Tim Peterson
By Tim Peterson
Thoughts and observations from the SGV Shootout:
“Hey Coach how does it look?” is my standard line for a coach that I see in the summer or at a passing league tournament.
I usually get the same standard answer but it starts a conversation and allows me to get the names of some key players for the upcoming season. So when I saw former Rosemead head coach Marc Paramo on Saturday at the SGV Shootout my first line was of course “Hey coach how does it look?” when it suddenly hit me that he is no longer the HC at Rosemead. However I did find out some interesting information. Paramo is still coaching.
He is now the defensive line coach at Pasadena City College. “I really like coaching the D-line. I did it once at Rosemead but haven’t had a chance to do it in awhile,” Paramo said. “They were able to work around my schedule, (Fridays off), and it was a good fit. Everything worked out.”
Good for Paramo and good for PCC. They’re getting a solid coach. Coaches will always move around but it’s hard for them to get out of the game completely. It’s in their DNA.
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I did get a chance to catch up with the actual Rosemead coach – first year HC Matt Castaneda. Castaneda didn’t take over until May but he brings high energy and an excitement to the program. After the Panthers lost their final game of the shootout to Diamond Ranch, Castaneda spoke to his team and then took the time to greet each and every player on the squad, shake their hand and offer a word of encouragement before they dispersed. Castaneda is familiar with the program and last year’s struggles, having served as OC, and is excited about having the opportunity to turn things around. “Everybody has been great, real helpful. Paramo and even Koffler (former HC Matt Koffler) have talked to me and support me,” Castaneda said.
The MVL is going to be interesting in 2017. Arroyo is looking for another league title, South El Monte is coming off a big year, El Monte landed a big name coach in Jesse Ceniceros, and Rosemead should rebound with a new coach and plenty of motivation. When’s the league opener?
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Former El Monte HC Eric MacIntyre has found a place to land. He is a now an assistant at Calabasas. By the way, did you know that MacIntyre is the first first-year head coach in El Monte history to win six games and take his team to the playoffs? “That and five bucks might buy me lunch,” MacIntye said.
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What’s the one thing that you need to be successful in a passing league tournament? As Captain Obvious would say, “A quarterback!” Well Northview has one in Steven Comstock so it’s not surprising that the Vikings won the SGV Shootout. It also lends credence to the narrative that Northview is the team to beat in the Valle Vista. Joe Brown, Covina HC, doesn’t disagree with that but he does like the way his Colts are progressing. Quarterback Nin Burns has been getting better all summer and the skill players have been stepping up as well. “Yeah, he’s going to be special,” Brown said of Burns. “We as a team haven’t closed the gap yet with Northview and San Dimas but we’re working hard to get there. We were close last year and we need to improve on that. Last year the Colts advanced to the second round of the playoffs before losing to Montebello in overtime.
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Speaking of Montebello the Oilers are still the team to beat in the Almont. Until somebody beats the champs, then they are still the champs or so the old adage goes. But don’t sleep on Schurr. The Spartans are raising eyebrows everywhere they go. Saturday they advanced all the way to the semis before falling to Diamond Ranch, beating Montebello in the process. Quarterback Miguel Aguero is back for his senior season and Lance Babb, who had over 1100 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns last season, is ready for a big year as well. Add to that Jeremiah Hartfield, another pass catcher who landed on campus from Crenshaw and is already turning heads, and Schurr is going to be one tough out. Schurr went 4-1 in league last year and 8-4 overall.
“He has a great hands and great moves,” said Schur assistant Carlos Arredondo of Hartfield. The Spartans also added long time area assistant Eric Elias to the coaching staff.
“If we keep moving and improving I love our chances for a league title and a deep run,” Elias said.
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What’s up in M-Town? The last time we checked the Wildcats were 6-5 in 2016 and losing in the first round of the playoffs to St. Paul. Well, Michael Washington, who is getting looks, has been lighting it up all summer and Maury Rams, who missed seven games last year, will be back for the full campaign in 2017. Rams is only a junior. Trevor McPherson was throwing for the Cats Saturday and should be able to step right in for the graduated Richie Schroeder. Monrovia won the Rio Hondo last year without a loss but they need to get out of the first round of CIF.
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Pomona won’t be tested in the Miramonte. The Red Devils have a big receiver that looks like Dez Bryant and all they have to do is throw it up there and he’ll go and get it like he did at the SGV Shootout. If they did only that they would win the Miramonte going away. But we all know they will do so much more.
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How did the hosts Arroyo do? The Knights lost to Diamond Ranch in the quarters by three. “I just need some time to get over being ticked,” said Arroyo HC Jim Singiser.
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Workman HC Oscar Robles found some players in the oddest of places. He found a quarterback who is at least 6’3″ and has gun. He found a couple of skill position players with good hands and speed to boot. In fact he found about five players all together who will contribute to this year’s team. Where did Robles have to go to find them? Nowhere. They were all right there on Workman’s campus. Some were playing basketball and a couple of others were students at Workman but hadn’t played before. One was ready to transfer to another school but Robles convinced him to stay.
“Coach Perez (Marcel) used to tell me that the players are always right here on your own campus. You just have to get them to play. I always remembered that,” Robles said.
Perez, who had Robles on his staff last year had an opinion as well. “Workman looks good. Real good,” he said.
**
The rumor that I can’t throw a football has been greatly exaggerated. I dispelled that nonsense Saturday morning when I fired a strike to my intended receiver in the end zone. Hit him right in the hands. He looked at me and acknowledged the strike and trotted back to his team. All of that and I had a camera around my neck. Any questions? Just ask my fellow staffer Rich Whittington. He was right there to witness the moment.
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tim@midvalleysports.com or on Twitter @tspeterson40.
Comedy is AJ’s out of control parents who have zero respect for the game, coaches and their son’s teammates. They make fools out of themselves. AJ carreon seems like a good kid. He is now playing for S. El Monte. Let’s hope his parents take a lesson from Trevor’s parents and sit back and watch their son play without the spectacles that they have become.
There’s no need to tear down a kid because you prefer someone else to be quarterback! I’ve known Trevor McPherson since he was in first grade. He is a good kid and you have no clue where he is going in life. I don’t know AJ Carreon too well but from what I see he seems to work hard and seems to be a good kid! Now talent wise there is really not much difference between the two. They both have average arm strength and I say let them battle it during the summer see who wins the job and hopefully the process is fair. Main thing they are teammates and should support each other and be ready when their number is called.
Propaganda if I ever seen it…..
Smh….
These coaches kill me these days!!!
– Bonita will be much improved from last year
– as will Bell Gardens. Big guy at tight end
-Arroyo has athletes but will have a slight drop off.
-El Rancho looked sharp but not great.
-Montebello and Schurr was great but it looked like Montebello would have the size advantage in a real game.
-Marshall has a couple of dynamic skill players.
– Northview played as expected.
-That Diamond Ranch QB looks to be the real deal.
History will be repeat itself.
Ancient History that you wish you had Montebello has been around for over 100 years and no ring in football. Schurr has been around for half that time and has two rings in football. History will be repeated itself.
About 3 months ago while driving home fro work i was passing Rosemead Park and noticed atleast 30-35 youngsters running football drills and what seem to be a synchronized circuit workout…man, i was intrigued because i didnt see a coach,pulled into parking area ,got out and asked what they were training for?..huh, they all replied “Rosemead freshman football,so i asked where’s your coach?, he’s at Bishop Amat with his son Adrian ,who were completing their camp obligations,so i asked ” your coach isn’t here and your still training hard.?..i never thought i would hear what they ALL responded, Coach Carlos says we are on the verge of greatness and will do what has never been done..Dominate our 4 ears of H.S.football..but we have to work harder then everyone else to do this!!..i swear, the true look in these young men’s eyes left me wondering who is this coach(or piped piper of players)??..so,that friday,same time i returned, theres 4cones(a box) and all the players bearcrawling,duckwalking,high knee sprints,etc.and in the middle of this box was this large framed,goateed,older man telling them..”nobody is gonna give you nothing in life and im not giving you nothing,we work hard and earn it,when they say your only a starter because your big or your fast…you gonna look them straight and say while you were hanging at the skatepark,playing Xbox or chasing girls,I was busting my butt in the ground,running for miles day after day..i worked for,I EARNED IT.!!
I had a chance to catch some games this weekend also at the Arroyo Shootout. I watched Schurr play. I thought they were good looking kids with average speed. Not overly impressed. Monrovia has some toys to play with. I believe when they play the Blairs of the world they will be fine. Once they have to play against similar athletes they will be out played and out coached. Sorry no agenda here just opinions. The kids and some of the players are on different planes.
Bonita looked out of sorts. Definitely not firing on all cylinders. What’s going on there. CV looked tough. Bogan working hard with minimal umber of players. Tough place to coach? Watched Workman play Pomona tough. Then watched them get smoked by Gladstone in their final game.
Great tourney. Fun day of 7 on 7.
@anon and worried guy…
Don’t be making the same predictions you guys have been making the last 4 preseasons. Just try and be humble and let the kids decide who’s best. Until you beat us you have no legs to stand on.. Also, nobody cares about that 2006 season. Ancient history…
Do you know anything about the new SG coach?
Got a chance to catch some games on the main fields. Speaking of workman got a chance to catch them against Pomona and first thing I thought was that ex Northview coach brought some of that recruiting culture to workman, but really glad to hear that those are all kids from other sports. Surprised because there was a lot of athleticism on the field and their game with Pomona came down to the end. You can take it for a grain of salt because it’s 7v7 with no pads but they did look pretty darn good along with that qb as well . Rocket for an arm. Best advice for the new kid keep it up and don’t let anyone talk to your qb. I’m sure other coaches are waiting to sway your 6’3 qb with that cannon to come their way.Great job so far coach , happy for workman.
Also got to chance to watch the Covina throw as well on the main field. The qb has a strong arm good sized kid and also heard he’s going to be a sophomore that’s great ! Covina had a lot of athletes all over the place . I think they are most likely the second team to come out of that league behind Northview , but no where near the class of Northview especially with that qb that have over there. Also glad to see Covina doing good again and getting kids. They have been dormant the past couple of years in their league , but glad to see them competing at a high level . They have always been a historically strong program !
One last note , that qb from montebllo , love him . Huge kid looks physical, strong arm, and has experience . Montebllo better ride him as long as they can , not too many qbs have that prototypical qb size that teams and colleges look for at montebllo high.
Great tournament overall coach ! Glad to see the “dude” arroyo faithful out there supporting as well. Can’t wait for football season and all the talent in the area (with pads on)!! It’s Christmas in July !!
So you forgot the 8 straight league title. You forgot the 2006 CIF Championship. The Schurr staff has a combo of older coaches that bring discipline and direction and younger coaches that bring energy and confidence to the table. Winter is coming and a new king will be crowned.
@tp
No updates on Muir or any PAC school
@Great Point, the same can also be said for schools like Marshall and Blair. Those schools have athletes on campus, just check out their other sports. For example, basketball at Blair. It’s just that no one likes to get their heads kick in and play for an incompetent coach.
So you forgot the 2006 CIF title I see…
Ramos will be always Ramos cant coach under pressure look at last year playoff game.
Schurr hasn’t been back to prominence since 1980.
I love this story about Workman helping itself by recruiting on campus. We’ve all heard that humans use only about 10% of their available brain power, and in same way, most football programs probably utilize an even lower percentage of the kids attending their own school. Getting the underutilized group of kids out to play requires some salesmanship and perhaps a bit of humility from a coach, and that’s not usually in their DNA. If a program is lucky enough to have a great on-campus recruiter who also knows how to coach (like Margarito Beltran, for instance), that team is going to do very well, working only with the kids who happen to be at the school.
Tim, I gotta agree with you on the MVL being interesting. Everyone is expecting SEM/Arroyo to decide the league…which it might. But, EM is not gonna be easy and you just get the feel that they’re gonna win a game that no one expects them to. Rosemead looks big. Not sure if that’s gonna mean wins but they do have size.
Arroyo- Camacho looks bigger and better offensively they will just fine maybe better than last year. Defensively I see holes. Not nearly as athletic in the middle of the defense but that point could be mute if the rumors are true they are bigger ands better up front. Manuel Santana is faced with the challenge to replace Carrillo in the middle. Cotero is back catching passes from Camacho and Ocariz is back in his slash role. Cousin of Yez Marquez is a player to watch.
SEM-Starts and ends with Tovar. 2800 yards returns for his senior season. Catches the ball very well also hopefully Eagles can incorporate that into the offenseThe QB is improved and the passing is a bit better. Daniel Olmos looking to have a break out year. They will need someone else to step up. One thing that hasn’t changed is defensively they are shaky at best. Heard all off season Gallardo was bringing in a new D.C. Guess not but IMO he needs one badly! They don’t play as fast as they look. Northview torched SEM badly and I got the obligatory ” we were missing kids” Still they are the second best team in the league and a punchers chance to dethrone the Knights.
EM-heard Coach C is still moving kids around but he did say he is VERY pleased with the size up front. he has installed his strength program which he says will catch teams by surprise who think they’re gonna push the lions around. Wildcard!!! Team to watch. Win or lose… they will a tough team.
Rosemead- By all indications Panthers are going back to power offense. Which is good for two reasons… 1 is it suits your team very well with a big line and big backs watch out. 2 is Arroyo has mastered the spread passing game and they’re better at than you, so do something you’re better then them at. Alex Argueta is back after sharing responsibilities looks like he’ll take over QB duties full time. Chris Alvarez will be the break out star this year. I’m calling 1500 yard back. Jordan Campbell is a also back is the lone deep threat for the panthers.
Mountain View- Skill wise brings back two running backs but the lose their 1800 yard back Martinez from last year. New D.C. Looks to have the defense improved. But the Vikings are gonna slip a bit.
Gabrielino- will be improved Frosh teams from couple years ago are now juniors and sophomores so they will be young but improved.
Marshall-???
Monrovia should be a very interesting team to watch. Trevor McPherson seems to be the choice at quarterback but it’s early don’t count out Junior AJ Carreon. The defense should be very good with two way players Michael Washington Alfonso Castillo and Jordan Erby in the secondary. Javen Walker needs to put on some weight but he just be the hardest hitting linebacker on the area. D Line is huge and experienced. On offense the Running Backs are scary good Maury Rams and Devon Mayes are highlight reels and Alfonso Castillo if healthy this year will be hard to handle. Then there’s Mr Electriicity Mike Washington who is one of the fastest players to ever play for Monrovia. The big question mark is Quarterback where they need to just manage games and not make big mistakes.
Is it true that strike you threw was a knuckle ball?