Seriously, I’m a Notre Dame fan

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I think I’ve seen more USC recruits in the last month than Pete Carroll. There was Long Beach Poly defense lineman Jurrell Casey, who chatted with me after practice a couple weeks ago. Later that afternoon, I also spent some time with Compton Dominguez linebackers Maurice and Marquis Simmons.

I watched running back/receiver Chris Polk lead Redlands East Valley to a 21-20 upset over Riverside North last Friday night, and the next night saw all-purpose back D.J. Shoemate and offensive lineman Matt Kalil of Anaheim Servite wear down Corona Santiago in a 17-7 victory.

There’s another Trojan recruit in the Inland Empire that I plan to see Thursday night, and he might be the best of them all. Tyron Smith is a 6-foot-5, 260-pound offensive lineman for Moreno Valley Rancho Verde, who has the rare distinction of earning MVP honors at the Los Angeles Nike Camp as a sophomore and junior. In the nine-year history of the camps, which are held throughout the nation each spring, Smith was only the second underclassmen to earn that honor.

Rancho Verde will get a decent test from visiting Bloomington, which is coming off a 35-20 loss to Colton, a team that debuted this week at No. 25 in The Times rankings.

I also saw Carroll at the Servite-Corona Santiago game, but I’m pretty sure he won’t be in Moreno Valley this week. Don’t worry, Pete, Varsity Insider will keep you updated.

- Dan Arritt