Sun Valley Poly (8-2) was seeded 11th despite its excellent overall record and the distinction of giving Arleta its toughest game so far, losing 28-21 on Oct. 9.

The Parrots travel to South Gate to face South East (4-6), seeded sixth, from the Eastern League.

"They are big up front and, looking on film, they not only have a good defense but are very good tacklers," said Parrots Coach Scott Faer, in assessing South East. "I think our defensive speed might be too much for them. But we'll see on the field.

"I am really excited to be in the playoffs. This is my third year. We went from 3-7 my first year, to 5-5 and alternate seed last year, to going in 8-2 and the 11th seed. I'm feeling blessed."

South East moved into a share of the lead with idle Roosevelt (5-1, 2-0) by defeating Bell, 24-8.

Rolando Sandoval completed eight of 12 passes for 115 yards, including a seven-yard scoring pass to Daniel Medrano, and Lewis carried eight times for 78 yards and two TDs to pace the Jaguars.

John Belton caught five passes for 88 yards for South East.

Defensively for the Jaguars, Allen Hall and Windale Scott had three sacks each, Jason Avendano had five solo tackles and two assists and David Godoy had an interception.

Bell (5-1, 2-1), which suffered its first league loss, scored its points in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by Julian Leon.

Adrian Lopez was 7 of 18 for 56 yards passing and Jose Barba was the leading rusher for the Eagles with 64 yards on 12 carries.

David Franco was the leading tackler with eight.

By RON GUILD, Sports Editor
Story Published: Oct 14, 2009 at 11:59 AM PDT

South East received 139 yards rushing on 12 carries from Robert Lewis, two touchdown runs from Christopher Ochoa and single scoring runs from Manuel Marquez and Malcolm Smith in the win over H.P.

The Jaguar defense was paced by Jason Avendano, who had seven solo tackles and two assists, and Rolando Sandoval, who had six solos, two assists and a 36-yard interception return. Christian Quinines also had an interception.

Nothing will be official until the season ends, but Gardena can already find solace on one matter: It is a better team now than it was last season.

The Panthers' 42-0 drubbing of South East on Friday in South Gate proved it - Gardena collecting its third straight victory to help it surpass last year's 2-8 mark.

"It feels good, it feels good," Panthers Coach Ed Lalau said. "Our kids are playing well. ... (But) this is the calm before the storm."

Some big games are coming up. For now, Gardena (3-1) can bask in this victory, accomplished mainly on the strength of its running game.

The Panthers rushed for 326 yards - 240 in the first half - and had 47 yards in the air.

South East (1-3) had negative 29 rushing yards in the first half. It finished with a total of 75 after not throwing the ball in the second half.

Gardena QB Keshawn Malone remained a steady influence, finishing 3-for-9 for 47 yards and a touchdown pass. He sat out the entire fourth quarter. His contributions came when he rushed the ball.

Malone amassed 153 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns, including a 78-yard run to close out the first half with a 35-0 lead.

Dezden Petty also provided a sturdy boost, rushing for 87 yards on 10 carries, including two touchdowns in the second quarter.

- Mario Aguirre

South East High School’s football team got a taste of what Pac-10 schools will be facing in the future.

Santee’s standout all-around player Tevin Carter, who has given a verbal commitment to California, did a bit of everything in a 31-13 nonleague victory over South East.

The All-City player caught seven passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns, carried four times for 65 yards and one score and recorded eight solo tackles, three assists and an interception on defense. The scoring receptions were 47- and 80-yarders. The TD run was from 45 yards out.

Santee quarterback Patrick Tyler also had a big game, completing 10 of 16 passes for 285 yards and three scores. Wilfredo Salazar (three catches for 78 yards) caught a 30-yard scoring pass.

Eusebio Carrillo gave Santee (1-1) a 3-0 lead with a 21-yard field goal in the opening quarter.

South East (1-2) was led defensively by Brian Montoya, who had six solo tackles and five assists. David Godoy had seven solos and two assists. Godoy also had a sack.

The Jaguars host Gardena (2-1) Friday. Gardena defeated Marshall, 34-6 in its last game.

Narbonne pounded South East, 46-6 in another nonleague contest.

Robert Lewis rushed for 154 yards on 22 carries for South East.

Defensively, the Jaguars were led by Rolando Sandoval, who had two interceptions, and Allen Hall, who added five solo tackles.

In another game involving an Eastern League team, South East defeated North Hollywood, 21-2.

Robert Lewis had 149 yards and two scores to lead the Jaguars, who limited North Hollywood to 188 yards. Fernando Magana scored the other TD on a pass reception.

North Hollywood’s only points came on a safety in the third quarter when South East quarterback Gilberto Rivera was sacked in the end zone.

Miguel Montes and Allen Hall were each involved in nine tackles for South East, which faces Narbonne Friday. David Godoy had an interception.

Senen Carson Highlights

Bryan Muñoz Highlights

Julio Segura Highlights

Danny Cu Highlights

By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 30.OCT.08
For South East High School to pull off an upset, all it has to do is look to Roosevelt’s game plan last week as the model.

The Jaguars (2-6, 1-3) host defending champion Jordan (3-4, 2-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday in an Eastern League game. Jordan is still smarting from a 33-21 loss to Roosevelt (7-0, 4-0), which has a half-game lead in the standings.

It is how Roosevelt defeated Jordan that has to draw the attention of the South East coaching staff.

In order to slow the Bulldogs’ explosive passing offense, the Rough Riders literally took the air out of the ball. Though it possessed an All-City quarterback in Jesse Diaz, who was averaging 249 yards per game passing, Roosevelt took a dramatic shift by attempting only one pass (it was incomplete).

The strategy worked to perfection since the Rough Riders controlled the ball for approximately 30 of the 48 minutes while rushing for 391 yards on 55 carries.

“For us to have a chance, we had to do it that way,” Roosevelt coach Javier Cid said. “We wanted to run a lot of time off the clock, then score. I’d have to say our game plan worked to perfection.”

South East, a 31-0 winner over Bell last week, has the personnel to make it work.

Tailback Senen Carson, the league’s top rusher, is approaching 1,000 yards on the ground this year. He carried 16 times for 92 yards and a touchdown against Bell (3-4, 0-4).

The Jaguars have another dependable runner in Ramon Altamirano, who had a season-high 116 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries last week.

If they need to throw, the Jaguars can rely on quarterback Jonathan Reyes (7-for-17 for 123 yards, TD last week) and receiver Fernando Magana (four catches for 57 yards, TD).

Bell hosts South Gate (1-6, 0-3) in a clash of the league’s bottom two teams.

Against South East, Julian Leon rushed for 62 yards on 16 carries to lead the Eagles offensively.

Juan Lucero had four solo tackles and 11 assists and Jonathan Valdivia had two interceptions to pace them defensively.

South Gate looks to bounce back after a 43-6 loss to Garfield (4-3, 3-0).

The Rams, who were down, 36-0 at halftime, didn’t score until the fourth quarter when Donaven Huff (6-for-9 for 56 yards) threw a touchdown pass to Josue Valdez.

Felipe Valdez (nine solos, six assists) and Steven Ibarra (five solos, eight assists) led South Gate defensively.

In the other Eastern League game, Garfield is at Huntington Park (4-2, 2-1) Thursday. H.P. had a bye last week.

- Photo by Jackie Satti

By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 16.OCT.08 Garfield High School put together three solid quarters of football last Friday, good enough for a win but not good enough to satisfy the coach.

Though the 28-14 decision over South East sends the Bulldogs into their bye week at 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the Eastern League, there will be things to work on in preparation for the remainder of the schedule that resumes Oct. 24.

“I thought we played really well until the last quarter,” Bulldog coach Lorenzo Hernandez said. “We started off well and were ahead, 21-0 at the half.

“Then, maybe we got in a comfort zone. Patrick (Vargas) was throwing well until the final quarter, then he threw three interceptions. We kind of gave them opportunities to score. Their touchdown drives were only 20, 30 yards. It wasn’t like they had to drive the length of the field.”

There were bright spots for Garfield.

Sergio Macedo ran for two touchdowns and Franky Diaz scored one on the ground. Marcos Villasenor took a middle screen 30 yards for another touchdown.

The defense did a solid job of holding down South East’s high-powered offense.

Tailback Senen Carson, the league’s top back, was limited to 47 yards on 16 carries, though he did score once. Jonathan Reyes was limited to seven completions in 23 attempts for 103 yards. Garfield defensive back Lanny Delgado did a good job of shutting down Fernando Magana, the Jaguars’ top receiver.

Hernandez credit defensive coordinator Sergio Martinez for the job on Carson.

“He understands how to stop the run, how to make adjustments,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez welcomes the bye week.

“It’s an opportunity to go back to basics, to let the bodies refuel and get ready for the rest of league,” he said.

Huntington Park High is one of the co-leaders in the Eastern League football race heading into Friday’s home game with Jordan.

But the Spartans (3-1 overall) had to do a highwire act last week to remain that way. After Jorge Rios’ 30-yard touchdown run gave them a 28-23 lead, the Spartans saw South East drive to the H.P. 15 in the closing seconds turning the ball over on downs.

They withstood a 28-carry, 189-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance from Senen Carson and 239 yards passing from Jonathan Reyes of South East to secure the win.

South East had one last drive to win it, but it turned the ball over on downs at the H.P. 15-yard line.

Senen Carson rushed for 123 yards and two TDs and Jonathan Reyes was 20 of 30 for 215 yards and two scores for the Jaguars. Reyes’ TD passes went to Jorge Montes and Ramon Altimirano. Fernando Magana was the leading receiver with six catches for 66 yards.

South East is at Franklin Friday.

Wave Staff Report 12.SEP.08 Senen Carson set fairly high standards when he ran for 1,303 yards as a junior in 2007.

But the South East High School running back seems bent on surpassing those impressive numbers.

In the Jaguars’ opener last Friday, Carson rushed for 247 yards and two touchdowns, one a 99-yarder, to lead the way in a 43-0 victory over North Hollywood in a nonleague football game.

South East, which is at Fremont (0-1) Friday, raced to a 23-0 lead by halftime.

Carson wasn’t the lone standout for the Jaguars.

Jonathan Reyes completed 13 of 18 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a score.

Wide receiver Fernando Magana caught eight passes for 116 yards and a score. Edward Ochoa and Jorge Lopez also caught scoring passes.

Defensively, Jorge Montes and Danny Cu were each in on 10 tackles.

South East’s next opponent is Fremont, a 35-0 loser to Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley last week.

In other nonleague games Friday, Bell is at Grant, Huntington Park is at Lincoln and Bernstein is at South Gate. These are season openers for Bell, Huntington Park and South Gate.

Whittier is at Bell Gardens Thursday. It’s the season-opener for both teams.

All have 7 p.m. kickoffs.

- Photo by Jackie Satti

Reyes had scoring passes of 12, 49 and 20 yards and added a three-yard touchdown run that gave the Jaguars (1-0) a 30-0 lead late in the third quarter.

Senior running back Senen Carson rushed 16 times for 240 yards, including touchdown runs of 12 and 99 yards.

North Hollywood running back Trevion Johnson ran for 135 yards in 27 carries. The Huskies' quarterback, Jose Camas, completed five of nine passes for 47 yards. He was intercepted twice and sacked four times.

Trailing 23-0 in the third quarter, North Hollywood (0-1) drove 80 yards and ran four plays from inside the South East 10 yard-line, but the Huskies were unable to capitalize.

- Shawn Clingan

For those thinking he has no chance, let's look at the facts. Birmingham's Milton Knox led everyone with 2,210 yards on the ground last year, but graduated shortly thereafter and moved on to UCLA. Reseda's Giovannie Dixon was second with 1,828 yards, Dorsey's Johnathan Franklin was third with 1,732, and like Knox, both were seniors.

I'll give you guys one guess to name the kid who finished fourth? That's right, it was Carson. In 12 games, he gained 1,537 yards on 217 carries and scored 15 touchdowns. His most impressive effort was against Los Angeles in the Invitational playoffs when carried the ball 23 times for 292 yards and scored three touchdowns.

"Senen means a lot to us, there's no doubt about it,'' South East Coach Roger Satti said. "This will be his fourth season as a starter for us and we're expecting big things again. He's stronger, faster, more mature. He's our go-to-guy.''

Now, I'm sure the skeptics will sit back and wait for Carson to come up short in his bid to lead the City in rushing. And I know people will say the Jaguars don't have any tough teams on their schedule and they compete in the Eastern League, which is not nearly as competitive as say, the Coliseum, Marine or West Valley.

It's also worth noting that there are plenty of other talented backs all over the greater Los Angeles area. Franky Diaz from Garfield is back after finishing with 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns a season ago. Knox's replacement at Birmingham, Trajuan Briggs is one to watch out for and D.J. Morgan of Taft is another.

"I think Senen is underrated,'' Satti said. "We're talking about a kid who almost ran for 1,600 yards last year against teams putting extra guys in the box all the time. That didn't stop us or him from running right at teams. He has some goals this season, some high goals. We think he can run for 2,500 yards, maybe 3,000.''

One thing is almost certain regarding Saturday’s L.A. Army Strong Fiesta Bowl High School All-Star Game — the football is going to be in the air.

At least that figures to be the case for the City Section in the City vs. Southern Section contest that kicks off at 4 p.m. at L.A. Wilson High School.

Wilson coach Eddie Martinez has his own quarterback, Steven Batista, at the helm. All Batista did a year ago was rank second in the City in passing yards with 2,503, to go along with 22 touchdown passes.

He’ll have a group of talented receivers to throw to, namely Franklin’s Patrick Donahue, who caught 67 passes for a City-best 1,102 yards. Franklin’s Rene Gomez ranked fourth in the City with 805 yards on 63 catches. South East’s Bryan Munoz ranked fifth with 799 on 40 catches. The versatile Munoz also rushed for 248 yards and intercepted three passes on defense.

Wilson’s Aaron Bartosek, who caught 52 passes for 626 yards, was one of Batista’s favorite receivers last fall.

Lincoln running back Martin Martinez and Roosevelt speedster Jonathan Torres are two of the better ball carriers for the City.

Defensively, the City has more than its share of talent.

Garfield All-City linebacker David Lopez, whose 159 tackles ranked second in the City, leads that unit.

Roosevelt linebacker Jeremy Aguilar, who had 146 tackles, and Wilson defensive lineman Nate Gutierrez, who ranked second in the City with 14.5 sacks, are other standouts on that side of the ball.

The Southern Section, coached by San Gabriel’s Keith Jones, has its share of standouts, as well.

Muir running back Willie Youngblood, who rushed for 1,280 yards and 19 TDs, is one of the featured players.

Blair running back Devin Fuller, who had 1,364 yards and 15 TDs, and Arcadia defensive back Kevan Walker, the son of UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, are other standouts.

South East High School’s Bryan Munoz fully extends his body on this diving catch against South Gate in last Thursday's Azalea [Bowl]. Munoz helped the Jaguars win, 32-20.

By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 01.NOV.07

South East High School, in just its third year of varsity football, is closing in on its first trip to the City Section playoffs.

Nothing is assured, but the Jaguars, at 6-3 overall and in third place in the Eastern League at 3-2, are in solid shape as far as being able to play beyond the regular season. They have a bye this week before closing the regular season Nov. 9 at Huntington Park.

Jaguar coach Roger Satti feels they have the resume to earn a spot.

"We're 6-3 and we've beaten two 4-A teams," he said.

Their cause was helped with last Thursday's 32-20 victory over South Gate (0-8, 0-4) in the Azalea Classic, a matchup pitting the city of South Gate's two schools.

A game often marked by high emotions, which were reflected in a combined 24 penalties for 215 yards, saw South East finally pull away in the second half from a stubborn Ram outfit that was looking for its first victory in two seasons.

Satti, noting his team's 17 penalties for 155 yards, including four of the personal foul variety, said, "Emotions can run high in a game like this, but you've got to keep your emotions under control. We have a lot of things we have to work on for Huntington Park."

South East, which trailed, 7-6 and 14-12 during the first half, finally put some distance between itself and the Rams behind the running of Senen Carson, who had 18 carries for 175 yards, two touchdowns, and quarterback Luis Barraza, who completed seven of 13 for 144 yards and three scores. Carson scored on runs of three and 15 yards, while Barraza's scoring passes covered 38 yards to Jorge Lopez, 28 to Bryan Munoz and 14 to Josue Quinones. Munoz had four catches for 71 yards and returned a South Gate fumble 36 yards.

South Gate, which hosts Jordan Friday, received six- and two-yard scoring runs from Erik Guevara (23 carries for 121 yards). Guevara's second TD came with 29 seconds left.

The Rams also got a one-yard scoring run from quarterback Jonathan Reyes (5-of-9 for 117 yards). Victor Andalon, with catches of 53 and 38 yards, was his main target.

"I thought we played better tonight," South Gate coach Gary Cordray said. "We played well in the first half, but I thought the turning point was when we dropped the snap on the field goal attempt."

As for the year at large, he said, "Most of the season our top three running backs have been hurt and we played tonight with two offensive lineman hurt."

South East (6-3, 3-2), a third-year school, took a big step toward securing its first playoff berth with a 32-20 victory over South Gate (0-8, 0-4) Thursday at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach. It was the second straight win for the Jaguars over the Rams in their budding city rivalry, and the Azalea Bowl trophy will remain in South East's possession.

But South East Coach Roger Satti was not happy about his team being flagged 17 times for a whopping 155 yards in penalties. Nor was he pleased by senior quarterback Luis Barraza's decision to throw a pass with 29 seconds to play and the game well in hand.

"He'll be disciplined for that," Satti said after the game. "That was uncalled for. I apologized to [South Gate] Coach Gary Cordray. He knows me. He knows I wouldn't do that.

"And I'm glad we have the bye week next week. Emotions can run high, like they did tonight, but the kids have to play under control. And our kids did not display that tonight, so we'll go back to the drawing board and make sure we clean this up."

- Mike Terry

Erik Guevara had 23 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns for South Gate (0-8, 0-4).

- Mike Terry

It is a rivalry without pain or angst. A rivalry still fresh and growing.

Tonight marks the third meeting between the South Gate Rams and their third-year city neighbor, the South East Jaguars. They will kick off at 7 p.m. at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

Half of South East's coaching staff, and roughy a third of the student body, came from South Gate.

Right now it is a game of love and respect. But given time; the pain and angst a rival can inflict is not far off.

- Mike Terry

South East (5-2, 2-1) slipped past Bell, 14-10 in another Eastern League game last Friday. Senen Carson ran for 85 yards and a TD on 12 carries and Bryan Munoz caught six passes for 85 yards and a scoring pass in the first half for the Jaguars, who host Jordan Friday. Quarterback Luis Barraza completed nine of 19 for 148 yards.

Linebacker David Aguilar had 11 tackles to lead the defense.

Bell (0-6, 0-3) got a 34-yard field goal from Rafael Ochoa in the first quarter and a two-yard run by quarterback Frankie Rodriguez (9-of-14 for 116 yards) for its scoring.

Baltazar Rolon carried 21 times for 85 yards to lead the Eagle ground attack.

Bell is at South Gate Friday.

Jordan (4-3, 3-0) is on top of the Eastern League, a half-game ahead of Garfield (5-1, 2-0). And the teams meet next week.

That makes Jordan's game against South East (5-2, 2-1) this Friday a trap game, as in getting caught looking ahead and paying less attention to the game in front of you.

South East Coach Roger Satti won't mind if Jordan is looking ahead, because the Bulldogs can be a difficult team to defend.

"They have great speed and are good at getting the ball to their fast guys," Satti said. "In our league, no one else has that speed. Your best defense has to be your offense."

So Satti and the Jaguars will try and keep the ball away from Jordan as much and for as long as possible. Expect heavy workloads for South East tailbacks Senen Carson and Edgar Ortiz.

Carson is currently the league's leading rusher with 744 yards in 115 carries. He has scored eight touchdowns rushing and four receiving. Ortiz has carried 81 times for 367 yards and one rushing touchdown.

- Mike Terry

South East High School’s Bryan Munoz picks up yardage against Roosevelt in Friday’s Eastern League game. South East won, 56-37.

By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 11.OCT.07

South East High School built a 41-0 lead by halftime. It almost wasn't enough.

The Jaguars withstood a 37-point second half by Roosevelt to come away with a 56-37 victory last Friday in the Eastern League football game.

Quarterback Luis Barraza threw three touchdown passes for South East, which improved to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in league. Roosevelt is also 4-2 and 1-1.

The Jaguars are at Bell (0-5, 0-2) and Roosevelt is at Jordan (3-3, 2-0) in Friday’s games.

Senen Carson and Bryan Munoz each scored three TDs and Julio Segura added one for South East.

Although they wound up winning by 19 points, the Jaguars had to sweat out an offensive explosion over the final two quarters by the Rough Riders.

Junior quarterback Jesse Diaz had a huge second half and finished with 369 yards and four TDs on 25-for-32 passing. He was intercepted four times.

Manny Ayon, with 10 catches for 125 yards and a TD, and Joel Jimenez, with five for 90 and a score, were his favorite targets. Art Hernandez (four for 91) and Gus Cuevas also caught scoring passes.

Jonathan Torres rushed for 91 yards on 20 carries to lead the Rider ground attack.

South East did have some defensive standouts.

Linebacker David Aguilar had 11 tackles and returned an interception 50 yards. Munoz had seven tackles and two interceptions (returned for 83 yards).

Luis Barraza threw for three TDs and the Rams (4-2, 1-1) returned two interceptions for scores in an Eastern League victory.

Barraza threw TD passes to Bryan Munoz (60, 65 yards) and to Julio Segura (30). Senen Carson added a pair of TD runs (80, 5). Munoz and David Aguilar returned interceptions for TDs.

South East 56, Roosevelt 29

Roosevelt001415-29

South East142877-56

Roosevelt scoring: n/a.

South East scoring: Munoz 3 (80 interception return, 60 pass from Barraza, 65 pass from Barraza), Carson 2 (80, 5 runs), Segura (30 pass from Barraza), Aguilar (45 interception return). Safety (team tackle in end zone). PAT: n/a.

Garfield High School’s game plan was simple for its Eastern League football opener.

Pound the ball on the ground play after play and see if host South East was up to the challenge.

The strategy worked to perfection for the Bulldogs (4-1 overall), who ran the ball on 48 of 50 plays in a 28-7 victory.

"I expected this to be a dogfight all the way through, but we were too physical for them," Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez said. "I think we shocked them."

"Honestly, I was very nervous coming in because you never know what to expect from week to week in league."

Sergio MacEdo rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and Franky Diaz added 97 yards and two scores on 15 attempts for an offense that generated 296 yards on the ground. Fullback Omar Hernandez added 62 yards on 10 carries. Diaz also caught the only completed pass of the night from Javier Alcantar for 21 yards.

Alcantar scored on a four-yard run for the other Bulldog TD.

"We had typical long drives that we scored on and our only pass completion was off a bootleg," Hernandez said.

Linebacker David Lopez led the defense with 10 tackles.

Garfield, which has a bye this week before returning to league Oct. 12 against South Gate, limited the Jaguars (3-2) to a single TD.

Julio Segura (11 tackles, 10 solos) and David Aguilar (10 tackles, seven solos) paced the South East defense.

Coach Roger Satti of South Gate's South East High School was named the ABC7 / NFL High School Coach of the Week for Southern California. He was honored on ABC7's Sports Zone, following the ABC College Football Game of the Week last Saturday between USC and Washington.

South Gate is Roger Satti's home. This is where he grew up, where he played high school football. And after graduating from Cal Poly Pomona, this is where he came back to coach. So it wasn't surprising that when the city opened the new South East High School 3 years ago, Roger was the man they picked to start their football program.

Roger had proved himself at South Gate High School, where as an assistant football coach he was asked to coach the school's soccer team. Mind you, he had never even played soccer before that year. The end result? He led the South Gate Soccer team to the school's first LA City 4-A Championship ... for ANY sport.

Coach Satti accepts the award from ABC7's John Hartung.

So what does a coach who likes challenges do after that? How about go to a new school, and start a varsity program, with no seniors on the team. A first for Los Angeles. No other new school had done that. It was a challenge, playing in the very tough Eastern Division, and that first year the team went 0-10. Last season was their first with seniors, and improved to 4-6.

So what does an ambitious coach like Roger do for the start of his 3rd season? How about planning your opener against Maui High School ... over in Kahului, Hawaii. So now he had the task of not only getting his new team ready for a season, they had to spend their Spring and Summer raising the $80,000+ it would take to take a full team over to Hawaii. The result? South East 34, Maui 9. The Jaguars then came back and won their next 2 games against Fremont and Santee to start the season 3-0.

This all stems from Roger's philosophy. "We teach our kids to set high goals," he explained, "and we teach them how with a little hard work every goal can be accomplished." And he stresses that this applies not only on the field, but away from football too. "We want our kids to be the hardest working in their communities, and the most self driven, respectful and dedicated members of their families. Our program is not only a football program but a successful life program."

Academics are obviously an important part of that program. Roger has set up a 2 hour study hall for his football players, so they can do all their homework and study for their tests before football practice even begins. He counts on assistant Juan Carrera to make sure the players are not only physically fit, but academically fit to play football. And the payoff? 95% of the senior players last year, the first in the school's short history, enrolled in colleges or universities.

"I have a strong philosophy on teaching the kids what life is about," Roger told ABC7, "making them understand the decisions that they make in their life have an affect in other people's lives. I love all my players as if they were my own kids. I believe that I am saving about 120 kid's lives everyday that they are with me on the football field, instead of being out on the streets." For Roger and his assistants, their mission is to show their kids how to set and execute a successful life program for their lives, with the tools they have given them throughout their years at South East.

In recognition of his dedication to building successful young men, through hard work and football, ABC7 and the National Football League are proud to name Roger Satti as Southern California's High School Coach of the Week. For being so honored South East High School will receive a $1,000 grant from the NFL Youth Football Fund. In the presentation that was aired on ABC7's Sports Zone, ABC7 Sport's John Hartung presented Coach Satti with a plaque signed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Director of Operations Gene Washington, and ABC7's Rob Fukuzaki.

Luis Barraza threw two TD passes to Bryan Munoz to pace the South East offense. Edgar Ortiz ran for the other score.

Julio Segura had never played tackle football until he came out for spring practice at the urging of a couple of football coaches who saw him play basketball as a sophomore at South East, a new high school in South Gate.

His experiment at playing quarterback lasted less than two weeks. He had trouble memorizing the plays and felt confused and awkward.

"I'm done," he told assistant coach Juan Carrera.

During the summer, coaches saw Segura playing soccer and invited him to try football again, but this time at defensive back. He showed up in August 2006, learned to play free safety and became an instant standout. He had nine interceptions in his rookie season.

"His instincts are incredible," Carrera said.

As a senior, Segura, 6 feet 4 and 220 pounds, has 20 tackles and two interceptions for South East, which is 3-0 entering its nonleague game against visiting Los Angeles Franklin tonight.

South East is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District's massive building project in which 37 new high schools are scheduled to open by 2012.

Segura's development from rock bottom mirrors the rise of his school, which drew students from South Gate, L.A. Jordan and Huntington Park when it opened in 2005. The Jaguars went 0-10 that first season and 4-6 the next. Now South East is on the verge of becoming one of the first of the finished new high schools to make a name for itself in football.

"Little by little, the kids started building their confidence," said Coach Roger Satti, whose program was able to raise $92,000 to send 60 players and 15 coaches to Hawaii for a season-opening game last month.

"The kids came through," Satti said, though he said he was prepared to refinance his home mortgage to make the trip happen.

The team spent five days in Maui and came away with a 17-0 victory over Maui High.

"It was unforgettable," Segura said of his first trip to the islands.

He still can't believe his good fortune in discovering he had a talent for football.

"I didn't know all this was going to happen," he said. "I'm very thankful."

His entire football experience had consisted of playing touch football in the street with friends. He had to learn everything, from putting on pads to tackling.

"He's coming up and putting on hits," Carrera said.

The coaches learned a lesson from their first experience with Segura.

"You can't drive someone into something if they don't want it," Carrera said.

But they left open the possibility for a second chance, and Segura could end up earning an NCAA Division I-A scholarship. Washington, San Diego State and Arizona continue to follow his progress.

Asked what he has learned, Segura said, "To not give up."

South East's Julio Segura, 6 feet 4 and 220 pounds, has 20 tackles and two interceptions for South East, which is 3-0 entering its nonleague game against visiting Los Angeles Franklin (Karen Tapia-Andersen / LAT)

Of the City Section’s newer high schools, South East is making the quickest strides in football.

In just their third year of varsity play, the Jaguars are establishing themselves as one of the teams to beat in the Eastern League.

Based on their 3-0 start, including a 35-13 victory over Santee last Friday, the Jaguars appear to be ready to contend with the league’s perennial powers in Huntington Park, Bell and South Gate.

Quarterback Luis Barraza has been a big factor in the early going for the South Gate-based Jaguars. Against Santee, he completed eight of 14 passes for 169 yards and two TDs and rushed for a score. Bryan Munoz, who caught both the scoring passes, had three receptions for 92 yards. One of the TDs was for 65 yards.

South East is in its third season of varsity football. But the Jaguars, now 3-0 after defeating Santee, 35-13, on Friday, are playing on a level that should make them a factor in the Eastern League race.

Coach Roger Satti credits the season-opening, 17-0 victory against Maui High in Kahului, Hawaii, for giving his team a surge of momentum that hasn't faded.

"Over the winter assistant coach Juan Carrera and I wanted to do something special for the team, and we decided on a Hawaii trip," Satti said. "Normally that's a trip that takes two years to plan. But Carrera, parents and the city (South Gate) raised $70,000 for us to go. The kids only had to pay $485 each."

The Hawaiian high school season normally starts a month before the City Section season does. But South East got lucky; Maui had an open date on Aug. 23, and the Jaguars received permission from City Section officials to play the game.

Satti and Carrera have spent three years developing a team from the collection of students that came to South East from Jordan, South Gate and Huntington Park. Of the 70 players who suited up in the maiden 2005 season, 30 are still with the team. And the progress is noteworthy; from 0-10 in 2005, to 4-6 last year (with three of the wins in league), to this year's fast start.

The talent has matured on schedule. Senior quarterback Luis Barraza, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another against Santee, is a steady, confident leader. Junior running back Senen Carson, a three-year starter, has scored six touchdowns in three games. Senior receiver Bryan Munoz caught both touchdown passes against Santee, and has caught four touchdowns in the last two games.

On defense there is senior safety Julio Segura, who has 16 tackles and two interceptions. Segura is getting recruiting interest from Nebraska, Nevada and San Diego State.

"I think taking third place in league last year proved to the kids they could compete as a still new school," Satti said. "But putting in the work to get to Hawaii, and winning the game, shows me they believe in the program."

Senior wide receiver Bryan Munoz connected with senior quarterback Luis Barraza on a pair of long touchdown plays to lead the Jaguars (3-0) over the host Falcons (0-2) in nonleague action.

Barraza found Munoz open for a 61-yard scoring play in the first quarter, and the two later hooked up on a 25-yard scoring strike. Barraza also had a 1-yard scoring run.

Junior running back Senen Carson found the end zone twice on a pair of short runs and teammate Edgar Ortiz, a senior fullback, carried the ball 14 times for 92 yards.

South East 35, Santee 13

South East scoring: Munoz 2 (61, 25 passes from Barraza), Carson 2 (2, 2 runs), Barraza (1 run). PATs: Segura 5 (kicks).

Christian Martinez recorded two sacks and Noel Ceja had a 27-yard interception return for the Jaguars. Julio Segura had eight solo tackles and three assists.

2006 FINISH: 4-6, 3-3 (Fourth)

Key returnees: David Aguilar, LB, 5-10, 165, Sr.; Luis Barraza, QB, 6-3, 185, Sr.; Senen Carson, RB/SS, 5-8, 196, Jr.; William Lopez, OL, 6-3, 260, Sr.; Miguel Lorenzo, OL, 5-11, 240, Sr.; Jorge Montes, LB, 6-1, 235, LB, Jr.; Bryan Munoz, WR/DB, 5-9, 185, Sr.; Steve Ortiz, MLB, 5-8, 215, Sr.; Julio Segura, WR/FS, 6-4, 215, Sr.; Noel Sega, CB, 5-6, 165, Sr.; Edgar Ortiz, WR, 5-11, 235, Sr.; Victor Solares, DE, 6-0, 168, Sr.

KEY NEWCOMERS: Joey Bailon, DL, 5-11, 230, Jr.; Otilio Castillo, OL, 5-11, 240, Jr.; Daniel Cu, SF/RB, 5-10, 190, Jr.; Jorge Lopez, 6-0, 180, Jr.; Christian Martinez, DE, 5-8, 185, Jr.

Bryan Munoz (5) is one of South East High School’s main offensive weapons.

By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 30.AUG.07

When it comes to Eastern League football, it is Huntington Park, Garfield, Jordan, South Gate and Bell high schools that garner much of the attention.

In the view of Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez, it might be wise not to overlook South East, one of the City Section’s newer schools.

"South East is the sleeper," Hernandez said. "They're loaded with skill guys and athletes."

That’s quite a statement from a coach who directed his team to a 12-2 record and the City Invitational title game a year a go. He still considers defending champion Huntington Park (10-2) as the team to beat and up-and-coming Jordan, located directly across the railroad tracks from South East, as probably the top three teams in the league.

But South East, located on the eastern border of South Gate, is much improved.

The Jaguars gave an indication of that last week in Hawaii with their 34-9 season-opening victory over Maui.

Senior quarterback Luis Guzman, junior running back Senen Carson and senior wide receiver Bryan Munoz return to lead the offense. Carson rushed for 196 yards and scored four touchdowns, one on a pass from Guzman, against Maui.

Barraza also had a 22-yard scoring pass to Munoz.

Wide receiver/free safety Julio Segura is another key player for the Jaguars. He had eight interceptions and earned All-City honors in 2006.

As Hernandez said, Huntington Park is the team to beat, although Garfield is a close second.

Defensive back Oscar Ramos (72 tackles) is the top returnee for the Spartans.

Garfield builds around a defense that is led by linebacker David Lopez and end Christian Orozco. Strong safety Roy Fonseca is a three-year starter.

"Lopez is one of the two or three best linebackers in the City," Hernandez said.

Bell, a playoff qualifier a year ago, returns linebacker Miguel Muniz, a second-team All-City 3-A choice.

By ROBERT COLLIAS, Staff Writer
WAILUKU – For first impressions, there was some good news for the Maui High School football team on Thursday night at War Memorial Stadium.

Unfortunately for the Sabers, there was more bad news. South East High School of South Gate, Calif., scored 34 unanswered points to roll to a 34-9 pre-league win over Maui High in front of about 1,200 fans.

Maui High unveiled a spread offense that generated 182 passing yards – including 123 in the second half – behind first-year quarterback Jordan Inamasu. The Jaguars’ defense also intercepted four of Inamasu’s 32 passes.

’’We were really good in some areas,’’ Maui High second-year coach David NeSmith said. ’’We have got some things that we need to work on still, but it is preseason and that is what it is all about.’’

Tailback Senen Carson scored four touchdowns for South East, a school in the Los Angeles area with an enrollment of 1,800 that is in just its third year of existence. Carson ran for 196 yards and three scores on 23 carries and also caught a 22-yard scoring pass from quarterback Louie Barraza-Guzman.

Maui High took a quick lead after the Sabers’ Mark Guzman recovered a fumble by Bryan Munoz on the opening kickoff. Seven plays later, Mitchell Crim made a 26-yard field goal to give Maui High a 3-0 lead with 8 minutes, 35 seconds left in the first quarter.

South East scored the next 34 points.

The Jaguars went 70 yards on 11 plays on their next possession before Edgar Ortiz fumbled on the Maui High 10-yard line.

After the Jaguars stopped the Sabers, Crim’s punt was returned 27 yards by Munoz to the Maui High 31.

Carson, who ran for 108 yards on 13 carries in the first half, scored the first of his two second-quarter touchdowns on a 6-yard run. Carson carried all four times on the four-play drive and Julio Segura’s point-after put the Jaguars in front 7-3 with 9:50 left in the first half.

On Maui High’s next possession, Segura intercepted an Inamasu pass and returned it 32 yards to the Maui High 22. Carson ran for a touchdown on the next play, with 6:00 left in the second quarter.

Inamasu was 8-for-14 in the first half for 59 yards, while Barraza-Guzman was 0-for-4.

South East had 10 first downs in the first half and Maui High had six. The Jaguars enjoyed a 141-75 advantage in first-half yardage.

South East finished the game with 24 first downs and 357 yards of total offense – 294 on the ground.

South East took the opening possession of the second half 36 yards in six plays and scored when Barraza-Guzman hit a wide-open Carson in the left corner of the end zone to make the score 21-3 with 8:16 left in the third quarter. Carson lined up as a wide receiver on the play. The short drive was set up by a 54-yard kickoff return by Munoz.

The Jaguars went in front 27-3 with 42 seconds left in the third quarter when Barraza-Guzman found Munoz in the corner of the end zone on a 15-yard pass.

The Jaguars’ final touchdown came after the Sabers broke into South East territory but were stopped on an interception by Munoz, who returned it 38 yards to South East 42.

Carson punched in his fourth score – on a 13-yard run – after running three times for a total of 52 yards on the four-play drive. Christian Martinez’s PAT made the score 34-3 with 9:52 left to play.

Maui High scored its lone touchdown when Inamasu found Andrew Perry in the left flat on a swing pass and Perry juked his way to a 50-yard touchdown reception with 4:38 to go.

Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com

South East 0 14 13 7–34

Maui High 3 0 0 6–9

FIRST QUARTER

MH–Mitchell Crim 26 FG, 8:35

SECOND QUARTER

SE–Senen Carson 6 run (Julio Segura kick), 9:50.

SE–Carson 22 run (Segura kick), 6:00.

THIRD QUARTER

SE–Carson 22 pass from Louie Barraza-Guzman (Segura kick), 8:16.

SE–Bryan Munoz 15 pass from Barraza-Guzman (run failed), 0:42.

FOURTH QUARTER

SE–Carson 13 run (Christian Martinez kick), 9:52.