Can HC Pete Gonzalez (right), DC Jason Carlin (left) and the Oilers repeat in the Almont?
By Tim Peterson
Who’s going to win the Almont? Some say Montebello wins it going away while others say Schurr is ready to unseat the Oilers as league champs. We know that Bell Gardens will be better and we’re hearing good things out of Alhambra. Here’s an early look:
Montebello: Until somebody knocks off the champions, they’re still the champions. That’s the way it is for the Oilers right now. Gabriel Tapia returns at quarterback and looks bigger and better than ever. The offense revolves around Tapia who threw for 2000 yards and rushed for 674 as well. Michael Vital provides some punch to the running attack as well. Linebacker Kris Rodriguez, who had 72 total tackles a year ago, is back to anchor the defense. The Oilers could be beat, make no mistake, but right now, they’re the team to beat.
Schurr: If there’s anybody that can take down Montebello it’s Schurr. The Spartans went 4-1 in league last year and looks much improved. Quarterback Miguel Aguero and receiver Lance Babb both return in what could be the most dangerous duo in the Almont. Add to that mix wide out Jeremiah Hartfield who has been lights out this summer. Francisco Remigio, who had over 800 yards in 2016, returns as well. The passing attack has been clicking as evidenced by the Spartans run to the semi finals at the SGV Shootout. We know the offense is there, and if the Schurr defense, which is traditionally solid, can keep opponents at bay, the Spartans are going to be tough to beat.
Bell Gardens: If nothing else, it’s Margarito Beltran’s second year at the helm, so the Lancers will be better. BG was very young a year ago and all of the those players are a year older and a year more experienced. Augustin Velasquez Jr. is back behind center as is running back Braham Rodriguez. The Lancers have been active on the passing circuit and improving every week. Can BG crack the top two? Probably not. But they could upset somebody’s apple cart somewhere along the way.
Alhambra: The Moors finished 5-6 overall last year including a 3-2 league record and a trip to the CIF playoffs. Alhambra has shown improvement each year under head coach Eric Bergstrom and this year should be no different. Salman Gurung, who rushed for 1045 yards and 13 touchdowns a year ago, is set for a big senior year. Julien Garcia, the back up last year, should get the nod at quarterback. Third place and a possible playoff berth should come down to Bell Gardens at Alhambra on October 20. Right now it’s a toss up.
San Gabriel: The Matadors have a new head coach in Kevin Encinas which could be a good thing (new beginning) or a bad thing (starting all over from scratch.) Either way it’s going to be a struggle for the Mats as they try to rise from the ashes. Last year their only league win was over Keppel, and they were outscored by Schurr and Montebello by the combined score of 108-7. One day San Gabriel will compete in league. It just won’t be this year.
Keppel: The Aztecs actually forfeited a game last year because they didn’t have enough healthy players to field a team. But slowly and surely Keppel is trying to get off the floor. John Tuttle is still at the helm as HC and brings a wealth of experience to the position. With consistency in the coaching staff, the hope is that eventually the players will come out and Keppel will get on track. Is there hope? Absolutely. Will it happen in 2017? No.
@ Anonymous: It’s nice to hear from you again. I totally agree that it’s time for Alhambra to beat not only the teams you mentioned, but a few others as well.
We’re going to find out quickly as to whether we’re prepared to compete with higher-caliber teams.
Our opener will be against South El Monte, which is coming off an 11-2 season and a trip to the CIF semifinals. (And, the Eagles will have running back Sal Tovar again.) We’re due for a victory against Rowland (in our second game), and South Pasadena had a playoff team last year.
Then, in Almont League play, we’ll have our usual formidable opponents in Montebello and Schurr. And, a Bell Gardens squad coached by Margarito Beltran cannot be taken lightly.
Our ground attack was generally effective last season. The exceptions to that rule were in the opener at Western, when the offense didn’t appear to be quite ready, and against the stiff South Pasadena and Montebello defenses.
Our defense was usually pretty solid in 2016.
A key to the coming season, other than avoiding devastating injuries, will be whether we can throw the ball more accurately and often enough to keep the opposing defenses guessing. If we’re able to accomplish that, then they won’t be able to routinely “pack the box” with 9-11 defenders to stuff our running game.
This should be fun.
@ron we should have hired Jude or zeke after Gil decided to step down instead of his buddy Lou Torres
@ Anonymous (whichever one I’m talking to): Yes, Coach Gil Ruedaflores got his start at Alhambra High while the Moors were in the Foothill League. Hart (which has always seemed to have a great quarterback!), Burroughs, and Schurr were all powerful teams at the time.
But, you neglected to mention that Ruedaflores had to deal with the Foothill League for just three seasons. Alhambra has been in the Almont League since 1992.
His 1990 team did make the playoffs, thanks to a third-place finish in league, but it ended up with an overall record of only 4-7.
And, as I pointed out just a while ago, Ruedaflores’ teams didn’t contend for league titles and playoffs spots on a regular basis until his last 10 seasons (out of a total of 21).
I believe the comparison between Ruedaflores’ start and Eric Bergstrom’s could be a closer one than you think. Only time will tell.
@ G.O.A.T. & Anon: I knew it would be a lot to read for some, especially for those who aren’t interested in Alhambra High School or its football program. I understand your feelings, so I’ll try to keep my material more condensed in the future.
However, I would’ve done everyone a disservice by taking a simplistic approach to the discussion, considering all the coaching changes and other issues which have affected the program since 2011.
A lot of things have happened, so there’s a lot to talk about.
The purpose of my last post was to put Gil Ruedaflores’ coaching tenure at AHS in its proper perspective. He’s not the greatest football coach the school has ever had, but he’s definitely in our top three.
I brought up Coach Ruedaflores in the first place as a response to those who seem eager to dump the current staff ASAP.
It is a fact that Ruedaflores didn’t achieve a winning record until his sixth season as head coach, when his 1994 team went 9-2.
And, to take my point further, he had only one other winning team during his first 11 years. (His ’96 team, which featured running back Adam Tate, went 8-4 and made it to the CIF quarterfinals.)
Ruedaflores’ teams consistently contended only during his last 10 seasons, making the playoffs eight times in the early 2000’s.
I believe these facts reinforce my contention that Eric Bergstrom and his assistants should be given a little more slack at this time.
I sympathize with everyone who is impatient. The 2013 and ’14 seasons were extremely difficult to watch, but we’ve gained some traction the last two years.
The 2017 season could be a pivotal one for the AHS football program; let’s see how it plays out.
@ NWO: Good luck over at San Gabriel! I hope you guys are able to compete fairly soon.
Alhambras football problems started when they decide to hire Lou Torres as head coach over Jude and Zeke
@The Goat
July 10, 2017 – 10:46 pm
Too much to read, geeez
Yup and not even related to the topic 🤦♂️
Alhambra HS is lucky to have a guy like Ron. Every athletic dept. should have a history of their sports.
Too much to read, geeez
I’d like to expand on the discussion that a few of us are having about Gil Ruedaflores’ legacy at Alhambra High School.
Ruedaflores is one of the top three head coaches in the history of the AHS varsity football team. He has the second-most victories (behind only the legendary George Hobbs), as well as the most losses—a fact that’s largely due to his longevity as the head coach.
Here are the top all-time football coaches at Alhambra High:
George Hobbs (21 seasons, 1927-47): 122-59-10 (.665)
Gil Ruedaflores (21 seasons, 1989-2009): 111-110-2 (.502)
Ed Sowers (11 seasons, 1948-57 & ’59): 58-38-9 (.595)
Hobbs’ teams won seven league championships and three CIF titles. His CIF-champion squads of 1928, ’39 and ’46, plus his 1943 team, all went undefeated. (The ’43 team went 6-0 during a season which was shortened because of wartime restrictions.)
Ruedaflores’ teams captured two Almont League titles (in 2002 and ’06) and made the playoffs 12 times. His 1996 and ’06 squads advanced to the second round before being eliminated.
Sowers led the Moors to two Pacific League championships and a total of four playoff appearances. His 1948 team made it to the CIF semifinals, and his ’55 team advanced all the way to the final before losing at San Diego.
Only two other head coaches have had winning career records at AHS, which first fielded a varsity football team in 1912. They are Lou Torres, who coached the Moors to an overall record of 13-9 in 2010-11, and Fred Whittingham, who led Alhambra to an 8-1 mark in 1972.
A side note: Fred Whittingham left after just one year at AHS in order to become an assistant coach at Brigham Young University. A former NFL player, Whittingham went on to serve as a longtime assistant with the Los Angeles Rams and the Oakland Raiders.
He was also the father of Kyle Whittingham, the current head coach of the Utah Utes.
@ Anonymous (the one who recommended my “hiring” by Mid-Valley Sports): I’m not for hire; I’ll continue working for the Alhambra High football program on a volunteer basis into the forseeable future.
Also, a lot of things are in the eye of the beholder. For instance, one person’s “dork” could be another’s regular stud. I think I’ve done all right for myself, both physically and mentally, for six decades now.
You’re welcome to come by Moor Field and introduce yourself on any Friday evening when we’re at home. I’ll be on the platform at the top of our “palatial” temporary bleachers. I generally have some time for conversation during the pre-game warmups.
@ Pac 5 Scout: I appreciate the compliment. I do my work the old-fashioned way; I keep a written play-by-play which I convert into stats at halftime and after the game. Anyone who has access to Hudl or any other Alhambra game videos can verify their accuracy.
This will be my 15th season doing stats and PR for AHS football. I also was the statistician at Bell High School for 11 years between 1989 and 2000, and I did stats for East L.A. College for four seasons during the early 2000’s.
I’ve always applied the highest journalistic standards to my work. It doesn’t matter which team or player has a big game or a poor one; if it happens, I report it.
I forgot they did let Marshall join the Mission Valley League which was assinine in the 2014 cycle
Just an FYI on releaguing. It’s not up to the CIF on releaguing. The AD’s and principals are the only ones who can move the needle on releaguing. The Foothill area is the only area I know hasn’t seen any type of movement in the last 8 years. I asked an Rio Hondo League AD about the upcoming releaguing was their going to be a solution to the Blair problem of them not fielding teams in several sports because not enough players. He said there wasn’t even a proposal. So basically they are too lazy to do the leg work to research and even submit a proposal to move schools in the Foothill area around. The Mt Sac area has been very active every 4 years moving schools around to have competitive balance without compromising geography or rivalries. Get it together Foothill Area!
Reading this thread my mind wandered to stats. Through the years I’ve noticed stat people are often young girls helping out on the sidelines. A little Q & A explained how some players had inflated stats. Huge yards, tackles, sacks and so forth.. The reason was they were friends and relations of stat people. As stats are so important it is only fair that they be honest. Alhambra is fortunate to have a dependable stat man like Mr. Vrooman if he does indeed note stats himself not just report some other persons.
That’s a funny line, “?,” but I assure you that I’ve never gone to such an extreme. It’s too much work. Keeping and reporting meaningful stats takes enough of my time.
I like to think that I’m not your stereotypical “bean counter.” I’ve always believed that the human element is the most important one, and I try to use only the numbers that help tell a story about people.
I’m also fascinated by history, including the rich history of high school football in the San Gabriel Valley. I’m equally riveted by what’s going on in the present, as the players and coaches of today strive to make history for themselves and their schools.
I’m eager to see how the 2017 season will unfold.
It goes through us! Plain and simple!!
@peterson
You really opened a can of worms with this thread lol… a few house wife’s from mid valley/sgv seem like they are sitting on a leather couch in a doctors office letting it all out
Rosemead and SG did try to start a rivalry about 8 years ago. They had a trophy and a sponsor for the game. Then Marshall is added to the MVL and the game disappeared.
And I thought there was drama in the Alhambra Unified School District…
FYI
Those leagues are not going to happen folks. I have been discussing this for years. The district just want one team to be competitive in CIF. As long as they, Arroyo schedules down and stays with this leagues teams the way they are they won’t have to worry about going up to higher Divisions in CIF.
1. Arroyo is the Prince of the EMUHSD. They are not going anywhere. Right now the district saves money on the bus schedules because they have their own busses for all the boys and girls teams. Then, like in baseball they farm the busses out to do other pick ups for extra money and make the teams wait, sometimes for 2 hours after their game is over. Then they take them home. Oh by the way its never Arroyo that has to
wait for a bus.
2. Rosemead lost the last 2 freshman classes with transfers out of the district to, guess who, Schurr. Rumor has it that they kept this years class together. So after this season they will be competing again with Arroyo. Maybe they will be bounced down to Division 13.
3. SEM had three awesome freshman classes in a row. They always seem to get athletes and football players. They have an offensive system in place now (Wing T) that will help them because of their smaller size. Thats how San Dimas can compete for championships.
4. El Monte, administration problems as well as coaching changes has not help the program at least for the next year or two. Coach C is a very good offensive coach. The offense is not the problem. Its going to be schools wide open offense past culture that will be hard to deal with just like it was for coach at Chino. The parents, players and admin are all going to have to buy in to the Double Wing mind set and with these millennials it will be doubtful that coach C stays more than 3 years.
Now the only thing that will help all the other MVL teams is to schedule down. Why? Well, its no guarantee but if they can get earn a record of 6-4 loosing to the top 3-4 teams in league they can possible get an at-Large bid and challenge for a Division 13 title. Imagine Coach Sanin/Ambruso and whoever the coach is for Marshall can’t break into a top 3 spot but win CIF… Maybe CIF will fix the leagues after that happens!
@RV: Man you must have stats on how many times a player used the pooper in 1956. Nice to see that a great bean counter does not translate into wins or all the SGV would be in big trouble.
@ron you are right that not many people were disappointmented with Gil but as you stated Alhambra sucked for years,fast forward now Alhambra has expectations although Gil didn’t win league his teams were always contenders in the 2000’s. So Eric has been a disappointment to me because there is not a win on has resume that is impressive how many of the 14 wins have come against a team that ended with a winning record. The only team is La Wilson which is a city section team. Did he beat BG at BG yes but that was a BG team that was in year one of rebuilding having a JV team playing varsity. As far as making playoffs there was no one to challenge Alhambra for third that BG did challenge was by default because they were given two wins with San Gabriel and keppel. And during Eric’s tenure every team in the almont has been rebuilding except for Montebello so that he has not made more progress in four years is a disappointment.
OK, “Moor,” you mean to say that Coach Bergstrom is still a disappointment, even though his team finished third in the Almont League last season and secured Alhambra its first playoff berth since 2011?
The Moors’ victory at Bell Gardens, which was their biggest step toward securing that playoff spot, was their first win on the road against the Lancers since 1994. And, yes, the Lancers were rebuilding last year, but so were we. The difference may have been that we were a step or two ahead of them in that process.
Either way, last year’s victory at B.G. was an important achievement for the AHS program. Even Coach Gil Ruedaflores won down there just once in nine tries, and it took his exceptionally explosive ’94 team to accomplish that feat.
I wonder whether there’s a double standard—or short memories—at work here.
How many Alhambra High fans back in the early ’90’s were “disappointed” by the fact that Ruedaflores didn’t lead the Moors to a winning record until his sixth season as head coach? (He debuted with a 5-5 record in 1989, and then had four straight losing seasons before coaching the Moors to a 9-2 record in ’94.)
I was teaching in L.A. Unified and doing football stats for Bell High at that time, so I wasn’t yet connected with the program at AHS.
However, my sense is that people at AHS and in the community were willing to be patient with Ruedaflores because the varsity team had been a perennial loser before his hiring.
In fact, the Moors had only six winning seasons between 1956 and ’93. And, three of those six winning seasons occurred during my four years as a student at AHS (between the fall of 1969 and the spring of ’73.)
That’s how bad the losing had become.
It seems to me that expectations are probably much higher now for the Alhambra High football program than they were back in the early ’90’s.
In my opinion, one reason for the heightened expectations is that the varsity team has experienced success as recently as 2011. During that season, Ruedaflores’ successor, Lou Torres, coached the Moors to a 9-3 record and an appearance in the playoff quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, there was a lot of behind-the-scenes turmoil affecting the AHS football program, and, despite his on-the-field success, Torres was forced out as head coach after the 2011 season. Then, we went through two coaching failures (Joe Kanach and Chuck Leonardis) before Bergstrom was hired in July, 2013.
I believe that another reason for the heightened expectations for the Alhambra squad is the Ruedaflores legacy.
Gil Ruedaflores coached the varsity for 21 seasons, giving the program at AHS remarkable stability, and he led the Moors to 12 playoff appearances during his tenure. (I was his statistician for his last seven seasons, by the way.)
There is no question that Ruedaflores and his staff brought AHS football back to a competitive level which had not been seen for decades. That accomplishment should always be appreciated at Alhambra High and in the community.
And, Ruedaflores had an undeniably positive influence on the lives of many young people as a teacher and coach at AHS.
But, the story of his football coaching record becomes more complicated when you take an in-depth look.
Only two of the Ruedaflores-coached teams that made the CIF playoffs won league championships, and only two of the others finished second in league. A total of eight Ruedaflores squads made the playoffs as third-place teams.
In addition, Ruedaflores had a playoff coaching record of only 2-12. His teams got knocked out in the first round 10 times and made the CIF quarterfinals only twice.
Ruedaflores’ career coaching record at AHS was barely above .500, at 111-110-2. But, to be fair, his winning percentage is still better than that of six of his predecessors who date all the way back to the early 1960’s.
A key point here is that Coach Ruedaflores was given the time to carve out his niche in the history of Alhambra High and its football program. He made Alhambra competitive again on the field of play, and he also made an impact at AHS and in the community.
My purpose in writing this is to provide a needed perspective on the football coaching situation at AHS, and my main point is that people who follow the program should show Eric Bergstrom the same kind of patience that was afforded to Gil Ruedaflores.
The Alhambra High football program has continued to show improvement under Coach Bergstrom’s leadership, but at a relatively slow rate so far. Let’s see whether that trend can be accelerated in the 2017 season.
Schurr ended 4th in the Mission Viejo 7 on 7 tournament.
Results were…
Mission Viejo 1st
Upland 2nd
Norco 3rd
Schurr 4th
Not too bad for the “little” guys.
Great ideas about letting weak players have their own weak leagues. How about 5’8″ height limit league for large asian population schools in round ball.
Ok ok ok I can understand how Sparty is feeling. You beat us at a 7 on 7 lol you’re feeling good like you might have a shot to end the streak. Don’t forget football is decided on physicality. Plus don’t forget you still have the same Defensive Coordinator! Yes the same no adjustments himself who out thinks himself. Remember last years game? Even better do you remember the second half vs Arroyo in the playoffs? The guy can’t get out of his own way. Here’s his problem… he wants to run a college/pro scheme with 16-17 year olds not only that he doesn’t even know his own system. Free advice M… You have good athletes your job is allow them to play fast not think so much KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. Montebello wins again 37-24 Schurr starts fast but can’t keep up in the second half. Schurr heart broken again knowing this is their best shot … back to rebuild Sparta nice knowing ya.
@another approach, Dumbest idea ever!
@ron those close games came against Rowland, Western two teams that have struggling football teams and a good south Pasadena team. Under Coach Gil Ruedaflores Alhambra would beat these teams easy. Alhambra has better football talent then keppel will ever have so it is a disappointment that Eric hasn’t turned the program around being on campus for 3 years now.
@ronAhs Eric has been a disappointment as a coach his 14 wins have come against teams Alhambra should beat there is not one win against a top team maybe La Wilson but there an average city section team.He has beat keppel,San Gabriel,La Wilson and temple city. Last year he beat temple city,San Gabriel, keppel,la Wilson and Bell gardens. These are all rebuilding teams.
Coach Pete is a Great Man and is a battle tested Coach. He has a CIF Championship under his belt. It will be Montebello and Schurr for The League Title.
To “Anonymous,” whoever you might be:
If you read my earlier post carefully, I hardly criticized Aaron Sepulveda’s coaching skills; I simply stated the fact that his varsity teams at Mark Keppel had a combined record of 3-37.
Also, I never said anything negative about Coach Sepulveda as a person, nor did I question his dedication to Keppel’s football program.
The coaches I’ve encountered are generally caring, hardworking people who put in long hours and often have to put up with outside interference in return for a relatively meager stipend. (That’s a pretty typical situation in public high schools.)
You might’ve even noticed that I was willing to concede the point about Coach Sepulveda changing the culture of the football program at Keppel in a positive way.
The only thing I really criticized was your saying that Coach Sepulveda had the program “on track,” when his varsity teams won only three games in his four seasons there. At the very least, using the term “on track” in connection with that sort of performance is a bit of an exaggeration.
Words have meanings, and they should not be misapplied.
Perhaps Coach Sepulveda did have the program on track during his first three years, when the varsity went 3-27. That record might’ve represented a measure of progress for a team that had multiple winless seasons in its recent past.
However, I believe it’s useful to point out that in Coach Sepulveda’s fourth and final season in 2015, the program suffered a setback when the varsity once again went 0-10.
I can’t tell you whether it was that one season or something else which was the key factor leading to Coach Sepulveda’s departure from Keppel. The entire school was in turmoil that year, as the girls’ varsity basketball coach, an assistant principal, and Principal Jas Cisneros were all in the process of being removed from their positions.
You mentioned that Coach Sepulveda began his first year in the month of June, and such a late start is always a disadvantage. Coach Eric Bergstrom at Alhambra High started in mid-July of 2013, after Chuck Leonardis and his entire staff were fired upon the revelation that some players were being encouraged to use Creatine.
Coach Bergstrom would be the first to tell you that he’s not satisfied with a 14-27 start to his coaching career at AHS. His objective has been to win every game, and he has always coached that way.
In addition, Coach Bergstrom’s 14-27 record in four seasons at AHS is substantially better than those compiled by his counterparts at San Gabriel and Mark Keppel during the same period. (Which is a sad commentary on the general state of the football programs at the schools in the Alhambra district.)
Alhambra High’s varsity actually began to seriously compete last season, when the Moors went 5-5 in the regular season and qualified for a CIF playoff berth for the first time since 2011.
In addition, three of Alhambra’s losses in 2016 were by three points apiece. All of those losses were in relatively low-scoring games where a little more offensive firepower would’ve made the difference.
We’ve been searching for an effective passing attack for the last several seasons, and maybe this is the year we’ll get it right. We’ve had a good ground game for the last couple of seasons; developing a balanced offense has been our main problem.
I hope all of the Alhambra-district schools show improvement in 2017. We at Alhambra High will certainly keep trying.
Instead of cleansing the various leagues of their perennial losers and dumping them all into new loser leagues, CIF could simply mandate a coaching change for any program that fails to make the playoffs for three consecutive years. A coach worth his salt will always be able to at least qualify for the postseason after leading a team for that long, so this would work.
As things stand now, these poorly-run programs are being told that it’s OK to continue down the path of failure; CIF will work around your lack of initiative by creating what amounts to handicap leagues, where you can keep on doing things the wrong way.
Well, “GotIt,” you might be onto something with those three proposed leagues.
I think your ideas would be viable ones if the CIF Southern Section ever decided to carry out a comprehensive reorganization of the leagues in the San Gabriel Valley.
The only change I’d make to your proposal would be to include Temple City in the same league with Keppel, San Gabriel, Marshall, Gabrielino, Bassett, and Workman.
As things currently stand, the Temple City Rams would have a much better chance of making headway in that league. I believe the rest of your setup makes a lot of sense.
When will pacific and Rio Hondo league predictions come out?
@SD: You are an absolute genius Sports Dad. It would be terrific if struggling programs from the SGV like Sierra Vista, Gladstone, Duarte, Workman,Nogales and Azusa had their own league.
@Ron V AHS
Arroyo would get smoked by Northview and San Dimas. Remember the last time they seen san Dimas?
Arroyo
Arcadia
Rosemead
Montebello
Schurr
BG
MtnView
El Monte
SEM
Alhambra
TC
BG
Keppel
SG
Marshall
Gabrielino
Bassett
Workman
Three solid leagues
They do playoff equity. Why can’t they do League equity instead. I think it makes more sense. Make Leagues where 3 or 4 teams have a chance to win a League instead of pretty much knowing who will win the league almost every year. Take the lazy AD’s in the Foothill area who didn’t even submit a Releaguing proposal.
That’s an interesting take, Football Fan. I’ve been wondering for several years why they haven’t moved Glendale and Hoover from the Pacific League to the Rio Hondo League, in exchange for Monrovia and San Marino.
I also believe that Arroyo could compete against Northview, San Dimas, and Covina in the Valle Vista League, and that a school such as Glen Wilson High would be better off in a league such as the Mission Valley, the Miramonte, or the Montview.
In addition, Rowland High might actually be successful in the Miramonte League, playing against Bassett, La Puente, Ganesha, and Garey as well as Pomona.
Where’s the fun in one team running off with the league title year after year? (Obviously, it’s a lot more fun if you’re part of that dominant program.)
Competitive imbalances abound, and it’s been a long time since most of the leagues were last reorganized. And, the CIF Southern Section’s current lax approach on transfers has only worsened the problem.
Competition
I don’t completely agree with that alignment @football fan , although I would love an sg vs Rosemead rivalry, the league you mentioned would leave the two teams with tradition and potential on top sg and Rosemead ,that’s not a good thing considering the fact that with out though completion that league will be a joke I love the mission valley and almont since they provide tough but optimistic possibility for any team to get a chance to shine if you understand my overall fear with your league suggestion
Let’s see a montview league preview!
With the releaguing process clearly becoming a system of bottom feeders being catered to- see new 605 league that decimated the suburban and made things much more difficult for the Del Rio- I can definitely see the bottom of the mvl combining with the bottom of the almont and vice versa. Therefore your leagues can consist of Keppel, SAN Gabriel, Gabrielino, Mountain View, Rosemead and Marshall. With Montebello, Schurr, BG, Alhambra, Arroyo, El Monte, and SEM in another league.
For the record, Aaron Sepulveda went 3-37 in four seasons as Mark Keppel’s head football coach, for a winning percentage of .075. I don’t understand how results like that could have possibly put Keppel “on track.”
I never met Coach Sepulveda, but I’m sure he gave his best effort as a walk-on coach. Perhaps he improved the culture of the program at Keppel, but, unfortunately, any such change did not result in a significant number of victories.
If there were other issues affecting Keppel’s football program at the time, I’m totally unaware of them, outside of the turnover in both administrators and coaches. (I was on the periphery of all that as a substitute teacher for the Alhambra School District.)
I hope that the teams at Mark Keppel and San Gabriel High Schools become competitive again sooner rather than later. I can’t see how the near-total dominance of the Almont League in football by the Montebello-district schools has been good for the league. (But, it’s been great for Montebello and Schurr in particular.)
The best way to change that situation is for the Alhambra-district schools to win games. Hopefully, no one will have to resort to league reconfiguration in order to become more competitive.
Mission Valley outlook comes out and Almont trolls hit it with at least 50 comments about every Almont team.
Almont outlook comes out yesterday and only 3 hits!
Did you guys wear out your fingers?
Game of the year in the Almont is SG vs. Keppel. Who will own the cellar?
@Bee Gee don’t kid yourself. Guys are going to be battling for 4th place.
I call a 3 way tie for a league title!
BG beats Montebello
Montebello beats Schurr
Schurr beats BG
Heard it hear first!
Oh and…
Keppel beats SG
Should be a great year. Good luck to all of the Almont league teams!
Montebello, Schurr, BG and Alhambra all have the luxury of 2 guaranteed league wins, due to the presence of perennial cellar-dwellers San Gabriel and Keppel. The Del Rio is the same in this regard, except the punching bags are named Whittier and Pioneer. CIF needs to clear all leagues of such deadwood, clumping these poorly-run programs into two or three leagues of underachievers. They’ve already done this with the competitive equity divisional assignments; now it’s time to do the same with the leagues.
It’s going to be a fun year full od surprises and I might see an upset or two.
It’s crazy to me that Vital and Rodriguez were at Schurr, now they’re the leaders for the Oilers. Schurr’s defense will be the question mark. Especially their DC. Last year he didn’t know how to adjust and got out coached quite a bit. This should be his make or break year. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.