Sports briefs: Calvary Chapel steps up

DOWNEY - The Downey Calvary Chapel football team is getting ready for the fall 2013 season.The Grizzlies are no longer competing in the 8 man Freelance League but will now be competing in the 11 man East Valley Division. DCC will be competing in the Academy League against such teams as Brethren Christian, Crean Lutheran, Sage Hill and St. Margaret's. The last several years St. Margaret's has been the team to beat in Academy League play. Rim of the World in Lake Arrowhead is the reigning C.I.F. East Valley Division champion. Downey Calvary Chapel finished last season with a Freelance League record of 3-0 and an overall record of 10-2. DCC defeated Faith Baptist 44-38 in the first round of the C.I.F. 8-Man Division I playoffs and then defeated Desert Christian Academy 40-37 in the second round. DCC lost in the semifinal round to Thacher 52-13. Gone from that team are senior standouts Zechariah Laidlaw, B.J. Bell and Jamin Lee. DCC will open their season on Friday, Sept. 6, at Western Christian. The Grizzlies will then travel to Animo Leadership on Sept. 14 before hosting Albert Einstein Academy on Sept. 21 at Downey High School. The Grizzlies host Southlands Christian at Downey High Sept. 27 and finish their preseason schedule by traveling to Fairmont Prep on Oct. 5. The Grizzlies begin Academy League play on Oct. 11 against Brethren Christian at Warren High School. DCC will then host Crean Lutheran on Oct. 18, at Downey High. The Grizzlies wrap up their regular season schedule on the road, traveling to Sage Hill on Nov. 1 and St. Margaret's on Nov. 8. ** The St. John Bosco High school football team is looking for redemption after finishing last season with an overall record of 8-5 and a Trinity League record of 5-0. The Braves, however, only lost one game on the field after forfeiting four of their preseason wins due to using an ineligible player. The Braves defeated Tesoro,38-17, in the first round of the C.I.F. Pac-5 playoffs and then defeated Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 24-17, in the second round. The lone loss on the field was in the semifinal game to eventual champion Long Beach Poly, 13-10. Long Beach Poly went on to beat Mater Dei, 35-17, in the championship game. Bosco returns their starting quarterback Josh Rosen (11) 2,082 passing yards, wide receiver Shay Fields (12) 576 receiving yards, linebacker Chandler Leniu (12) 157 tackles and defensive back Naijel Hale (12) four interceptions, but lost standout running back Darren Walker and his 1,171 rushing yards to graduation. St. John Bosco opens their season at Dominguez on Aug. 30th. Bosco then hosts Clovis North on Sept. 6 before playing Chandler, Ariz., on Sept. 14 in Mission Viejo. The Braves travel to L.A. Valley College to play Loyola on Sept. 20 and have their bye week the week of Sept. 27. The Braves finish their preseaon schedule against Crenshaw Oct. 4. St. John Bosco starts their Trinity League schedule by traveling to Saddleback College to play Santa Margarita on Oct. 11. The Braves then host Orange Lutheran on Oct. 18, travel back to Saddleback College to play JSerra on Oct. 25, host Mater Dei on Nov. 1, and conclude their regular season schedule against Servite at home on Nov. 8. Head coach Jason Negro, his staff and his players are looking forward to the start of their 2013 football season. ** The Downey High School football team opens their 2013 season next Thursday, Aug. 22, at home against Orange Lutheran at 5 p.m. Orange Lutheran finished last season with an overall record of 6-4 and a Trinity league record of 1-4. Downey will open San Gabriel Valley League play on Oct. 11 against Lynwood at Downey. Downey returns eight starters on defense. Standout defensive linemen Anthony Florido (12) 59 tackles, Juwan Pleze (12) 40 tackles and Chris Blanton (11) 59 tackles all return with more experience and skill. Linebackers Tristan Esparza (12) 132 tackles and Patrick Smith (12) 73 tackles are back to pick up where graduated seniors Robert Salazar and Hector Walker left off last year. Defensive backs Miguel Esquitin (11) 48 tackles and Jason Thomas (11) 37 tackles both return to solidify the defensive secondary. The Downey defense gave up 19.2 points per game last year during the regular season and 22.75 points per game during the playoffs. The Vikings finished last season on an impressive six-game winning streak that featured an impressive offense (30.1 ppg) and a consistently improving defense. Downey defeated La Serna 33-25 in the championship game at Cal State Fullerton to win the 2012 C.I.F. Southeast Division title. Head coach Jack Williams, his coaching staff and his players are eager to get their season started. The Vikings will no longer have to hit each other in practice but can now turn their attention to hitting someone else. ** The Warren High School football team is just finishing up their C.I.F. mandated "dead period." Football practices resumed yesterday and will continue with two-a-days for the next two weeks. Warren will take part in a scrimmage next Aug. 23 against Whittier at Justice Stadium at 5 p.m. The Warren Bears went winless last season and are looking to bounce back with a strong season. The Bears averaged 15.8 points per game last season while giving up 39. The Bears are looking to improve on both sides of the ball. Coach Jimenez and his staff have been working hard preparing for this year's season opener. The Bears return several key players from last season on offense and defense. Zaahid Summerville (12) has been taking snaps at quarterback and Chris Farran (12) is a returning offensive lineman. Standout offensive tackle Ricky Vichot (Azusa Pacific University) and running back Daryl Donerson (Cal State Dominguez Hills) have been lost to graduation and athletic scholarships. Linebackers Simon Figueroa (12), Daniel Sanchez (12) and Jonathan Bienvenue (12) return as do hard hitting free safety Moses Alaniz (12). Alaniz missed several games last year after suffering a season ending injury. Free safety Michael San Angelo (Whittier College) was also lost to graduation and an athletic scholarship. Warren opens the season at home against the South East Jaguars on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. Warren's San Gabriel Valley League opener will be on Oct. 11, when the Bears travel southbound on the 605 freeway to play the Gahr Gladiators.

********** Published: Aug. 15, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 18