By Tim Peterson
Wow Duke! The Madness! Braylon Mullins will remember that shot for the rest of his life. Unfortunately so will Cayden Boozer. You could see it coming.
Bad offensive sets and turnovers down the stretch cost Duke and UConn took advantage.
This is the second straight year that Duke has collapsed in the final minute. Last year the Blue Devils were up by six over Houston with 1:14 left and lost in the semifinals. Duke showed it was mortal early in the first round when it struggled to beat Siena. UConn is not Siena. Cries to bring back Coach K in 3…2…1.
I saw some rumblings on social media where people were upset that the Dodgers were off Sunday. And further rumblings that said they would rather be watching the Dodgers instead of March Madness. One game out of 162 over an event that is riveting once a year? Seriously? As the season trudges on in July and August I sometimes have trouble watching the Dodgers over old reruns of Shark Tank.
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Note to Caleb Williams: Let it go man. There’s only one ‘Iceman”. Even if you are able to trademark the name and started to use it it’s a terrible look. George Gervin lives!
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It was weird seeing Steve Garvey in a San Diego Padres uniform back in the day. Heck, it was funny seeing Matthew Stafford not in Detroit Lions colors when he first came over to the Rams. And so it was odd seeing former Maranatha quarterback Cooper Berry in Cathedral gear Saturday at the Baldwin Park 3rd and Long Tournament. But that’s just the landscape of High School football in 2026. I don’t necessarily like it but I do get it in certain situations. That being said Berry looked like he was in mid-season form dropping dimes and tossing touchdowns all over the field.
Speaking of transfers South Hills landed a gem in Jacob Gallegos. The former San Dimas running back can do multiple things offensively and is going to make a huge impact for the Huskies.
St. Paul dropped into the 3rd and Long Tournament after another team dropped out. Coach Austin Montoya may have a lot of things to sort through heading into the summer but he looks like he’s set at quarterback. He has several. St. Paul had a couple of dudes throwing Saturday that looked solid including Kevin Garcia. They also have Jesse Saucedo, who transferred in from Monrovia, waiting in the wings. Saucedo, who is coming off an injury, should be ready a few weeks into the season.
The coaching carousel is now so prevalent that coaches let me know when they’re NOT leaving. South El Monte head coach Frank Gallardo sent me a text letting me know he is returning next season. Rumors were spreading that he was stepping down after the Eagles won the CIF title but he cleared those up. He’s back!
I ran into Bonita head coach Steve Bogan Saturday. Oh yeah, he’s back too. Bonita lost their quarterback Cade Burbidge, who transferred to Charter Oak, but the Bearcats picked up transfer Isaiah Guerrero who came in from Los Osos. Guerrero threw for nearly 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns last year.
Remember Brandon Valencia who led Muir to a CIF Championship a few years ago? He’s at Azusa Pacific now and is set to compete for the starting quarterback position for the Cougars.
Oh and one more thing on the Final Four: I got Michigan over Illinois and Arizona over UConn. Michigan beats Arizona in the championship game…unless Chris Webber calls a timeout.
That’s my principle.
Peterson can be reached at tim.midvalleysports@gmail.com or on Twitter (X) @tspeterson40. Facebook- Tim Peterson.
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If there’s one thing you can depend on in high school football, it’s Steve Bogan. If somebody transfers out, somebody of virtually equal ability will transfer in. The man attracts good players and he gets the best from them.
On another H.S. football front, I am genuinely fearful about St Paul getting absolutely hammered by its formidable opponents. I hope to be wrong, but if ever there was a real-world example of the phrase ‘cruising for a bruising’, this coming Swordsmen campaign is it.