Around the area, high school athletes are getting ready for a tremendously grueling two-week period in which their bodies will be put to the test.
It's the start of football season, and every team has the same chance to be a league champion, make the playoffs, and earn a Division Championship!
However, the fact remains that everyone's chances really, are not the same. So let's get right into it, I am going to break down each team in the Suburban League, and give you a prediction for each of their first games of the season. At the end of this column I will predict the expected order of finish.
Mayfair: The perennial favorite, they have been league champions or had a piece of the league title for the last nine years. They are always a tough team to contend with; and this year they are loaded at the running back position with two 1000-yard rushers coming back from last season.
Keith Harvey is the smaller of the two backs but don't let the size fool you he has good quickness; Dominique Small is the bigger of the two backs. Both of these backs fit the traditional Mayfair running back in the mold of past running backs Jimmy Manley and Derek Driscoll. They are quick to hit the hole and in a blink, can cut it back and go to the house.
There are questions in the secondary this year for Mayfair. They lost two of the areas more talented DB's from last year's team to graduation. They will be guided by Evan Hunko, a big QB who was able to win the starting job his freshman year and was poised for a break-out year last year, before an injury curtailed his season.
In pre-league, they play Pac-5 members Los Alamitos, and Lakewood who are led by super talented QB Jesse Scroggins who has orally committed to USC.
Prediction: Look for Mayfair to repeat as league champs, but it's going to be a close race. They will be looking over their shoulder at Norwalk and La Mirada. I look for them to start the year off 1-3 as they play one of the toughest pre-league schedules
Norwalk: Coach Jesse Ceniceros walked into a dream job last season. He returned a 1000-yard rusher and a good group on defense, and a team that had the experience, size, and speed.
This season looks to be a little of an enigma. They no longer have the services of powerful pint sized RB Jose Guzman; he graduated leaving many on the campus wishing he had one more year.
They return two all-league members on the offensive line including #24 Adrian Gonzales. At one of the wingback spots, he saw extensive action last year in the Paramount game when Guzman was suspended. He does not have breakaway speed, but the kid, minus his 150 lb. frame, runs hard.
Norwalk also returns Senior QB Dominique Diaz who took over last season before their deep run into the playoffs.
The person that I am most anxious to see line up in that purple and gold is a former RB from La Mirada, Davion Edwards. This kid is a hoss. We are talking 5'10'' and probably 225lbs. He is going to line up at the FB spot for them and can really balance that double wing attack that they run. Don't be surprised if they ride his enormous shoulders past Mayfair for a league title.
Prediction: I think that of all the other teams in the Suburban League, Norwalk is going to be able to challenge Mayfair. They should start the season 2-2 and end up 4-2 or 5-1 in league. They will make the playoffs.
Artesia: This will be Coach Aaron Craver's first year at the helm for the Pioneers; he served as the Offensive Coordinator last year. He took over after Coach Vince La Rosa stepped down.
If there is one thing that I know that can't be taught, is speed, and Artesia has an abundance of it on their team. They had several members of the football team qualify for CIF in track in the sprint portion.
They return several key players they will be led by QB Anthony Johnson who is trying to fill the enormous shoes that where left by the lightning quick QB they had last season, Donnay Ragland.
Artesia will be a team that returns one of the toughest linebackers in the league in TJ Taimatuia. I saw him attend the USC Rising Star camp, and the kid looked good against some elite competition.
Rumors have been circulating, that I have been unable to confirm, but one of Artesia's fast WR's has possibly become a St. Paul Swordsmen.
Prediction: Artesia is going to have a tough preseason. The play Edison, Millikan, and Gahr who are all solid clubs. They should beat up on Villa Park. They should go 1-3 in pre-league and go either 4-2 or 3-3 in league.
La Mirada: Well after a few season of turmoil Coach Mike Moschetti has done a good job in turning the program back in the right direction.
The team did very well last season and is going to be led by Senior QB Daniel Poncedeleon; the kid has baseball scholarship offers from USC, and several other programs. His arm strength isn't the question his decision making this season will be. He is going to be looked at as the leader on the offensive side of the ball.
The offensive line should be a lot bigger this season as they return junior Isaac Luatua; he is a strong kid that doesn't mind mixing it up in the trenches. Look for him to be the anchor on the offensive line.
I have spoken to several players and people around the program and they are excited to have RB Matthew Haltom eligible for the upcoming season; he had to sit out last year from Varsity after he transferred from John Glenn where he started eight games at free safety and led the team in tackles as a sophomore. He will look to be in the mix on defense, but it's his skills that he brings to the offensive side of the ball, that has people raving.
Prediction: Look for La Mirada to Knock off St. Paul and show some old school tough and grit against La Habra. They should end up 3-1 in pre-league, and if they can find a compliment in the running game to go with their passing attack, they are my dark horse to contend for the league title; after all, they where the last team to beat Mayfair for a league title.
John Glenn: They return the most starters of any team in the Suburban League, but that may not be a good thing considering they went 4-6 last year.
They will return QB Jose Escobar Jr. who had a solid year last year. He returns his favorite target in 6'2'' 215 lb. WR Rhamad Green. They will have their defense return most of the back seven, however they lose speedster Timothy Moten, and they lose their anchor from last season defensive lineman Jose Lopez, as both young men graduated.
This will be coach Anthony Wilson's second year at the helm. This can be a break out year for them. They play a solid pre-league schedule. But we will find out all we need to know about this team as they play the top 3 teams from last year in the first 3 games of league this year.
They should be solid on both sides of the ball. It will be interesting to see if their speedy RB Brandon Kelly can translate his 10.3 100-meter speed into TD's.
Prediction: They go 3-1 in pre-league and they build a little momentum before they run into the league juggernauts. They go 3-3 in league and show that they are headed in the right direction and they take the 4th playoff spot from the Suburban League.
Bellflower: The school is crawling with athletes but for some reason they can never seem to translate that into a league title.
They had a real bright spot at the end of last year; they had a freshman named Travis Newberry play in spot duty on the Varsity, and he looked impressive for a freshman. The kid plays RB and I look for him to shoulder a majority of the workload this season.
They return QB Jeremy Allen who has been a starter for the better part of the last two seasons. They will have plenty of athletes who can take the ball the distance, however their line play will be key, and they don't return a lot of size on the line.
They will look to spread teams out this year and utilize their athletes in space.
Prediction: They should go 2-2 in pre-league, but they will again be in the cellar of the Suburban league and finish 1-5.
Cerritos: This is a school that has been rocked several times in the last couple of years by coaching changes and it has been reflected on the field; they are 1-19 in the past two 2 season combined. This not a school that is short on game breakers, they played Marquis Moss last year at WR and QB, and was an explosive player.
They also return Junior RB Aaron Francis. He had 111 tackles last season from his CB spot and was voted a team captain by his teammates. He looks to expand his role this season and really help the team try and reach for the top of the Suburban League.
They return a lot of size on the offensive and defensive lines. There are still huge questions related however, to how they will handle yet another new coach. This will be the third head coach in three years. This spells a problem for a program that is trying to regain its winning ways.
Prediction: Unfortunately I don't see the Dons getting much better they go 0-4 in pre-league and 0-6 in league.
Final League Prediction/Thoughts: I think that this will be a year in which we could have three 4-2 teams atop of the league and battling for a league title. Every year in high school football, it seems that there is one kid who emerges from out of nowhere or a parent who thinks little Johnny is a star and the kid transfers to a new school. I have heard a ton of rumors about new kids at schools in this league, so they may or may not help, but you never know. Good luck to all the athletes this season!
Editor's note: Look for Raymond's 2009 week-by-week analysis right here.
