Norwalk beat Mayfair football 41-36 at Excelsior High School in Norwalk, CA on Friday, November 8, 2013. Norwalk captures the Suburban League title with a 10-0 record. The fog rolled into the stadium for much of the 3rd qtr. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze)
After having visited practice of every Suburban League team (don’t forget to watch the preview!), here are 20 random thoughts on certain players, teams, coaches and the 2014 season outlook:
- Don’t sleep on Norwalk: Losing Rashaad Penny obviously hurts. Any team in the area would be sad see him go. And for that reason a lot of people think Norwalk will fall back to Earth after 13-1 in 2013. Well I wouldn’t be so sure. Checking them out that offensive line is still the best in the league and will still bang defenses around. They are big, mean and big. I expect the Lancers to have another good year.
- Will Cerritos surprise in 2014: Head coach Darin Owens feels strongly that his Dons can “surprise some teams this season.” Owens called this the best team he’s had in his three seasons in terms of football knowledge and maturity. They have improved and I think they can double their win total (2).
- Bellflower is my Dark Horse: The Buccaneers will be a very interesting team to watch this season. They have tons and tons of talent, but will be very young. They do have experience in important places such as the offensive line (three returning senior starters) and QB Demetrius Reed is a senior. So 2014 will be interesting, but the Bucs will be scary good in a few seasons.
- Running backs rule the Suburban League: There are a lot of very talented backs in 2014. The senior duo of Faizon Creighton and Querale Hall at Mayfair, Nick Hernandez in La Mirada, Vincent Brown and Cristian Rodriguez at Artesia, Madison Wheeler and Josh Cooper at Bellflower, Ryan McDowell and Chris Walker in Norwalk. Long list. Should be fun.
- Isaiah Jackson and the Mayfair offense: The Monsoons have the luxury of returning a three-year starter at QB in Jackson. In his third season the coaching staff will be giving the junior more freedom in the huddle. Jackson has to learn some chemistry with his brand new receivers so that will be an interesting development to watch.
- Welcome back Cristian Rodriguez: Rodriguez suffered a terrible broken leg in the third game of the season in 2013. Artesia is happy to have the senior back and 100 percent healthy. He is the offense’s most dangerous weapon, playing virtually everywhere. Watch for him to have a good final year.
- Most athletic team? Just might be La Mirada: Head coach Mike Moschetti called the 2014 Matadores one of the most athletic bunch he’s ever had in La Mirada. That’s a scary statement considering last year’s team had guys like Dallis Todd (Oklahoma) and Tyler Luatua (Notre Dame). Servite transfer Tony Brown leads this new athletic group at wide receiver and safety. Saw him during a scrimmage and he looks like a player.
- Defensive line all the time: Like I mentioned all the great running backs in this league, there are some great defensive lineman. You can start with the massive Dillon Faamatau, who holds around 10 offers right now and is going Div. I. You have Niko Nau and Koal Denning in La Mirada. Big and long end Ernest Bagner at Mayfair. Can’t forget about John Mageo and Gabriel Jacobs over in Bellflower. The league may have great backs, but they also have some great run stoppers.
- Who will be the top linebacker in the league? Gone is Mayfair’s Keith Walker, a First Team Dream Teamer and the league’s leading tackles at 152. Who will grab that title? Will it be a guy like Kirk Brown at Norwalk? Or possibly Devin King or Vincent Brown in Artesia? How about Kyree Merritt at Bellflower, once he fully heals? We won’t know until the season starts, but it is certainly up for grabs.
- Can John Glenn win a game this season? This is a two-part question really. Can they win a game and will John Glenn win a game? Well, I think they absolute can get at least a win this year. Will they? Well, that’s tough to say. Talking with head coach Vince Lobendahn he told me he saw some positive things the Eagles did last year, but just so many negative things buried them. If he can eliminate those negative the Eagles will be much improved in that new option attack. I think they win a game this season.