Last year Schurr ran through the Almont going unbeaten. The Spartans look poised to do that again. They have a senior laden team with several key players returning at the skill positions.
Running back Elias Navarro, who was All-League the last two years returns as does quarterback Joe Alvarado, who was the starter in 2022. Caesar Aguila is a playmaker at wide receiver. The O-Line is solid as well led by Almont League Lineman of the Year Alfredo Rodriguez and all-league center Alfredo Picazzo.
Defensively all-league linebackers Erik Henderson and Hadrian Segura are back to wreak havoc. Aguila will go both ways as he plays defense as well and Jayden Moraga returns from a 1st team all-league season. Tyler Gallardo is one of the big boys up front at defensive tackle. This will be a tough nut for the rest of the Almont to crack.
Bell Gardens, who some people forget won a CIF Championship last year, may be the team that can give the Spartans a run. Hector Nova resigned after the season and Rudy Ramirez took over. Carlos Arredondo, a Schurr alum who was on the Spartans’ coaching staff, is the new OC at BG. The Lancers have plenty of weapons offensively. Junior running back Daniel Tovar and junior quarterback Michael Mendoza are the key components to make the offense go. Receivers Devyn Duarte and Sean Allen are ready to make some noise as well. Juan Diego Perez will protect them on the offensive line.
Sophomore D-Lineman Anthony Lopez and junior linebacker Tristan Moreno will anchor the defense. Isaiah Flores and Bryant Rios will be patrolling the secondary. If these guys can come up big BG will be a threat.
Alhambra had a rough year in 2023 going 1-9 and Eric Bergstrom then stepped down after the season. Mike Mackintosh, longtime Moor assistant, took the reins as the new head coach. Despite the tough sledding a year ago Mackintosh is excited about 2024.
“Our most experienced player on offense is definitely our quarterback Bryan Leonard. He’s a junior now and has started since he was a freshman, so he has a ton of game experience. Being his third year in our system he is in more control of the offense now,” Mackintosh said.
Leonard will also play some defense for the Moors. Running back Halen Tsang is coming off an ACL tear from last season. He has put a ton of time and effort into rehabbing to get back on the field. He’s healthy now and will carry the load in the backfield. Junior RB/LB Devin Martinez has had a great summer. He will be a great complement to Tsang in the backfield. “They both have similar running styles just at different speeds. Devin is a workhorse and definitely one of our leaders,” Mackintosh said.
Junior WR/LB Marco Vasquez will be used like a Swiss army knife this year. He can do a little bit of everything and the Moors will count on him to get it done – another guy that they will look to as a leader as well.
Defense might be Alhambra’s biggest challenge as the Moors nearly had to start from scratch. “Bringing in a new DC, I wasn’t really sure how our guys were going to react. But they really took to the coaching and the scheme during spring ball and through the summer,” Mackintosh added. “Senior SS/WR Christian Mina will be one of our key players on defense. He never came off the field last year as a junior and looks to do the same again this year. He is always around the ball and does everything with ease. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do this year.”
Senior LB/OL Jorge Mendez will be relied on to make all the calls on defense. He started every game last year and made huge strides in the weight room this offseason to get better. Senior DL/OL Luis Pineda had a really good offseason. He has really put the time in the weight room and on the field to get where he is now.
“He opened up our eyes this summer and showed us that he really wants to play and has continued to get better every day.” Mackintosh said of Pineda.
The players are there and appear to be ready. The question is can the Moors bring it all together once the season kicks off? If so they can make a run at a top three finish and a possible playoff berth.
Montebello missed the playoffs last season going 2-3 in league and 4-6 overall. The Oilers and head coach Pete Gonzalez are looking to bounce back this year. Runing back Freddy Morales will get the bulk of the work at running back. Last season he had 321 yards and four scores but that came courtesy of just 58 carries. Samuel Isodoro will be at wide receiver as well as Louis Jimenez who hauled in 18 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns last season. Jonathan Marroquin will be up front paving the road. The Oilers will be breaking in a new quarterback in sophomore Eddie Pimentel.
Defensively DB Jeremiah Diaz, who had 70 total tackles last year, leads the charge. Francisco Mireliz Jr. will be in the secondary as well. Matthew Cortez will lead the linebacking crew along with Kevin Baca. Cortez had 43 total tackles last year. Daniel Rodriguez will anchor the defensive front. In 2023 he had 37 tackles playing defensive end.
Last year the Oilers fell to Schurr, Bell Gardens and San Gabriel. They will have to knock off one of them to break through and enter the playoff picture.
San Gabriel made the playoffs last year and finished second in the Almont (4-1 in league) in head coach Marcus Galan’s first year. Adam Mascorro returns to lead the running attack and Louie Navarro will also tote the rock while he isn’t playing tight end. Efren Torres will get the nod at quarterback. Ricky Garcia, who was the JV quarterback in 2023, will also see time behind center.
Mascorro will play on both sides of the ball. Defensively he will line up at outside linebacker and cornerback. Linebacker Navarro is a two-way player as well. Christopher Ramirez will be the mainstay in the secondary and on defense as he plays safety.
The Matadors open the season at Whittier Christian and then travel to Rosemead. They get Franklin, Carpenteria and El Monte at home before opening the Almont League at Schurr. If SG can gain some momentum and confidence in non-league the Mats could be dangerous heading into the Almont.
For Keppel it’s still a work in progress. If the Aztecs get a couple wins, just a couple, it will be a step in the right direction. Keppel will not fold the program and that’s a good thing. It means the Aztecs still want to fight and eventually the fight will turn into success. One foot in front of the other.
Projected Order of Finish
- Schurr – It’s always good to have two Alfredos up front.
- Bell Gardens – CIF title in ’23, league title in’24?
- San Gabriel – HC Marcus Galan has picked up where Kevin Encinas left off.
- Montebello – RB Freddy Morales poised to have a big year.
- Alhambra – New HC Mike Mackintosh brings high energy to the program.
- Keppel – The Aztecs hosted their own passing league Tournament in the summer. That’s a start.
Loading ...
@ron nothing against Coach Mackintosh but even when Lou Torres’s was hired they interviewed coaches but this time around seems like they settled and didn’t interview coaches
@ Anonymous: I’ve never been involved in the personnel decisions at AHS; I just work there as a substitute teacher and football statistician. I can honestly say that I don’t know who was interviewed for the head coaching position, or whether interviews were even held.
When interviews are done, they are typically conducted by the principal, assistant principal for business and activities, and/or the athletic director. Others could be on the interview committee as well.
It’s all about the program, as far as I’m concerned. I’ve worked for six different head coaches since 2003, and I’m grateful that all of them have tolerated my presence.
I have confidence in Coach Mackintosh; he has a lot of experience in the program, and I know he’ll give it everything he has.
@ron who did Alhambra interview before they hired the new coach
@ Anonymous: It looks like a league in which the Lancers would remain competitive while playing tougher opponents. I believe that would be a good move.
La Serna would go to the Gateway with Downey, Warren La Mirada
Hahaha you sound like uncle Rico. “If coach would have put me in we would have won.”
Attest to the quality of that team, and WR / returner Vito ( he would grab the ball unexpectedly after bounce on punt return and go to the house. )
That team would have drilled 22SanGabriel or 23 Bell Gardens squads . That’s how CIF playoff format changes things
@ Anonymous: Alhambra’s 2019 team, which went 12-1, included wide receiver/cornerback Vito Russell (the Italian/African American Stallion) and defensive end Bailey Robinson.
Vito caught 64 passes for 1,050 yards and 13 touchdowns; he also returned 22 punts for a total of 507 yards and three TD’s. Bailey was in on 98 tackles, and he recorded a team-leading 8.5 sacks. Both players were named to the Division 13 All-CIF team.
We had a bunch of good starters on our 2019 squad, and we had some depth, too. That was a fun group to watch.
@ FBFan: Yes; Montebello, Schurr, and Bell Gardens would join a league with El Rancho and most of the Whittier district schools. I doubt Pioneer High would be part of that deal, due to the fact that it got demoted to the 605 League from the Del Rio. Also, I haven’t heard anything about La Serna moving to a separate league, but I think it would be a good idea which is long overdue.
If this change is implemented, it would be sort of like “Back to the Future.” More than 30 years ago, Montebello, Bell Gardens, El Rancho, and the Whittier schools were together in the Whitmont League. That league had some good teams for a long time.
Schurrs reign at the top of that league will be over once the Del Rio teams come.
@Vrooman,
I have heard that part of the Almont League is combining with the Del Rio League without La Serna and that the other half is combining with the Mission Valley so I think you’re onto something.
@ Truth & Low Profile: My understanding is that the Montebello district schools will be leaving the Almont League as of next year, unless the plan was recently changed.
If the Almont League is altered or dissolved, it’s quite possible that Alhambra, San Gabriel, and/or Mark Keppel will end up in a league or leagues that include current Mission Valley schools. It will be interesting to see whether this happens.
Almont much better across the board than MVL, ( at least until You get to Keppel). This says more about MVL than Almont …::::in other words agree 100%
“Almost” league is right up there with the MVL in terms of relevance. Sad to see these local leagues play such mediocre ball.
What brothers we got on the team were the Zion babbs, Anthony browns etc that was when Alhambra was doing good
@ Question Mark: In a typical season, around 75 per cent of Alhambra’s varsity football roster is made up of Latinos, most of whom happen to live in Alhambra. We’ve also had Asian, African American, and white players on our teams year in and year out.
By the way, our school district has open enrollment, and we’re also happy to accept transfer students as long as they and their parents abide by the existing CIF and district policies.
@ Low Profile: I agree with you about the current playoff format. I believe that the one which existed before 2020, while imperfect, was much better.
The CIF Southern Section has been openly rewarding mediocrity or worse when it comes to football in the lower playoff divisions. League championships and good overall records ought to count for a lot more when it comes to playoff qualification and seedings.
Teams with overall records at or below the .500 mark should not be highly-seeded in any division, unless they’re undefeated in league or go, let’s say, 4-1 against tough competition.
@Aninymous: You want Alhambra to recruit boys that eat chili peppers? Great idea.
The Almont has prospered greatly with the competitive equity format for the playoffs adopted two years ago .Two CIF champions ! Wow .
It’s not just coincidence . They get to play one team who is much better than any they wil see in D13-14 . The schedule has allotted BG and SG top seeds in lower divisions while the league is essentially D12 quality for most part .
Winning this league much more difficult than winning CIF , but winning CIF is easier to brag about .
We want Jude as head coach at Alhambra
The two most important names in the Almont are Arredondo and Galan. These are the spark plugs that will inspire and guide their respective teams to success. These guys know and love the sport, finding it hard to tolerate mediocrity.
As a side comment, does anyone else find it strange to call BG CIF champions, when they failed to win league? Will it soon be possible to be CIF champs when the title game is the only win of the year?
Alhambra used to be a powerhouse now the district made it an academic school. We need another Gil who recruited el Serrano kids along with south Pasadena kids to Alhambra