High School Football

Re "Texas cheerleaders may use biblical banners - for now," Oct. 19 Aside from the very real issue of separation of church and state, the Kountze High School cheerleaders' use of Bible verses at football games is an unseemly use of religion that I hope any serious person of faith would find objectionable. It seems petty and absurd to call upon one's God to take sides in a high school football game. I would think there are equally believing and possibly worthy Christians on the opposing team, creating a difficult conundrum for their God. The only appropriate uses of religion in such a setting would be to pray (privately)

College football recruiters have their GPS devices powered on as they begin visiting high schools to evaluate players over the next month. Let me provide a few suggestions on players who have been overlooked so far. Maybe they don't fit a height-weight requirement. Maybe they were injured last season. Maybe they don't participate in seven-on-seven all-star passing tournaments. Maybe they play multiple sports. Whatever the reason for not receiving early buzz, these players will be standouts in the fall, and it's far more relevant how someone performs in a real game compared with how they look running around a red cone.

Top defensive backs Ishmael Adams, Oaks Christian, 5-10, 182, Sr. Combines speed with terrific instincts Chaz Anderson, Loyola, 6-0, 170, Sr. Boise State commit can take on anyone Brandon Beaver, Dominguez, 6-1, 195, Sr. Lots of speed, athleticism Julian Brooks, Sierra Canyon, 6-2, 190, Sr. Had 10 interceptions Donte Deayon, Summit, 5-9, 160, Sr. Boise State commit had 10 interceptions Raymond Ford, Gardena Serra, 5-10,...

It was a collision that rewrote the future of a young man: A football team captain on the verge of heading off to college would instead become a child-like invalid who struggled to tie his shoes. Edward Acuna was 17 when he took the field for Pomona's Garey High on an October night. In the fourth quarter, he sustained a helmet-to-helmet hit. When the defensive lineman eventually regained consciousness, he was partially paralyzed, was unable to utter simple words and had lost his short-term memory.

Last Friday night, the greatest thing on earth got underway: the high school football season. Compton Dominguez vs. St. John Bosco. For a night, that's the only thing that mattered to us. The Friday night lights beamed down on us and the Braves beat the Dons, 40-7. On three offensive drives, the Braves scored on their first play from scrimmage and the defense was nails against Dominguez's Double Wing-T offense. Junior Josh Rosen threw for five touchdowns - four to Jaleel Wadood and one to Shay Fields.

 Saturday's Open Division regional football game between St. John Bosco and Corona Centennial produced 119 points, more than 1,300 yards in total offense and Centennial ran off 122 plays in a 70-49 loss to the Braves. This isn't your father's offense and the grandfathers would be rolling their eyes if they saw what's been happening. "We knew it was going to go that way," St. John Bosco Coach Jason Negro said. "When you have that many plays that a high school kid has to play . . . that's incredible.

 Among 10 rule changes approved for the 2014 high school football season, the National Federation of State High School Associations Football Rules Committee put together a definition for "targeting," and it will be penalized as illegal personal contact. New rule 2-43 will read: "Targeting is an act of taking aim and initiating contact to an opponent above the shoulders with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulders. " The rule is an effort to minimize risk of injury.

Every new recruiting year, fans look forward to seeing what innovative ideas teenagers can come up with to announce their college choices. Lately, most have been stuck on the cap routine, in which an athlete reveals the winning school by lifting one of three baseball caps on a desk while trying to keep the TV audience in suspense. Or they try to emulate LeBron James with "I will be taking my talents to.... " With signing day on Wednesday for high school football players, get ready for 72 hours of recruiting mania on TV and the Internet.

Editor's note: Elijah Zabludoff is a senior football player from Bellflower St. John Bosco High and an aspiring journalist. Each week during the high school football season, he has blogged about his personal experiences and also his thoughts about prep sports in general. Zabludoff was a returning starter at center for the Braves, who won the Trinity League, the Southern Section Pac-5 Division and Open Division state championship in a 16-0 season. His season -- and high school career-- ended Saturday at the StubHub Center in Carson when St. John Bosco completed its perfect season by defeating Concord De La Salle in the state title game.

 Saturday's Open Division regional football game between St. John Bosco and Corona Centennial produced 119 points, more than 1,300 yards in total offense and Centennial ran off 122 plays in a 70-49 loss to the Braves. This isn't your father's offense and the grandfathers would be rolling their eyes if they saw what's been happening. "We knew it was going to go that way," St. John Bosco Coach Jason Negro said. "When you have that many plays that a high school kid has to play . . . that's incredible.

If a championship high school football game was ever worthy of filling the 27,000-seat StubHub Center in Carson, it's the CIF Open Division bowl game Saturday between Bellflower St. John Bosco (15-0) and Concord De La Salle (14-0). These two teams have been front and center as the best in the state for 15 weeks. They've shown few weaknesses while letting their gigantic linemen and big-time college prospects take center stage. Now comes a matchup that should produce plenty of drama.

Saturday's high school football championship games: Santa Ana Mater Dei (11-2) vs. Bellflower St. John Bosco (13-0) at Angel Stadium, 8 p.m. Prime Ticket, 830 AM: It could be a rainy, muddy night for the Pac-5 Division championship game, and that could create some intriguing moments when each team's big offensive line tries to grind out drives. Mater Dei lost the first meeting, 24-2, in the Trinity League. Coach Bruce Rollinson will have his players fired up, but unless the Monarchs' defense puts pressure on quarterback Josh Rosen, the Braves will be tough to topple.