Monday Morning Quarterback: Week 7 Edition

Find out more about the Maranatha program, Why football is a "Player's Game" New area top-20, Game Stickers, 5 Things That I Think I Think, and much more.

Maranatha coach Rand Holdren with his team during Friday night’s Cottonwood League game against Whittier Christian. (Maranatha football).

Area football is much more than the big-name teams. Yes, we all know about Bishop Amat, La Serna, Pasadena, and many others. They’ve been chronicled throughout the season.

High School football is also about the small schools. It’s a group of schools that don’t have the player that is going to a Power-5 football program for the foreseeable future. These are schools that are locked into divisions such as Div. 12, 13, or 14, no matter what rating system you use.

These are teams that have to do the most with the least. One-way players don’t work at this level of football. Lineman are playing both on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Skills players are not only playing offense and defense, chances are they are also playing a pivotal role on the special teams unit.

The crowds at these games are no bigger than 300 fans, at the most. The majority of the fans have a link to the action on the field. Maybe it’s a son, nephew, grandson, or family friend. The lines at the snack bar are much shorter than the ones at Kiefer Stadium at Bishop Amat, but the food is just as good at many of these places. Most importantly, it’s made by volunteers who love nothing better than interacting with friends, taking pictures with newly minted football parents for social media sites, and enjoying seeing student-athletes in action.

That is what I felt when I went to Whittier College last Friday night to view the Whittier Christian vs. Maranatha Cottonwood League football game. The minute you walk into the stadium, it has a different feel to it. There was none of that tension that you get from the big-name schools. It was a more relaxed feel to the evening’s festivities.

That doesn’t mean it is easy to get to the game. Anyone that has ever been to Whittier College (by the way, did you know that one of its famous graduates was the late president, Richard Nixon?) knows that it’s not easy to get to the football field. You have to navigate through winding streets and climb hills to get to the field.

But once you are there, you get to feel high school football as if you are somewhere in the middle of America. Coaches are the first to greet you and make sure you have any materials you need for the game. You reacquaint yourself with coaches from other sports, getting pearls of nuggets that you put into your hip pocket when their season comes into focus.

Whittier College is one of the more unusual stadiums in that the stands are on one side of the field and are quite large. A crowd of 300 that would create a tremendous atmosphere at a school like Maranatha gets lost in the vastness of a stadium such as the one at Whittier College.

It was at this game that you begin to understand the impact that COVID had on schools such as these. Consider the plight of Maranatha coach Rand Holdren. When he was hired in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was not in great shape. The numbers were low, and it appeared as if the program was on its last legs. It was not for a lack of trying.

The school had previously hired coaches such as Pete Karavedas, Steve Bogan, and Lavar Arrington. It was trying to provide the right partner to its much more heralded and highly publicized boys basketball and baseball programs. But it has proven to be a tough nut to crack and Holdren was the first to understand that coaching at Maranatha requires a special touch.

When COVID-19 forced the shutdown of high school sporting in 2020, the impact it had on schools such as Maranatha was much like that of a Category 5 hurricane that hits the mainland. Maranatha saw its number take a turn for the worst. However, through patience and a lot of hard work, Maranatha is now reaping the benefits of a full offseason and a roster that continues to increase.

Don’t be mistaken, it can be tough coaching at this level in 2022, even if it means getting after players for not aligning correctly on offense, or not having 11 players on the field for punt situations. As the saying goes, “no one ever said the job was easy.”

“There is a lot of patience after the season we had last year,” Holdren said. “There was certainly some debate about the career and to be able to have an excellent offseason and to bounce back with the group that we are playing right now, the kids have bought in. It has been an absolute blast this season.”

The memories of a 1-7 2021 season have quickly been washed away and those that follow the program closely get to watch the exploits of one of the more electrifying athletes in the area in Miles Omalley.

The 5-foot 7-inch running back has made life a lot easier these days for Holdren. The sophomore was outstanding in Maranatha’s 35-27 win over Whittier Christian, as he rushed for 121 yards on only 10 carries and scored three touchdowns. Not bad for someone that wanted to play basketball but was highly encouraged to play football by area legendary basketball coach Tim Tucker.

He is the rare athlete where his speed and athleticism are a highly coveted commodity for football in the lower Division levels. Let’s put it this way, on the Madden scale for football in Division 12, 13, or 14, he rates a 99.

“He is a game-changer for our program,” Holdren said of Omalley. “When we give him the ball, it can be a touchdown, anything can happen. He is still learning the game, which is fun to teach him. I got him off the basketball court and told him this game is for you.”

As with any team that aspires of winning a sectional title, you have to have a quarterback and Holdren has one in senior Michael Martin. A transfer from Cathedral, Martin has thrown for 931 yards with 14 touchdowns.

That is outstanding considering that the talent level that he had to work with is a far cry from the talent that was on the field at Cathedral.

“Michael has been a blast to work with this year,” Holdren said. “He is all-in in heart, grit, all of it. We had a good offseason together and he’s growing. We’ve spent a lot of time with each other this year.”

It’s remarkable what kind of impact that football can have on people. Late Saturday night, Holdren posted this message on his Instagram account, “At this point last season, we were 1-5 and also canceled a game. It was a lot to handle professionally as well as personally. But we stayed the course and had a fantastic off-season. After Friday night, we are 5-0-1 and more importantly, the team is playing for each other and having fun in the process. I read that you change 7 years emotionally/physically and here I sit at 43 with a huge chapter in my book. We all have our own timeline.”

I have the feeling the current chapter will be must-read material after week 14. 

One last note, when leaving the football stadium, we noticed that there was a table set up with several boxers filled with hamburgers from In-N-Out. It was for the players from Maranatha to enjoy after the win. It was a friendly reminder that no matter what level of football you are at, nothing beats an In-N-Out burger after a win. Just ask anyone that played football at South Hills during the Steve Bogan years.  

WHEN IT COMES TO FOOTBALL, IT’S A PLAYER’S GAME

When all the results came in Friday night and all the chatter on Twitter quieted after midnight, there was one thought that came to me. It was a quote from a coach who has won several Super Bowls – Bill Belichick. When he was asked about a big play in a game, he’ll answer it to the point, “It’s a player's game.”

That quote sums up nicely last week's action. Bishop Amat and Damien won games WITHOUT their head ball coaches on the sidelines. That should be in itself a perfect example that it is “A Players Game.” But it goes a lot deeper.

Here was Schurr head coach David Ramos’ message to his team after an impressive 56-28 win over San Gabriel on Thursday night. “Guys I can’t tell you how fun it was up (in the press box) watching you guys play,” Ramos said of his team that had two running backs rush for over 100 yards, and his team accumulated 443 yards of total offense. “It was fun watching you guys play, it was fun watching you guys dominate and it was fun watching you guys be physical. That was some fun Spartan football.”

I wanted to make sure that I was on the right track. I decided to contact West Covina coach Mike Maggiore and get his opinion. After all, he has won his fair share of games and CIF championships over the years.

He confirmed my thinking.

“I remember having a conversation with Steve Bogan when I first got into coaching and he said it best, ‘It’s not about the x’s and o’s - it's about the Jimmie’s and the Joe’s,” Maggiore said. “You can draw up the best plays on a grease board, but if you don’t have the players, it doesn’t mean anything.

“You can put your players in the right place to make a play, but at the end of the day, he has to make the play,” Maggiore continued. ‘The great coaches get the most out of their players and that is something I consistently tell young coaches. But, yes, it is a player’s game – no question about it.”

Take it from one of the best.

PLAYOFF DIVISION WATCH

We are one week away from publishing our spreadsheet from Div. 1 to 10 and see what the matchups could be.

But we couldn’t wait with Divisions 2, 3 and 4. Here they are.

D-2

Division 2 is pretty much straightforward. Here are the matchups based on the Calpreps ratings. The games italicized are games that involve area football teams.

(16) La Serna at (1) Bishop Amat

(15) Oaks Christian at (2) JSerra

(14) Norco at (3) Orange Lutheran

(13) Yorba Linda at (4) Oak Hills

(12) Apple Valley at (5) Serra

(11) Warren at (6) Citrus Valley

(10) Rancho Cucamonga at (7) Inglewood

(9) Santa Margarita at (8) Murrieta Valley

Remember last week when we mentioned that La Serna was on the cutline for D-2 #16 seed and #1 seed for D-3? Consider that these are the current ratings for La Serna and St. Bonaventure – La Serna 42.0, and St. Bonaventure 41.4. Like I always say, a lot of ball left to be played.

D-3

Things get a lot murkier in this division with the status of five teams: Alemany, Bishop Diego, Damien, Servite, and Sierra Canyon all in trouble because of Friday losses and low win totals. Bishop Diego has four wins and should get their fifth before the end of week 10. We can see Damien earning four wins and getting an AQ spot. Alemany, Servite, and Sierra Canyon are clearly “on the bubble” and need wins desperately.

Projected matchups with Alemany, Servite, and Sierra Canyon out.  

(16) St. Pius X-St.Matthias at (1) St. Bonaventure

(15) Upland at (2) San Clemente

(14) Vista Murrieta at (3) West Ranch

(13) Cathedral at (4) Corona del Mar

(12) Bishop Diego at (5) Ayala

(11) Oxnard Pacifica at (6) SB Cajon

(10) Leuzinger at (7) Pasadena

(9) Damien at (8) El Modena

D-4

Just like in Division 2, Division 4 is pretty straightforward with many teams already achieving the 5-win total.

(16) Camarillo at (1) Cypress

(15) Downey at (2) Thousand Oaks

(14) Beaumont at (3) Tesoro

(13) Roosevelt at (4) Valencia

(12) Simi Valley at (5) Santa Barbara

(11) Newbury Park at (6) Newport Harbor

(10) Highland at (7) Charter Oak

(9) Mira Costa at (8) Orange Vista

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, which 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.

La Canada 24, San Marino 6: The Spartans took the first important step to secure the third and final automatic qualifier from the Rio Hondo League into the playoffs with a big home win over the Titans. Senior Corey Cheung carried the ball 19 times for 100 yards and scored a touchdown. Junior quarterback Macky Plocher completed 19 of 29 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. San Marino’s Brady Beck completed 9 of 22 passes for 145 yards.

Pasadena Poly 54, Temple City 12: The Panthers picked the right time to secure its first win of the season with an impressive win over the Rams at South Pasadena High School. Freshman Jad Ammar rushed for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns. JT McElarth, a sophomore, added 97 rushing yards and scored a touchdown.

Diamond Bar 49, Rowland 13: Isaiah Young once again turned in an outstanding effort as he carried the ball 16 times for 187 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Brahmas home victory over the Raiders. Sophomore quarterback Quinton Mendoza continues to make nice inroads as he completed 11 of 17 passes for 182 yards and four touchdowns. Milo Medina had six receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns.

Rosemead 28, South El Monte 14: After starting the season slowly, the Panthers are on a two-game winning streak with the latest win a Mission Valley League home victory over the Eagles. Senior Nico Banuelos handled most of the workload as he carried the ball 28 times for 118 yards. Sophomore quarterback Frank Weisbrod completed 16 of 26 passes for 199 yards.

Walnut 48, Wilson 6: The Mustangs jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead and never looked back as they improved their record to 5-2 with a road win over the Wildcats. Dorian Hall rushed for 58 yards and scored a touchdown.

5 THINGS THAT I THINK I THINK

1. I think that I am so relieved that we are in the final stages of the Bishop Amat vs. Damien postgame debacle. All that is left now is to see what the authorities will do with the files that were charged against Damien coach Matt Bechtel. I will say this about the Spartans, you can now project them with a four-win season without cringing. That was a huge win over Upland and should set them up well for their other “projected” wins against Chino Hills and Etiwanda. Remember one thing, the Baseline League gets only two automatic bids from the league into the playoffs. And with the win, the Spartans are in an excellent position to earn one of those bids.

   a) As for Bishop Amat, what a tremendous job by the entire coaching staff to get the job done on the road at Sierra Canyon. The win also sets up the Lancers nicely to earn one of three AQ bids from the Mission League. It’s an important two-week stretch for the Lancers as they hit the road for another titanic battle against Serra before hosting Chaminade in two weeks at Kiefer. As I like to say, “No one circles the wagons better than Bishop Amat.”

2. I think that I was a little bit too harsh on St. Paul last week on Twitter. Last Friday, I noted after they lost to Loyola, 24-14, that they were the second worst team in the Angelus League next to Crespi. And they probably are. The problem for the Swordsmen (which I wasn’t informed of until after the game) is that the injury bug has hit the team heavily. The key injury is that to junior quarterback Andrew Maushardt. The Servite transfer didn’t play in last Friday night’s game, forcing the Swordsmen to use junior Vincent Fajardo at quarterback. It didn’t work out well as Fajardo completed only one of six passes for 17 yards. However, St. Paul did get a huge effort from junior running back Christian Melendez (check out the helmet stickers section). It’s a tough year for the Swordsmen, but I have compassion, injuries are no joke these days.

3. I think that I can’t wait for Mountain West League action to start next week. You talk about rolling the dice for some of these teams. The four teams that comprise the league are Ayala, Bonita, Charter Oak, and Alta Loma. All of these teams are solid. Bonita got the season-defining win it needed over Northview, Ayala handled their business in the second half to defeat Glendora, and Charter Oak is rolling (although many are privately concerned about the defense). The action begins next week, buckle up!

4. I think that West Covina running back Zach Requena may be the best running back you may not know about. He was sensational in the Bulldogs’ 30-8 win over host Baldwin Park. However, it’s not the work on the field that has impressed West Covina coach Mike Maggiore. “As good as he is in football, that’s nothing compared to what he is going to do in life after football,” Maggiore said. “He is one of the great teammates I’ve ever coached.” That says everything.

5. I think that these are my additional thoughts on the week:

   b) Congratulations to Ted Clarke and Tom Maher on getting their first wins as “assistant” coaches for Pasadena Poly in their win over Temple City last week. Both are playing the role of analysts for the new staff. All we need now is for Bobby Jastrab to coach at Rio Hondo Prep and we can renew old acquaintances. Just saying.

   c) No matter the year, it just seems like nothing changes in the always humorous Mission Valley League. Arroyo, Rosemead, and El Monte all earned league opening wins. Who wins the league? My money is on Arroyo. However, as crazy as this season has been, nothing will surprise me.

   c) Word has it that the scorebook went out last week in the Claremont vs South Hills game. That is the worst nightmare for a reporter covering a game. The last thing that a reporter wants to do is ask the referee what the time on the clock on the field was when a score occurred. And it’s worse for coaches and players. There are no winners in the situation.

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 drive right into the NFHS Rules Book for the official language of a certain penalty.

We’ve run into the one quite a bit during the season. Many fans and coaches think that if a team commits a personal foul, it is an automatic first down. While that is the case at the collegiate and professional level, that is NOT the case in high school.

In Chapter 10 Article 7: “The following fouls by B give A an automatic first down: a) Roughing the kicker or holder; b) Roughing the Passer; c) Roughing the snapper.”

In other words, if the yards needed for a first down are greater than the 15 yards that a personal foul penalty is enforced, the down WILL BE repeated. If it is less than 15 yards, then it is a first down by yardage.

If you want to find out more about football rules and become the smartest fan in the stands, I highly recommend downloading the NFHS Rules App and purchasing a copy of the NFHS Football Rules Book for $6.99. It is well worth it.

One other point, in this year’s edition of the NFHS Rules Book, in the section titled, “2022 Points of Emphasis,” is the following passage, “Sportsmanship, or good sporting behavior, is about treating one another with respect and exhibiting appropriate behavior. It is about being fair, honest, and caring. When these types of appropriate behavior occur, competitive play is more enjoyable for everyone. 

“Coaches set the tone during football games with their display of sportsmanship. If these individuals act in a sportsmanlike manner, their behavior sets the tone for players, spectators, and others. If coaches, however, are complaining consistently about the decision of game officials, spectators are more likely to do the same… Good sports win with humility, lose with grace and do both with dignity. It takes the efforts of everyone every day to ensure that sportsmanship remains of the top priorities in education-based activity programs.” 

Just for the record, this is not an Op-Ed from me, this comes directly from the National Federations of High School Associations.

SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone Top-25 (we’ll have our 1-60, later on, this week):

1. Bishop Amat

2. Ayala

3. La Serna

4. Pasadena

5. Charter Oak

6. La Mirada

7. St. Francis

8. Monrovia

9. Bonita

10. Northview

11. San Dimas

12. West Covina

13. Glendora

14. Damien

15. Baldwin Park

16. El Rancho

17. Sonora

18. Rio Hondo Prep

19. Diamond Bar

20. La Habra

GAME STICKERS

Daniel Andrade, Bonita: Threw for 360 yards and five touchdowns in Bonita’s 42-35 win over Northview.

Jad Ammar, Pasadena Poly: Rushed for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns in Poly’s 54-12 win over Temple City.

Justin Gil, La Habra: Completed 19 of 25 passes for 257 yards and six touchdowns in La Habra’s 54-34 win over Troy.

Ayden Gutierrez, Damien: Rushed 23 times for 115 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Spartans’ 27-18 win over Upland.

Christian Melendez, St. Paul: Rushed 28 times for 205 yards and two touchdowns for the Swordsmen in a 24-14 loss to Loyola. 

Ethan Najera, Monrovia: Rushed for 137 yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns in Monrovia’s 35-21 win over South Pasadena.

Miles Omalley, Maranatha: Rushed 10 times for 121 yards and scored three touchdowns in Maranatha’s 35-27 win over Whittier Christian.

Schurr Offensive Line: We don’t do this often, but this unit helped Spartan running backs rush for a season-high 343 yards as Schurr defeated San Gabriel, 56-28, on the opening night of Almont League action.

Jeremiah Serano, Nogales: Carried the ball 18 times for 217 yards and scored two touchdowns in Nogales’ 40-7 win over Hoover.

Devyn Turner, St. Francis: Rushed for 159 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Golden Knights’ 45-14 win over Paraclete.

Hugo Vasquez, Whittier: Vasquez was the leading star as he rushed for 119 yards on 14 carries and scored both of the Cardinals’ touchdowns in a 14-0 win over Santa Fe.

Isaiah Young, Diamond Bar: The senior carried the ball 16 times for 187 yards and scored two touchdowns in Diamond Bar’s 49-13 win over Rowland.

C.J. Zachary, La Mirada: Rushed for 125 yards and scored three touchdowns in La Mirada's 43-21 win over Dominguez

Next week, we will list the top 75 football players in the SGV/Whittier area as we passed the halfway point of the season. Have a great week.