By Tim Peterson
All kickoffs are at 7:00 PM unless otherwise indicated:
Thursday October 8
Baldwin Park (5-1) at Covina (1-5) (Covina District Field)
Baldwin Park lost its first game of the season to La Serna and has been rolling ever since winning five straight. Covina went the other way. The Colts won their first game and then lost five in a row. The Colts need a Hacienda League win to stay in the hunt. That might be a difficult task in this one. The Braves get the victory. The Baldwin Park offense is hard to contain.
Baldwin Park 35 Covina 10
South Hills (5-1) at Los Altos (6-0)
One of the best games of the weekend is on Thursday night. Unbeaten Los Altos against once beaten South Hills in a key Hacienda League matchup. The Huskies only loss came to a solid El Rancho team in Week Zero. South Hills quarterback Fabian Marez can run it and throw it and sophomore Jaylen Lang leads a solid running attack with over 400 yards on the ground. Luke Rodriguez and company have been bringing it for Los Altos. The defense has been solid as well led by Joseph Munoz. The Huskies may be able to move the ball against Los Altos but when the Conquerors need to make a stop they have come through. South Hils gives them a game but ultimately the Conqs will prevail.
Los Altos 28 South Hills 21
Friday October 9
Chaminade (5-1) at Bishop Amat (5-1)
Two 5-1 teams will go at it in a big Mission League contest. Bishop Amat edged Serra 27-26 last week while Chaminade came up a touchdown short against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. The Lancers should be able to pound it against Chaminade. They have rushed for 1,239 yards overall with Justin Clinton leading the way with 556. The Eagles can air it out as quarterback Jeremy Mellalieu has thrown for 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns. It could be a high scoring affair with the Lancers running attack eventually taking control.
Bishop Amat 34 Chaminade 27
Burbank (3-3) at Monrovia (3-3)
Interesting matchup as both teams open Arroyo League play. Both come in at 3-3 and both teams have been up and down. Burbank, with a slate of out of area teams, shut out Cabrillo but then were blown out by Centennial (Las Vegas) and Calabasas early in the season. Last week the Bulldogs beat Centennial (Bakersfield). Monrovia lost by three scores to Lawndale two weeks ago but bounced back last week to beat Kaiser. Freshman Ian Macklin has had a nice year for Monrovia running for 250 yards and also racking up 286 yards receiving. Burbank is led by Troy Wells who has rushed for 718 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. With only four teams in the Arroyo League every game is crucial. This one could go down to the last play. Burbank emerges with the W.
Burbank 27 Monrovia 24
La Mirada (5-1) at La Serna (5-1)
La Mirada may be the surprise team of the area. The Matadores have won five of six games with their only loss coming to Brea Olinda. They came from 18 down to beat El Rancho a couple weeks ago in an impressive performance. That being said they haven’t faced the likes of La Serna. Grady Long, Jordan Bonilla, Landon Armenta and company have been performing at a high level. The Lancers only loss was to a stout Corona del Mar team and that was sandwiched around blow out wins over Northview and Warren. La Serna opened the season scoring 50 or more points in the first three games. La Mirada may hang around for a half but La Serna pulls away in the second half.
La Serna 31 La Mirada 13
Muir (3-3) at La Canada (5-1)
Muir quarterback Kaiden Agubang is out with an injury but the Mustangs have several other athletes that can step up. Deveon Blaylock Jr., David Cannon and others will lead the way. But the Mustangs need to be careful. La Canada is a team that can jump up and bite you. Joe Bell (925 yards passing, 577 rushing), and Ross Piken (304 yards receiving) can both make plays, along with a host of other Spartans. La Canada was beaten up by St. Francis two weeks ago but have been perfect otherwise. Last week the Spartans humbled Schurr 42-7. Muir had a bye last week and grinded out a hard fought 8-7 road victory over Redondo Union the week before. Ultimately Muir’s rushing attack will wear down the Spartans. The Mustangs will pound the ball without its quarterback. It won’t be easy, but the Stangs get it done.
Muir 24 La Canada 17
Bell Gardens (5-1) at Montebello (2-4)
Bell Gardens has quietly won five of its first six games. The Lancers best win was a 29-26 double overtime win over Cal three weeks ago. BG likes to pound it with Jihad Abdullah and Alonso Ruiz. They have only thrown the ball 13 times all year. Montebello relies heavily on Donovan Murillo to carry the load. He has rushed for over 655 yards and nine touchdowns. With both teams running the ball you might be able to catch a movie after. The Lancers’ ground attack will eventually run over the Oilers. BG comes out on top.
Bell Gardens 31 Montebello 24
Bonita (6-0) at Northview (2-4) (Covina District Field)
Bonita has rolled to six straight victories and is one of the top five teams in the area. Now with quarterback Isaiah Guerrero done with SOP the Bearcats are even better. Northview has played a brutal schedule and this week is no different. Last week the Vikings fell to Glendora in the Sierra League opener. This is a game Northview needs to win but it may be too much to ask. The Bearcats are a beast.
Bonita 38 Northview 24
Quick Hits
Thursday October 8
Etiwanda at Damien – Damien
Bellflower at California – Bellflower
Friday October 9
Azusa at Duarte – Duarte
Gabrielino at Burroughs – Gabrielino
Charter Oak at Colony – Charter Oak
Workman at Bassett – Bassett
Wilson at La Puente – Wilson
El Monte at Arroyo – Arroyo
Cerritos at Mayfair – Mayfair
Chaffey at Nogales – Nogales
Alta Loma at Los Osos – Alta Loma
Ayala at Glendora – Glendora
San Dimas at Diamond Ranch – San Dimas
St Pius X- St. Matthais at St. Francis – St. Francis
Gahr at Norwalk – Gahr
Crescenta Valley at South Pasadena – South Pasadena
Cathedral at St. Paul – Cathedral
Santa Rosa Academy at Alhambra – Alhambra
Keppel at Temple City – Temple City
Mt. View at South El Monte – South El Monte
Glenn at Whittier – Whittier
Maranatha at Ontario Christian – Ontario Christian
Walnut at Don Lugo – Walnut
Diamond Bar at West Covina – West Covina
Santa Fe at Paramount – Paramount
Downey at Warren – Downey
Montclair at Rowland – Montclair
Ganesha at Pomona – Pomona
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As a Burbank fan (my team has been guilty of some suspicious transfers themselves) I want these Muir clowns to get beat by LC. These are the kinds of teams that I don’t like. Heck, it would be sweet in the case that LC would beat Muir that Burbank could knock Muir potentially out of the playoffs by beating them in a few weeks. It’s unlikely but a man can dream.
@FBF …. Detailed game by game stats are a great scouting tool for opponents , especially in new playoff structure where nobody knows each other . Not putting up stats prevents this , and may help create a culture that’s not stat dependent .
@Pick em
St. Paul will lose to Cathedral but they can possibly beat Pius X and they will beat Bishop Montgomery. This will give them a 3-7 record, and the minimum number of wins required to be an at large team. If they’re slated somewhere between D-7 and 9, the possibility of a CIF championship for the Swordsmen is VERY REAL!
With all the film technology that’s out there, it’s shameful how few teams keep consistent, accurate stats on maxpreps. That’s just lazy coaching IMO.
BP 56
Covina 6
Maxie is not that nice , and he has to get those transfers the stats that he promised them. HSRatings plays into his hand , because according to their algorithm a38-6 win is the same as a56-6 win . Furthermore , half of their final rating will be based on games without the transfers !
It’s a big problem with their algorithm which has appeared with the advent of mass transfers and big promises .
La Canada is the hope for local programs as they play the PCC Northwest all-stars …..I mean Muir . A group of kids that have stayed together and played with and for each other throughout high school career !
I thought I was joking , but they actually have a PCC Northwest satellite campus on site at Muir ! I’m sure this is part of a recruiting strategy, to offer some classes otherwise unavailable to slip recruits in . Dual enrollment ( which is a great concept ) opens the door wide open for NIL .
Same story with the HSR rating and transfers for them . Not to mention the open decimation and cannabilizing of the Pasadena football program .
A La Canada win would be sweet for those who advocate program development and loyalty .
Which is more likely to happen: (A) St Paul wins another game this season, or (B) USC makes the playoffs? Tough one, huh?