James McGoldrick, SCV Gridiron (7/21)

The La Canada Gladiators youth football chapter produced a coaching clinic at St. Francis HS this past Saturday that attracted nearly 200 coaches.  Gladiator adminstrator, Kevin Hurley, organized the event with the participation of St. Francis Head Coach, Jim Bonds. 

The clinic was intended for coaches that participate in the Jr. All American Football San Gabriel Valley Conference as each coach is required to attend a pre-season clinic.  Coach Hurley also extended an invitation to the Santa Clarita Wildcats of the Gold Coast League who responded by sending a dozen of their coaches.

Wildcat Athletic Director, John "JT" Torres was a featured speaker at the event.  Coach JT offered the attending coaches insights into practice planning and team building techniques that was acknowledged by all as a highly relevant and informative presentation.

The Keynote speaker was UCLA Defensive Coordinator DeWayne Walker.  Coach gave a insightful talk on the importance and impact that youth coaches have on young players.  "It all starts with you guys," he emphasized.  A former youth coach himself, Coach drew parallels to coaching at all levels of play emphasizing that players at every age want to please their coach and make an impact on the field.Another guest speaker was UNLV coach, Andy LaRussa.  Coach LaRussa is a St. Francis alumni and gave an informative presentation on the importance of Special Teams. 

The St. Francis Varsity players rand drills during the morning session for both offense and defense.  Coach Bonds gave a special session for Offensive Coordinators and SF Defensive Coordinator, Mark Gibbons, did the same for those managing the other side of the ball.      

Coach Bonds was very appreciative of the turnout and looks forward to conducting the clinic again next year.

St. Francis bounced in semis of annual passing tourney.  West Ranch and Valencia get knocked out in elimination round.

By Grant Gordon, Glendale News Press (7/18)

At times its offense stumbled and at times its defense excelled.  At the end of a day of ups and downs at the seventh annual St. Francis Passing Tournament, St. Francis High walked away knowing it had some improving to do, but in the end, seven-on-seven still isn’t the real deal.

“I’m pretty happy where we’re at,” Golden Knights Coach Jim Bonds said. “This isn’t football really.”

Bonds’ squad went 2-3 over the afternoon, emerging from pool play 1-2 before defeating Moorpark in the quarterfinals and losing to eventual tourney champion Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in the semifinals.

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With high school football practice just a few weeks away, one of the more compelling issues is the rebuilding project at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks.

The Knights are coming off a shocking first-round playoff exit last season after going 84-5 over the previous six seasons and are replacing one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history.

Notre Dame got a taste of life without Dayne Crist in the opening round of the playoffs last year - he sat out the game with a concussion - and the Knights suffered a stunning loss to Newport Harbor.

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RELATED STORY

Grant gets Notre Dame QB

Eric Sondheimer, Varsity Times Insider (7/18)

The movement of quarterbacks continues with senior Tommy Edwards of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame becoming the fourth QB from the San Fernando Valley to switch schools this summer.

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The quarterback is the first junior to win the Gatorade award. Barkley, who has committed to USC, was earlier named the nation's top prep football player.

Eric Sondheimer, LA Times (7/17)

Matt Barkley, a guitar-playing, spiral-throwing quar- terback from Santa Ana Mater Dei, was selected Wednesday as the Gatorade male high school athlete of the year during a celebrity-filled ceremony at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles.

Barkley, who has committed to USC and is preparing for his senior year of high school, is the first junior to win the award. Past recipients include LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Greg Oden and Kevin Love.

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What sports best fit you and your position? Football fitness and abilities can be developed in the off-season by participating in other sports.

Many sport experts have claimed that being a multi-sport athlete, at least through high school, is essential to the overall athletic development for the sport of your choice. But what sport is best suited for you? What's the best crossover sport for specific positions in football? First we must acknowledge that everyone is different and there are exceptions to every suggested recommendation. With that in mind we'll outline the best crossover sports that both compliment and best balance your overall athletic development by position.

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The ninth EFAF (European Federation of American Football) European Junior Championship kicks off in Sevilla in southern Spain on Saturday, July 12.

Eight nations, whose junior national teams won through a series of qualifying games for the right to play in Sevilla, will be represented in the capital city of Andalucía for a series of group games to be played from Saturday, July 12 to Thursday, July 17. The final group standings will decide the pairings for the seventh, fifth and third place playoffs and the Championship Game over the weekend of July 19-20.

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By Michael Preston, Special to USA Football (6/10/08)

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Executive Committee announced from meetings in Scandinavia that the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship (JWC) will be played from June 27 to July 5 in Canton, Ohio, next summer.

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Eric Sondheimer, LA Times (7/15)
 
What happened to the days of backup high school quarterbacks waiting their turn for the chance to start instead of bailing out faster than Wile E. Coyote?

"It's frustrating," Sherman Oaks Notre Dame football Coach Kevin Rooney said Monday after one of his quarterbacks competing for the starting job quit when evidence mounted he wasn't going to start. "In my mind, it's not what high school athletics is supposed to be about."

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Canyon advanced to the semi finals before falling to Muir.  Hart was defeated by Palmdale earlier in the elimination round.  Palmdale went on the defeat Muir for the title.

Photos by Ray Jerozal