By Tim Peterson
There were a lot of routs Friday night to kick off the 2026 High School football campaign…and some that were unexpected.
I thought La Serna would beat Baldwin Park but I didn’t see the Lancers winning 55-7. It didn’t help that the Braves were without transfer quarterback Lequand “Jack Jack” Jackson, who still hasn’t been cleared by CIF. With him out, along with several other players that are waiting patiently for a CIF decision, it got ugly for Baldwin Park. The Braves should be fine but it may take a few weeks.
What’s going on at Colony? I saw Alta Loma on the passing circuit and the Lions looked good. Did I see them being 37-0 good? Uhh…No. Quarterback Maximus Fierro led the charge along with a number of talented skill position guys. This could be a special season for Tyler Perri’s crew.
We took some outside heat for picking Rio Hondo Prep over Schurr. When you’ve won three consecutive championships you’re going to get respect. I know the Kares had some key players graduate. I know Schurr was impressive in the summer and could be improved this year. But I also know that all Rio Hondo Prep does is win. Win, win win! And that’s exactly what the Kares did again Friday night. In maybe the upset of the night Kares quarterback Donald Shefler threw the ball 10 times! Is Matt Montez the new Noah Penunuri? Did I pick Rio Hondo Prep to win? Yes. Did I think the score would be 35-0? Uh…no.
Bishop Amat’s 55-0 win over St. Paul was one that didn’t surprise me. Amat is loaded and has had a great summer. A scary thought for Amat’s opponents is that the Lancers starting quarterback Dylan D’Epifanio has not been cleared by CIF and had to sit out. Domenico Doran stepped in and did a remarkable job filling his shoes. An even more potent Bishop Amat offense is frightening to think about. Austin Montoya and St. Paul will eventually get there but it will take time for all the pieces to fit together. Facing Bishop Amat right out of the gate is brutal.
My apologies to Marcel Perez and the Northview Vikings. I thought Thousand Oaks on the road was too tall of a hill to climb…especially in Week Zero. But Northview aced the test with a 21-7 victory. Vikings quarterback Miguel Lizarde was the first freshman to start behind center for the first time since Steven Comstock back in 2014. The Vikes have another major exam next week at La Habra. Who should I pick? Help me out here.
Muir’s defense actually looked pretty good. They forced a couple of turnovers and played a physical brand of football. The Mustangs, like Baldwin Park, need their quarterback to be cleared. Running the Wildcat against a defense as formidable as Bonita’s isn’t going to cut it.
Joseph Lara is going to have a huge year for the Bearcats.
Best wishes to Bonita receiver Omari Sullivan, who took a big hit Friday night and had to be carted off the field with what initial reports say was a broken arm. There was nothing vicious about the hit by the Muir defensive back. Football is a violent sport and unfortunately serious injuries can occur. Sullivan was doing his job and so was the defensive back. It’s football.
The Gatsbee Gumban show continues! It has just moved to a different location. Gumban, who did his thing for Covina last season, ran for 181 yards and three touchdowns and also returned a kickoff 85 yards for a score to lead Nogales to a win over Cal Friday night. When you see the name Gatsbee Gumban it just exudes success.
The Diamond Bar Sack Exchange: Jaylen Huang had five sacks for Diamond Bar in the Brahmas 28-6 win over Grand Terrace Thursday night.
The Dylan O’Leary era is underway at San Dimas. The Saints, running a brand-new offense, beat Glendora 24-21 Thursday night. No Wing T, no problem.
Were La Salle and Cantwell playing Arena Football Thursday night? I haven’t seen a score like that since the LA KISS were playing out in Anaheim.
Tim Peterson can be reached at tim.midvalleysports@gmail.com or on Twitter (X) @tspeterson40. Facebook – Tim Peterson
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I gave you heat because you ranked RHP too low on your preseason top 12. I felt 3 straight CIF crowns should garner you top 3 status. Looking forward to seeing if this years team can continue that dominance.
Wait till Cathedral Destroys St. Paul. This will be a real beatdown since The Phantoms held Amat in a scrimmage with no score.
Nowhere did I say I expect St Paul to turn things around in a week. What has me seriously concerned, “surprised” if the word pleases you more, is that Montoya’s team was unable to put a single point on the board playing at home. That’s not the mark of a decent team, not by any stretch of the imagination.
Montoya and company will have their hands full next week when they play Mission Viejo, a program that has been D1 for a few years. When Moschetti quit, he lamented that he couldn’t get the team to play “big time” football. Big time describes the Swords’ opponent next week: the super-tough Diablos of Mission Viejo. It’s hard to imagine who ever thought St Paul deserved to be on the same field with a team like that, but as Tim tells us, our man Austin will eventually “fit the pieces together.” I like jigsaw puzzles, and Peterson’s a savant, so I’ll wait for the miracle.
From T. Peterson: So in your mind “eventually” means next week? And were you seriously surprised by that loss to Amat? Really?
On a side note Jeff Bailey who left Yorba Linda to coach Beverly Hills lost to D14 Valencia 39-7. But don’t feel bad for him. He is the highest paid public coach in Ca. at about 225,000 per year. Maybe feel bad for the head coach of Simi Valley Royal when in a rage he kicked a football during practice that hit a player in the groin and was fired a few hours later before last nights game.Whe hasn’t kicked a ball in anger before?