A Black Friday for Bishop Amat Football in CIF Semi-Final Loss

To quote Chaucer, "All good things must come to an end." Such was the case Friday night when the Bishop Amat Lancers went down in defeat to the professional high school football team from St. John Bosco, 63-10 in a CIF semi-final contest.

The Lancers could never get the offense on track as the Braves took an early 21-3 lead at the end of the half. Once the Lancers were forced to go away from the running game, the end was nigh.

And that undoing came in a third quarter from hell when the Braves were able to score on two successive defensive plays; first off a fumble recovery, then on an interception on a failed double pass to go ahead 42-3.

The few bright spots for the Lancers on this Black Friday: Torreanho Sweet can run the ball with the best of them. Sweet still managed to pound out 131 yards and score the Lancers only touchdown to finish his record breaking season. Defensive lineman Aaron Maldonado (only a sophomore) is a great pass rusher who should be giving opposing quarterbacks nightmares for the next two years. Damien Garcia proved his toughness as a quarterback while being swarmed by the Braves blitzing linebackers.

The season also ended for this post-game crew. Photo courtesy of Lauren Bernal.

Not sure what they are putting in the water in Bellfower to make it such a hotbed of "homegrown" talent, but Bosco must be commended for developing a team that would make a college football recruitment program proud.

While the game proved to be a tough way to end a great season, the Lancers can hold their heads high. The team put the fun in football fundamentals and have always been a class act in representing their community.

Good luck to all the Lancers who finished their Lancer football careers Friday night. They will have great memories of a great season. For the returning players, Amat will shine.

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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Bishop Amat Runs Away with 61-40 Victory to Advance To CIF Semis

TV Time Out.

The Bishop Amat Lancers' running game proved to be too much Sweet for the previously undefeated Oak Christian Lions. Friday night, Torreahno Sweet rushed for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, leading the Lancers to a 61- 40 victory and giving them a return trip to the CIF semifinals.

The contest started in predictable fashion as the Torreahno Sweet Express accounted for most of the Lancers' 76 yards on their opening drive. Sweet finished it with an 11-yard scamper for the first score of the evening.

The first quarter belonged exclusively to the Lancers as they took advantage of a Lion fumble on a fake punt and good defensive stops to take a 21-0 lead. Sweet scored on a 77 yard dash to give the Lancers a 35-13 lead at the half.

While it seemed like the Lancers were going to run away with the game early on, the Lions did put a scare in the Lancer faithful, clawing their way back to within five points in the third quarter, courtesy of the offensive firework provided by senior receiver Michael Pittman. The Lancers had a very difficult time stopping Pittman, who scored on a 99-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter, for one of his five touchdowns for the night.

Eventually, the Lancers were forced to put Human Highlight Film Tyler Vaughns on Pittman. The two outstanding seniors - both wearing number 1 – fought to a draw with Pitman scoring on a 29-yard strike and Vaughns grabbing an interception in the fourth to all but seal the victory.

The night was eventually very Sweet for the Lancers as the Express and his convoy of offensive blockers provided the big difference in the game, giving the Lancers their last home game victory of the season to finish undefeated this year at Kiefer stadium. If there was a high school Fantasy Football League (which if it ever comes to pass, remember you read it here first), Sweet would definitely have been a first round pick.

CLICK AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE & VIEW ENTIRE GALLERY. ROUND 2 CIF PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN BOESEN.

Often lost in the Amat trifecta of Sweet, Vaughns and Trevon Sidney is quarterback Damien Garcia who threw for three touchdowns and scored on a 55-yard run. Garcia's arm and his legs make him as dangerous as they come. He is a double threat, with the ability to thread the needle (14-yard TD to Sidney) and break a long run (final Amat TD score of the night.)

A special shout out to the O-Line. The Big Boys have provided some great holes and downfield blocking for Sweet all season long. It's no wonder Sweet smashed both single season rushing and TD school records.

The defense has gotten better in stopping the run and rushing the quarterback. Linebacker play is strong. The pass defense was missing Little Big Man Clarence Carter, III, but Mathew Gonzales did his part filling in, making some good stops. Big playmakers like Pittman have been the defense's Achilles heel this year and they will have to step up big as the stakes get higher.

Next up is second ranked St. John Bosco in the CIF semifinal next Friday. The Lancers will now be in the underdog role the rest of the journey. Will they rise to the occasion? It's going to be a blast finding out because Amat football remains the Best Ticket in Town. Until next week, Go Big Blue!

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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Bishop Amat Lancers Turn it 'Round, Turn it Up, and Turn it Loose For 72 - 36 Victory

It started out as a Friday the 13th horror show for the Lancer faithful, but the Bishop Amat Lancers were able to overcome a 16-point deficit to rout Norco 72-36 in the opening round of the CIF playoffs at Kiefer Stadium.

It looked like it was going to be a long night for the the Lancer defense as Norco quarterback Victor Viramontes easily led the Cougars on an opening drive score and two point conversion to take an 8 point lead. The Lancers promptly fumbled the ball away on their first play from scrimmage and the Cougars converted the turnover into a score for a 16-0 lead with 3:28 left in the first quarter.

While the trio of quarterback Damien Garcia, wide receiver Tyler Vaughns, and running back Torreahno Sweet kept the Lancers within striking distance, it was defensive back Clarence Carter, III who turned out to be the inspirational spark with an interception of a Viramontes pass. Little Big Man Carter made a fantastic return of the errant pass for a 47-yard touchdown to even the score at 23-23. 

ROUND 1 CIF PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN BOESEN (OF TYLER AND ALYSON BOESEN FAME).

There was still no stopping Viramontes as he led the Cougars to another score to take a 30-23 lead with 6:30 left in the half. The ensuing kickoff turned out to be the play where the Cougars picked the wrong time to wake up the sleeping giant, as Carter almost broke one with a 32-yard return. Unfortunately, Carter took a hard hit on the play and was knocked out of the game. The Cougars were hit with two unsportsmanlike penalties on the return. It was a scary moment, but Carter was able to to walk off the field on his own power.  

It was wide receiver Trevon Sidney's turn to get in the act, as he evened the score at 30 with a scoring strike from Garcia.

Possibly it was losing Carter that inspired the defense as they started to get to Viramontes to force the first punt of the evening. The Lancers took the lead with another score by Sweet. With another big defensive stop, the Lancers got the ball back with 1:50 left in the first half. Human Highlight Film Vaughns continued to amaze, scoring on an 18-yard grab to widen the lead to 44-30.

The defense once again came up big, and the Cougars made the mistake of giving the Lancers the ball back with 35 seconds left in the half. That's all Garcia needed to find Sidney on a long bomb to take a 51-30 lead into the half.

The second half belonged to the Torreanho Sweet Express as he scored two more times to break the single season Amat TD record. The final knockout blow came on a 16-yard pass from Garcia to Sidney.

The Lancers showed resilience and the ability to overcome adversity. The game was a true test of character and the Lancers passed with flying colors of Blue and Gold.

It's only going to get tougher as the Lancers move into the CIF quarterfinals, taking on Oaks Christian at Kiefer next Friday. The Best Ticket in Town just keeps getting better. Until next week. Go Big Blue!

P.S. Liberté, égalité, fraternité

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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Amat Gets All Defensive About It

While the Bishop Amat offensive juggernaut has been making all the headlines this 2015 season, it was the Lancers' defensive team's turn to take center stage in the last league game of the season, keeping Los Angeles Loyola out of the end zone for a 24-3 victory Friday night.

The defense recorded five sacks of Cub quarterback Sean O'Malley, Lancer cornerback Clarence Carter, III stopped a Loyola drive with a great interception and return, while Ricky Schneider recovered a fumble to bring another drive to a halt. The Lancers also blocked a field goal and made a big fourth down stop in the waning moments of the third quarter.

Victorious aunt lords it over her Loyola alumni nephew. @olivethe_above pic.twitter.com/QRImLR3IWU

— Donna Hummer (@ConceptuaLine) November 7, 2015

Coming off a bye week, it took the offense almost an entire half to get rolling. Tyler Vaughns got the first of his two touchdowns on a 21-yard pass from Damien Garcia in the final moments of the first half to give the Lancers a 10-3 edge.

The second half started with a Lancer 80-yard drive in less than two minutes. Torreanho Sweet accounted for most of the yardage, with runs of 20 and 34 yards, before taking it into the end zone with a 21-yard dash. The Torreahno Sweet Express finished the night with 163 yards on 27 carries.

Human highlight film Tyler Vaughns added one final clip to an outstanding 2015 season with a leaping catch in coverage for a 41-yard touchdown grab for the final score of the night.

After that, it was the Lancer defense going into shutdown mode. While it was a complete team effort, a few players exemplified the hit-and-hustle mentality of the squad. Linebackers Ricky Schneider and Mathew Terlizzi have definitely turned into a dynamic defensive duo. Free safety Tommy Chavez made some good open field tackles, while defensive end Kai Higgins made his presence felt on the pass rush. The most impressive sight of the evening was watching sophomore lineman Aaron Maldonado — all 6'3" and 296 pounds of him — fight off a block at the line of scrimmage, pursue a catch-and-run play across the field, and tackle the receiver from behind. Rumble, young man, rumble.

This contest was initially billed as a battle for second place in the Mission League. But with this victory and Serra's upset loss to Chaminade, the Lancers ended the night as League Co-Champions!

Next week: CIF playoffs. We told you. Amat football is the Best Ticket in Town.

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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Long Day's Journey into the Night for an Amat Victory Over Chaminade

In spite of an offensive holding call by the CEO for a late afternoon work meeting, your intrepid blogger and Amat football fanatic was able to go long on the 5, run an end around on the 605, engineer a long drive on the 105, hit the hole at the 405, and shake off an interference call on the 105 to score a prime parking spot to watch Amat win their first away game 30-22 over a tough Chaminade Eagles team Friday night.

So what did I miss? Two short touchdown runs by Torreanho Sweet and a 21 yard touchdown catch by Tyler Vaughns to give the Lancers a 24-14 halftime lead.

What did I see? Spectacular catches by Vaughns, including a one-handed how-in-the-world-did he-make-that catch late in the fourth. He added a 69 yard punt return and second quarter interception to his 11 catches for a 198 yards performance. There was also a predictable strong running performance by Sweet, who ended the evening with three touchdowns and 159 rushing yards on 35 carries.

The Lancers might have to say a prayer of thanks for all the home games they got to enjoy this season. There definitely seems to be a Jekyll/Hyde quality to the Lancers when it comes to home/away games. Kiefer Stadium brings out mistake-free football while the Lancers on the road have uncharacteristic turnovers, spates of disorganization, and lack-of-concentration issues.

Missed extra points on bad snaps, missed scoring opportunities in the red zone, and mishandling of the rock always give an opposing team the chance to get back in the game. The Eagles did just that with a late fourth quarter surge that brought them within eight points with two minutes left in the game. Amat recovered the onside kick to seal the hard fought victory.

Standouts of the night were the usual suspects of Sweet and Vaughns. Trevon Sidney was MIA with a toe injury. The defense hung tough with defensive back Aaron Austin and linebacker Ricky Schneider making big plays.

The season is winding down with one final away league game against Loyola in two weeks. The Lancers (and my car) get a well-earned bye next week.

The stage is being set for a CIF run. Will everybody be healthy by then? Will the Lancers work out some of the kinks in their armor? Will we ever solve the traffic congestion problem in LA? The respective answers are hope so, probably and when Hades freezes over.

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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There's No Place Like Home(coming)

After a disappointing road game loss last week, the Bishop Amat Lancers came back home to Kiefer Stadium and their winning ways, with a dominating 49-24 victory over perennial rival Bishop Alemany, Friday night.

The question of the night was whether the Lancers could get back their mojo after the league loss to Serra. The Lancers provided the answer pretty quickly as Tyler Vaughns took the Alemany Warriors' first punt and returned it to the five yard line. After that, it was Torreanho Sweet taking it for the first of his three touchdowns of the night, including a 31-yard scamper.

How good of a Homecoming was it? The offensive machine was back, firing on all cylinders. Quarterback Damien Garcia didn't have to punt until the third quarter as the Lancers scored on their first five offensive series. Garcia connected with both his star receivers: a 38-yard pass to Vaughns and a 55-yard strike to Trevon Sidney. It definitely was a homecoming for Sidney, who was out most of the season with injury woes. And, Sidney scored on a 17-yard pass from backup quarterback Ryder Ruiz.

The defense also got in the action as Clarence Carter, III, took an interception for a score. Alemany could only muster one significant drive for a 43-yard field goal. The rest of their scores came during the clean-up time of the game.

The home field is definitely the place where the Lancers have the advantage. The second team got to see some action as the the running clock came into play once again.  

The Lancers have proven to be resilient this year, coming back from their two losses with a vengeance.

The mojo seems to be working again.  

Can they keep it working for their next two games on the road? That will be answered next week as they travel to face Chaminade.

Oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home—for the Best Ticket in Town.

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"On a personal note, Homecoming is always a special time for this writer. It was three years ago that I got to escort my daughter, Olivia Hummer, during Bishop Amat's Homecoming celebration. She spent four great years at Amat, (just like her mother), and becoming a part of this tradition of excellence has been a wonderful experience for me. Go Big Blue!"

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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One-Man Serra Team Breaks Lancers' Hearts 41-38

You don't pull on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger, and you don't tackle Serra quarterback Khalil Tate out of bounds on a vital third down stop in the fourth quarter with a tenuous four point lead, as the Bishop Amat Lancers found out in their 41-38 loss to Serra Friday night.

With that controversial personal foul call giving the Cavaliers new life, Tate broke a 50-yard touchdown run to give Serra the go ahead points and a first place standing in the Mission League. The Lancers fall behind Serra who remained undefeated in league play. 

Tate proved to be a one-man wrecking crew, scoring three touchdowns on long runs and throwing two long passes up for grabs that fell into Serra hands for scores.

The Lancers still had a chance, getting the ball back with two minutes left. But a lost Lancer fumble proved to be an anticlimactic end to a dramatic, but ugly, game. The contest was marred by more unsportsmanlike penalties than you can throw a yellow flag at. 

A case could be made of a bad officiating in the game. There were so many missed holding and blocks-in-the-back calls every time Tate scrambled in the backfield that the referee looked liked a perfect candidate for Lasik. If some of the numerous calls hadn't gone against Serra, one would think this might be a case of homer officiating. 

On a global warming fall evening, the Lancers started out cold and sluggish. The vaunted offensive machine was definitely misfiring. Tyler Vaughns proved to be mortal as he dropped two easy passes in the first half, including one that quarterback Damien Garcia threw to him with a wide open field in front of him. Important lesson: catch, then run. He made up for it later in the game making some nice catches and scoring once on a reverse. 

While the Lancers offense had their share of miscues, it was the Torreanho Sweet Express that kept them in the game. Sweet scored three times and also ran in a two point conversion. It seemed that the Lancers could move the ball at will with Sweet, but drives would stall when they tried to use their other weapons.

Other than letting Tate make five big plays, the Lancer defense played a solid game. They were able to shut down ten of the eleven men on the Cavalier offense. 

The Lancers definitely can play big boy football with the best in the area. They have proven to be capable of coming back. In their two losses this season, they have overcome early game miscues to put themselves in a position to win. They have just not been able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the waning moments of a game like a true team of destiny. It's close, so close you can feel it.

Will the Lancers get their mojo back? Can they overcome this heartbreaking defeat to still win League? Can they stop the big play-makers?

They are back at Kiefer Friday, October 16, for their Homecoming Game against Bishop Alemany. All you alumni should come back for The Best Ticket in Town.  

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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Bishop Amat Plays Like it's 1995

On a night when Bishop Amat honored their 1995 CIF Football Championship team, the 2015 Lancers rolled to an easy 49-7 victory over Crespi High School for their second Mission League victory.

The Lancers' first play from scrimmage was a portent of things to come. Quarterback Damien Garcia hit Tyler Vaughns on a quick slant and the standout receiver turned it into a 65 yard gain, only being stopped from scoring by bumping into his own blocker. Garcia later found TE Xavier Chavez in the end zone for a 13 yard touchdown. It only took a minute and a half off the clock to draw first blood.

After that, it was time to unleash the Torreanho Sweet Express. Sweet finished his evening's work by the third quarter with 182 yards rushing and five touchdowns, including scores of 35, 31 and 42 yards. Even the venerable "Beef" formation made an appearance to open up a hole for Sweet to score from the five yard line, to take a 35-0 lead at the end of the first half.

Are the Lancers Going to Party Like it's 1995?

It says a lot about the tradition of Amat football that so many members of the 1995 CIF Football Championship team showed up at Kiefer Stadium for the 20th anniversary of Amat's last CIF title, including former NFL players Ralph Brown and Brian Russell. And there's a history lesson this year's team might take to heart.

The Bishop Amat 1995 CIF Football Championship team.

The 1994 team was loaded with talent but still lost to Mater Dei in the CIF final. With seven senior stars of that team lost to graduation, there were only modest expectations for the 1995 squad. But "The Little Team That Could" found a way to defy the odds and defeated Loyola 14-10 in the 1995 CIF Championship game at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Twenty years have passed. Is this the Lancers' year to make it to the top again? Four years ago, it was mentioned that the freshman team was going to be a force to be reckoned with when they hit the varsity level. The way the Lancers are playing at the moment seems to be meeting those expectations. The offense is playing at an unstoppable level while the defense is being extremely stingy at giving up the points.

It's still a long road as the Lancers travel to face the formidable Serra next week. The Cavaliers are also undefeated in league play and boast a similar 5-1 record this year.

It should be a great contest filled with Lancer pride and spirit. No question, the Amat faithful will travel in large numbers to take in "The Best Ticket in Town."
 

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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Bishop Amat Opens League In A Big Way

The Bishop Amat Lancers pretty much stuck to their winning script in Friday's 56-7 victory over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in their Mission League opener. 

Torreahno Sweet scores touchdowns, breaks for three long runs of 59, 53, and 59 yards for a grand total of 252 yards rushing. Check.

QB Damien Garcia scoring with his arm and feet. Check.

Tyler Vaughns making another incredible highlight-reel diving catch for a score. Check.

The second team getting in the act with two touchdown runs by sophomore running back Dominic Barrera. Check.

The defense shutting down the opposing team. Check.

Another running clock victory. Check mate. Game over.

So let's take time to praise the unsung heroes of the game. The Lancer offensive line—still missing tackle Kai Higgins—overcame first quarter opposition from the Knights' defense to open up the holes for Sweet to rack up the yards. Linebackers Matthew Terlizzi and Ricky Schneider put their stamp on the game with some stalwart defensive stops. The defensive backs shut down the passing game with Clarence Carter III picking one pass to set up a Lancer score.

Another good sign for the Lancers is that their other outstanding receiver Trevon Sydney was suited up last night after missing the last three games. Though he didn't see any action, he will hopefully be another weapon in the Lancers' offensive arsenal next week.

What's next for the Best Ticket in Town? Crespi will be coming to Kiefer next Friday. The Lancers will be looking to avenge last year's only league 32-31 loss. Let's see if this time there will be a happy ending to the script.

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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"Vengeance Is Ours," Saith the Lancers

Chino Hills has been a thorn in Bishop Amat football's side for the last three years. The Huskies won last year's meeting and their record against Amat stood at one win, one loss and one tie. This year's meeting was a different story as the Lancers pulled out that thorn Friday with a resounding 63-28 victory.

How efficient was the Lancer offense? Their first punt came in the fourth quarter as Amat was led by Torreahno Sweet's five touchdown performance—all in the first half. The offensive line gave Sweet holes to score from inside the five yard line on four occasions. He also broke one for a 17 yard score.

The evening's contest had the potential of being a shootout as Chino Hills' running back Grady O'Donnell scored on two big runs to keep the Huskies within striking distance in the first quarter. But Amat's defense had key stops and the offense took over from there.

Receiver Tyler Vaughns is playing at a scary level at the moment, scoring once on a 34 yard pass from Damien Garcia. It seems that every time he touches the ball, the potential of a big play is there. Not only does he run precise routes and is equipped with a great set of hands, but Vaughns' ability to run after the catch is something to behold. He also put on a display of his afterburners on kick and punt returns as well, taking one kickoff 83 yards to set up an Amat score.

The Lancers are operating at high efficiency, even without stalwarts like Trevon Sidney, Mathew Brayton, Andrew Vasquez, and Kai Higgins on the field.

League starts next Friday with Notre Dame coming into Kiefer Stadium.

Will all the Lancers be healthy by then? Will they continue to be efficiently confident? Will Vaughns put on another football clinic? Will the student section Dog Pound put on another great show? The answer to the last question is a definite yes. The other answers will have to wait until next Friday.

Stay tuned, because Amat football is still the best ticket in town!

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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Amat Rules Over Colony 59-20

The game was over before the end of the first quarter as Damien Garcia and Tyler Vaughns led the Lancers to an easy 59-20 victory over the Colony High Titans on Friday at Kiefer Stadium. Vaughns scored three touchdowns on Amat's first three possessions. The first occurred on a 76 yard pass when he outran the entire defense for the first score of the night. Vaughns also scored on a 17 yard pass and a 10 yard end reverse. 

The Colony team was no match for Amat's first, second, and third strings. All pistons seemed to be firing for the Lancers. One note of interest was that Torreahno Sweet didn't start until the second half, after serving a game and a half suspension. But he wasn't needed, as his younger brother Tyler Sweet, also managed to get into the offensive scheme by scoring on a 90 yard touchdown pass from Garcia. The older Sweet still managed to run for 99 yards on five carries including a 48 yard scamper for a score in the third quarter.

All in all it was an easy victory. It was a shut out until the third quarter when Amat's second and third strings took over on defense.

With league fast approaching, Amat still has a few kinks to work out. Bad snaps are becoming a recurring theme. And, hopefully the Lancers will all be healthy. There is a large group of young men in their dress blues standing on the sidelines in knee braces and crutches. Let's wish them well.

The student section Dog Pound was in fine form again, managing to be raucous yet patriotic in honor of the memory of 9/11.

All in all, a great showing by the Lancers. Friday night lights in La Puente is proving to be the best ticket in town!

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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No Sidney. No Sweet. No Sweat.

Whatever black cloud is following the highly touted Bishop Amat football team this year dissipated a bit with the Lancers' 28-10 victory over Servite Friday night.

With two very important offensive weapons out for the game—running back Torreahno Sweet suspended and wide receiver Trevon Sidney injured—the Lancers were still able to handily defeat the Friars with the feet and arm of quarterback Damien Garcia.

Garcia has, in all likelihood, ended any potential quarterback controversy with last night's performance. Garcia hooked up with Tyler Vaughns for two touchdown passes and scampered for two more TDs on runs of 18 and 13 yards, the last one worthy of a highlight reel.

Speaking of highlight reels, can you say Tyler Vaughns? The young man has a preternatural instinct for the ball. His first touchdown grab was in between two defenders, and he was still able to come down with it. This is what epitomizes the joy of high school sports: A naturally gifted athlete rising to the occasion and evolving into a big playmaker right before our eyes.

As for that black cloud, it seems to have unleashed the injury bug on the Lancers' front line. Kai Higgins went down early in the game, and offensive lineman Marcos Castillo had to be helped off the field in the fourth quarter.

The Lancers do appear to be getting their mojo back. With the right play calling, the offense can really move the ball down the field. Sophomore running back Dominic Barrera, after a slow start, began to find the holes and run with authority. The defense was very adept at stopping Servite's passing attack. 

There are still areas of concern. The right side of the defense needs some shoring up against the run. Garcia has a tendency to want to do too much. He dodged a bullet on an ill-advised shovel pass that was intercepted but negated by a Servite penalty. Special teams had their share of miscues: a missed PAT and a bad punt snap for the second week in a row. Luckily, we have Garcia also doing the punting. He was able to avoid a disaster on the botched snap with his quickness and scrambling abilities. The bright side of the punting team: Garcia has a powerful leg, getting off a booming 63-yarder.

Are the Lancers back on track? Check in next week as they face Colony High School at home. The good-natured, raucous spectacle that is the Dog Pound student section is worth the price of admission alone. Throw in some great football under the lights on a warm Friday night—it doesn't get any better than that.

The Lancers face Colony at home next Friday, September 11. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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Learning from Your Mistakes

The first game of the Bishop Amat football season 2015 ended the same way as their CIF semi-final loss of last season. The Lancers had the opponents back on their heels, the game ripe for the taking. But instead of delivering the knockout punch, the Lancers ended up knocking themselves out, fumbling away their chance at victory, losing 24-21 to the Mater Dei Monarchs this Friday night.

It was the perfect setup. Down by three with less than four minutes left to play, the Lancers started on their 20 with all three timeouts in their pocket. The Monarchs had already used up their timeouts in the third quarter, so they couldn't stop the clock. The Lancers started the drive with a beautiful 30-yard pass from Damien Garcia to standout receiver Tyler Vaughns. With the ball on the 50, the Lancers had all their weapons ready to unload. So what did they do? They decided to pitch—yes, PITCH—the ball to Torreanho Sweet for a sweep around the right side. Of course the pitch went awry, a fumble, a Monarch recovery ensued, and the Lancers just shot themselves in the foot. 

Now, I saw this happen once in a pro game, and John Madden went apoplectic on the play selection. He went on and on about protecting the ball at all cost in situations like this. He was quite unforgiving in his criticism, even calling the play a Pop Warner mistake. You don't take chances with a pitch to the running back. Too much can go wrong, as it turns out. There's no reason to get cute at this crucial moment. You have Garcia who is whiz at running the option. The Lancers had been successfully HANDING the ball off to Sweet, who had two rushing TDs for the night. 

One more bit of constructive criticism: You don't change horses midstream. At halftime it was already obvious that the QB-switching experiment was not working. You gotta go with the kid with the hot hand. 

On a positive note, the defense was a scrappy unit. The Monarchs' early 14-point lead in the first quarter was the result of Bishop Amat mistakes—a bad snap to the punter and an interception—costing the Lancers field position. The unit was even resilient enough to hold Mater Dei to a field goal after the Monarchs took eight minutes off the clock on the opening drive of the third quarter. The defensive backs looked good, pretty much shutting down the Monarchs' passing game and even taking an interception to the house for the go-ahead score at halftime.  

It's just the first game, and there is still time to work out all the kinks. But if the Lancers don't learn from the mistakes of the past, they will be condemned to repeat them.

Still, it was an exciting game, which is why Lancer football is the best ticket in town for a Friday night. Until next week. Go Big Blue!

The Lancers face Servite at home next Friday, September 4. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

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HUGO RICARDO
Hugo is a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog and an accomplished copywriter in both English and Spanish. Catch him on Friday nights supporting Lancer football.

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My 4 Favorite Things about Baseball Day Games

I’ve attended a game at all but one West Coast MLB park (sorry, Padres). I’ve gone to several night games, but I’ve attended day games far more often. Granted, night games have the added benefit of being significantly cooler than day games in the scorching SoCal weather, but there’s something special about the atmosphere of watching baseball with the sun out.

With that in mind, here are my four favorite things about day games:

1. There’s no rush

Trying to get to a game with first pitch at 7:10 p.m. can be difficult, to say the least. Depending on how far you’re traveling to the stadium, you may find yourself stuck in SoCal’s infamous rush-hour traffic, which, let’s be honest, is more like rush-HOURS. Plus, you can’t forget to factor in the inevitable traffic jam that begins at the stadium’s freeway exit and lasts until you’ve made it to your parking space. If you leave more than a few minutes behind schedule, you’re liable to miss entire innings.

Day games, on the other hand, create a far less stressful timetable. First pitch around noon? No problem. Sure, there’s still some residual traffic, but it’s much more manageable.

2. A little added difficulty

Major-league baseball players get paid big money to make big plays. They’re also expected not to screw up the small ones. Catching a routine fly ball should be all muscle memory for these athletes, and most of the time, it is. When the ball comes off the bat, you can already predict the ending.

At day games, however, there’s always a chance—however slight—that a player might lose the ball after getting an eye-full of sunlight. Sure, most of the time their dark sunglasses and eyeblack prevent this from happening, but isn’t it nice having that glimmer of hope? A dropped—or even bobbled—ball can make all the difference.

3. The sweet alternate uniforms

Every team has home and away uniforms, but most also have at least one alternate that they break out for some Sundays and special occasions. While admittedly some of these aren’t the most attractive, they’re still a welcome breath of fresh air.

4. Extra innings

While extra innings after an already long nine innings may make some people cringe, they’re far more bearable during day games. At night, the prospect of a potentially never-ending baseball game is enough to send even some of the truest fans packing. It’s late, the kids need to sleep, you have work in the morning. It’s understandable.

During day games, however, bonus baseball can be just that. When buying tickets to a day game, you’re already dedicating the “productive” part of your day to watching the game. Sure, you’ll still be tired after a full nine innings in the sun, but by the time the 10th is rolling around, the sun is beginning to set and temperatures have dropped significantly. Sit back, relax, and enjoy it a little bit longer.

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OLIVIA HUMMER
Olivia is a Stanford University student and staunch defender of the Oxford Comma. She has served as a copy editor for the Los Angeles Zoo, the Stanford Daily, and Bleacher Report. She recently completed a communications internship with The Huntington Library. Olivia is currently interning with Stanford Athletics Marketing and the San Francisco 49ers, as well as writing for the sports section of the Stanford Daily.

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Law Enforcement Torch Runners Blaze a Path in San Dimas

It started back on July 13 in Sacramento. The Final Leg Law Enforcement Torch Runner (LETR) of the Special Olympics set out on their journey to more than 100 communities throughout California, carrying the Flame of Hope to raise awareness for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games.

Their final destination: The Opening Ceremony on July 25th at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

And on a beautiful summer morning, these law enforcement and Special Olympic athletes from all over the world (Australia, South Korea, Iceland, and the Americas just to name nations) made their way through the streets of San Dimas.

Learn more and see the runners here:

A big thumbs up to the city of San Dimas, the San Dimas City Council, local fire and police personnel, and the California Highway Patrol for hosting these special runners.

Looking good, San Dimas!

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DONNA HUMMER
Donna is a principal at ConceptuaLine, and enjoys being a contributing writer to the ConceptuaLine blog.

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Additional Resources:

www.specialolympics.org, www.letr-council.org, www.cityofsandimas.com

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