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Pac-5 Championship Madness: The Primer

December 1st, 2012, 7:07 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

The OCVarsity Army has spent all week writing features previewing the Mater Dei vs. Long Beach Poly showdown in the CIF-SS Pac-5 championship game tonight at Angel Stadium.

We have eight people covering tonight’s game, including ace columnist Jeff Miller. So all of you OCVarsity maniacs will have info coming out of your eyeballs tonight. We are taking this championship coverage to the next level.

We all know the legendary rivalry between Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly and how they met in three consecutive Division I championship games from 1997-99. The teams are 1-1-1 against each other so tonight is the ultimate rubbermatch.

The big questions I have on my mind heading into this game: Does Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson have the best mustache in the county? Does he have the best stache on the planet?

These are the important questions and I need answers.

I think if we had an Orange County Stache-off it would have to be between Rollo and Pacifica softball coach Mark Campbell. Both coaches are rugged and tough individuals. If their staches went toe-to-toe, I don’t know what the outcome would be. Rollo would probably challenge his stache to crush Campbell’s stache and vice versa. The epic battle would probably cause a permanent rift in the space-time continuim.

Where would Rollo and Campbell’s staches rank among some of the legendary staches? Sam Elliott’s Tombstone stache is classic. How about Tom Selleck’s Magnum P.I. stache? That was a beauty. MMA champion Don Frye’s stache did a lot of butt-kicking in his day.

There’s no way I can get answers to all these questions. I guess I just created an anomaly wrapped in a matrix with this stache conundrum. I give up.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Stay tuned for all the updates.

Follow me on Twitter @LosOCVarsity.

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Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

November 1st, 2012, 3:49 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

I’m a big fan of TV shows like “The Walking Dead,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Wire” and “The Sopranos,” but one of my all-time favorite shows was “Friday Night Lights.”

There were many Friday nights where I would get poked in the eyes watching an episode of “Friday Night Lights,” which chronicled the trials and tribulations of the Dillon Panthers football team and Coach Eric Taylor.

Coach Taylor was one of those coaches that cared about his players and their families on and off the field. Coach Taylor was there for his guys no matter what. Coach Taylor could inspire and motivate like no other.

Check out some of Coach Taylor’s most memorable speeches/quotes:

“Give us all gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile, We are all vulnerable. And we will all at some point in our lives, fall. We will all fall. We must cary this in our hearts. That what we have is special. That it can be taken from us, and that when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will all be tested to our very souls. We will now all be tested. It is these times, it is this pain, that allows us to look inside ourselves.”

“Listen to me. You listen to me closer than you’ve ever listened to me before. Remember that Rutledge game, 4th quarter? You came in and you took over that game. Play by play, you owned that game. When I watched you that day I said to myself, ‘this kid is gonna go all the way’. Right now, right here, God has placed you to do what you do best. Go all the way.”

“When Jason Street went down in the first game of the season, everybody wrote us off. Everybody. But here we are at the championship game. Right now, 40,000 people have also written us off. But there are some who do still believe in you, some who’ll never give up on you. When you take that field, those are the people that I want in your minds. Those are the people I want in your hearts. Every man at some point in his life is gonna lose a battle. He’s gonna fight and he’s gonna lose. What makes him a man, is that in the midst of that battle, he does not lose himself. This game is not over. This battle is not over.”

“You listen to me…you look around at each other and you ask yourselves gentlemen, what kind of a man am I? Because Friday night there will be a bond formed between and among you that will never be broken. I will not be proven wrong on that. Do I think we can beat the Dillon Panthers? I don’t think we can beat the Dillon Panthers…I know damn well we can beat the Dillon Panthers. The question is do YOU think we can beat the Dillon Panthers? THEN SHOW ME.”

“Every man at some point in his life is going to lose a battle. He is going to fight, and he is going to lose. But what makes him a man is at the midst of that battle, he does not lose himself. This game is not over, this battle is not over.”

“Don’t quit on me. Don’t quit on yourself.”

“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”

Those are wise words from Coach Taylor that we should all remember heading into the final week of the regular season.

Game of the night: Newport Harbor (5-4, 3-1) vs. Los Alamitos (6-3, 2-2) at Veterans Stadium, 7 p.m.

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Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

October 25th, 2012, 3:41 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

I’ve spent the past week analyzing O.C. football playoff scenarios.

In a perfect football analyst world, Team A should beat Team B and therefore clinch a playoff berth. See, that’s simple. The real world isn’t so simple. In the real world, Team B often knocks of Team A and therefore opens the door for Team C and Team D to get in the playoff picture.

The favorites don’t always win. This is the time of year for underdogs and upsets.

My favorite playoff scenario happened in the 2008 season. When I did my OC football playoff scenarios piece, I posited a theory I dubbed “The Sunset League Doomsday Scenario.” As I was going over the matchups in the final two weeks, I realized there was the potential for a five-way tie for first place in the Sunset League with two of those teams shut out of the playoffs because there were no at-large berths in the Pac-5 Division.

Sure enough, the Sunset League teams slugged it out in the final two weeks of the regular season and “The Sunset League Doomsday Scenario” became a reality. Los Al, Edison, New Port Harbor, Esperanza and Fountain Valley finished tied for the league title, but Edison and Newport lost the coin flips and missed the playoffs.

That was brutal.

It’s time to watch these 2012 scenarios play out beginning with a big dose of Thursday Night Football Madness.

Game of the night: Katella (6-2, 3-0) vs. Magnolia (3-5, 2-1) at Glover Stadium, 7 p.m.

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Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

October 18th, 2012, 2:56 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

A buddy of mine told me to go on YouTube and do a search on “boxer can’t get in the ring.” He said it was hilarious, so I checked it out. It turned out to be a video from an old “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” and my pal was correct.

This boxer can’t seem to get through the ropes and into the ring. It’s like there is some invisible force field preventing this boxer from getting through the ropes and into the ring. Eventually, he drops to the canvas and rolls into the ring … Success!

Somehow, this genius wins his fight. Uh-oh … now this victorious fighter has to find a way to get himself out of the ring. Remember those pesky ropes threw him for a loop earlier. Our hero ends up flipping out of the ring and somersaulting awkwardly to the ground below.

The lesson I learned from this video is keep it simple and stick to the basics. Get in and get out. Nobody gets hurt. Don’t overthink things.

That’s a lesson many O.C. football teams should keep on their minds heading down the stretch this season. Don’t overcomplicate things. Just step through the ropes and into the ring and play your game.

Game of the night: Segerstrom (7-0, 2-0) vs. Orange (4-3, 1-1) at El Modena High, 7 p.m.

Why you should care: The Jaguars, ranked No. 1 in the Southern Division, are trying to become the first Santa Ana school to win four consecutive league championships and they can control their own destiny in the Golden West League with a victory over the Panthers.

Segerstrom’s wing-T offense is generating 406.1 rushing yards per game and is averaging 45.7 points per game. Running back David Perkins (1,093 yards, 17 TDs) provides the speed and running back Sonny Roa (744 yards, 11 TDs) and fullback Joseph Gomez (214 yards, 1 TD) deliver the power running.

Orange bounced back from a 13-7 loss to Westminster in the league opener with a 34-7 victory over Loara. Panthers running back Aaron Aguilar has rushed for 821 yards and seven TDs on 129 carries.

ALSO ON THE THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL MADNESS AGENDA:

Corona del Mar (5-2, 2-0) at Irvine (4-3, 1-1), 7 p.m.: If the Vaqueros, ranked No. 5 in the Southern Division, can pull off the upset, the Pacific Coast League race will be up for grabs. The Sea Kings, ranked No. 3 in the Southern Division, control their own destiny with a victory.

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Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

October 11th, 2012, 3:08 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

What is Thursday Night Football Madness all about? That is the question that I pose to the OCVarsity Universe. And the answer? Thursday Night Football Madness is just like a punch in the mouth from Andy Sandberg just as you are about to eat something.

Remember the classic SNL Digital Short by Sandberg called “People Getting Punched Just Before Eating”? It blew up on YouTube a few years ago. The scenario behind the bit is people are just standing around having a slice of pizza or a hamburger, and just as they are about to chomp down, Sandberg blind sides them with a sucker punch.

Nobody is safe from Sandberg’s mad sucker punching skills. Everyone from SNL cast members to big stars gets “PUNCHED!” The Foo Fighters … PUNCHED! Jon Bon Jovi … PUNCHED! Everybody gets taken out by Sandberg haymakers.

That’s what Thursday Night Football Madness is all about. Teams might think they are favorites and they have an easy night … PUNCHED!!! Those chumps are underdogs, so this should be no prob … PUNCHED! We got this one in the b … PUNCHED!

Everybody needs to keep their heads on a swivel and focus on the task at hand. Never underestimate your opponent. And never nonchalantly munch on a slice of pizza in public because you might get PUNCHED!

Game of the night: Santa Ana Valley (4-2, 1-0) vs. Katella (4-2, 1-0) at Western High, 7 p.m.

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Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

October 4th, 2012, 3:32 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

Nonleague games are great for bragging rights, rankings and preparation for league. That’s right, league. League games are what it’s all about. The Century and Empire Leagues started league play last week and the rest of the county joins them this week.

(Stuff) just got real.

If you are a team with aspirations of winning a CIF-SS championship, it all starts with league. In four- and five-team leagues, the top two finishers receive guaranteed playoff berths. The top three finishers in six- and seven-team leagues receive guaranteed playoff berths.

Teams that do not finish high enough in their standings can qualify for at-large berths, and no longer is a .500-or-better overall record required for at-large berth consideration. The Pac-5 Division has two at-large berths, the Southwest Division has two and the Southern Division has one.

But if you want to control your own destiny it’s all about earning one of those guaranteed playoff berths from your league battles.

All this talk about league play starting up has me thinking about “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” Remember when Mad Max went toe-to-toe with Master Blaster in the Thunderdome. Two men enter … one man leaves.

Thunderdome announcer Dr. Dealgood was like a post-apocalyptic Bruce Buffer.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls … DYIN’ TIME’S HERE!!!!!”

Dr. Dealgood would then lay out the rules to the two combatants.

“Thunderdome’s simple. Get to the weapons, use them any way you can. I know you won’t break the rules, because there aren’t any.”

LEAGUE TIME’S HERE!!!!

Game of the night: San Clemente (4-2, 0-0) vs. El Toro (6-0, 0-0) at Trabuco Hills High, 7 p.m.

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Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

September 27th, 2012, 5:04 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

My mom, Sue, made the trip from Fresno to hang out with me and her best pal, Sue Wilcox, for a few days. These two grandmas with a combined 11 grandkids love movies as much as I do, so during lunch we had to decide which movie to see.

If it were up to them we would see some English period piece with a lot of letter writing. The Sues are artists, so they love artsy movies with a lot of letter writing. Why do the Brits write so many letters in movies?

We definitely wanted to see a film that was a legitimate Oscar contender, so we decided on “The Master,” starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Here’s the IMDb storyline for “The Master”: After returning from the Second World War, having witnessed many horrors, a charismatic intellectual creates a faith based organization in an attempt to provide meaning to his life. He becomes known as “The Master”. His right-hand man, a former drifter, begins to question both the belief system and The Master as the organization grows and gains a fervent following.

Basically, what I heard about “The Master” going in was that it’s about an L. Ron Hubbard-type who starts a Scientology-like religion.

OK, first of all, Phoenix, Hoffman and Adams turn in brilliant acting performances. They are sure to be up for many awards, but this movie had way too many cringe-worthy moments when you are sitting in a theater with two grandmas. Needless to say, the two Sues were stunned.

That brings us to Thursday Night Football Madness. I plan on conducting a scientific experiment tonight. The Sues know absolutely nothing about OC football. I mean, nothing. I am going to use my considerable OCVarsity football knowledge to predict tonight’s winners and the Sues are making their picks based solely on which mascots they like. Here we go.

Aliso Niguel vs. Woodbridge at Irvine High, 7 p.m.: This is the game of the night and I’m expecting a ton of offense. I’m going with Aliso Niguel’s aerial attack to be the difference. My mom is picking the Wolverines because “I like Hugh Jackman and he was a Wolverine.” Sue Wilcox is picking the Wolverines because “They are mean and they bite and they are vicious.”

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Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

September 20th, 2012, 3:31 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

We all need role models, people to look up to that show us a path to success, people that show us how to handle adversity, people that show us how to prevail against overwhelming odds.

So who would make the perfect role model for Thursday Night Football Madness? Beatrix Biddo. That’s right, The Bride, a former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.

The Bride never gave up even when she was shot in the head and left for dead at a Texas chapel on the day of her wedding rehearsal. After coming out of a coma, she systematically took out the members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.

She faced overwhelming odds when she took out O-Ren Ishii’s Yakuza army, including the elite Crazy 88 and O-Ren’s personal bodyguard Gogo Yubari. Then there was her epic duel with O-Renherself.

She didn’t quit after getting blasted in the chest with buck shot by Budd. She used the martial arts techniques she learned from master Pai Mei to punch her way out of a coffin and claw her way to the surface. She picked up her Hattori Hanzo sword and went back on her rampage of vengeance.

The Bride went toe-to-toe with Elle Driver in an epic catfight for the ages.

It all led up to the final confrontation with Bill, her former lover and the leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. The Bride used the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique to vanquish Bill. Bill didn’t even know how to execute the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart technique.

The point is … and there is a point to this … the point is Thursday Night Football Madness is the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart technique of the OCVarsity Universe.

Game of the night: Cypress at Western, 7 p.m.

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Posted in: Football • Beatrix Biddo • Cypress • Kill Bill • The Bride • The Primer • Thursday Night Football Madness • western | Comments Off

Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

September 13th, 2012, 1:33 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

Mr. FryDay Night and I are setting up the Mobile OCVarsity Press Row at Buena Park High for Thursday Night Football Madness because we are here to find out if the 3-0 Coyotes are the real deal.

That got me to thinking about Evander Holyfield. I’m not talking about the Evander Holyfield that took fifth place on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005. I’m talking about Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield, the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

I covered many of Holyfield’s fights in the 1990s. I was at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas the night Holyfield stunned the world with his 11th-round knockout of Mike Tyson in 1996. I was back at the MGM Grand seven months later when Tyson became so frustrated by Holyfield’s dominance that he bit a chunk of Holyfield’s ear off and spit it on the canvas before getting disqualified in the third round. I actually interviewed the janitor that had the chunk of Holyfield’s ear in an ice chest. It was bizarre. I won’t even get into the hearing where Tyson went before the Nevada State Athletic Commission to try to get his boxing license back. That was even more bizarre.

I once went to a Holyfield workout where he spent 90 minutes stretching. He wasn’t big on sparring as he got older. I used to call him the undisputed stretching champion of the world.

Holyfield was always open to the media, kind to the fans and a warrior inside the ring. He was “The Real Deal.”

Game of the night: JSerra at Buena Park, 7 p.m.

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Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

September 6th, 2012, 2:00 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

Steven Seagal is an action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. Basically, he is an awesome dude. How do we know he is an awesome dude? Because he tells everybody how awesome he is … all the time.

There’s a legendary Hollywood story about Steven Seagal.

“I just read the greatest script I’ve ever read in my entire life,” Seagal tells a room of writers.

“Who wrote it?” a screen writer asked.

“I did,” Seagal responded.

That is the awesomeness of Steven Seagal in a nutshell.

Steven Seagal makes awesome reality TV shows like A&E’s “Steven Seagal: Lawman” where he uses his vast experience as a former CIA agent and lifelong student of the martial arts to subdue criminals in New Orleans.

“You know, being a lifelong practitioner of the martial arts, I try to teach everyone not to fight the recoil of the weapon but more to become one with the weapon and let it be an extension of their body,” Seagal once said on the show.

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Posted in: Football • Video • Awesomeness • Buena Park • edison • Steven Seagal • The Primer • Thursday Night Football Madness • Villa Park | Comments Off

Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

August 30th, 2012, 6:37 pm by CARLOS ARIAS

I love coming to La Habra High for football games even though it takes me nearly two hours to make the road trip from San Clemente.

The Highlander fans bleed La Habra blue. It’s a small community and they all come out to support the Highlanders. The bagpipes are always blasting and the snackbar is off the charts.

Highlanders coach Frank Mazzotta has built a great winning tradition with six CIF-SS championships.

Whenever I cover a Highlander game, I always feel like I’m walking into that scene in “Braveheart” when William Wallace gives his “Freedom” speech.

“I am William Wallace,” Wallace said. “And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny! You have come to fight as free men. And free men you are! What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?”

“Two thousand against ten?” one of Wallace’s men shouts. “No! We will
run – and live!”

“Yes!” Wallace shouted back. “Fight and you may die. Run and you will live at least awhile. And dying in your bed many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here as young men and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they will never take our freedom!

And then they charge down the hill to meet the English for battle.

The other thing that’s always stuck in my head when I cover La Habra is the film “Highlander.”

“THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!!!”

So sit back, relax and enjoy this Highlander version of Thursday Night Football Madness.

Game of the night: La Mirada at La Habra, 7 p.m.

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