Quarterback Noah Rodriguez is back this season but will play for Monrovia not Alhambra. (Photo by Duane Barker).
Here are some of the top returning players from the area for the upcoming 2020 football season.
South El Monte: The Eagles should be able to run the ball this year bringing back two top running backs in Ryan Gordiano (1398-yards 10-TDs) and Andrew Munoz (647-yards 7-TDs).
Rosemead: The Panthers bring back most of their team that finished second in the Mission Valley League. One of them being one of the areas top players in quarterback/defensive back Ivan Ostry who threw for 1166 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Ostry also broke the 2,000-yard rushing mark going for 2,284 yards on the ground and 28 touchdowns. He even collected 63 tackles from his safety position.
Baldwin Park: The Braves have a problem but a good one. They bring back two young quarterbacks in junior to be Bryon Gutierrez who threw for 1290 yards and 13 touchdowns with nine interceptions in nine games and sophomore to be Drew Knight who in minimum action threw four touchdowns.
Monrovia: The Wildcats, who made it to the quarterfinals, were hit hard by graduation but are returning WR/OLB Cameron Rufus who will be a big target for new quarterback, Alhambra transfer junior to be Noah Rodriguez, who threw for 2676 yards and 34 touchdowns to go with 10 interceptions. Rodriguez also rushed for 311 yards and two touchdowns.
@ Anonymous: As well as Noah Rodriguez played in his two seasons at Alhambra, he benefited from good coaching and from having three All-CIF receivers: Raul Cortez (in 2018), Vito Russell, and Kody Chuang.
Almont League defensive coordinators would be better off not relaxing, whether we play football again in 2020 or 2021. Alhambra should be competitive whenever we return to action.
Yup u are correct, some players didn’t have grades, Frank went crying to the principle and guess what? Their grades magically changed. And yes, I know this for a fact!
Area fan never seing a young QB lead a team how Rodriguez did .. Almont DCs can relax now …
Lmao, I’d pay $10000 to whoever shows me a post where any ER fan said they would dominate before the season started in the last 10 years.
@Anonymous: If you are going to troll ER at least have some game otherwise you read like a drunk loser using his mommy’s computer.
HEHE Every year I hear ER gonna dominate and end up flat. Just saying … no hate here nothing but love…
@ Anonymous: Wouldn’t that be great? Thanks for your support.
Coach Bergstrom and his staff have done an excellent job in promoting hard work, discipline, team play, and accountability. Their philosophy also includes playing the games one at a time and not underestimating any opponent.
Going into last season, we were a bit thin in terms of varsity experience, but our players dedicated themselves to having a successful season. And, they succeeded beyond our wildest expectations.
I believe we’ll do all right next season—whenever that will be—as long as we can develop a competent quarterback. I have faith that someone will step up and that the coaches will do everything they can to get him ready.
Line play will also be important. We should have a couple of guys returning (RG Justin Gonzalez and LT Gabriel Carrillo), and we have some good prospects coming up from the JV team.
Hopefully, we’ll be able to have some sort of season before the year is out.
Lmao when has the ranch ever overhyped their team or claimed they were going to be so great?
Not from you george, just from the usual haters, you do a good job! Keep it up!
Hope u guys turn that block stat man…
El Rancho? Cmon man. U guys over hype your team.
@ER
He’s been Lou Holtzing people since his days at Bonita. I think everyone knows his game by now.
@ Mr. Goldbricker: It’s always a pleasure. It would be wonderful to have an opening night for high school football, whether it arrives in August or October.
I pointed out earlier that the state of California has done relatively well so far in fighting the coronavirus. But Los Angeles County, with a population of around 11 million which makes up close to 30% of the state’s total, currently has more than 40% of the confirmed coronavirus cases. We haven’t beaten this thing yet.
We cannot afford to let up on our social distancing efforts now; we’ll have to continue with them until the health-care system is able to conduct widespread testing for the disease. Hopefully, one or more treatments which are under development will be proven effective and become available soon, because a vaccine is likely to be much farther off.
Hang in there and be safe.
@Pop: Medrano will say like he says at the start of every season. “We don’t have nothing. The cupboard is bare. We are small and slow but we will just have to play with what we got.” And then go win some and lose some and voila make a deep playoff run.
When have you ever heard that here?
@Ron
I hear you. And you are correct Football is the ultimate team sport. I myself like to read the stories on kids who lead their backyard school to league titles and/or deep runs. So it’s kinda disappointing to me. But you have the right mindset, kid chose to move on Alhambra will be just fine. Good luck if and when this season gets started. I believe you guys play SEM (MVL Guy here) so hopefully I’m able to check out that game.
You’re going to hear the same crap as always. they graduated everyone, they got no size, they got no speed, they suck in 7 on 7, yet time and time again they will prove everyone wrong.
What about El Rancho or any of the Del Rio league schools. Would like to hear about them. Thank you
From T. Peterson: Like I said before, we just started. It’s April. We’ll be posting more as we go along.
@ Mr. Goldbricker: Your comments are typically insightful and on the mark, but it’s my belief that Alhambra High’s varsity team has already “turned the corner.”
The Moors have gone 20-3 over the last two seasons, a feat which translates into a winning percentage of .870. And, in 2019, they went 12-1 as they won the Almont League title and advanced to the Division 13 semifinals.
We at AHS don’t intend to let one player’s defection dim our prospects for future success. Football is a team sport, and we’ve been winning as a team.
Although our 2019 squad was heavily laden with seniors, we’ll have several key players returning. There will also be a lot of guys coming up from our JV and freshman teams who’ll be eager to show what they can do.
But, we must beat back the coronavirus first. Then and only then will we be able to have any kind of high school football season next fall.
@ One More: Yes, we’ll have relatively normal business activity, school, and football in the fall only if we can slow coronavirus to a crawl. It will be months, or possibly years, before it is completely stopped.
We could re-establish a decent way of life if the number of new cases goes WAY down and we can institute universal testing for the disease so that sick people can be identified and quarantined, along with those they’ve been in close contact with.
Then we might be able to prevent any more large-scale outbreaks.
A reopening of normal activities will likely, at a minimum, also require the development of effective treatments while scientists continue working on a vaccine.
These are the kinds of things that our public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have been telling us for weeks now.
The good (or less bad) news is that California, which has 12% of the nation’s population, has “only” 4% of the confirmed coronavirus cases. Our social distancing and the fact that our state is not as densely populated as places like New York City are a couple of factors that have been in our favor.
We’ll have to maintain our social distancing in the coming weeks or months, until coronavirus test kits become widely available.
Hopefully, California and other states can work together to make that happen. Waiting for the federal government to take appropriate action has not been a viable option up to now.
Good luck to everyone, and here’s to doing everything we like to do as soon as it’s safe.
Sebastian Deleon from Crescenta Valley could have been on your list. He was All CIF as a Junior, helping to lead the Falcons to an undefeated season and a CIF Championship.
From T. Peterson: Right, this is only Part 2. We haven’t gotten to CV yet. We’ll mention the Falcons in a later post.
Tank Yes younger brother splitting image of him. Good kid! Silent assassin
@2, MARIO had a small stint at Arroyo and he wasn’t playing QB there so what does that tell you? I’d chill on calling him the best QB in league. The best QB in the league will be wearing a Panther jersey even I can admit that.
Gold,
Frank Gallardo is by far the hardest coach to be around. His OC wasn’t fired he quit. Word is the OC didn’t want to deal with verbal abuse any longer. This the same guy who fired a hall of fame coach after making him look good for two years. I’ve said it before SEM will not win anything , the leadership just isn’t there. Instead of blaming coaches it might be time to look in the mirror Frank G! This Eagle team should be good, they have good athletes and good size. They don’t have that supa star but you’ll constantly be saying why isn’t this team better! I’m guessing They’ll be around a 500 team again this year. PS I also heard two of those kids mentioned weren’t even eligible and are horrible practice guys. Mirror time!
Also Josh Tustin will be the best RB in league this year. Calling it now
For South El Monte Sr QB Mario Zammuido is returning and to my eyes and many other people that I have talked to he is the best QB in the league. He had the most passing yards in the League last year but Arroyo QB took it over with the playoff game he played in because south did not have one.
Is Cameron Rufus any relation to Dennis Rufus, who played for CO in ‘2009?
It’s my understanding that Corona Virus, a transfer from China, will be a senior this fall, and nobody has figured a way to stop this player.
Rosemead will be scary this year for any MVL team. Also props to them for scheduling Charter Oak!! I love to see that.
SEM does bring back two good backs Gordiano will be a Jr Andrew Munoz will be a Senior and is a big play guy. But you forgetting about the best athlete on the team which is QB Mario Zamudio who will also be a senior. Only problem is the Coaching staff once again is in a complete makeover. I’m hearing a new DC a new OC and all new assistant coaches which seams to common under Frank Gallardo. He hates bringing back the same coaches lol. If he fired everyone coming off back to back semi runs, a 4-6 team had no chance of retaining coaches. Nonetheless SEM athletically seems primed for a battle for a league championship. Can they get it done?
Kinda sad Rodriguez transferred I really thought Alhambra was turning the corner.