Tate faces competition from Georgia transfer Wilson
By Joe Snyder
GVN Correspondent
Last season, senior Khalil Tate was the backup to now University of Southern California freshman quarterback Jalen Greene in Serra High’s Mission League champion and CIF-Southern Section Western Division runner-up football team.
It appeared that Tate would replace Greene as this year’s starter. However, he is facing heavy competition with Caleb Wilson, a transfer from North Ocenee High in Athens, Georgia.
Tate faces competition from Georgia transfer Wilson
By Joe Snyder
GVN Correspondent
Last season, senior Khalil Tate was the backup to now University of Southern California freshman quarterback Jalen Greene in Serra High’s Mission League champion and CIF-Southern Section Western Division runner-up football team.
It appeared that Tate would replace Greene as this year’s starter. However, he is facing heavy competition with Caleb Wilson, a transfer from North Ocenee High in Athens, Georgia.
Wilson is a son of current USC defensive line coach Chris Wilson and the family has moved around.
Wilson was born in Dallas but had to move around where Chris was coaching. He also assisted at University of Colorado, Oklahoma, Mississippi State and Georgia before being hired by head coach Steve Sarkesian to coach the Trojans’ defensive line last March. Chris Wilson was defensive coordinator at Mississippi State.
Caleb was injured all last season but was a second team all-Mississippi State quarterback in his sophomore season at Starkville High two years ago. In that season, Caleb passed for more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns in just five games.
Caleb has very good size at 6-feet-5 and 215 pounds. He is being recruited by Colorado, Texas Christian, Louisville and San Jose State although Caleb is leaning toward Colorado.
Tate had a respectful 2013 season for a reserve quarterback. He passed for approximately 300 yards and five TDs, while running for four more to key the Cavaliers to a 13-1 overall record, including winning the Mission over Chaminade, which went on to rally for a 38-35 upset win over the host Cavaliers in the Western Division final and went on to capture the California State Division II crown.
Serra was ranked as high as seventh in the United States by the Maxpreps Xcellent 25 and USA Today before its upset loss to the Eagles.
Tate played football since he was four years old for the Inglewood Junior All-American League.
Both, no doubt, are seeking to get Serra to win games and capture the prestigious California State Open Division.
Although the Cavaliers are still in the Mission League, it includes the likes of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, La Puente Bishop Amat, Los Angeles Loyola, Encino Crespi and Mission Hills Alemany.
“We’re seeking to win games,” Kaleb Wilson said. “That’s important.”
Of course, Serra and the Mission will be in the Big Five division with other prestigious leagues in Trinity, South Coast, Marmonte and Moore. The Trinity is, without doubt, the strongest led by last season’s state Open Division champion Bellflower St. John Bosco, which ended the season ranked third in the nation.
Tate and Wilson feel confident that the Cavaliers have a shot at the Braves, who start this season rated 11th in the country by Maxpreps Xcellent 25, and other powers such as Long Beach Poly, Santa Ana Mater Dei and Mission Viejo.
Serra will continue to have a very competitive non-league schedule which starts with Moore League team Lakewood at home on Aug. 29 and the Honor Bowl game against Washington state power Bellevue on Sept. 6 at Oceanside High School. For those who have Time Warner Cable television, it will be broadcasted on the Time Warner Sports Network at 7:30 p.m. on that night. CIF-L.A. City Section Marine League powers Carson (Sept. 12, away) and Harbor City Narbonne (Sept. 19, home) are other non-league contests.
The Cavaliers begin Mission play at home against Notre Dame on Sept. 26.
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Panthers roll over Bears in summer baseball
Gardena High’s baseball team is enjoying a very good summer with a 10-1 record after routing the Bears, 14-2, in a Summer League Game last Saturday at the Gutierrez Learning Center in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Panthers were led by Allan (last name unavailable) who went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs. Allan entered his sophomore year at Gardena when the L.A. City Schools began last Tuesday.
Winning pitcher Chris Perez was 2-for-3 and shortstop Christopher Lopez played good defense and went 2-for-4 with the bat.
Anthony (last name unavailable) had three triples and two runs batted in. Gardena had good defense by second baseman Esteban Garcia.
That put the Panthers into the championship on Saturday at the Gutierrez Learning Center. Game time is 9 a.m.
— Joe Snyder
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Sports Scoop
So long Donovan, as he leaves the pro and International soccer scene
By Joe Snyder
GVN Correspondent
It’s hard to believe. A couple of years ago, the Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer team had English sensation David Beckham retire.
At the end of this season, Landon Donovan, considered by many as the top American soccer player ever, will leave the scene as he stunningly announced his retirement last Thursday.
Donovan had a great career in his 13 seasons with the Major League Soccer San Jose Earthquakes and Galaxy with five titles, two from San Jose and three from L.A. He keyed the Galaxy to MLS titles in 2005 (his first season with the Galaxy), 2011 and 2012.
Once Beckham left, the Galaxy was not quite as good but Donovan kept them going. After a slow start, L.A. is on a hot streak and hopes it should make the playoffs. It hopes it can move to the top of the division and has a strong shot at another MLS title. He holds the league record with 136 goals and 124 assists.
Donovan played for the United States National team in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cup but was stunningly left out of the 2014 roster. As a 20-year-old, Donovan helped the U.S. make the quarterfinals, the second furthest in the Cup only behind its first of 1930 when the Americans made the semifinals. In that year, American medias rarely covered soccer as it was very little known in the U.S. compared to being the No. 1 sport in the World in that year. He also had the winning goal against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
He had 57 goals and 57 assists for the U.S. national team.
Donovan, who is 32 years old, had one more season on his contract with the Galaxy and could have lasted for about five or six more seasons. In fact, he could last possibly even more than that.
Whether it was him being left out the U.S. roster for this year’s World Cup in Brazil, family reasons or just deciding to go into something out, it remains to be seen.
With the Galaxy playing very well and hoping to rally to pull off another MLS title, Donovan, his teammates and fans hope it will finish his career with a big bang.
Donovan was raised in Redlands but, at 16 years old, was drafted into the national junior team in 1998.
He was drafted by the Earthquakes in 2001 and was traded to the Galaxy four years later.
After this year, Donovan will definitely be missed and the Galaxy, like the National Basketball Association L.A. Lakers, appears they will have to rebuild. The Lakers, who hired Byron Scott as their head coach, had to rebuild with losses of successful owner Jerry Buss to death early last year and head coach Phil Jackson, who is now with the New York Knicks front office.
Serra has big test: Serra High’s football team will face a very tough task when it faces Bellevue, Washington, which already has a 54-game winning streak that includes winning Washington state championships the past four seasons.
The Cavaliers will face Bellevue on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Oceanside High and the game will be televised live on the Time Warner Sportsnet Network.
Serra starts this season ranked 19th in the United States by Maxpreps Xcellent 25, while Bellevue is 16th.
The Cavaliers start the season on Aug. 29 at home against Lakewood at 7 p.m.
Could Cavs face nation’s No. 1 quarterback?: If Serra is to meet Bellflower St. John Bosco in the CIF-Southern Section PAC Five playoffs, it will, most likely, have to go up against the top ranked prep quarterback in the United States, according to Rivals.com and ESPN.
That is Josh Rosen, who already sparked the Braves to the CIF-Southern Section PAC Five and California state Open Division titles last season. St. John Bosco topped defending four-time champion Concord De La Salle for the state title.
As a junior in 2013, Rosen passed for 3,200 yards and 39 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Rosen is already headed to UCLA after his senior season and will probably leave after the first semester is over.
He has a lot of talented receivers and running backs in Shay Fields and Jaleel Waood, along with running back Sean McGrew. McGrew has a lot of speed as he was a California state finalist in the 100 and 200-meter dashes as well as with his 4×100 relay in track and field last spring.
Rosen is also one of the school’s top students at more than 4.0 and sources are that he is also one of the top candidates for class valedictorian and top state scholar athlete.
Of course, Serra will be tested against Bellevue, WA on Sept. 6 to give the Cavaliers a preview against California’s top powers.
St. John Bosco is ranked third in the nation in one of the polls but 11th by Maxpreps Xcellent 25. No. 1 and 2 are teams from Texas in Cendar Hill and Allen. Hoover of Alabama is third; St. Thomas Aquinas from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. is fourth and Concord De La Salle fifth.
It will be very stiff competition for Serra and it deserves it.
