Backfield

All the La Cañada Gladiator youth football teams played the Pasadena Panthers last weekend at John Muir High School. JR. GREMILN GOLD The Gold team played on Saturday and everyone in attendance saw one of the most exciting games to be played at this level all season. The Gladiators began the game with a lot of intensity and set the tone early with a long run from scrimmage by Mitchell Espinosa . Behind the great blocking of Ethan De la Cruz, Drake Taylor, Theo Chamberlain, Michael Doud and Tyler Breneman , quarterback Jason Rowton was able to lead the offense on multiple drives all morning.

Jr. Gremlin (Teams do not officially keep score) On Sunday morning at the Jess Gonzalez Sports Complex in Rosemead, the La Cañada Gladiators Junior Gremlin team faced off against the Rosemead Rebels. The Gladiator lineup of Andrew Sharman, Emmet Hurley, Adam Crawford, Austin Heberger, Cayden Smith, Max Nelson, Dylan McGoldrick, Ronald Shin, Adam Griffen, Matthew Bannick, Ryan Gonzalez, John Lytle, Charlie Stewart, Corey Koehler, Benjamin Ahn, Jonathan Ahn, Brian Harley, Mitchell Frus, Devin Mathews and Thomas McConnell together showed their might at Rosemead Sunday morning.

What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Flintridge Prep Rebels made a brief stop in Oxnard, while on their way to the CIF Division XIII championship, to pound Santa Clara High, 41-8. This year, minus several key starters who were lost to graduation, Prep struggled in its home opener against the Saints last Saturday and the outcome was still in doubt with less than a minute to go in the contest. But, the Prep defense, which always seems to rise to the occasion when the offense doesn't, gave the Rebels the edge they needed and they squeezed by Santa Clara, 12-8, to even their preseason record at 1-1. Prep hopes to improve its record when the team travels to Birmingham High in Van Nuys on Saturday to play Campbell Hall in a 7 p.m. game.

Ten Years Ago ... Three former La Cañada High School start athletes were inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. Kris Puttler (volleyball, '88), Chris Jones (basketball, '89) and Billy Koury (baseball, '89) joined 41 other LCHS graduates who had received the athletic honor. Twenty Years Ago ... Members of the City Council learned that a two percent reduction in the County Forester and Fire Warden Dept. would translate into one less engine company at Fire Station 82 in La Cañada Flintridge for a four-month period in early 1986.

Jr. Gremlin Gladiators, Azusa Raiders (flag teams do not keep score) The Junior Gremlins found themselves in a very physical game on Sunday morning at La Cañada High School against the tough Whittier Redskins. Despite the physical nature of the game, the Gladiators stood tough, and battled the entire game. Chris Wood had a long touchdown and a long completion to Carson Okland. Jake George had many great downfield blocks from his quarterback position to spring the stable of running backs for long runs.

The La Cañada boys? soccer team hosted Arcadia last week and despite several good chances to score, came away with a 2-1 loss to the Pacific League visitor. The Spartans struggled early on with passing errors and though their defense got two solid off-sides traps, Arcadia managed to run through the backfield to score twice in the first quarter. ?Arcadia is the best team we have played so far,? said Spartan Head Coach Jordan Jones. ?They are athletic and fast, probably better than most teams in our Rio Hondo League.

Dietrich Riley is a busy young man these days. He just recently returned from the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in Texas, where he competed in a combine before the high school football all-star showcase. Having already received scholarship offers from USC and UCLA during the summer, the St. Francis High junior is receiving notice from the top schools across the nation. Meanwhile, he’s juggling it all while starting for the Golden Knights basketball team. Then, of course, there’s the junior football season he just left behind, one in which he became the first Golden Knights rusher since 2004 to eclipse the 1,000-yard barrier, as he started at running back, outside linebacker and returned kicks for St. Francis.

Jr. Gremlin (Teams do not officially keep score) On Sunday morning at the Jess Gonzalez Sports Complex in Rosemead, the La Cañada Gladiators Junior Gremlin team faced off against the Rosemead Rebels. The Gladiator lineup of Andrew Sharman, Emmet Hurley, Adam Crawford, Austin Heberger, Cayden Smith, Max Nelson, Dylan McGoldrick, Ronald Shin, Adam Griffen, Matthew Bannick, Ryan Gonzalez, John Lytle, Charlie Stewart, Corey Koehler, Benjamin Ahn, Jonathan Ahn, Brian Harley, Mitchell Frus, Devin Mathews and Thomas McConnell together showed their might at Rosemead Sunday morning.

All the La Cañada Gladiator youth football teams played the Pasadena Panthers last weekend at John Muir High School. JR. GREMILN GOLD The Gold team played on Saturday and everyone in attendance saw one of the most exciting games to be played at this level all season. The Gladiators began the game with a lot of intensity and set the tone early with a long run from scrimmage by Mitchell Espinosa . Behind the great blocking of Ethan De la Cruz, Drake Taylor, Theo Chamberlain, Michael Doud and Tyler Breneman , quarterback Jason Rowton was able to lead the offense on multiple drives all morning.