gameclub
gameclub
LONG BEACH – One of the perks of reaching the CIF Southern Section football championship games is that select members of the 28 finalist teams from the 14 playoff divisions meet in Long Beach for the champions luncheon, which was hosted at the Long Beach Marriott on Monday. The Glendora football team at Monday’s CIF-SS champions luncheon in Long Beach. Glendora will take on Murrieta Mesa in Saturday’s Division 6 championship game. (Photo by Fred Robledo). The Rio Hondo Prep football team at Monday’s CIF-SS champions luncheon in Long Beach. RH Prep will take on Warren in Friday’s Division 7 championship game. (Photo by Fred Robledo). The Pioneer football team at Monday’s CIF-SS champions luncheon in Long Beach. Pioneer will host San Gabriel in Saturday’s Division 14 championship game. (Photo by Fred Robledo) The El Rancho high school football team at Monday’s CIF-SS champions luncheon in Long Beach. El Rancho will take on Portola in the Division 11 championship game. (By Fred Robledo). The San Gabriel high school football team at Monday’s CIF-SS champions luncheon in Long Beach. They will face Pioneer in the Division 14 championship (Photo by Fred Robledo). The La Serna football team at Monday’s CIF-SS champions luncheon in Long Beach. La Serna is playing Palos Verdes for the Division 6 championship on Friday. (Photo by Fred Robledo) The Pasadena high school football team at Monday’s CIF-SS champions luncheon in Long Beach. PHS will take on Gahr in Saturday’s Division 13 championship game. (Photo by Fred Robledo). The Glendora football team at Monday’s CIF-SS champions luncheon in Long Beach. Glendora will take on Murrieta Mesa in Saturday’s Division 6 championship game. (Photo by Fred Robledo). The San Gabriel Valley was well represented with seven teams attending, including two that made their second straight trip to the finals luncheon, and one who’s last championship appearance was so long ago its team wore leather helmets the last time it played in a title game. That would be Pasadena, the feel-good story of this year’s group. Pasadena was 0-10 last season and stretched its losing streak to 13 straight before rallying to finish third in the Pacific League, and it did not slow down. Pasadena routed Lynwood 37-0 in Friday’s Division 13 semifinals to reach the championship game for the first time since 1947. Pasadena has won three championships, winning in 1915, which is more than a century ago. They also won in 1924 and 1933. Pasadena (7-6) will host Gahr (7-5) in Saturday’s championship game at 7 p.m. “I think it’s going to be good for the community,” Pasadena coach Ron Jones said of finally making it back to the finals. “It’s surreal that we’re here after all the adversity we went through at the beginning of the season. We never thought we would be in this building.” Bulldogs wide receiver Christopher Solis-Lumar transferred from Glendora, and was added to the team midway through the season following the sit-out period. “It’s a great experience, kind of a bittersweet moment,” Solis-Lumar said. “It took us a while to get here and not a lof of people thought we would get here, and for us to bring it back for the first time since 1947, it’s going to be something.” LA SERNA, RIO HONDO PREP LOOKING TO REPEAT La Serna and Rio Hondo Prep were both at the champions luncheon last year, and both went on to win championships. They get to compete for rare consecutive titles this weekend. La Serna won the Division 4 title and CIF State Division 2-AA championship last season. La Serna graduated several players from last year’s team, but improved over the season and defeated Summit 34-22 in the Division 5 semifinals. La Serna (10-3) will be on the road at Palos Verdes (8-5) playing for their second straight title and fifth overall. “This team was just determined to carve their place in La Serna football history,” La Serna coach Andy George said. “There wasn’t too many high expectations coming off a state championship team. But our team said you know what, we’re going to get after it.” Rio Hondo Prep certainly isn’t a surprise anymore. The small school with less than 75 boys on campus won its 15th sectional title last season beating Santa Monica for the Division 9 title, which was the first single-digit division title in the school’s history, having won most of its titles in eight-man or the old small school’s divisions. Rio Hondo Prep (10-1) is now in Division 7 and beat West Torrance 42-21 in the semifinals. The Kares have a giant task in the finals where it will take on Warren (6-7) in Friday’s championship at Arcadia high school. Warren lost in the Division 3 championship last year, and traditionaly competes in the top divisions. “If you would have told me a year ago we would be playing Warren in a CIF championship game, I would have said you’re crazy,” Rio Hondo Prep coach Mark Carson said. “It’s a great opportunity is how we’re looking at it. If we played them 10 times, they would probably win nine of them. We’re hoping to catch that one.” GLENDORA IN FIRST TITLE GAME SINCE 1989 Glendora has been the comeback team of the playoffs, overcoming big deficits in the quarterfinals and semifials to advance to the Division 6 championship, where the Tartans will be looking for their second sectional title and first since sharing the championship in 1989 with Ramona, a game that ended in a 28-28 tie for the Division 2-A crown. Glendora (9-4), who overcame a 21-3 deficit in the second half to beat Dana Hills 25-21 in the semifinals, will take on Murrietta Mesa (9-4) in Saturday’s Division 6 title game at Citrus College. Glendora offensive lineman Marko Luera talked about how determine the Tartans are to finish it off. “This team is special man,” Luera said. “I love every kid on this team, it’s a team thing. We’re going for it. We keep fighting. We don’t think the game’s over.” EL RANCHO IN FIRST TITLE GAME SINCE 1988 El Rancho (9-4) which has had to play home games at nearby school’s because its stadium is under reconstruction, has not let it distract them, advancing to Friday’s Division 11 championship, where it will be on the road against Irvine Portola (7-6). El Rancho is playing for the school’s fourth championship and first since 1968. The Dons last played in the 1988 finals and lost to Los Altos. El Rancho shared the title with St. Paul in 1968, and when they won it 1966, they were declared mythical national champions. The Dons also won in 1960. “This is remarkable,” El Rancho coach Adrian Medrano said. “Our program is trending in the right direction for a long time. We had a tough 2-8 season last year and a lot of those guys were part of that team and have been productive all year.” SAN GABRIEL, PIONEER IN ALL-AREA FINAL There is one championship that will produce an champion for the area. San Gabriel, which won the Division 13 title in 2022, is back in the finals for the second time in three years. San Gabriel (7-6) will be at Pioneer (8-5) in Saturday’s Division 14 championship game. “It’s amazing, all the freshman that were part of it (championship) the first time and I’m a junior now,” San Gabiel running back/linebacker Louie Navarro said. “I’m still young but now I’m playing a bigger role and it feels amazing. Pioneer is in the championship game for the first time ever. “It means a lot for it to be the first appearance in the whole school history,” Pioneer quarterback Amari Resendiz said of reaching the title game. “We’re going to see the whole community at the game and it’s going to be big.” CIF-SS FINALS SCHEDULE FRIDAY’S GAMES La Serna at Palos Verdes, 7 p.m. DIVISION 7 Warren vs. Rio Hondo Prep at Arcadia HS, 7 p.m. DIVISION 11 El Rancho at Portola, 7 p.m. SATURDAY’S GAMES DIVISION 6 Murrieta Mesa vs. Glendora at Citrus College, 7 p.m. DIVISION 13 Gahr at Pasadena, 7 p.m. DIVISION 14 San Gabriel at Pioneer, 7 p.m.Romanian lawmakers narrowly approve new pro-European coalition during period of political turmoil
Titans showing signs of growing tougher under 1st-year coach Brian Callahan
Trudeau meets Trump in Florida as tariff threats loomSira Thienou scores 16 points, No. 18 Ole Miss women coast to 89-24 win over Alabama State
OpenAI, Creator of ChatGPT Cannot Use ChatGPT to Discover the Right Corporate Structure
- Previous:
- Next: nba game
