Hold off on those predictions about the demise of Gardena Serra in football. The Cavaliers are 5-2 overall, 2-0 in the Mission League, and their young players are starting to take charge.
Sophomore quarterback Jalen Greene rushed for 80 yards and passed for 128 yards last week in a 44-30 victory over La Canada St. Francis.
"Jalen Greene is starting to blossom," Coach Scott Altenberg said.
Not that the Cavaliers aren't young. They had a 31-7 lead over St. Francis, and Altenberg had a feeling the second half would be tough as he looked out at the many young faces at halftime.
"I was looking at my kids, and they looked like they were already ready to go to the homecoming dance, so I knew we were in trouble," he said.
By beating St. Francis, Serra has put itself in position to face West Hills Chaminade in a regular-season-ending championship game at home in two weeks. First, the Cavaliers have to defeat Santa Fe Springs St. Paul this week, then Studio City Harvard-Westlake next week to set up the title decider.
Serra is trying to get healthy. Standout defensive back Raymond Ford still isn't 100% on his injured ankle. And linebacker Patrick Wooten has missed three games because of an intestinal infection, and is trying to regain his strength and weight.
So even though Marqise Lee, George Farmer and Conner Preston have moved on to college, their replacements are starting to get comfortable, which is bad news for opponents.
City showdowns looming
It's going to be hard this week for Dorsey, Crenshaw and Garfield to focus on their opponents, because next week is showdown week.
On Thursday, Nov. 3, Dorsey will play at Crenshaw for the Coliseum League title. On Friday, Nov. 4, Garfield and Roosevelt will play their annual Eastern League game before more than 20,000 fans at East Los Angeles College.
First up, though, is a matter of taking care of business. Dorsey plays Fremont, Crenshaw plays Locke and Garfield plays Huntington Park.
Then comes the week when coaches don't need to offer any pep talks to fire up their players. Fans and alumni will be ready to get the attention of players.
Healing up
Ventura St. Bonaventure (6-1) is trying to get healthy in time for its Marmonte League showdown against Westlake Village Westlake (7-0) in the final week of the regular season.
Lineman David Barajas has missed the last five games with a separated shoulder. Strong safety Paul Thompson hasn't played since injuring his elbow in a preseason scrimmage. He could return this week against Thousand Oaks. Receiver Montre Lee has missed three games with a thigh bruise, earning the nickname, "Bruise Lee."
Coach Todd Therrien is hoping all will be back for a Nov. 10 game against Westlake that will be televised on Prime Ticket.
Sophomore quarterback Jalen Greene rushed for 80 yards and passed for 128 yards last week in a 44-30 victory over La Canada St. Francis.
"Jalen Greene is starting to blossom," Coach Scott Altenberg said.
Not that the Cavaliers aren't young. They had a 31-7 lead over St. Francis, and Altenberg had a feeling the second half would be tough as he looked out at the many young faces at halftime.
"I was looking at my kids, and they looked like they were already ready to go to the homecoming dance, so I knew we were in trouble," he said.
By beating St. Francis, Serra has put itself in position to face West Hills Chaminade in a regular-season-ending championship game at home in two weeks. First, the Cavaliers have to defeat Santa Fe Springs St. Paul this week, then Studio City Harvard-Westlake next week to set up the title decider.
Serra is trying to get healthy. Standout defensive back Raymond Ford still isn't 100% on his injured ankle. And linebacker Patrick Wooten has missed three games because of an intestinal infection, and is trying to regain his strength and weight.
So even though Marqise Lee, George Farmer and Conner Preston have moved on to college, their replacements are starting to get comfortable, which is bad news for opponents.
City showdowns looming
It's going to be hard this week for Dorsey, Crenshaw and Garfield to focus on their opponents, because next week is showdown week.
On Thursday, Nov. 3, Dorsey will play at Crenshaw for the Coliseum League title. On Friday, Nov. 4, Garfield and Roosevelt will play their annual Eastern League game before more than 20,000 fans at East Los Angeles College.
First up, though, is a matter of taking care of business. Dorsey plays Fremont, Crenshaw plays Locke and Garfield plays Huntington Park.
Then comes the week when coaches don't need to offer any pep talks to fire up their players. Fans and alumni will be ready to get the attention of players.
Healing up
Ventura St. Bonaventure (6-1) is trying to get healthy in time for its Marmonte League showdown against Westlake Village Westlake (7-0) in the final week of the regular season.
Lineman David Barajas has missed the last five games with a separated shoulder. Strong safety Paul Thompson hasn't played since injuring his elbow in a preseason scrimmage. He could return this week against Thousand Oaks. Receiver Montre Lee has missed three games with a thigh bruise, earning the nickname, "Bruise Lee."
Coach Todd Therrien is hoping all will be back for a Nov. 10 game against Westlake that will be televised on Prime Ticket.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-sondheimer-column-20111026,0,2089196.column
Source: By Eric Sondheimer, LA Times