By Tim Peterson
After all of the celebrating is done, the final award has been passed out and the last chapter has been written on El Monte’s remarkable 2019 season, the question on everybody’s mind will be who’s next?
Who’s next in line in one of the lower divisions to make a state run? isn’t every other team in the area now thinking ‘Hey if El Monte can do this why cant we?’ Of course it helps to have a coach like Jesse Ceniceros and a double wing offense that when running efficiently is nearly impossible to stop, but the Lions hadn’t won anything since 1930. Just the words “El Monte Lions, 2019 State Champions” still sounds strange as it rolls off the tongue.
Not only has this historical run given hope and pride to El Monte, it has given hope to every other local team in the area. Now it’s possible that who’s next? might be El Monte. The Lions won one so why not another? And by all reports Ceniceros isn’t going anywhere. Also with all of this success the Lions wont have a shortage of players that want to don the Lion blue.
While other teams watched the Lions magical run they no doubt had visions of championships dancing in their heads. Who’s next? Is it Sierra Vista which on the playing field went 10-0 last year and has a co head coach in Matt Villasenor who has a way of attracting talent? The Dons have already been talking about who’s on the clock for 2020. They seem poised to make a deep run. By the way you got to love Sierra Vista’s Zero Week game for next year. It’s…wait for it…Sierra Vista of Las Vegas. Who’s the best Sierra Vista?
Is it Pioneer which currently has close to 50 applications for its head coach position and has facilities that are some of the best in the area? The buzz is that the Titans are tired of mediocrity and want to be in a position to win a CIF title – not in 2 or 3 years but right now. There are several good eligible coaches in the area that would seem to be a fit to make that happen. Last I checked Anthony White is still available.
What about Nogales? The Nobles are another program that has a great stadium and a nice facilities. One local head coach told me “That’s a great job. That school looks like it’s brand new.” Also the Nobles are just two years removed from a team that went 10-2 overall advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Nogales is looking for a new coach as well with the resignation of Oscar Robles. With El Monte’s season fresh in their minds, you don’t think the Nobles faithful are excited and thinking they can bring home the hardware?
Alhambra? Why not? The Moors were undefeated before falling in the semi finals last month. Add a player and bingo, they’re right there. South El Monte? The Eagles are in the same league as El Monte, don’t tell them that with a tweak here or there they can’t do what the Lions did.
Things could change with possible new CIF rules for Divisions on the horizon but that won’t dim the light that El Monte’s success has sparked.
The truth is El Monte has given everybody a confidence boost. “Why not us?” will now be the moniker for everybody in the area who strives to raise a banner.
Who’s next?
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tim.midvalleysports@gmail.com or on Twitter @tspeterson40
will pioneer administration really want to win enough to hire a very good experience winner ? should have kept Ramon juarez but st paul principal wanted coach from her alma mater
@Bottom Line – Most pro athletes still need jobs after their playing days are over. (Hell, even the few who have great pro careers and aren’t idiots with their money need an alternative to partying and traveling for the next half-century) Getting a scholarship is nice, even if plenty of programs actively discourage their athletes from getting a real education, but a pro career is hardly the ticket to easy street that so many people imagine it to be.
@Chomsky Says
You’re right that it is a little ridiculous having 14 state champions. But what else can you do in a state this big? Either you have enough divisions for everyone, longer playoffs (which means too many games or a shorter regular season), or you make the state championships invitation only, which has its own legitimacy problems. I guess we could just restrict it to De La Salle vs Mater Dei/Bosco/Centennial.
But still, by your logic, El Monte shouldn’t even have the right to call themselves Southern Section Champions.
If Miley Cyrus, Michael Jackson,Justin Beiber,Taylor Swift etc. can start making millions as young teens why not teenage sports stars? All high school sports needs is more exposure by the televised media and the money will come rolling in. Look how much ESPN is making televising the Little League World Series and playoff games and the kids don’t get a dime, it goes to the adults that run Little League.
SV a powerhouse?? 🤦♂️😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 funny DELETED
Just say no to semiprofessional teams at the high school level. Happy holidays, everyone!
Kids are transferring at an all time high for 3 reason. #1 Parents suck at parenting now a days and don’t teach their kids resiliency. #2 Coaches promise kids scholarships and/or exposure BUT people fail to realize that if you can ball you will create your own exposure. #3 Just like the NBA, kids would rather create dream teams and go to one school.
@ Chomsky Says
Yes , EM would have lost to a number of teams in SGV but they did not play everybody in SGV.
They played their schedule and beat them all. Then they played everyone CIF put in front of them to win state. They are STATE CHAMPIONS! Quit crying.
One theme I hear repeatedly on these boards is the longing to have locals stars stay at their hometown schools. We lament the necessity of star jocks gathering themselves into all-star teams, but fail to mention the reason for this development. Simply put, it’s the high cost of college and the huge dollar value of professional contracts that has turned this trick. In the sixties and seventies, nobody needed a student loan to go to college, and professional athletes usually needed to get a job after their playing days were over. There was no compelling monetary reason for transferring back then, so that’s why it wasn’t widely done.
Haha, keep dreaming
Shoulda ,coulda ,woulda dream on !!
Pioneer will only compete if they get some transfers but again they are in D14 I think.
Hey bud they did have a parade. Drove through Whittier on a double decker bus.
Lmao cmon pico you will never be a power house like SV or EM
Interesting point!!! El Monte Lions are a class act!!!! I looked at several CIF and state championship games on NFHS network. I noticed that all the teams that came up victorious were doing excessive celebratory rituals. At times it seem they were trying to aggravate the opponents. After the El Monte game few kids ran on the field to shake and hug their teammates and quickly got in line at the 50 to shake hands with the opponents. It was a sense of business as usual. That says a lot about the coaches and players on that team. Now I am a believer. I wish them nothing but best. If I had anymore kids in high school, I know what high school, my kids would be attending. Class act!! If you don’t believe it, watch the replays on NFHS. Winning with class and honor. Good job.
” … this historical run given hope and pride to El Monte … ”
Yeah, but I fear it has also given complacency to EM et al. as well. Objectively speaking, yes, OBJECTIVELY, there are a handful of teams in the area that would beat or even thrash EM. Bishop Amat’s depth, size, and speed would devastate the Lions–by halftime! Los Altos would smash them. I’m unsure EM could beat Northview, actually. What this all amounts to is the misnomer that is the phrase “State Champions”. How is one a state champion when there are a handful of better teams in your own backyard? This 7 division state championship series puts a bad taste in my mouth, as I think it a mere money grab for CIF, nothing more. I think 3 (maybe 4) state division championships is all that is warranted if legitimacy is of any concern.
White to pioneer? Why can’t he land a big profile job? He rather take a bad team and recruit and get them in contention than take a good program and flop. The only direction for Pioneer is ⬆️
@SGV
They did you hack.
If Coach Anthony White goes to Pioneer that will also mean Jude Oliva will be his OC.
Sounds like a great staff already!
BTW. Back when Beltran was winning titles for La Serna why didn’t Whittier have a parade? You LS people should look into that since you cry about not getting enough credit so often.
Were it not for a single point loss to eventual CIF/State champs Pacifica of Oxnard, the La Serna Lancers might be sharing the limelight with EM in this write-up. Andy George’s team was that good. Credit where due.
From T. Peterson: You’re right. La Serna had a great year. I didn’t mention them because I was talking about some of the schools in the lower divisions that saw El Monte’s success and now have hope. But La Serna is always there. Great season and a great program. Always consistent. I covered the game against Pacifica. La Serna left it all on the field.
50 applicants for Pioneer Head Coach. The problem is 49 of them have to wait for the L.A. County Jail to let them out so they can have their interview.
El Rancho just got the green light to break ground on state of the art facilities. Adrian Medrano and co have a system that just keeps on chugging along, in his 4 years at ER he now has 2 quarterfinal runs and a Semi Final run all with nothing but homegrown kids. Word is a number of kids are noticing what ER did with minimal talent and looking to step in… watch out!
50 applicants for the Pioneer job?! That’s insane. I guess the train of thought is like Tim said, recruit the talent and win CIF and/or State in a lower division and you got a ring to flash around for life. Who cares what happens after that, you won the big one. What seemed like an impossibility for Pioneer or Sierra Vista or the MVL is now a real thing. In many ways, the system works. I just wish teams did it with home grown talent. Too bad times have changed. Good luck to all coaches and teams out there. You continue to make lives of young people better. Congrats to El Monte.