MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Peterson

The Rio Hondo and the Pacific League, with one Mission Valley League team added, have combined to form one conference now – a super conference if you will. There will be three leagues, like the MAC 12, with the first league considered the top tier. The lower tier was originally supposed to be six teams but Blair and Marshall are not fielding teams this year. Here are the projections for the three leagues.

Leagues: Projected order of finish:

Arroyo League 

1. Muir-Head Coach: Matt Villasenor. Muir’s Arthur Moreno was leading the Mustangs all summer but the quarterback transferred to Maranatha when Kaiden Agbung, a quarterback from Arizona with D-1 offers, transferred in. Muir has several skill players like receiver/ defensive back Noah Bozeman, running back/ linebacker David Cannon and athlete Deveon Blaylock. The Stangs ran the Pacific League last year and look ready to run the table in this league again.

2. La Canada – Head Coach: Dave Avramovich. Quarterback Joe Bell returns for the Spartans in what may be the most important piece of the puzzle. Bell can run (822 yards) last year and throw (1,050) and is the team leader. The receiving corp is led by Brandon Mohaghegh who hauled in 440 yards in receptions and four touchdowns last year. Linebacker CJ Mattman will anchor the defense at linebacker where he had 38 tackles last season. If the Spartans can hold down Muir they may give the Mustangs a run for the league title.

3. Monrovia – Head Coach: Jose Casagran. Quarterback Jesse Saucedo transferred out but then returned and is now back in the fold and will be the starter. But the Wildcats are young and several freshman could be playing starting roles. The question though is is there enough talent in M-Town to keep up with Muir and La Canada?

4. Burbank – Head Coach: Hector Valencia. Burbank went 6-1 in the Pacific League and 9-3 overall last year before falling in the second round of the CIF Division 6 playoffs to Roosevelt. Burbank lost quarterback Deshawn Laporte, who transferred to Quartz Hill and took his 3,900 passing yards with him. But the Bulldogs do have some talented players returning including running back Troy Wells. Finishing first or second in this league will be a challenge.

Boulder League 

1. Crescenta Valley – Head Coach: Paul Schilling. Hudson Gossard stepped down after the season as head football coach but former head coach Paul Schilling took over so it’s a smooth transition. It should be smooth transition also into the Boulder League for the Falcons. They won’t have to deal with Muir or Burbank this year. Both teams beat Crescenta Valley last season. Ethan Martinez, who ran for over 400 yards last year, will lead the attack and Nathan Karsten will play a big part of the offense at receiver. The Falcons have high hopes for a league title.

2. South Pasadena – Head Coach: Jeff Chi. The Tigers took a huge hit when running back Trey Freking graduated. he ran for over 2,000 yards and 29 touchdowns last year. But the last few years South Pas has been able to plug those holes with talented young players. Quarterback Andrew Nott is back for his senior season. He threw for over 1,000 yards last year. Receivers Lorcan Swift, Lorenzo Jones and Grayson Ebner all return to provide a spark to the offense. With Jeff Chi ion the sidelines the Tigers are always in contention.

3. San Marino – Head Coach: Dujuawn “DJ” Jones. The Titans have some talent for first year head coach DJ Jones to work with. Receiver Chase Mena (750 yards, 12 TD), quarterback Parker Wilson (1,682 yards 20 TD passing, 689 rushing) and running back Nathan Nielson (321, 3 TD) are all back in place. San Marino can score, the Titans showed that last year, and with a solid defense they should be in the hunt.

4. Burroughs – Head Coach: Jose Calzadilla. The Bears won three Pacific League games last year but they came against the bottom three teams- Arcadia, Glendale and Hoover. They have some good skill players players back in quarterback Brandon Chapparo and running back Sho Fujita. Chapparo actually ran for more yards than he threw for – 718 and 659 respectively. Burroughs appears to be middle of the pack but the Bears have a shot to surprise somebody.

5. Gabrielino – Head Coach: Luis Gutierrez. People forget the Eagles finished 7-4 overall last year and did make the playoffs. They had a huge Mission Valley League win over South El Monte, a team that went on to win a CIF title. Alijah Sheppard ran for 884 yards and 11 touchdowns last year and is back for his senior season. Peter Ruiz is back as well and is threat at receiver. He hauled in 36 catches for 718 yards and 11 scores in 2025. If Gabrielino could knock off one of the top four teams it may go a long way in their quest for another playoff appearance.

6. Pasadena – Head Coach: Ron Jones. Pasadena had several key players transfer and at one point there were questions as to whether Pasadena would field a team this year. Head Coach Ron Jones assured that they will be out competing come opening night. The Bulldogs may have to bite the bullet this year until things are stabilized. A league win would be a step in the right direction.

Crest League 

1. Arcadia – Head Coach: Eric Elias. Last year Arcadia was young. Eric Elias’ troops may still be young but now have several players that had experience last year and are ready to step up. Running backs Ethan Long and Aaron Cerda are both back. Long ran for over 600 yards last season. Quarterback Freddy Bysshe has a had a good summer and will start behind center. Aiden Reyes, who had 1,159 yards receiving last year, will be his primary target. If Arcadia can beat Temple City in the “Brawl for the Mall” they have a good shot of going unbeaten in the Crest.

2. Temple City – Head Coach: Riley Saxon. The Rams are out of the Rio Hondo League and into the Crest which will give them a golden opportunity to make the CIF playoffs. The Rams have some pieces. Jacob Paredes, who threw for 866 yards last year, will be back behind center and Jake Leones, a do everything guy, had 563 all-purpose yards in ’25 including 331 receiving. Tyler Womack will man the front lines. Last season he had 40 total tackles. It will all come down to the “Brawl for the Mall”. If the Rams can win that, like Arcadia, they can take the league title.

3. Glendale – Head Coach: Manny Lemus. Glendale had two victories last season. If they can improve on that by one or even two victories it would a successful campaign. Glendale has a solid running back in Arman Papazyan who rushed for 1.063 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. Arlen Aivzian had over 300 yards receiving and will be lined up out wide. Glendale beat rival Hoover last year but will need a victory over another league opponent to have a shot.

4. Hoover – Head Coach: Jordan Ward. Hoover is another team that could benefit from being placed in the Crest League. The Tornados didn’t win a league game in the Pacific last season but in the Crest they have an opportunity to bite somebody. Dveen Aghanian, who rushed for 677 yards and seven touchdowns last season, will be the key to the running game. The Tornados face Temple City and Glendale in their last two regular season games in what may turn out to be must wins for Hoover.