The Peterson Principle: 1/25/2023

By Tim Peterson

Baldwin Park will announce its new head football coach this week. This is a recording.

I know you’ve been hearing this for the past week but you know how it goes…board approvals, paperwork, red tape, etc. I can’t say the name that they will announce but it hasn’t exactly been the best kept secret in the SGV. let’s just say the coach confirmed it with me Friday night and as soon as I get the green light you will know.

That one I know. What I don’t know is who will be the next head coach at Monrovia. They have been conducting interviews which have included a couple candidates from big time programs including an assistant from Mater Dei. The Wildcats are taking their time and want to make sure they get it right. Probably a good idea considering the success that Chris Williams had. With a 35-14 overall record and three Rio Hondo League titles during his five-year run Williams has some pretty big shoes to fill. The administration said they wanted to go in a different direction. Let’s hope that direction still includes winning games.

**

Whether you like it or not, and believe me some did not, the SGV Bowl last Friday night was a success. Matt Villasenor and Robert Maxie, in less than a month, put together a competitive game, with talented players (seniors) and quality officials. Ok the refs did miss one call, the PI call was questionable, but overall they were solid. The fans came out in full force. By the time the game kicked off at Charter Oak High School, the place was at near capacity. And to top it off a good part of the proceeds of the game went to the American Cancer Society.

Sure the quality of play at times was sloppy. There was the occasional fumble, dropped pass and bad snap but that’s common at every High School All-Star game. The bottom line is Matt V and Maxie pulled off what a lot of people thought they couldn’t. Heck Fred Robledo from the Trib even kicked me a roster before the game. Unbelievable! It was a great night.

Speaking of Maxie expect him to be named a head coach soon. Speaking of Matt V he’s on the market as well. No he’s not going to Mater Dei or Alta Loma for that matter, but he’ll land somewhere. I’m not sure where but it will be a head coaching job. He didn’t step down at Bishop Amat to become an assistant.

**

Former Monrovia assistant Danny Banzet has joined Ryan Bateman’s staff at Santa Fe as the offensive coordinator. Santa Fe is Banzet’s alma mater.

**

Some coaching changes you see coming. I heard rumblings out of Baldwin Park during the season before Ibis Aguilar stepped down. There were a couple of rumors flying around Monrovia about Chris Williams moving on. But Chuck Leonardis at Arroyo? Didn’t see that. I was blindsided by that one. I knew former Arroyo head coach and most recently DC Jim Singiser was retiring from coaching and I had gotten the word that OC Chris MacMillan was ready to step aside as well. However I thought Leonardis was just getting started. And he may be. Leonardis didn’t rule out a return to the sidelines in a few years but for now he was hanging up the headset. I understood his reasons – a desire to see his son play college football and to see his daughter play high school sports. Basically he wanted to be there for his kids. It makes perfect sense. I just didn’t see it. Neither did anybody else apparently. Leonardis resigned a week before he told me and nobody else had it.

The question now is where does Arroyo turn? The entire staff, with the exception of one coach, is moving on. The 2023 staff will be made up of entirely new faces. Arroyo has always been known for having a consistent staff that stays year after year. That will change in 2023. Should be interesting.

**

Did you know that the West Covina Lineman competition this June is the biggest in the state. “Yes the biggest. We will have 54 teams participating,” said West Covina had coach Mike Maggiore. Good to see the bubbas getting some love.

**

It’s a little bit out of our coverage zone but Ontario Christian head coach Matt Hoekstra has resigned. Wide receiver Marquis Bradley, who spent his freshman year at Charter Oak, played last season at Ontario Christian and is coming off of a big year.

**

So we got Monrovia and Arroyo still out there…also who’s taking Whittier? San Marino? I talked to probably 20 former coaches Friday night that were on the sidelines just “checking things out”. None of you are ready to jump back in? I even told a couple of them I would be their OC. For some reason they weren’t interested.

That’s my principle.

I can be reached at tim.midvalleysports@gmail.com or on Twitter @tspeterson40. Facebook – Tim Peterson.

18 Comments to "The Peterson Principle: 1/25/2023"

  1. 0-10's Gravatar 0-10
    January 29, 2023 - 3:05 pm | Permalink

    Matt V did not have success at Sierra Vista! What do you call success, ghat they got caught for playing illegal players, why do you call that success?

  2. Armando Briones Jr's Gravatar Armando Briones Jr
    January 28, 2023 - 3:17 am | Permalink

    It would be nice to acknowledge the SGV Bowl officials by name and position Who was the game announcer? Sounds like it was a terrific game. Hopefully, this will be an annual event

  3. Baloney's Gravatar Baloney
    January 28, 2023 - 1:12 am | Permalink

    A minimalist football coach? What would that look like to you sir. My kids T-ball coach devoted more time and effort than Ayn did.

  4. Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man's Gravatar Ron Vrooman, AHS stat man
    January 27, 2023 - 7:36 pm | Permalink

    @ Baloney: Read his post carefully; he got the CIF championship ring as a player. I don’t know, but maybe his minimalist approach to coaching got him the results he was looking for.

  5. Baloney on Ayn's Gravatar Baloney on Ayn
    January 26, 2023 - 5:40 pm | Permalink

    Nah. if you are going to post about your past resume and brag you are a CIF HC ring wearing champion at least use your name or else you may as well be George Santos. You gotta be a genius to be an HC and win a ring coaching a few hours a week. Any other real HC’s agree with Georgie? Names please.

  6. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    January 26, 2023 - 3:14 pm | Permalink

    That my friends is the post of the year by Ayn Rand. He is a wise man who speaks the truth. Spot on! 👏👏

  7. Rumor Mill's Gravatar Rumor Mill
    January 26, 2023 - 12:52 pm | Permalink

    Maxie and Matt V have done their thing but with any real success? Matt V had success at Sierra but didn’t know how to act and couldn’t make a deep run in the playoffs to what i remember. Maxie knows how to act a little better talked alot and got knocked out in the first round, yes he wasnt the head coach but he was the face making all the noise. Ill give them their props they did a great job with the all star game i loved the atmosphere it had and the game wasnt bad either. Let these guys get off twitter for a year and see how much they get talked about first with wins and losses, like all those head coaches that are winning and barley on or dont even have a twitter but are never talked about.

  8. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    January 26, 2023 - 12:51 pm | Permalink

    Matt Koffler to Arroyo?

  9. NWO's Gravatar NWO
    January 26, 2023 - 12:08 pm | Permalink

    Has anyone seen the new facilities at Mountain View yet? Just asking.

  10. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    January 26, 2023 - 12:07 pm | Permalink

    Leonardis Got has reputation back after the incident at Alhambra high

  11. NWO's Gravatar NWO
    January 26, 2023 - 12:07 pm | Permalink

    If there was a West roster posted for the SGV Bowl, I may have dropped in. Don’t forget Jude stepped down at SAC, HC somewhere?

  12. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    January 26, 2023 - 10:08 am | Permalink

    Is no one surprised that South El Monte has not fired their Head Coach???

  13. ?'s Gravatar ?
    January 26, 2023 - 8:25 am | Permalink

    @ABW: I guess you are arguing for pay equality for walk on coaches? Fully credentialed coaches are at least on par with English teachers as some HC’s are classroom English teachers. Walk on coaches are valuable as they work for free like Pop Warner and Little League coaches. If they want top pay they can get credentialed to compensate for their small stipends. Remember they fight for these HC jobs.

  14. Ayn Rand was a welfare queen's Gravatar Ayn Rand was a welfare queen
    January 26, 2023 - 7:33 am | Permalink

    @A Better Way. You are way off base here. There is a difference between a teacher’s salary and a coaching stipend. I’ve been a social science teacher AND a football/baseball/basketball coach at the varsity level, and I can guarantee you that I spent far more time teaching and mentoring students than I spent coaching. Fat salaries? Ok, dude. It’s pretty simple math: 5 hours of teaching per day, 1-3 hours of prep and grading time, not to mention time spent mentoring and working with any one of 150-200 students per day (5 classes with 35-38 students per day). Coaching: 2-3 hours of practice/game time per day with a few hours on the weekend breaking down film. If coaching was indeed a full time job, how then are coaches able to teach. You’re also so far off base with your notions of funding and calling schools a business. So, football–a program that includes 50-100 kids (and those numbers are dwindling) is a better means to spend taxpayer money? Ok, sure. The only people that want to admit that football is more important that history/social sciences are people that struggle to read, hate America, complain about CRT (thought they cannot tell you what it is REALLY is and ignore that it is NOT taught anywhere outside of Law Schools), failed high school history and are mad about it, Uncle Rico types who could have led their team to the state title if only their coach put them in the game in the third quarter, who think America “ain’t as tough as it used to be”, or just simply have their head firmly implanted up their backside. And before you say that I’ve never played the game, or don’t know what I’m talking about: I played eight years of tackle football (4 Jr. All-American from Gremlin to Jr. Midget, 4 in high school, with three years on varsity, 2 of those as a starter, and a CIF championship ring) AND have multiple degrees in history. And the reason that there isn’t a MidValley Social Science website is because we have books that we read–books written by intelligent people and are peer-reviewed. Finally, you talk of the state mandates for social science. Have you actually read those standards? They are largely right-wing (Euro-centric with a decidedly pro-capitalist/conservative view of history) with a few aspects of real world facts strewn in. I taught those standards for years. Have you?

  15. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    January 25, 2023 - 10:56 pm | Permalink

    Maxie the HC and Matt v will be assistant Head coach

  16. A Better Way's Gravatar A Better Way
    January 25, 2023 - 10:40 pm | Permalink

    Chuck Leonardis doesn’t do anything halfway. That’s why he’s such a good coach. He also doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve; that’s why his resignation came as such a shock.

    The reason we have so few coaches like Leonardis is that the job requires an unbelievable amount of time and energy, for which the pay is actually pennies on the hour. We are all hesitant to admit that high school football is more important than high school history, government and social science courses. The government, which runs this business, has done a superb job of telling us that what we learn in those subjects is so very, very important that there’s no money left to fund a stable football program.

    That’s why history, government and social studies teachers get nice fat salaries and benefits, while football coaches work twice as hard for a quarter of the compensation.

    It’s my stand that football coaches should be considered as equal to teachers in importance, with comparable pay and benefits. I know this may strike some of you as a radical position, but ask yourself: would Peterson be able to drum-up any interest in a site titled Mid Valley Social Sciences?

  17. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    January 25, 2023 - 9:30 pm | Permalink

    Matty v to Baldwin park as maxie oc

  18. Anonymous's Gravatar Anonymous
    January 25, 2023 - 9:30 pm | Permalink

    Tim rumor has it Matty v to South Gate

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