La Serna HC Andy George has the Lancers ready for another run
By Tim Peterson
La Serna has owned the Del Rio for what seems like the last decade. The Lancers are looking to repeat again. El Rancho looks like a team on the rise and Santa Fe should be back in the mix as well. Cal needs a big bounce back season and the question for Whittier and Pioneer is do they have enough?
La Serna: Ben Orona steps in for the graduated Justin Moreno at quarterback. He played only a mop up role last year. Matthew Marshall is gone at running back but the Lancers do return Alfonso Ibanez who rushed for over 800 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. Receiver Calvin Salcedo (239 yards, 5 touchdowns) should spark the offense as well. Middle linebacker Abraham Shalash, who had 110 total tackles in 2017 returns for his junior year to anchor the defense. La Serna may be tested somewhere along the way, but in the end, the Lancers should be on top of the Del Rio.
El Rancho: Adrian Medrano surprised some people last year by not only taking El Rancho to the playoffs but beating Norwalk in a first round game. The numbers are back and so apparently are the Dons. Adam Chandler is gone but Medrano can just plug in Jacob Rodriguez, who threw for 280 yards last year, behind center. Running back Marcos Weeks returns to the backfield after a solid season last year. Also Jacob Garcia, Juan Paxcle, Nick Powers, Alex Salas, Brandon Carmona and Richie Amaya will all contribute offensively. On defense the Dons will rely on such players like DB Giovanni Navarro, Nathan Huerta, (Returning All CIF), Marc Anthony Huizar, Daniel Rodriguez, Jonathan Hernandez and Andrew Tarango. With the energy the coaching staff brings and the depth the Dons have second place looks good, but you know Medrano has his eye on the prize. His sights are firmly set on La Serna.
Santa Fe: Reports that Santa Fe has lost players to transfers have been greatly exaggerated according to head coach Dave Pierson. The Chiefs made the playoffs last year but fell in the first round to Beckman. Santa Fe is loaded at wide receiver with Dylan Thomas, Neko Scott and Javier Valdivia, all who had big years in 2017, but the Chiefs will need someone to get them the ball as they break in a new quarterback. They also have only one offensive lineman returning. Santa Fe will be tested right out of the gate with Cathedral, Bonita and Northview. A league title might be a little too much to ask, but Santa Fe should compete with ER for a seat behind La Serna.
California: The Condors are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 4-6 season a year ago but they’ll have to do it with a new quarterback after Evan Barajas graduated. Sebastian Pimentel, Josh Merry and Humberto Arteaga are all battling for the job making the decision tough for HC Kyle Trudell. Adam Arceo is back to bolster the receiving corp. Christopher Lowden and Andrew Reyes both rushed for over 1000 yards in 2017 but they also both took the walk in June. That leaves Jonathan Patino (140 yards) as the lone returning back. Patino will play on both sides of the ball as he lines up at DB in the secondary as well. They do however have six starters on offense and defense returning – mostly the boys up front. Luis Sanchez is a high motor defensive end and Eli Santistevan was an all league linemen last year. Juniors Ray Garcia and Robert Guillen will play both DB and wide receiver. We’ll see what the Condors have early. They have a nice local non-league schedule that includes Schurr, Rosemead and San Dimas. Fourth looks about right for Cal however they could bite one of the top three to get in the post season.
Whittier: The Cardinals always seem to be a team on the bubble. They’re not bad (usually middle of the pack in league) but not good enough to get to the next level. Last year was more of the same. Whittier finished 5-5 overall and 2-3 in the Del Rio and missed the playoffs. Their best player was QB/OLB Dylan Salcido and he’s gone. Receiver Rodrigo Pastrano was pretty good too…and he’s also gone. The Cards do have Alex Retana (440 yards rushing) back as well as Nick Delgado to catch some passes. They’re nice pieces but not enough to complete the puzzle. Whittier won’t finish in the Del Rio cellar but a top three finish is a tall mountain to climb. Number five (or four) looks about right.
Pioneer: The Titans were 0-10 last year so the only way to go is up right? You would think so. They suffered league losses to La Serna of 71-6 and Santa Fe 41-0. Cal had a disappointing year but destroyed Pioneer 38-14. Looking at the schedule this year it doesn’t appear that there’s a win there. I guess it’s possible that Pioneer doesn’t go winless, but it’s not possible that they make the playoffs. That’s a few years away…at least.
Previous League Looks
Mission Valley
Almont
Valle Vista
Rio Hondo
Miramonte
St. Paul is an absolute DELETED . I rather go to any nearby public school they all have better facilities and way better education.
A lot of kids want to play with Bryce Young Rated #1 Sophm0re QB in The Nation. If you build They will come. How about St. paul they are letting anybody into the school.
Cathedral got 6 Transfers in this year. How about Carson this year with 20 and Calabasas last year with 30. Even St. John Bosco has 20 this year.
As the dust begins to settle on the big Santa Fe implosion, it becomes clear that only the Chiefs program will suffer for its malfeasance. But what about the recruits themselves? Did they not know they were committing an act of fraud toward CIF? Does the federation not have the right to levy a penalty against these kids who attempted to pull a fast one on the system? This smells the same way as the Reggie Bush/Pete Carroll walkaway of a few years back.
@Superman. Illegal transfers??? Every school has transfers. Where is your proof??
They are a private school they play by their own rules… at worse these kids sit 30 days and get to play in week 4…
I wish I could be part of the CIF board I would go dismantle Cathedral as 50 % of their players are illegal transfers.
Thomas is at cathedral.
Thomas is gone gone, Neko Scott is at Cathedral, Demajay Williams probably gone also. I feel bad for the Santa Fe kids, coach sold his soul to the devil and he came to collect early.
Schurr at SEM Thursday night scrimmage.
Dylan Thomas no longer at Santa Fe
Crescenta Valley at Monrovia tomorrow at 4pm. Scrimmage
Who is everyone scrimmaging?
ER visits Arroyo this Friday night
Varsity at 7pm, JV 6 and Freshmen at 5.
Boogie Man, you gonna let that guy talk to you like that???
@Titan Pride:
Nice try. Each transfer to LM has been verified as having moved to LM or sat out the requisite time. LM has never denied they get transfers as evidenced by the article in the paper a couple years back.
Perhaps you guys should stop making excuses (enrollment, demographics) and stop trying to deflect by throwing shade on other teams. Beat Glenn, Artesia and Cerritos next season and then maybe we can talk.
@KB: Downey talk is rare in these parts, but how about a hearty helping of APU chatter?
How many of the playmakers at LM are homegrown kids…? Very few. “More like buy a metro pass and they will come.”
All I was asking is maybe something about Downey every now and then but from the response to my post you would think I was asking for your first born, and warren still sucks.
It is my hope that Pioneer football will remain in the 11-man category, but I fear the Titans will eventually devolve into the 8-man classification, where perhaps the boys in green can finally make themselves proud.
@ Titan Pride
Section only votes on re-leaguing that has been voted on by the the principals of the league. Many scenarios are presented.
La Mirada has an enrollment around 2100 yet until this new admin came in they have fielded very strong teams> That wont be the case in the future.
Quit playing the “woe is me” card and the enrollment and demographics card. Make the school a destination. “Build it and they will come”.
@Football Fan
This is not true. La Mirada, Norwalk, Bellflower and Mayfair (top half of Suburban) did not want to join DRL. They also spoke against letting Cerritos, Glenn and Artesia go. I don’t blame them… Why would you want to join a league were you become 2nd or 3rd to LS, ER and SF. So Artesia, Glenn and Cerritos voted to leave. If you were at the section meetings out in Newhall, CA, you might have better info.
Enrollments-
Pioneer- 1350
Glenn- 1550
Artesia- 1530
Cerritos- 2176
Whittier- 2164
El Rancho- 2772
Santa Fe- 2497
La Serna- 2940
California- 2955
FYI
The ER-Norwalk game should be a good measuring stick for both teams. Norwalk has the last of the Penny’s at QB and this being his chance to earn more offers will be playing his heart out plus the fact that ER knocked them out of the playoffs. ER playing at Norwalk will be wholly dependent on the O-line being able to knock holes for their runners. If they can’t it will make it a long night for their new QB.
@Knightwatch
The Ads decide what happens with the MVL and guess who the AD is at Arroyo? Yup you guessed the head football coach. Guess who is the loudest voice in that meeting??? Yup Jim Singiser! And guess who is the one most vehemently against the releagueing of the MVL yup Jim again. It’s just not fair for school like Mountain View South El Monte Gabrielino and Marahall to play against a school twice its size. El Monte and Rosemead would be fine but the other schools it’s just an uphill climb. So I would say yes it is on Arroyo! And it’s time everyone comes together and vote them out. Arroyo to the Del Rio since its too late for the Hacienda.
@ Downey Discussion
Why are you letting Downey fall out your mouth? Downey isn’t even mentioned in the article. Can you stick to the topic at hand? Damn Doweny is living in your head rent free
@ The Truth
If you knew the history of the EMUHSD you would know that the district has always wanted to keep the district schools in the same league for logistical purposes. The league reps are burdened with that policy every time there is a re- leaguing meeting at CIF.
Just like not playing host to the state playoff game, the decision was made at the administration level
not the team.
The 605 league was almost named the Esperanza League…let’s “hope” that they can at least be competitive against each other. One would assume that they would be, right?
The ‘news’ on Downey is that there isn’t any….the Vikings have settled into a state of being good but not great, year after year. The CIF title of several years ago was an aberration stemming entirely from CIF’s demoting the program into a lower division. With that gift received, the program has relapsed into the state of always being on the outside looking in. Best wishes to Viking fans as they adjust their expectations to meet this new reality.
Arroyo are cowards just like Pomona, the weaker the league the happier they are to beat up on inferior teams…..
If the Del Rio League is a part of the MVS family how about some news about Downey which is just down the road, no need to write about warren because they suck.
With new 605 league forming… how about Arroyo to slide into the Del Rio then at least enrollment wil be on a level playing field
It was close to 3/4 full… when most games were half full. Of course we remember those monster crowds in the 80s and 90s, but then again we haven’t had consistent success in almost 2 decades. 1st year results far surpassed expectations, give it a bit of time and the crowds will be back also as a lot of people are well aware of the change medrano is imposing on the ranch. Like many have said if you build it they will come..
Likely no one… with the way the new divisions are setup a 6th team in a league is not even necessary.
Also Robert Gomez isn’t listed on the maxpreps roster but he will anchor the defense, that kid is an absolute beast!
Great video! Medrano is doing a fine job giving the program the stability it hasn’t had in decades.
El Rancho looks solid, they have a nice run game. Check out this preview
https://youtu.be/-8U_ZvxrZk8
So who is going to take Pioneer’s slot in the Del Rio?
@Titan Pride
Unfortunately your recollection of events is wrong. La Mirada and Norwalk wanted in the Del Rio but the Del Rio voted NO.
Instead of trying to field a competitive team Pioneer tries to play the enrollment card to get out of the Del Rio. Yet they form a league with teams that have much more enrollment than Pioneer. You are right though, these teams in the 605 League will be competitive with each other because they all suck.
What is Pioneer going to do when they finish 4th in that league? Drop football or go to 8 man?
El Rancho may be on the rise but they are far from being back. Last years home playoff game against Valley Christian was sparsely attended. And those that did go were senior alums of days of yore. Two things make a good program. A competitive team and a strong student fan base. We have one, now we need to get the other.
Long story short: new 605 league is not a burial. La Mirada and Norwalk were against forming a conference with Del Rio League teams like La Serna and El Rancho. Therefore, Pioneer (enrollment 1300) needed to find a league with like schools (not the 2300-3300 enrollments of the rest of the DRL). 605 league is Pioneer, Cerritos, Glenn, Artesia (football wise). All competitive with each other. Will be interesting to see two of these teams in the new playoff system. I love all the talk about the SGV teams but we forget that most of those teams are in Div. 12 and 13. Pioneer remains in Division 11. Good luck this season. Go Titans!
In the midst of the gloomy comments regarding Pioneer, our esteemed MVS host omitted the fact that the Titans’ uniformly poor performance over the past decade has relegated them into the fold of the upcoming 605 league, beginning next season. This is the prep equivalent of a burial, as the local area will scarcely know of their existence, as if the program had been disbanded. One wonders if a league of lesser caliber exists beneath the 605, into which the Pioneer group might be demoted if they prove unable to hang with the likes of Cerritos, Cantwell and Artesia.