MidValleySports.Com

George Pamilton III and Maranatha travel to Covina to take on the Colts. (Photo by David Thomas.)

By Tim Peterson

All kickoffs are scheduled for 7:00 PM unless otherwise indicated:

Thursday August 27

Maranatha (0-1) at Covina (1-0) (Covina District Field)

Covina is a coming off a big win over La Puente while Maranatha fell by 10 points to Dominguez. Cash Kimbro was at quarterback for the Minutemen as they await the status of transfer Arthur Moreno. Ethan Hayes led the way at quarterback for the Colts in an offensive explosion. Both teams can score. The Colts come out on top.

Covina 31 Maranatha 24

South (1-0) at Arroyo (1-0)

Oscar Lopez threw for over 200 yards and a couple of touchdowns last week in a 48-0 win over Azusa as the Knights offense came out firing. South beat Burroughs 45-29 last week in the opener. Arroyo needs to score early to get an early advantage. It may come down to a big play in the fourth quarter. The Knights get the W at home.

Arroyo 28 South 24

Friday August 28

La Salle (0-1) at San Marino (1-0)

La Salle was in an arena football league game last week in a 60-52 win over Cantwell. Denzel Carter ran for 254 yards and scored six touchdowns. San Marino put it on Vasquez 55-0. This is the first home game for San Marino head coach Dujuawn Jones. The two teams scored 110 points combined last week. Titans are the last team standing.

San Marino 38 La Salle 35

Charter Oak (0-0) at Upland (0-1)

Upland has had several players transfer out of the program but reportedly they have received some as well. This is the season opener for Charter Oak and the Chargers are chomping at the bit to get started. Look for receiver Zion Key to make a big play. Key, who plays on both sides of the ball, could be a difference maker for Charter Oak. The Chargers are still waiting on the status of transfer quarterback Dutch Burbidge. With out without Burbidge Charter Oak should have enough. Chargers win their opener.

Charter Oak 27 Upland 20

Santa Fe (2-0) at El Rancho (1-0)

Nice win last week for El Rancho over South Hills. Many people across the football landscape had the Huskies wining that game. Santa Fe beat Glendale two weeks ago followed by a victory over Pioneer. The Sentinels (yes, they’re now the Sentinels) have outscored their two opponents by the combined score of 86-14. But El Rancho is a different animal. With the win over South Hills the Dons have shown they’re already a team to be reckoned with. Santa Fe keeps it close but El Rancho comes away with the victory.

El Rancho 24 Santa Fe 17

Northview (1-0) at La Habra (1-0)

Last week I thought Northview beating Thousand Oaks was too much to ask. The Vikings shut me up with a 21-7 win on the road. Now they travel to La Habra. Is a win over the Highlanders again too much to ask? Is this too big of a hill to climb? La Habra beat Upland 55-13 last week. This may not be the same Upland team that we’re used to seeing but 55-13 is…well…55-13. La Habra has a talented quarterback in DJ Mitchell, who threw for five touchdowns last week. The Vikings will pound it with Aaron Guillen behind a big offensive line. And it will work at times but in the end La Habra will have too much. Highlanders improve to 2-0.

La Habra 35 Northview 21

Alta Loma (1-0) at St. Francis (0-0)

Alta Loma may be the most underrated team in the area. In fact one local writer didn’t even include didn’t even the Lions in the Top 12 this week. Oh wait, that was me. Last week Alta Loma laid the wood to Colony 37-0 as Maximus Fierro threw for three touchdowns with Bryant Avila on the receiving end of two of them. The Lance Mitchell era will get underway as St. Francis takes the field for the first time. The Golden Knights are coming off of a tough year and looking to bounce back. Mitchell is a solid coach and is a great hire. St. Francis always has talent and is hard to beat at home. But in this game, on this night, Alta Loma pulls the upset. Will it actually be considered an upset? Lions escape with a win.

Alta Loma 21 St. Francis 17

Rowland (0-0) at Baldwin Park (0-1)

Baldwin Park got beat up last week by La Serna. And as the coaches always say, no excuses. That being said the Braves were without several players who had not been cleared by CIF including quarterback Lequand “Jack Jack” Jackson. And La Serna is a monster. So there’s that. This is the season opener for Rowland which is coming off a 10-1 season. A win on the road for Rowland would be huge to kick off the campaign. The outcome could hinge again on who is cleared and who’s not. Baldwin Park has some talented skill players that will be on the field with or without the CIF decisions. Rowland hangs around until the end but BP bounces back and emerges with the win.

Baldwin Park 30 Rowland 27

Quick Hits

Thursday August 27

La Puente at Temple City – La Puente

Schurr at La Serna – La Serna

Santa Monica at La Canada – La Canada

Arcadia at San Gabriel – Arcadia

Montebello at Cantwell – Montebello

Troy at Rio Hondo Prep – Rio Hondo Prep

Ganesha at El Monte – Ganesha

Chino at West Covina – West Covina

San Dimas at Chaffey- San Dimas

Whittier at Gabrielino – Whittier

Muir at Pinecrest Academy – Muir

Workman at Mt. View – Mt. View