Monday Morning Quarterback: Week 3 Edition
A view inside La Mirada's tough loss to Servite; La Salle's upset of Bonita; A look at South Pasadena Football, 5 Things That I Think I Think and more...
La Mirada football field taking the field Friday night at Servite at Excelsior HS. (Escarcega)
La Mirada football coach Mike Moschetti is not into moral victories. While most coaches would have smiled at the end of last Friday’s 10-7 loss to Servite because of the way their team stood toe-to-toe with a Trinity League team, Moschetti refused to even give the impression that he was smiling.
It’s easy to understand why. He’s in charge of a program in a city where the words pride and community are linked at the intersection of tradition. Much like many of the outstanding athletic programs at the school, La Mirada’s football team is composed of kids that play in the city of La Mirada. Don’t be mistaken, they’ll take a transfer or two, but not at the rate of its neighbors over at St. John Bosco and other schools.
The expression of “chip on the shoulder” should be attached to the blue and yellow uniforms that the players wear. While most teams would have been intimidated by Servite’s traditions and history (which includes the notorious “Hut Drill’), Moschetti had a simple message for his players for the week, don’t buy into it.
“All week he said that we could beat these guys,” La Mirada’s two-way standout Denver Stillman said. “It’s a big-time program but all we had to do was stick our noise in there. We play big-time programs for a reason.”
Stillman is your prototypical La Mirada player. The 6-0 190-pound senior plays much bigger for his size and is relentless in his play. The stat sheet says that he rushed nine times for 36 yards. However, anyone who watched him play throughout the night saw that he was in the middle of tackles, making significant blocks for standout running back CJ Zachery, and was one of the main chess pieces on Moschetti’s chess board.
He is a yes sir, no sir type of kid that hangs on every word that is uttered by Moschetti and his coaching staff. The senior showed the type of leadership that Moschetti expects each week from his standout players. When Moschetti and his staff say that victory is attainable – the kids believe it.
And on this night, Moschetti was proving to everyone that La Mirada was more than capable of defeating the Friars and longtime respect coach Troy Thomas. He knew that to pull off an upset, you must throw logic out the window – and that is exactly what he did.
Instead of unleashing quarterback Nehuel Garcia, who has played a big role in the early stages of the season, Moschetti decided to go into the book of the late great college basketball coach Dean Smith and play football’s version of “four corners offense.” It was time for a ground-and-pound running attack that was meant to chew up time on the clock and keep Servite’s offense off the field.
And it worked – for most of the game.
La Mirada ran 44 offensive plays while Servite was limited to 28. They had more first downs (15-11) and outrushed Servite (164-114). To give you an idea of what Moschetti was trying to do, try playing a poker hand with a pair of 9’s, while your opponent, who is considered a Master in the sport, only had a pair of 10s but wants you to think he has a better hand.
And as the cards are being dealt, they are turning in your direction. Instead of face cards, they are lower-numbered cards (5’s, 6’s 7’s). The plan is working brilliantly. Moschetti decided to take a chance and called for a running back screen pass that was executed to perfection with Zachary scoring on a five-yard pass late in the third quarter that gave La Mirada a 7-3 lead.
However, Servite marched down the field and scored a touchdown when Leo Hannon found Anthony Campbell early in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard pass that gave the Friars a 10-7 lead.
While most teams would have mailed it in and called it a night, the Matadors are not built that way. On the next time-consuming drive that started at the La Mirada 28, the Matadors mythologically marched their way down the field. Thanks to a huge 21-yard completion from Garcia to Noah Lauago on third down (along with key runs from Zachary and Stillman), La Mirada got to the Servite 5-yard line where the drive stalled.
Moschetti was trying to execute football equivalent to a running straight. All he needed to do we convert a field goal and the game was likely headed to overtime. However, a controversial penalty (which we will address later in this column) nullified the kick and a second attempt was unsuccessful which gave Servite a 10-7 win.
Moschetti needed an eight to pull off a remarkable straight, instead, he got a 2. For a man that doesn’t don any headsets and wears his emotions on his sleeves, the decision was a tough one to accept, knowing that a win could have been a catalyst to bigger and better things in his second term as coach of the program.
“We couldn’t find a way to score in the red zone,” Moschetti said. “The bottom line is that we shouldn’t be in the situation that we needed a field goal to tie. We had all the momentum in the world and I’m proud of these kids. I think our kids put us in the position to win. They are the ones that play. I’ll think about this for the rest of my life.”
Let’s digest that for just a moment. Here is a coach that has won a state championship and is considered one of the mad geniuses when it comes to games like Friday night’s affair. And yet he’ll be thinking about this for the rest of his life? The explanation is about as simple as his offensive game plan was Friday.
“Kids want to play in big-time games,” Moschetti said. “This was a bigtime atmosphere, and we got nothing but respect for Servite. Fans are singing ‘Sweet Caroline, fans are going crazy, and we came up a little short.”
Here is our interview with Moschetti after the game.
As for the lead character in the wonderfully played football musical, CJ Zachary was more than happy to have played his part as he rushed for 103 yards on 20 carries. “I think I played hard, and it was a war out there,” Zachary said. “I’m proud of the way we played, and we have something that we have to fix.”
Here is our interview with Zachary after the game.
Football is a game of emotion – and for Stillman, as soon as the school’s band finished playing the alma mater, the senior who was drenched in sweat quickly made his way over to a snack bar area where his family and close friends greeted him with hugs and high five’s.
While the words were tough to be expressed (“What more can they say?”), nothing is more comforting than a hug from those been through the journey.
Here is our interview Stillman after the game.
As for Moschetti, it’s back to the lab where he’ll have to construct another gameplan to deal with the number two ranked team in the United States in Mater Dei on Friday. He’ll try again to win a poker hand knowing that Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson has already been dealt a pair of aces.
However, if there is anyone who can pull over a monumental win, it’s Mochetti and his band of warriors from La Mirada.
Just ask Servite fans.
La Salle team photo after defeating Bonita on Thursday night (La Salle HS Athletics)
LA SALLE’S WIN OVER BONITA COULD BE A LAUNCHING PAD TO A BIG SEASON
Upset wins have origins that are not easy to find. La Salle is a perfect example of that.
I noted on Twitter last week that even though the Lancers lost 30-20 to Village Christian on the road in week 1, the Lancers had scored 20 unanswered second-half points which might be a catalyst for improvement for the rest of the season.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only person who noticed it. La Salle coach Ben Buys saw it as well.
“The thing about that game was that on the last drive, we dropped two passes,” Buys said. “If we score on that possession, who knows what happens. You can feel it on the sidelines that we were turning the corner as a team. For the first time this season, some of our guys were seeing success and that builds confidence.”
That confidence carried over to Thursday’s gigantic 30-22 upset of Bonita that more than caught the eye of fans throughout the valley. The Lancers at one point led the Bearcats 24-7. Raise your hand if you had this upset on your bingo cards… nope, neither did I.
The win was meaningful for Buys because of the coaches across the way in Steve Bogan and Bo Beatty, who he coached with at Azusa Pacific University before the program got shut down. “Those are two coaches that know how to do it right,” Buys said. “I’ve also known (Bonita standout linebacker) Noah Mikhail since he was five years old, so that was some emotion there.”
It was a tough offseason for Buys who saw his premier quarterback in Richie Munoz leave the program for Charter Oak. Add to it a group of players that were short of experience on the football field on Friday nights, along with a 2021 record of 1-9 and you can see why patience was the keyword to be used with this team.
“There are two things that I’ve learned,” Buys said. “First, players and coaches matter. The second thing is that losing a lot of games humbles you. It forces you to focus on the team. It’s very hard to do.”
One of the main stars of the game was the performance of backup quarterback Will Clougherty. The senior was forced to stand in for David Mysza who was not available for the game. Clougherty was 12 of 14 for 90 yards and a touchdown.”
“We made the decision to start Will on Monday and he basically had one day of practice on Tuesday and that was it,” Buys said. “He was so poised and controlled throughout the game. You could tell that nothing was stressing him out.”
It wasn’t the first time that Clougherty was playing the quarterback position. He started on St. Francis’ junior varsity football team as a quarterback in his freshman year before he and his older brother Jack transferred to Muir for his sophomore season.
Things are starting to look much brighter these days for Lancer fans. La Salle has a home game against winless Rosemead on Friday and an intriguing game with Cathedral in two weeks. If Buys and his team can pull out wins, this could be the feel-good story of 2022.
Stay tuned.
SOUTH PASADENA COULD BE THE BEST TEAM YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT
With all the attention that has been drawn to programs such as Pasadena, La Serna, Bishop Amat, and several others, it’s easy to forget a team like South Pasadena.
The Tigers are off to a 3-0 start and have outscored their opponents 119-13. Last Friday night, South Pasadena easily polished off LA Marshall 53-0. If you think that this team is playing with a purpose currently, you are on the right track. Last year, South Pasadena advanced to the Division 13 semifinals before suffering a heartbreaking 28-21 loss to Montclair.
“I didn’t have to say a lot in the weight room this past offseason,” South Pasadena coach Jeff Chi said. “The way the season finished last year left a sour taste in the mouths of the players that were coming back this year. I think what you are seeing right now are the benefits of a full season in the weight room.”
The Tigers are led by quarterback Jackson Freking, running back Jason Hong, and wide receiver Richard Conti. According to Chi, Freking is seeing the benefits of being the starting quarterback for the past several years.
“(Freking) has the ideal size for a quarterback,” Chi said. “He is 6-2 and has improved so much from last year. It helps that you have a receiver like (Conti), and they represented a great combination. They have put in a lot of work during the offseason.”
Monti has overcome a back injury that deprived him of playing most of the season in 2021. It was in 2020 that Monti’s athletic exploits caught the eye of Chi. “We were playing La Canada had he caught this curl route and took off for a touchdown that showed me that we had a pretty good player,” Chi said. “He had a great offseason in the weight room and is strong and very healthy.”
As with most of the teams in the Rio Hondo League, Chi understands that Monrovia once again appears to be heads and shoulders above everyone else in the league. However, since the RHL is a six-team league, the league has automatic playoff spots for three teams. This means teams such as South Pasadena, La Canada, and Pasadena Poly are the major players to fight for the remaining two precious AQ bids.
“Monrovia gives you a lot to think about,” Chi said. “We still have to play teams like San Marino and San Marino, and we know that they’ll give us their best shot. We can only control what we can control.”
Getting a playoff spot is huge because with the power rating they received last year, they ended up as the top seed in Div. 13. And while most area fans and coaches are not happy with the new playoff division format (which solely relies on a team’s power rating on Calpreps.com), Chi is more than happy with the current set up.
“What a like about the playoff system is that we are playing teams at our talent level,” Chi said. “I know that we can play with anyone on the field in a division like we were last year.”
South Pasadena is ranked 211th in the current Calpreps ratings, which could keep them in a much lower division and replace the sour taste of a late-season disappointment with a sweet taste of a sectional title.
ONE OTHER THING
We couldn’t begin our “gasser” without mentioning one game that flew way under the radar on Friday night. Rowland bounced back from the pounding they received from Sonora with a 46-27 win over host Wilson. The score doesn’t begin to tell the story.
Both teams combined to rush for 595 yards with Rowland accounting for 221 and Wilson amassing 374 yards. Eric Egere carried the ball 24 times for 186 yards and scored five touchdowns. On the other side of the field, senior Daniel Zarzosa had 29 rushes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. The passing game was nonexistent as Rowland’s freshman quarterback Damien Arrieta completed 8 of 18 passes for 88 yards and Wilson’s combination of Albert Torrez and Jeremiah Ortiz didn’t complete a pass for the game out of six attempts.
As you can imagine, this game went well into the night including two knee injuries that forced halftime to be extended to 9 p.m.
“It was awesome seeing these two (Egere and Zarzosa) go back and forth,” Rowland coach Ryan Jacobson said. “Put it this way, our defense didn’t allow one completion, and yet at one point in the game, (Wilson) had all the momentum. We were very sloppy. We need to clean up several things, but many coachable moments that have already been assessed and addressed.”
Rowland’s record is now 2-1 heading into Thursday night’s key nonleague game against nearby 60 freeway rival Walnut. A win on Thursday (along with projected wins against Ganesha and Nogales) gets the Raiders to five wins before their annual rivalry game against Diamond Bar.
Not bad for a team that went 3-7 last year.
ONE FULL GASSER
Every week, we are going to take a full “gasser” around the area and look at some of the games that were played on Thursday/Friday night that were not the “marquee” games on the docket. It’s time to shine the light on some players that turned in outstanding performances that were “under the radar.”
San Marino 30, Rosemead 20: The quarterback performances in the West SGV have been stellar this year and you can add Brady Beck’s name to the ever-growing list. The sophomore completed 32 of 57 passes for 490 yards and six touchdowns as the Titans improved their record to 2-1. Ryan Park was the popular target for Beck as he hauled in 10 receptions for 238 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Escamilla had five catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns.
Baldwin Park 27, Chino 13: The Braves improved its record to 3-0 with a workmanlike win over the Cowboys. Coach Ibis Aguilar, who was forced to miss last week’s game due to COVID Health and Safety protocols, was back on the sideline but had several key players who didn’t play.
Drew Knight completed 11 of 26 passes for 307 yards with two touchdowns. Tec Nunez caught three passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns, which included a 95-yard touchdown reception.
“This team has had to fight through some adversity these past two weeks,” Aguilar said. “With players out on offense, defense, and special teams, for various reasons. They stepped up and got the win. With that being said, there is a lot for us to improve on and get better at and we need to continue to do that.”
Sonora 42, Kennedy 7: It was another big night for the Raiders’ offense as they amassed 538 yards of total offense as they improved their record to 2-1 on the season with a nonleague win at La Habra HS. Nick Fernandez was the lead rushing with 182 yards on 10 carries with a TD. Quarterback Landon Martin was 6 of 11 for 200 yards and three touchdowns with Josiah Binggeli catching three passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
“He had a great off-season in the weight room,” Sonora coach Kevin Oberlander said. “We knew he would be special this year. We like to get him the ball as much as possible.”
San Gabriel 41, Pasadena Poly 0: Ivan Can had a big night for the Matadors he led the team in tackles and caught six passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns. The Matadors are 2-0 on the season, which didn’t play last week.
“Not having a game this past week was tough,” San Gabriel coach Kevin Encinas said. “All week in practice, tensions were high, and the competition was turned up. We’ll be able to sharpen everything up in practice this week.”
Diamond Bar 23, Covina 14: The Brahams had to rally from an 8-6 halftime deficit (the first of the season) and scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to improve its record to 3-0. Isaiah Young, a senior, was the star performer of the night for Diamond Bar as he rushed the ball 22 times for 161 yards and scored a touchdown.
“Being able to come into a game with our backup quarterback and beat a talented Covina team was good work by our players and staff,” Diamond Bar coach Matt Castaneda said. “Defensively we had some defensive players playing well including sophomore middle linebacker Matt Galvan (9 tackles) defensive end Alex Xiao and senopr Julian Martinez.”
Whittier 43, Bassett 0: Hugo Vasquez had a solid night as he completed 11 of 12 passes for 214 yards with four touchdowns as the Cardinals improved its record to 2-1 with a win over Bassett at Pioneer High School.
California 21, Segerstrom 0: The Condors are showing that they have some authenticity with a home win over the Jaguars. Antonio Gomez had a big night as he caught six passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Walnut 21, Los Altos 7: The Mustangs broke a 7-7 halftime tie by scoring touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter by Sal Quintanilla as they improved its record to 2-1 win a road win over the Conquerors. Quintanilla completed 11 of 18 passes for 167 yards.
Alhambra 21, Temple City 6: Freshman Bryan Leonard threw for 147 yards and two touchdowns as the Moors defeated the host Rams in a West SGV area football matchup. Jake Jones threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Judah Douglas for Temple City’s only touchdown of the game.
FIVE THINGS THAT I THINK I THINK
I think that if Monrovia’s defense plays as it did on Thursday night in their 58-26 win over El Rancho, they’ll be in big trouble against Ayala. The Bulldogs are one of the premier teams in the SGV/Inland area with an elite quarterback in Bryan Wilson. It was a bit unsettling to see Monrovia’s defensive line get pushed around by El Rancho and with Ayala’s 300-pound lineman trio of Joseph Lopez, Merrick Becerra, and Blake Harmmon waiting in the on-deck circle, it could be a long night for the Wildcats.
I think that Bishop Amat will be just fine after suffering a 49-7 loss to St. John Bosco. The Lancers showed some fight at the end of the night and that was encouraging to see. Speaking of Bosco, did you happen to see Fred Robledo’s video interview with Jason Negro at the end of the game? Negro looked like a person that is not having fun these days. Which makes those rumors from the Orange County coaching circles that Negro’s time at Bosco could be numbered even more interesting.
I think that if you haven’t read my thoughts on Damien’s loss to Pasadena on the “Friday Morning Scouting Report” you need to read them. Only subscribers get access to the column. I hope that Bechtel can turn it around at Damien, he makes it covering football in the East SGV much more fun.
I think that I am perplexed by the situation that is going on at St. Francis when it comes to its defensive unit. For the third straight week in a row, the Golden Knights allowed a staggering number of points in a 54-28 loss to Millikan. I’ve never seen a Golden Knights defense this inept in years. You can give me the excuse that many of the players are young and inexperienced, but this is very alarming. It doesn’t figure to get any easier this week as St. Pius X-St. Matthias invades Friedman Field. And all Warriors did last week was hand St. Paul a humbling 42-13 loss at “The Pit.”
a) BTW, we’re starting to get some evidence that the Angelus League doesn’t appear to be as strong as it’s been in the last couple of years. The perceived favorite in St. Paul got exposed on both sides of the ball in an embarrassing loss to St. Pius X-St. Matthias, St. Francis can’t play any defense, Loyola looks woeful on both sides of the ball, Paraclete is 0-3 and has been noncompetitive this season and Crespi has been outscored 159-20 in their three losses. Just by default, Cathedral becomes the favorite to win the league. One final note, the combined record of the teams in the Angelus this season is 6-11 and it’s very disappointing.
I think here are my additional thoughts of the week:
a)Although many have jumped on the Charter Oak bandwagon after its 37-7 win over Glendora in the annual “Mayor’s Cup” affair, I remain a bit skeptical. Glendora appears to be a cut-below where they’ve been the last couple of years, and I remain a prisoner of recent history and the Northview game still has a lingering taste in my mouth. If the Chargers can post an impressive win over Chino Hills are Friday, I’ll get it over it and give CO its just due. Just saying!
b) I can safely tell you that Servite is not the same team as they were last year. I can’t see them winning a Trinity League game this year. They are clearly in rebuilding mode for coach Troy Thomas. But, don’t count them out next year. Thomas does his best work when experts least expect it.
c) West Covina should be no less than a two-touchdown favorite when they play the annual rivalry game against South Hills this week. And while West Covina should win the game on Friday, look for the matchup to get much more intense and interesting in the years to come. However, when it comes to girls volleyball, I’ve South Hills in a three-game sweep.
d) I think that San Dimas will be the prohibited favorites to win their annual “Smudge Pot” game against Bonita this week. I like the body of work that has been produced by Mark Holman and the consistency is just not there for Bonita.
e) That’s a big confidence-building win for Schurr as they beat Arroyo 6-0. I can’t remember the last time a Chris McMillan-led offense was shut out in an area matchup. As for who wins the Mission Valley League, I have no idea. This has to be the weakest Mission Valley League season in recent memory. Someone has to win it.
OFFICIALS CORNER
When the occasion calls for it, we’ll examine a controversial play from the week’s action and allow an official to give us an interpretation of a call or we’ll dive right into the NFHS Rules Book for the official language of a certain penalty. This week is another easy one that La Mirada fans will have to swallow hard, but it was the correct call.
Late in the fourth quarter with Servite leading 10-7, La Mirada mounted an impressive drill that got stalled on the Friars’ 5-yard-line. The Matadores attempted a field goal which was good but got called back for a blocking penalty against La Mirada. The 15-yard penalty moved the ball back to the 26-yard line and a 36-yard field goal was not successful, giving Servite the win.
I was positioned underneath the goalposts and videotaped the kick. Since I moved the camera very fast after the kick was attempted, here are the two still shots of the left guard of La Mirada blocking below the knee of Servite’s Justin De La Rosa.
The NFHS has the direct language of blocking below the waste. In Rule 2, Section 3, Article 7 the rule states, “Blocking below the waist is making initial contact below the waist from the front or side against an opponent other than a runner… Blocking below the waist applies only when the opponent has one or both feet on the ground.”
This could also be considered “a chop clock” and we were reminded that the NFHS has adjusted its language in the rule book for this block. In Rule 2, Section 3, Article 8 the rule states, “A chop clock is a combination block by two more opponents other than the runner, where one of the blocks is below the waste and one of the blocks is above the waist.”
In this instance, the play was properly adjudicated by the officials with the appropriate 15-yard penalty enforced. It’s a tough one to swallow for La Mirada fans, but it was the correct call when you look back on it from the film.
SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone Top 20 (We’ll have our 1-60 later on this week).
1. Bishop Amat (2-1)
2. Ayala (3-0)
3. La Serna (2-1)
4. Pasadena (2-1)
5. Charter Oak (2-0)
6. Monrovia (3-0)
7. La Mirada (1-2)
8. Damien (1-2)
9. Northview (2-1)
10. La Habra (1-2)
11. St. Paul (2-1)
12. Diamond Bar (3-0)
13. St. Francis (1-2)
14. Baldwin Park (3-0)
15. Bonita (1-2)
16. San Dimas (2-1)
17. El Rancho (2-1)
18. West Covina (1-2)
19. Glendora (0-3)
20. Rio Hondo Prep (2-0)
GAME STICKERS
James Arellanes, Northview: Threw four touchdowns in Northview’s 44-14 win over South Hills.
Brady Beck, San Marino: Completed 32 of 57 passes for 490 yards and 6 TDs in San Marino’s 40-30 win over Rosemead
Elijah Bechtel, Damien: 5 rec. 120 yards and a TD in Damien’s 22-21 loss to Pasadena.
Joseph Binggeli, Sonora: 3 rec, 121 yards and 2 TD’s win Sonora’s 42-7 win over Kennedy.
Richard Conti, South Pasadena: 5 rec, 166 yards and 2 TD’s in South Pasadena’s 55-0 win over LA Marshall
Nick Escamilla, San Marino: 5 rec, 155 yards and three TD’s in San Marino’s 40-30 win over Rosemead.
Nick Fernandez, Sonora: 10 carries for 182 yards and a TD in Sonora’s 42-7 win over Kennedy
Antonio Gomez, California: 6 rec, 122 yards and a TD in Cal’s 21-0 win over Segerstrom.
Carlos Hernandez, Monrovia: 9 rec, 208 yards and a TD in Monrovia’s 58-26 win over El Rancho
Drew Knight, Baldwin Park: 11 of 25 for 307 yards and 2 TD’s in Baldwin Park’s 27-13 win over Chino
Michael Martin, Maranatha: 2 carries for 122 yards and a TD in Maranatha’s 58-2 win over Garey
Tec Nunez, Baldwin Park: 3 rec. 176 yards and 2 TD’s in Baldwin park’s 27-13 win over Chino.
Miles Omalley, Maranatha: 9 carries for 169 yards and a TD in Maranatha’s 58-28 win over Garey.
Ryan Park, San Marino: 10 rec. 238 yards and 3 TDs in San Marino’s 40-30 win over Rosemead.
Brian Salazar Jr, Monrovia: 20 of 31 for 450 yards and 5 TDs in Monrovia’ 58-26 win over El Rancho.
Eric Terrazes, Sierra Vista: 27 carries, 128 yards, and 2 TD’s in Sierra Vista’s 14-7 win over Nogales
Julian Vigil, San Dimas: Had 2 interceptions in San Dimas’ 33-0 win over Santa Fe.
Isaiah Young, Diamond Bar: 22 carries for 161 yards and a TD in Diamond Bar’s 23-14 win over Covina
LINKS TO GAMES COVERED
Here are the links to the games that were covered by Southern California based newspapers last week.
St. John Bosco vs. Bishop Amat: Bishop Amat football no match for No. 1 in the country, St. John Bosco – San Gabriel Valley Tribune (sgvtribune.com)
Mater Dei vs. Corona Centennial: Mater Dei turns to the Browns, Elijah and Marcus, in rout of Corona Centennial - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
Long Beach Poly vs Mission Viejo: Long Beach Poly defeats Mission Viejo in a nail-biter - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
Northview vs. South Hills: Northview football tops South Hills as QB James Arellanes has big night – San Gabriel Valley Tribune (sgvtribune.com)
Millikan vs. St. Francis: Millikan football storms to victory over St. Francis – San Gabriel Valley Tribune (sgvtribune.com)
Sierra Vista vs. Nogales: Eric Terrazes leads Sierra Vista football to comeback win over Nogales – San Gabriel Valley Tribune (sgvtribune.com)
Charter Oak vs. Glendora: Charter Oak football routs Glendora with QB Richie Munoz’s 3 TD passes – San Gabriel Valley Tribune (sgvtribune.com)
Damien vs. Pasadena: Pasadena football team rallies in second half to stun Damien – San Gabriel Valley Tribune (sgvtribune.com)
La Serna vs. Los Osos: Brothers Jake and Owen Long lead La Serna football to easy win over Los Osos – San Gabriel Valley Tribune (sgvtribune.com)
St. Pius X-St. Matthias vs. St. Paul: St. Pius X-St. Matthias football cruises to victory over St. Paul – San Gabriel Valley Tribune (sgvtribune.com)
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame vs. Valencia: Valencia fooball hands Notre Dame its first loss – Daily News
Thousand Oaks vs. Westlake: Thousand Oaks football rallies to beat Westlake – Daily News
South Torrance vs. Narbonne: South Torrance football pulls away in second half for win over Narbonne (dailybreeze.com)
San Pedro vs. Venice: San Pedro football improves to 3-0 with win over Venice (dailybreeze.com)
North Torrance vs. Carson: North Torrance football defeats Carson behind Trevor Lagarde's three-touchdown night (dailybreeze.com)
Long Beach Cabrillo vs. Glenn: Cabrillo football runs over Glenn – Press Telegram
Mira Costa vs. Mayfair: Mira Costa football takes control early in win over Mayfair (presstelegram.com)
Long Beach Jordan vs. Fairfax: Long Beach Jordan football runs all over Fairfax to improve to 3-0 – Press Telegram
Colony vs. Alta Loma: Colony football cruises to victory over Alta Loma – Daily Bulletin
Apple Valley vs. Murrieta Valley: Apple Valley rallies past Murrieta Valley football – Press Enterprise (pe.com)
Norco vs. Rancho Cucamonga: Tyler Dudden leads Norco football past Rancho Cucamonga – Press Enterprise (pe.com)
Villa Park vs. Upland: Villa Park football sees win slip away against Upland – Daily Bulletin
Vista Murrieta vs. Tesoro: Vista Murrieta remains undefeated, routs Tesoro – Press Enterprise (pe.com)
Yucaipa vs. Temescal Canyon: Yucaipa shuts out Temescal Canyon football – San Bernardino Sun (sbsun.com)
Los Alamitos vs. Basha (Az): Los Alamitos football ‘frustrated’ after great start turns into loss to Basha of Arizona – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)
El Modena vs. Sunny Hills: El Modena football shows its strength in romp against Sunny Hills – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)
Edison vs. Orange Lutheran: Edison football knocks off Orange Lutheran with huge fourth quarter – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)
JSerra vs Newport Beach: JSerra football defeats Newport Harbor despite blowing another big lead – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)
Peninsula vs. Katella: Peninsula football gets late defensive stop to hold off Katella for win (ocregister.com)
El Dorado vs. Buena Park : El Dorado football demolishes Buena Park with forceful performance – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)
Capistrano Valley vs. Santiago: Capistrano Valley football’s passing attack too much for Santiago – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)
San Clemente vs. La Costa Canyon: Turnovers become points for San Clemente football in win over La Costa Canyon – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)
And finally from our friends in Northern California:
Serra vs. De La Salle: Serra edges De La Salle, rallying from 14 down in final quarter (mercurynews.com)
Have a great week!