Maranatha QB Andrew Ellfers
T-Minus-62 Days until “The Mid Valley Classic”
Good Afternoon!
Loyal Mid Valley Reader: Aren’t you guys sick of all the passing league stuff yet?
Joe T.: No, should I be?
The great thing about football is it all progresses. First its weights, then its spring workouts, then its passing league, dead period (for the most part), then helmets and pads. What seemed obvious in February is less so in May, and what seemed very clear in June is not so certain by the middle of August. Let alone the facts on the ground come Zero Week.
Frankly, I wish I could give more time to football. May it’s time to branch out and start MidValleySportsFootball.org…or something similar. Then I wouldn’t have to put up with Luke, Rants, MMA, or auto racing.
I’m not going to draft him for my fantasy football team, but Raider fans are going to fall in love with Jason Campbell at quarterback this season. He won’t make anyone forget Ken Stabler, but by the third week of pre-season they will be saying; “JaMarcus who?”
LeBron is going to the Clippers…
… Or some other team…What a yawning festival.
Oh, I have always been a Spain fan!
Speaking of boring, MLB’s All-Star Game is just about here. I think it’s a shame Willie Montanez was left off the roster.
Note to Mid Valley Readers: Landestoy Luke is not really part of the staff. I needed a baseball writer, I knew of him, and he will be the first to admit he is a bit of a jerk. This is really only a make-good deal and odds are he will dump us before we dump him.
Peterson texts me yesterday and says: “I think I came to the USC campus by mistake.”
He was referencing his visit to Muir. After an impromptu dinner grab Tuesday night at King Taco the Mid Valley’s senior wordsmith mentioned something about not being sure of the Mustangs this season. I recommended a visit to see Ken Howard and Company. Before I knew it he was singing “hallelujah”.
“We can melt, we can blast, we can rise above! We are invincible!”
For some reason this old line popped into my head when thinking about certain teams in the area. Think of a school like Charter Oak, which has been booted out of the Southeast Division, it fits all of the terms above.
1.) Opposing schools melt upon learning they will face the Chargers. Their reputation proceeds them like Joshua’s army advancing on Jericho. The hearts of the people in the city melted at their approach.
2.) Charter Oak can blast just about anyone and anything because of its superior firepower and talent.
3.) And in crisis they can rise above…they can find a way. (Example: CIF Round One; Muir, 2009)
4.) This one is trickier. No coach is going to allow his team to wade too deep into the waters of overconfidence, but they do want them to get their feet wet. However they do want them to come to believe they are invincible, unbeatable.
Looking around the Southeast and Mid-Valley Divisions you got schools who may not advertise it and would hardly say “amen” to this assertion. However, they know; “they can melt, they can blast, they can rise above! They are invincible!”
I understand this is premature, but looking at the schools on the far side of those La Habra Hills there are teams fitting this bill. Norwalk returns a pair of studs to carry the ball with Elijhaa Penny and Billy Moore, running behind an offensive line sporting a left tackle in Tolinu Faamatau (6’ 280) a right tackle in Dixon Diaz (6’3” 340) and Adrian Avila at center (6’2” 325). These guys return for a team that went 11-2 and averaged 47 a game. The Lancers scored over forty points eight times, they scored over fifty points seven times, and they scored over sixty points five times.
If I’m a DC preparing for them…It’s sheer terror.
Saw Maranatha on Tuesday at San Marino. I know what you’re thinking, Titan HC Mike Mooney only schedules a summer toss with a gun to his back, but they were really throwing so it was sort of an event.
The Minutemen do look young, but more than one observer felt they were very athletic. They may take some lumps this season, but should be poised for the next few years. Especially if sophomore quarterback Andrew Ellfers can continue to develop.
Last Add Norwalk: They didn’t even win the SubUrban Meyer League last season.
Note to All Sophomore Quarterbacks: Being a varsity starter is great for a 10th grader, but not if you’re still playing like a sophomore when you’re a senior. You have to keep getting better. Prime examples I think are Rowland’s Michael Ball, WestCo’s George Johnson, and definitely Arroyo’s Steven Rivera who is just getting set to start his junior year.
Four quarterbacks are in the running for the San Marino gig and we saw two throw Tuesday; Chris Falkenberry, who was on the roster last year and has good size. The other was Garrett Glazier, smaller than Falkenberry, but made a nice showing. Nice enough for Andy Villathedevil to say he liked him, and before you think that’s the smooch of death, others in attendance liked what they saw in Glazier as well.
The Moon Man was mum.
“Everything is going well. Practices are running smooth and kids are into it,” said first year Northview HC Marcel Perez.
How many titles has Lebron James won? The same as me, that’s what I thought. Can I get a show to announce my intentions when my contract with The Mid expires?
Stay thirsty my friends…
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