SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: End Zone to End Zone - Week 4 Edition

We take you inside Damien's big win over Mira Costa last week; Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary's resurgence; 5 Things I Think I Think; Game Stickers and a lot more.

Damien celebrates its 56-24 win over Mira Costa. (Escarcega)

MANHATTAN BEACH – Matt Bechtel is a man who is obsessed with perfection.

It doesn’t matter if it’s on the football field, in the weight room, or if he is a teacher. He expects a lot from himself and from his players. Right now, it appears as if the 2023 edition of the Damien Spartans are doing their best to chase Bechtel’s version of perfection.

It was one of my key takeaways last Friday from watching Damien waltz all over host Mira Costa, 56-24, to improve their record to 4-0 on the season.

I know that I was there last year when it appeared as if Damien had turned the corner when they defeated Loyola convincing – only for the season to go horribly wrong. And if you want to stop reading at this point in the column, you have every right to do so.

But after watching this team closely on Friday, I sense that this a much different team than from the 2022 season – and it has nothing to do with the pinball-like numbers that they are currently posting up.

This team looks more focused, and more disciplined, and (more importantly) they appear to have much more fun. I saw it the minute I began to look at the players in their pregame stretch.

The players’ body types looked much more different than in years past. They looked leaner, stronger, and much more athletic. “You should see these guys in the weight room,” one Damien assistant coach said before the game. “I’ve been around the game for a while and when it comes to the weight room, these guys get after it in ways I never knew possible.”

Which is a point that I’ve always made. It’s one thing to say that your team has been in the weight room, it’s another thing once you are inside the room. There is no room to hide, no one to give you plaudits (unlike after a game). It’s you, your teammates, and those select few coaches that spend the time with you – and that’s it. I’ve seen it time and again, leadership and toughness can be found in the weight room, but you must spend a relentless amount of energy to get it.

When you get that amount of work and toughness, mixed in with uncanny football savvy, you’re going to be a tough team to beat. Throw in some bonding and togetherness, and you’re on your way to having a special team.

Which could be seen in the final moments before Friday’s kickoff. After some relaxed talk for several, it was time for Matt Bechtel’s son Elijah to grab the attention of his teammates. He challenged them with language that made his dad very happy.

“Let’s be physical for 48 minutes,” Elijah implored. “I want to see what (Mira Costa) is all about. Let’s see what happens.”

And then it was time for Matt Bechtel to deliver the final words – and they were powerful. He told his players that one of the teammates James Taylor had a rough night two nights ago. Taylor was the epitome of what a high school football player is all about. “He was the type of player that Damien is all about,” Bechtel said after the game. “He would do anything for this program – he epitomes what Damien Football is all about.”

According to those inside the program, he had worked his tail off in the offseason and was slotted to be RB2 after the departure of Steven Chavez to Orange Lutheran and slotted behind talented junior Zachary Eugia.

He played in the Yorba Linda game and tore some ligaments in his foot and was lost for the season. On Wednesday of last week, he had surgery on his foot and had a rough night on Thursday. He was under a lot of pain and didn’t get a lot of sleep and he was not going to be able to attend the game due to the pain from his surgery.

He texted Bechtel on the bus ride to the school. It was a message so emotional that it nearly drove Bechtel to tears.

“He was apologizing to me that he couldn’t be with the team,” Bechtel said. “It is a testament to the type of man that he is. His family has done a great job in raise (Taylor). I love these guys like my own sons and that is the reward of doing this job.”

It was the pain that Taylor was experiencing that Bechtel expressed to his team. “You know this kid would do anything to be here tonight,” Bechtel said. “ANYTHING! So, when you think you’re tired, hurt, or feeling sorry for yourself, just remember the pain that (Taylor) is going through. He’s apologizing to me that he can’t make the game? When I got that text, I almost cried. I love you guys.”

Damien awaiting to take the field last week against Mira Costa. (Escarcega)

Then the team walked about with a player carrying the sword and the other carrying the shield. There is a meaning behind that as well.

“The way that we do it is that we will watch the film and we will meet as a staff on Sunday,” Bechtel said. “We’ll make that decision. The sword goes to the player that has the biggest hit in the game, and the shield goes to the kid that left it all out on the line.”

On this night it was Eddie Don who was holding the sword and lineman Ethan Zelaya who was holding the shield after the previous week’s historic win over Damien of Honolulu (59-29) on the big island. It was an experience that many will never forget (which included a visit to the Arizona Memorial).

The weather at kickoff in Manhattan Beach reminded the players of their Hawai’i experience. A nice breeze from the Pacific Ocean offered up a nice refreshment from a day when the temperatures in Los Angeles hit the mid-90s.

Much like their games against Yorba Linda and Loyola, the Spartans came out to a slow start, failing behind 14-0 in the first quarter. The team looked so lethargic, that Bechtel could be overheard saying, “What are doing?” (That was the PG-13 version of it).

Late in the first quarter … it happened!

Damien Athletic Director Jeff Grant calls it “Air Bechtel.” And when the flight started, Mira Costa didn’t stand a chance. Damien would score six unanswered touchdowns with a swiftness that would make a collegiate air raid coach blush with envy.

Ayden Gutierrez, who in my mind is the best wide receiver in the area, scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 55-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Isaiah Arriaza.  Elijah Bechtel was one among three other players that caught touchdown passes from Arriaza in the second quarter and suddenly it was 28-14 in favor of Damien at halftime.

And the numbers are impressive. Arriaza was 10 of 17 in the first half for 189 yards and four touchdowns and the Spartans had amassed 300 yards of total offense. Yup, Air Bechtel was in full flight.

And it didn’t stop there.

The onslaught continued in the third quarter where Arriaza threw two more touchdowns and added 137 yards to his game total. When the smoke cleared, the sophomore completed 18 of 29 passes for 360 yards and six touchdowns. Oh, and Gutierrez (after having two kick returns for touchdowns called back for penalties) returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Throw in 203 team rushing yards, and it all adds up to Damien finishing the evening with 563 total yards in offense. The defense did its part as they held the Mustangs to 61 rushing yards.

As you can imagine, Bechtel had high praise for Arriaza’s performance. “As far as spinning the football, ball placement, all the things he possesses physically, he is as good as anyone I’ve ever coached,” Bechtel said. “The biggest thing in our offense is that if the triggerman understands his pre-snap progressions, and he understands how to trust his reads, the sky is the limit.”

This is what can also be safely said about this team. The sky is truly the limit, and, most importantly, they do not care about what is being said about them from the outside.

“We keep our heads down and keep working,” Gutierrez said. “We keep that same mentality that we are doing to keep coming in with our best each week.”

I was reminded of this type of mindset from a new book written by University of Michigan Sports Performance coach Greg Harden called “Staying Sane In An Insane World). Harden has worked with Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, Desmond Howard, and countless others.

Harden calls it the three C’s of assertive communication: “Confidence. You believe in your yourself, your message, and your ability to handle the situation. Clarity. Your message is clear and easy to understand. Control. You deliver your message in a calm and controlled manner…”

And when you hear Bechtel talk about not worrying about what is being said about his program from the outside, you can see that the three C’s are clearly being identified here.

“I said this a couple of weeks ago, I’m not on social media, and I’m purposely not on social media because most of what is being reported in the high school football world is negative,” Bechtel said. “It is what I consider poison. But what I will tell you is that when I hear about it, it 100 percent motivates me personally to be better. I don’t want to prove the naysayers wrong; I believe in proving the people who love us to prove them right.”

So, the question now comes, after seeing St. Francis and Damien play Mira Costa, who is the better team? The answer – St. Francis (and not by much).

The stats prove it as such. St. Francis had 387 total offensive yards; Damien had 563. Both teams are very similar in that they don’t have a home run hitter, but they have players who understand their offensive systems very well. Both have great defenses, St. Francis held Mira Costa to 23 yards rushing, and Damien held MC to 61 yards.

It would be a great game if these two teams were matched up – and it might happen. Damien is ranked 22nd on Calpreps, and St. Francis is 39th.

But for now, we’ll keep St. Francis #1 and Damien #2. As for next week’s opponent (Charter Oak), Elijah Bechtel reminded his players of the next-up mentality in the same pregame words.

“And let’s see what happens with that same mentality next week…”

Next week has arrived. It’s Charter Oak week.

CANTWELL SACRED HEART ARE TURNING HEADS

There have been some nice stories coming out of the 2023 season. First, there is the dramatic improvement in Temple City, and then the amazing comeback of Mountain View football. But not far behind those two teams has been Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary.

After suffering a 51-0 season opening loss to Village Christian, the Cardinals have won their last three games and head into this Friday night’s local showdown with upstart Bosco Tech with a tremendous amount of momentum.

Last week’s 35-14 win over defending CIF-SS champion San Gabriel only accentuated the growth that coach Eddie Ficklin Jr has been wanting to see in his players. He had a challenge for his team last week with a simple phrase, “Make Them a Believer.”

So far, his team has been gaining a lot of believers.

“I gave them that message simply because a lot of people wrote us off after that first tough loss to Village Christian,” Ficklin said. “I knew that our boys would bounce back. And I knew the win over (San Gabriel) would be a big one.”

And it was thanks to the performance of quarterback Roy Vasquez. A transfer from La Habra, Vasquez completed 13 of 16 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns. Jaiden Cote caught two touchdown passes and Angel Cevallos also scored a touchdown and rushed for 125 yards.

When you start looking at CSHM’s resume, the game that stands out is the 12-0 shutout win over a Montebello team that has wins over Baldwin Park and El Rancho. Say what you will about the La Canada win, but that game also showed some genuineness that you don’t see a lot of times in these teams that are from smaller schools. It appears as if the Cardinals will be a team to watch when Camino Real League season begins this week.

“I knew it was going to be a matter of when we would start to gel and now it’s starting to show,” Ficklin said. “Our boys are 100% locked in on my leadership and the structure that I built for this program. And my coaching staff has been working hard as well. We are taking it one game at a time.”

ONE FULL GASSER

Each week we are going to take a “full gasser” around the area and look at some of the games that were played on Friday night that were not on the docket. It’s time to shine a light on some of the players who turned in outstanding performances that were “under the radar.”

St. Francis 45, St. Pius X-St.Matthias 14: After a tough night last week against Millikan the previous week, Golden Knights quarterback John Sanders got back on the beam as he went 14 of 19 for 178 yards with five TDs in St. Francis’ road win. Tight End Preston Jernegan caught seven passes for 84 yards and 4 TDs.

La Serna 30, Tesoro 17: Once again, the Lancers took a road trip to the deep in the heart of south Orange County and came away with a huge win. The Lancers did it by outscoring Tesoro 20-7 in the second half. Senior Owen Long was the start of the game as he rushed 19 times for 146 yards and scored three touchdowns. La Serna is off this week before taking hitting the road to take on Damien in two weeks.

La Salle 49, Alhambra 13: It was another big night for Palisades transfer Zachary Lifton as he completed 16 of 22 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns. David Vanden Bosch did all the heavy lifting on the ground as he rushed for 106 yards on 18 carries and scored a touchdown. The Lancers compiled an impressive 521 total offensive yards in the win and improved their record to 2-2. La Salle will have a home game against Covina next week.

Bassett 35, Duarte 15: Senior Matthew Carrera was the star of the show for the Olympians on Thursday night as he rushed for 128 yards and scored two touchdowns in the win. Bassett used an effective running attack to get the job done as the amassed 365 total rushing yards in the win and evened its season record to 2-2.

South El Monte 27, Garey 14: The Eagles pulled away late, scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter, to remain undefeated at 4-0 with a home win against the Vikings. Eagles quarterback Matthew Medina, a junior, completed 11 of 19 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

Maranatha 48, Covina 13: Luke McNulty, a Bishop Amat transfer, was sensational on Thursday night in the Minutemen’s road win over the Panthers. The junior completed all seven of his passes for 254 yards with four touchdowns. It was also another big night for junior Miles Omalley has rushed five teams for 155 yards with a TD and caught two passes for 84 yards and a TD. Maranatha collected 415 total offensive yards.

South Pasadena 48, Hoover 15: The beat goes on for Tigers running back Jason Hong as carried the ball 10 times for 177 yards and scored three touchdowns in their road win over the Tornados. South Pasadena is 4-0 on the season.

Schurr 35, Baldwin Park 14: The Spartans won their second consecutive game in as many weeks on the strength of a very productive performance from Christian Breazeale as he completed 11 of 12 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Fabian Sanchez as he hauled in eight passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

Arcadia 49, Nordhoff 8: Apaches junior quarterback Keyon Mills has a huge night as he completed 17 of 21 passes for 335 yards and scored three touchdowns. Mikal Reed was the recipient of Mills’ big night as he caught seven passes for 143 yards and scored two touchdowns. Arcadia has a 2-2 record.

5 THINGS THAT I THINK I THINK

1. I think that I was more than impressed with the way Bishop Amat performed last Thursday against Santa Margarita. This was a game that showed that the Lancers could play against some of the best that So Cal can offer up. Keep in mind that Santa Margarita is currently ranked seventh in the Calpreps.com rankings and is projected to be in Division 1. It took a career effort of quarterback John Gazzaniga, who started the year as the quarterback at Orange Lutheran (welcome to life in the Trinity League), to take down the Lancers as he threw for six touchdowns. The fight was there for Amat and it was clear in the post-game comments to Fred Robledo that coach Steve Hagerty is not concerned where his team is ranked by any media conglomerate. And he is right. The one rating that he should be concerned about is his rating on Calpreps, which is currently 31st, which would make them a two-seed in Division 3 if the Division 1 field is capped at 12 teams. A lot can happen between now and week 10, but if the Lancers are in Division 3 for the playoffs, this could be a postseason to remember for Amat fans who are thirsting for a sectional title. Suddenly, Friday night’s game against Calpreps #14 Rancho Cucamonga starts looking that much more delicious.

2. I think that teams that forgo a few “feel good” wins for an exchange of playing really good teams that will make them better for the playoffs will be rewarded in the playoffs. One of those teams is La Serna, which made another trip deep into the heart of Orange County and came away with a big win (see their capsule in One Full Gasser). The win places them in a projected position of Division 3 with a power rating of 21.4. That is the big reason why coach Andy George schedules games against Los Alamitos and Warren, so that when the Lancers hit the postseason, they would be wide-eyed if they play teams like St. Bonaventure, Etiwanda, and St. Francis, teams that are currently projected to be in Div. 3. Once again after it looked like El Rancho might be the team to give La Serna a run for their money for a Del Rio League title, their recent foibles only further enhance La Serna’s status as the heavy favorites to win the league title.

3. I think that it’s time to get concerned about Baldwin Park. That was another ill-timed performance against Schurr last week that has many concerned. Schurr was able to do whatever they wanted in a 35-14 win. And I’ve seen both teams and with the talent that Baldwin Park has right now, they should not be losing by wide margins as they are currently. And it doesn’t get any easier as they host a winless La Mirada team (that is hungry for its first win), Diamond Bar (which is much better than people expected), and West Covina (which looked impressive in defeating South Hills last Saturday). Yeah, I know that they are ranked 261st on Calpreps and would be a serious contender in any of the lower divisions to win a championship, but the time is now for them to start getting their act together or else they’ll be categorized as “The best team not to make the playoffs.”

4. I think that I still have no idea who will win the Valle Vista League. Northview was pushed to the limit by Covina but still won (37-35). San Dimas got shut out by one of the top-five teams in the area in Bonita, so don’t hold that loss against them. Diamond Ranch’s offense once again looked solid in a 42-20 win over Moreno Valley and Los Altos pushed around Walnut in a 37-14 win. Right now, teams in the VVL are a combined 12-3 in nonleague play, which is very impressive. Northview gets another test on Thursday night against Monrovia, Los Altos is only given a 42% chance of winning at home against Jurupa Hills on Friday, while Diamond Ranch and San Dimas are heavy favorites to get a win. I know that Northview is the favorite, but this race is going to be very fascinating.

5. I think that the best game of the week you might not know about will occur in the Pasadena area on Friday as Maranatha hosts Western Christian. Western Christian is 4-0 on the season and could be the Minuteman’s final big test before they enter Cottonwood League action where they will be the overwhelming favorites to come away with a league title. Western Christian better find a way to contain Miles Omalley, who is once against making life miserable for Defensive Coordinators with his uncanny ability to break games wide open with his game-changing speed. If you are a football fan, Omalley is worth the price of admission.

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 an official language of a certain penalty.

This week we are going to look at the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which has come up in several instances last week in several key games. In the NFHS rule book, Charter 9, Article 5 states that “No player shall act in an unsportsmanlike manner once the game officials assume authority for the contest. Examples are, but not limited to:

a)         Baiting or taunting acts or words or insignia worn which endangers ill will

b)         Using profanity, insulting or vulgar language or gestures

c)         Any delayed, excessive, or prolonged act by which a player attempts to focus attention upon himself.

d)         Kicking at the ball, other than during a legal kick.

e)         Leaving the field between downs to gain an advantage unless replaced or unless with the permission of a game official.

f)         Refusing to comply with a game official’s request.

g)         Using alcohol or any form of tobacco product (e-cigarette or similar items).”

It is subsection C that has been under the glare of the spotlight lately. Let’s start with Thursday night’s game between Bishop Amat and Santa Margarita. Late in the third quarter, with Santa Margarita leading 36-29, QB Frankie Villalbazo hits Talen O’Dell with a 64-yard touchdown pass. After crossing the goal to score, O’Dell celebrates with the cheerleaders and gives a low five to a kid in the end zone. The back judge, looking straight at the situation, throws the flag and calls unsportsmanlike conduct.

At first, this caught me off guard. O’Dell didn’t taunt anyone, was using a positive expression for a touchdown play that he made, and it seemed like this was a bad call. However, when you look at the language that is in subsection C, states, “Any delayed, excessive or prolonged act by which a player attempts to focus attention upon himself.”

In this instance, the back judge determined that O’Dell focused his attention on himself. It could have gone either way, but the official used the letter of the law to make the decision to penalize the player.

We had two more instances in the West Covina game where West Covina’s Ethan Mendez and South Hills’ Matt Moreno each extended their arms prior to entering the end zone for touchdowns (in the act of celebrations), thus the officials once again called the penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct.

And, that rule will (and should) be heavily enforced in rivalry games where the intensity is ratcheted up to another level.

The coaching point is simple for area athletes, when you score, just hand the ball to the official and celebrate with your teammates on the sideline. This is not the NFL, where the celebration rules are a little more forgiving. You are playing high school football and, (whether it’s fair or not), the rules that you are playing under are much more rigid.

SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone Top-10

1. St. Francis (3-1)

2. Damien (4-0)

3. Bishop Amat (1-2)

4. La Serna (2-2)

5. Bonita (4-0)

6. Northview (3-1)

7. Glendora (4-0)

8. St. Paul (2-1)

9. Covina (3-0)

10. South Pasadena (4-0)

GAME STICKERS

Isaiah Arriaza, Damien: The sophomore completed 18 of 28 passes for 360 yards and six touchdowns in Damien’s 56-28 win over Mira Costa.

Preston Jernegan, St. Francis: Caught 7 passes for 84 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Golden Knights 45-14 win over St. Pius X-St. Matthias HS.

Jason Hong, South Pasadena: Carried the ball 10 times for 177 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 48-15 win over Hoover.

Jake Jones, Temple City: Threw for 237 yards and 2 TDs in the Rams’ 35-00 win over Mountain View.

Zachary Lifton, La Salle, completed 16 of 21 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns in La Salle’s 49-13 win over Alhambra.

Owen Long, La Serna: Rushed for 146 yards and scored three touchdowns in La Serna’s 30-17 win over Tesoro

Luke McNulty, Maranatha: Was 7 for 7 for 254 yards and four touchdowns in Maranatha’s 48-13 win over Corona.

Keyon Mills, Arcadia: Completed 17 of 21 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns in the Apaches’ 49-8 win over Nordhoff.

Sean Romero, Montebello: Passed for 327 yards and threw two touchdown passes in Montebello’s 38-14 win over visiting El Rancho.