You might think Sanchez and Brian Tabatabai are just randomly throwing caution to the wind…They’re not. Practicality, wisdom, and experience come to play in everything we do and what coaches do. You might or might not like it…but they are not bad football coaches.

Since we’re talking history…

For the record the last time San Marino and Charter Oak met was in 1963 (how’s that for research?). In those days, before Charter Oak’s merge with Royal Oak, they were known as the Lancers. So on November 15, 1963, in the mud, Charter Oak won its final Rio Hondo League game by upsetting the Titans 20-0. In fact CO beat San Marino in 1962 and 1961 as well to hold a 3-0 all time advantage.

This is a tough call…common sense says Charter Oak…However, 607 points and 51 touchdown passes by Carson Glazier makes me want to go with the Titans…Give me some time.

APU got whacked. The Division II playoff selection committee took them fresh water fishing with Fredo and left them at the bottom of the lake. The Bedell Rule held true in this one: It’s not who you play or who you schedule, but what the teams you do play do after you play them.

The best player in Division II, Terrell Watson, is not playing so eight other schools can have first round byes. The biggest mistake APU made wasn’t it’s schedule or lone loss to Humboldt, its biggest mistake was not relocating the campus east of the Mississippi River.

El Monte Lions center Fabian Cuevas? Yeah, that dude is alright.

I guess Salesian did belong…I told you guys!

So with Big Bear traveling to Templeton and Nipomo going to Shadow Hills the 300 mile playoff road trip scenario we said could happen in the spring has come true in the fall.

Note to Steve Bogan: Beware the Arrowhead Christian splits…

With the exception of a 2012 loss at home West Covina has dominated its series with Bonita. Still the Bearcats are volatile. You don’t know who is going to show up, they’re the football testimonial for a bi-polar diagnosis…But I’m going to hang with the green.

The reason I’m going to hang with the green is not because I think Angel Verdugo is going to rush for 500 yards, but because quarterback Tanner East is getting overlooked. East has come on to play solid ball over the back half of the season, he hasn’t thrown a pick in over a month, and that Bearcat offensive line that features four seniors (who average, in size, 6-0/225. Right tackle Baylee Smith is the lone “bubba” at 6-4/260 and he’s only a junior) has been terrific all year.

Bonita 28 West Covina 14…Take it to the bank…or your credit union…or VillaTheDevil if I’m wrong.

Charles Haley needs to be in the NFL Hall of Fame…and so does (gasp, gag, gasp) legendary San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig.

Last Add Bonita: Cruz Garibay… “Bad Dude” deluxe.

The only way Crescenta Valley loses to Paramount is if they decide to do it themselves. They’re going to the semis. The Pirates have exceeded expectations, but they’ve given up the same amount of points as they’ve scored…The Falcons excel on both sides of the ball.

If not for a mishandled punt Morro Bay and Pasadena Poly might still be playing…truth is Linfield Christian, which played the Panthers tough early in the season, settles business this Friday night and gets the win.

There is so much to talk about, but I’m already 1,100 words in…Back tomorrow.

Regards:

In regards to punting/decision making: “If you want people to hate you don’t punt and go for 2…If you want people to hate you don’t punt and go for 2.”—El Monte OC Brian Tabatabai

In regards to former Blair quarterback/La Salle tight end Kishon Sanders: He turns 22 today.

In regards to La Serna: They are the monkey in the wrench, the pain in the neck…etc. etc.

In regards to hypocrisy: I think it’s great Tony Dungy has been voted a semifinalist to the Hall of Fame…but how come Tom Flores, who won two titles while working for Al Davis, isn’t a semifinalist?

In regards to Lakers: I was sort of hoping they would go 1-81.

Christmas Sux What Dept.:
1.) The Elf on The Shelf

The Dude abides…

594

Psalms 85:7

Contact Joe at joe@midvalleysports.com
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