Game Night: Week 8

Marcos Weeks and the El Rancho Dons have a big game against Santa Fe (Photo by Duane Barker).

All kickoffs are at 7:00 p.m unless otherwise indicated: 

Friday 10/20

Angelus 

La Salle (3-4) at Cathedral (6-1)

Last Year: Cathedral 17-0

Consider this just a stepping stone for Cathedral on its way to a Week 10 showdown with St. Francis for the Angelus League title. It will be interesting to see if La Salle can pull something. It won’t happen though. The only thing the Lancers might pull is a hamstring. Cathedral rolls.

Cathedral 31 La Salle 10

**

Del Rio

Santa Fe (3-4) at El Rancho (3-4)

Last Year: Santa Fe 30-27 

Santa Fe leads the Del Rio with a 2-0 record but after that there’s a four-way tie for second will all four teams at 1-1. El Rancho is one of those teams. Santa Fe has emerged as the best team in the league so far with big wins over La Serna and Whittier. The Chiefs came out of the blue. El Rancho knocked out Pioneer but then was stunned by Cal. A win over Santa Fe would be huge for ER keeping the Dons directly in the Del Rio hunt. All signs point to Santa Fe, but we like El Rancho in the upset. Dons pull it out to throw the Del Rio into chaos.

El Rancho 21 Santa Fe 17      

**

La Serna (3-4) vs. Whittier (3-4) (California) 

Last Year: La Serna 49-13

Another Del Rio matchup that could have huge ramifications. Whittier did fall to Santa Fe but took care of Cal the week before. La Serna is looking to bounce back from a loss to the Chiefs two weeks ago. A win for either team is huge when it comes to post season considerations. Whittier can play and is improved but La Serna never stays down for long. That’s why they’re the Lancers. La Serna gets the win.

La Serna 28 Whittier 14        

**

Hacienda

Los Altos (5-2) at Chino (2-5)

Last Year: Los Altos 39-7 

Los Altos was brought back down to earth last week by Charter Oak. Of course that happens a lot when the opponent is Charter Oak. Chino isn’t the Chino of the last couple of years. Jesse Ceniceros stepped down and it might take the Cowboys a year or two to step back up. Chino might hang around for a half but Los Altos puts it away in the second. Conquerors stay on track for a possible second place Hacienda finish.

Los Altos 30 Chino 17

**

Pacific

Burbank (5-2) at Crescenta Valley (7-0) (Glendale)

Last Year: Crescenta Valley 35-21

Burbank always seems to surprise just when it’s counted out. Nobody thought the Bulldogs would beat Monrovia in the season opener- they did. Nobody liked them over Arcadia on the Apaches home field…again they won. Last year’s run to the CIF championship game was shocking as well. But to beat Crescenta Valley would be the biggest upset of all. The Falcons have been tested a couple of times but remain unbeaten. They’ve been the class of the Pacific for several years now. Burbank will battle but in the end the Bulldogs will fall. CV stays undefeated.

Crescenta Valley 35 Burbank 17    

**

Palomares

Glendora (5-2) at South Hills (5-1) (Covina District Field)

Last Year: Glendora 30-28

This should be the game of the week as the Palomares League title is on the line. On paper it looks like an even contest. Both teams won big over West Covina but lost big to Charter Oak. Both teams have rolled over their first two league opponents. South Hills can be explosive offensively but Glendora just looks more physical. The Tartans also handed Los Altos one of its just two losses by two touchdowns. It should be a battle and could come down to a fourth quarter field goal. Glendora wins late.

Glendora 27 South Hills 24    

**

Rio Hondo

Temple City (4-2) at San Marino (5-1) 

Last Year: San Marino 35-0

Temple City has raised a few eyebrows with a 4-2 record overall but more importantly, 1-0 in the Rio Hondo after a big victory over South Pasadena last week. San Marino however is a different animal. The Titans lost the season opener to Los Altos and that just seemed to make them mad. Since then they have ripped off five in a row having dismantled everything in their path. San Marino has outscored its last four opponents 126-18. The Rams may take third in the Rio Hondo and could even make the playoffs but they won’t win this one. San Marino breaks out early and never looks back.

San Marino 34 Temple City 13 

**

Almont

Bell Gardens (4-3) at Alhambra (3-3) (Moor Field)

Last Year: Alhambra 26-21

This is the first real test in the Almont for Bell Gardens who is looking for at best a third place finish. Alhambra lost big to Montebello but did put the wood to San Gabriel last week. Both teams desperately need a win to reach that third place goal and a possible post season berth. The Lancers look like they’re on the verge of taking that next step under second year coach Margarito Beltran. A win here would show just that. The Moors beat Bell Gardens last year. This year BG gets some payback.

Bell Gardens 21 Alhambra 13   

8 Comments to "Game Night: Week 8"

  1. NWO's Gravatar NWO
    October 22, 2017 - 11:35 am | Permalink

    Kill ’em with kindness Ron.

  2. Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man's Gravatar Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man
    October 21, 2017 - 2:49 pm | Permalink

    @ Bank: You’re putting words in my mouth that I never said. I was not in any way comparing the two coaches; I was giving real-life examples of good-to-great coaches who would’ve been shown the door rather quickly in today’s win-at-all-costs environment.
    You seem to have a talent for deliberately misconstruing other people’s comments. I believe you might have a future in politics.

  3. Take it to the Bank's Gravatar Take it to the Bank
    October 21, 2017 - 12:30 pm | Permalink

    Now that Vrooman has suggested Bergstrom is a potential John Wooden, I am inclined to let him stay and stink-up the Moors program for 10, 15 or even 20 years. When a guy does stats for free, and he says a guy’s gonna be huge down the road, you’re a fool not to listen.

  4. Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man's Gravatar Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man
    October 21, 2017 - 12:18 pm | Permalink

    @ Bank: You know very little about me or my situation. How am I being “taken care of”? I receive no compensation for my stat and public information work.
    I work in the daytime as a substitute teacher for the Alhambra School District. And, for all my hard work, I get paid at a rate of $130 a day, which is lower than the pay that’s offered by many other school districts.
    I’ve been working two jobs in order to get by until I reach my retirement sometime soon. For the most part, I’ve been taking care of myself; I’m certainly not benefitting from any largesse that might exist at AHS or in the AUSD.
    I’ve always hated to lose, and I can safely say the same thing about the current coaching staff. Everyone I’ve worked with at AHS has despised losing, with the probable exception of Joe Kanach, who wasn’t around for very long.
    Maybe you should think a little longer before making ill-informed comments. Nonetheless, I hope things go well for you.

  5. Take it to the Bank's Gravatar Take it to the Bank
    October 21, 2017 - 10:43 am | Permalink

    Dear Vrooman; It’s clear to any honest observer that you don’t want to rock the boat at your place of employment, which is the real reason you continue to support whatever happens to Alhambra football, good or bad. Yeah, you’d like to see the Moors someday play good ball, but so long as you’re personally taken care of, you’ll keep quiet through any amount of bad coaching. You’re highly transparent, buddy.

  6. Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man's Gravatar Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man
    October 21, 2017 - 9:56 am | Permalink

    @ Bank & everyone else: Gil Ruedaflores lasted for 21 years as the head football coach at Alhambra High. He was at the helm from 1989 to 2009.
    What many do not know is that Coach Ruedaflores had winning records in only two of his first 11 seasons before he turned the program around.
    Here’s another one for you: John Wooden was the men’s basketball coach at UCLA for about 15 years before his Bruins won a national championship. Then, he brilliantly coached them to NCAA titles in 10 of his last 12 seasons.
    In today’s society, which craves instant gratification, those coaches probably wouldn’t have been allowed to remain long enough to accomplish what they did. I believe that’s a sad commentary about our present time.

  7. Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man's Gravatar Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man
    October 21, 2017 - 9:33 am | Permalink

    @ Bank: I do this for the love of the game and for my alma mater. I get paid $0, and my aim is to always support the program, whether it’s through adversity or success.
    I’ve worked under five head coaches, and that number would be six if Chuck Leonardis had stayed around long enough to actually coach a game. I want our team, Alhambra High School as a whole, and the community to be successful, no matter who is in charge.
    I won’t jump to conclusions about your motives and worth, despite your persistent negativity. Perhaps we both want what is best, but we see different ways of getting it accomplished.

  8. Boxer's Gravatar Boxer
    October 21, 2017 - 12:15 am | Permalink

    Where everyone tht was talking bad about BG ?

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