#8 Upland Prepares for Baseline League Opener against #14 Rancho Cucamonga

by Les Lukach
High School Football America Correspondent
Follow Les on Twitter @leslukach

Upland, CA – The popping of shoulder pads and helmets is not an uncommon sound coming from high school fields all across America during the fall. However, on this sunny Tuesday afternoon the Upland Highlanders and their coach of 19 years, Tim Salter, find themselves in the midst of a bye week, which means practicing in shorts and helmets with no contact.

At the midway point of the regular season, the Highlanders find themselves sitting at a perfect 5-0 with only one game having been a test. Salter, he of the four CIF championships, is doing his best to keep the players focused as the team works on the basics during the week.

“We are going back to the fundamentals this week” said Salter. “We are putting an emphasis on the little things as we get ready for league”.

The basics – proper stance, footwork, technique – are things the coach and his staff continuously drill into their players but are being emphasized this week. The coaching staff, many of whom have been with Salter for over 10 years, knows what the expectations are in this small community about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. The expectation is to compete for championships as anything less is considered a disappointment.

“We are a one high school town so this is big part of what we do” said Salter. “We play in front of big crowds at home and on the road. The community has been very supportive of our football program for a long time.”

College coaches have also taken notice of the Highlanders winning ways and are regularly making recruiting stops on campus. That’s what happens when you win consistently while producing Division I talent regularly; there are currently close to a dozen former Upland players in Division I.

The face of this year’s team is DL/FB Joe Mathis, a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com. Mathis, who is being recruited by a who’s who of top programs and garners most of the attention from recruiters, isn’t doing it alone. The Highlanders have no fewer than six players being pursued by Division I schools.

Quarterback Nate Romine has taken the leadership role associated with the position to heart and has made sure the underclassmen understand the privilege it is to play for Upland.

“This year he has to take more on his shoulders” said Salter. “Last year he had four guys who are now playing in the Pac-12 along with Joe (Mathis). More is expected of him because he doesn’t have the veteran group around him”.

Romine, who is getting interest from Boise St., Northwestern, and Oregon, has effectively led the Highlanders in the first five games this season.

“He’s done what we’ve asked him to do and then some” said Salter.

James Johnson, an athletically gifted safety helps direct traffic in the secondary for the Highlanders and is counted on by the coaching staff to get younger guys in the right position.

“He’s another coach on the field for us”, said Salter. “We rely on him a lot and he’s proven he can handle it. James is a very cerebral player”.

Nose guard Taloa Otuafi along with linebackers Zac Toussaint and Nafei Lokotui has proven to be a strength for a defense that’s giving up fewer than 20 points a game. Despite the loss of talent from last year’s team, Upland is focused on getting back to where they’ve been so many times before – deep in the playoffs.

Many believed last season was going to be the year the program earned its fifth CIF title after going unbeaten through a grueling non-conference schedule that included Loyola of Los Angeles and Norco, two perennial powers in the Southern Section.

“I felt like the preseason schedule we played last year really prepared us for the grind of league and the playoffs” said Salter. “That’s the difference between last year and this season, those were two tough and physical games for us”.

The non-conference schedule this year left the Highlanders scrambling to add games as both Loyola and Norco backed out of games with Upland.

“We hadn’t been tested this season until our game against Santiago (Corona) which makes me feel a little better because our guys had to really battle in that game” said Salter. “That’s what league is going to be like for us”.

The Baseline League is regularly known as one of, if not the, best leagues in the Inland Empire. The cream of the crop in the league the last few seasons has been Upland and Rancho Cucamonga, the Highlanders first league opponent this season.

Many outsiders believe that the league title will be won or lost this Friday night, just don’t tell Salter that.

“We don’t put any more emphasis on this game versus other league games,” said Salter. “Our kids understand this game is important because we don’t want to start league with a loss, but at the same time we know that if we win we still have a lot of work to do.”

Despite what the coach says, this is a very big game. The win last season snapped a four-game losing streak in the series for Upland. Two years ago Rancho won on 4^th and 7 touchdown pass as time expired. Three years ago Rancho won in the waning moments of the game as well.

Naturally you would think that Upland feels like they’ve gotten the proverbial monkey off their back, but Salter disagrees, “We still feel like we have something to prove. We want to win this game like we want to win every other game, but we recognize that there is added significance to this game given what these teams have accomplished the last few years.”

The winner of this game will be in the driver’s seat of the Baseline League with an early 1-0 record and the head-to-head win. The loser will have an uphill battle to get back to the top of the league standings. One thing we know for sure, like the last six games in this series, the crowd this Friday night is in for a treat.

Helmet courtesy of California Helmet Project

Where Are We Now? - Trinity League

by Les Lukach

High School Football America Correspondent

With most league teams having played three games, we should be able to more closely make out the teams identities. However, after last week’s games, where we saw school records shattered at Santa Margarita and St. John Bosco, a new passing wrinkle in the OLu offense, and a stout defensive performance from JSerra, there may be more questions than answers. We will do our best to answer those for you here.

Q: How is anyone going to stop Santa Margarita?

A: No clue. Johnny Stanton, who is getting early attention for National Player of the Year honors, seems to be unstoppable. Whether it’s running or passing Stanton is playing on a different level than anyone else on the field. When you consider he has six BCS level recruits on his team alone, what he is doing is even more impressive. For the season Stanton has completed 38 of 62 attempts for 629 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Stanton broke the school record for total yards (5,459), which was held by current Oakland Raider Carson Palmer, last week in another dominant performance. The Eagles were tested a little bit in a nationally televised game against Brophy Prep (Phoenix, AZ), but have since had no trouble with opponents. They should have no trouble with Carson this week but should get a good look from St. Bonaventure (Ventura, CA) before taking on an inconsistent Servite (Anaheim, CA) team to kick off league.

Q: How good is St. John Bosco?

A: Last week we mentioned the defense being the early storyline for the Braves this season. Well, it looks like head coach Jason Negro and his offense got the message. After throwing one pass in the season opener and 14 in Week 1, Josh Rosen went 18 of 26 for 312 yards and 7 touchdowns against Santa Fe (Santa Fe Springs, CA) last week. Wide receiver AJ Holman was on the receiving end of four of those touchdown passes, all in the first half, which shattered the school record. The Braves offense is beginning to find a rhythm and could be the most prolific in the league. In their first three games of the season the Braves have had six, nine, and 10 players with carries and now Rosen seems to have settled into a comfort zone with his receivers. With a very good offensive line and a defense which has done a superb job against inferior competition, the Braves look forward to this Friday’s showdown against Loyola (Los Angeles, CA). There will be a lot of Division I talent on display in this game and could serve as a springboard into a special season for St. John Bosco.

Q: They throw the ball in the veer-option offense?

A: Sort of! Orange Lutheran (Orange, CA) showed a new wrinkle to their offense in last Friday’s game as they threw a 75 yard reverse touchdown pass in the second quarter of their game against El Modena (Orange, CA). Wide receiver Adam Connette took the reverse from QB Luke Langdon and threw a gem to WR Brady Billups who displayed some speed in separating from the defense on his way into the end zone untouched. People in the stands were as surprised as the El Modena defense was, not because the Lancers pulled it off, but because they were just familiarizing themselves with the intricacies of head coach Chuck Petersens’ offense. With Langdon working hard to master the offense it wouldn’t be surprising to see Coach Petersen open up the passing opportunities in the next couple of weeks to give league coaches something else to game plan for. The Lancers are as good as anyone in the front seven defensively and the secondary is growing each week. Their offensive line is in the top three in the league; the kicking game is arguably the best behind senior Kicker Reese Flynn’s strong leg; and if the wide receivers continue to develop, the Lancers are going to be tough to beat. After playing a rebuilding La Habra (La Habra, CA) and a pesky Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, CA), the Lancers will have a bye before kicking off league against St. John Bosco.

Q: Is Mater Dei back?

A: We don’t know just yet. The Monarchs have played only two games against teams they’re supposed to beat. This Thursday’s game against Santa Monica (Santa Monica, CA) will tell us a little more about where Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) is at this stage in the season. Quarterback Ryan McMahon’s growth from last season to this one is impressive. The USC baseball commit is clicking on all cylinders and has developed a great relationship with WR Thomas Duarte, who is BCS level recruit. When head coach Bruce Rollinson compliments his defense you know they’re pretty good; the coach isn’t one to fawn over units on his teams, he prefers to speak of the team as a whole. The defense will have its hands full this week against WR Sebastian LaRue (USC) and a potent Santa Monica offense. The Monarchs cannot afford to get caught looking ahead to a potential huge showdown against Edison (Huntington Beach, CA) next week.

Q: What is going on at JSerra?

A: Very good things. However, be warned that we’ve seen this before. After going 5-0 and 4-1 in non-league the last two seasons respectively, the Lions have won only one league game in those two seasons. The difference this season is how they’re winning these games. They had a 27-0 lead in the third quarter over Wilson (Long Beach, CA) before emptying the bench in week one. The Lions used a blocked punt return for touchdown against Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach, CA) on the road to claim their second victory last week. JSerra is fighting an uphill battle as they have low numbers but Head Coach Jim Hartigan is getting the most out of them in the early part of the season, especially junior WR/CB Dante Pettis, who is proving to be a pleasant surprise on both sides of the ball for the Lions. The rest of the non-conference schedule will be a good test for JSerra despite going against some teams that aren’t playing to their potential. The true test will come in league where the Lions will look to add to their one win seasons of the past.

Q: How will Servite respond to the shakeup on the coaching staff?

A: If we know anything about head coach Troy Thomas it’s that he’s a no-nonsense kind of guy which he proved by letting go of his fourth-year offensive coordinator…after a win! The Friars have been a disappointment this season in many people’s eyes despite their 1-1 record. After losing to what should be a very good Bishop Amat (La Puente, CA) team, Servite (Anaheim, CA) needed a furious late rally to beat a very good Rancho Cucamonga (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) team. Shortly after that comeback it was announced by Thomas that Matthew Mitchell would no longer be on staff. For the Friars the challenge is going to be adapting to a new play caller and handling the changes in the scheme. On a team without a ton of senior leadership we could see the residual effects of this decision the rest of the season. On the flip side, don’t be surprised if this move brings the Friars closer together and they make yet another run at league and state titles. In order for that to happen though, the offense and defense must begin to play to Servite standards which in the past have meant being more prepared, more physical, and more confident than their opponents. We haven’t seen any of that yet thus far.

Les Lukach appears on High School Football America - SoCal on AM 570 Fox Sports LA. You can follow Les Lukach on Twitter: @leslukach

Trinity League - Week 3

By Les Lukach

High School Football America – SoCal Correspondent

With the exception of a hiccup by Servite in week zero (more on that below), the Trinity League seems to be playing out the way we anticipated during preseason camps.

Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita, CA) appears to be the class of the league as they traveled to Arizona and defeated a very good Brophy Prep team which was playing their second game in four days. The Eagles responded to that victory by breezing through an outmatched Wilson (Long Beach, CA) team. The Eagles all-world offensive line - with three D1 recruits - is allowing QB Johnny Stanton (Nebraska) to shine in head coach Harry Welch’s offense. Despite losing three-key players to transfer, the Eagles seem primed for big matchups against Carson and St. Boneventure before they open league against Servite.

Speaking of Servite (Anaheim, CA), much was made about their loss to Bishop Amat – a Pac 5 team which should make some noise in the postseason – because it was the Friars first loss to a California team in 26 games. The loss actually exposed some serious issues for the Servite. The offense struggled and needed a furious late comeback to beat a very good Rancho Cucamonga team by one point. The following day head coach Troy Thomas announced the firing of his offensive coordinator, Matthew Mitchell, which had been with him for three consecutive league championships and a state bowl appearance. Thomas stated that "It came down to us not being philosophically on the same page”, which seemed interesting given Mitchell’s tenure with the team and status as JV head coach.  The Friars go into games against Edison (Huntington Beach, CA) and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) with a new offensive coordinator and lots of questions on defense before they head into league.

The team no one seems to be talking about is St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA). The Braves are loaded on offense and their defense is playing lights out thus far. The level of competition can be questioned, but when you are putting up 55 point a game, you’re obviously doing something right. The formidable trio of wide receivers - Jaleel Wadood, Arlandis Hinton, and AJ Holman – is proving to be great targets for sophomore quarter back Josh Rosen. The line, anchored by Nico Fallah – a USC commit – is blowing holes for a duo of running backs. While the offense is clicking on all cylinders, it’s the defense which is making headlines early for the Braves. While only allowing seven points-per-game, the defense has allowed less than 150 yards total offense in each game. If the defense continues to play like this the Braves are sure to rise towards the top of league standings when all is said-and-done. The Braves have a big matchup against Loyola (Los Angeles, CA) before opening up against Orange Lutheran in league.

It’s too early to get a true read on Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) given that they’ve only played one game versus an outmatched St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs, CA). The Monarchs won that game 35-0 pulling away at the end after having a 14-0 lead at the half. The Monarchs return players at all the key spots (QB, WR, DL, OL, TE) to make that offense roll. If the defense can string together performances like last week the Monarchs will make some noise in league as they look to get back into the playoffs after missing out on post season play last  year for the first time in over a decade. Mater Dei will be challenged by Edison and Narbonne (Harbor City, CA) before opening against Jserra (San Juan Capistrano, CA) in league.

The big question for Orange Lutheran Lancers coming into this season was how the players would adjust to a new coaching staff with a new philosophy and commitment to running the ball. If the first two games are any indication, the answer to that question is just fine. Behind an offensive line which feature John Lopez (UCLA) and Colin Sutton (Colorado) the Lancers are taking the challenge of running the Wing-T and running with it…literally. After a close call against Wilson (Long Beach, CA), the Lancers completely dominated Damien (La Verne, CA) behind first-time starter JD Pickell at quarterback who managed the offense perfectly. If there is a question for the Lancers it’s on defense where they counting on four new starters in a secondary which play a lot of cover zero protection leaving inexperienced defensive backs on an island. The Lancers will face a rebuilding, but always tough, La Habra (La Habra, CA) team and very aggressive Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, CA) team before opening up league against St. John Bosco.

The JSerra Lions (San Juan Capistrano, CA) rolled to a 37-21 victory against Wilson (Long Beach, CA) with the starters pitching a shutout for the first three quarters before giving way to the backups. The Lions are a program on the cusp of being very competitive and look to build on their back-to-back one win seasons in league. The Lions will be tested by Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach, CA), Dana Hills (Dana Point, CA), and Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo, CA) before they open league against Mater Dei. If the Lions can continue to be stout on defense and efficient on offense they are certain to cause some headaches for coordinators in league.

With three games remaining in the non-conference schedule for most teams we should have a great indication of which teams are for real and which teams aren’t by the time we get into league play. One thing we know for certain, the winner of the Trinity League – which many consider to be the best in the state of California – is going to be battle tested heading into the post season.

Follow Les Lukach on Twitter @leslukach