PREPS

The high school football season opens this week with several San Gabriel Valley teams expected to advance to the playoffs, including defending Southern Section Division I champion Bishop Amat.

The Lancers, under Coach Mark Paredes, will have difficulty repeating last season’s 15-0 record, but they are still considered one of the best teams in the state.

Andy Boynton replaces Bob Rau as coach at Duarte. Rau, who is now at Buena Park, led Duarte to the Mission Valley League title and a Southern Section championship game. Boynton coached at St. Francis in 1992.

Jack Allen is the new coach at Muir, replacing Jim Brownfield, who resigned because of health reasons. Brownfield led the Mustangs to the Division II semifinals.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

The Mt. San Antonio, Pasadena City and Citrus College football teams begin their seasons Saturday.

Mt. SAC, under Coach Bill Fisk, finished 8-3 in 1992 and lost to Palomar in the Simple Green Bowl. Running back Leonard Green, who gained more than 600 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, is a top returning player. Quarterback Ryan Merrill passed for 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns in 1992. He is being challenged by Cody Lee Smith, a transfer from the University of Pacific.

Linebacker Marcus Alridge returns after making 110 tackles last season. Defensive back Billy Ivey, a starter two years ago, is back for his sophomore season.

Pasadena, coming off a 9-2 season and a victory over College of the Desert in the Crown City Bowl, opens at home against Fresno City College.

Pasadena, under Coach Dennis Gossard, features quarterback Demetrius Williams and running backs Jesse Swayze and Jason Lowe. Linebacker John Evans, defensive linemen Anthony Sanford and Todd Wright and cornerback Thad Culpepper are other key players.

Citrus opens on the road against Glendale. The Owls will try to improve on a 5-3-2 record in 1992. Glendale beat Citrus, 31-0, last season.

COLLEGES

The Azusa Pacific football team plays at Cal Lutheran Saturday as Jim Milhon begins his 16th season as coach of the Cougars.

Azusa Pacific finished with a 4-5 record in 1992.

Senior slotback Dan Mitchell will be a key player for an Azusa team that will run a wing-T offense. Jack Manu, a transfer from Riverside Community College, will start at quarterback.

The defense is led by senior linebacker Chris Hall and Pat Kennelly, a linebacker who transferred from Glendale College.

La Verne, which opens Saturday at the University of San Diego, finished 7-1-1 finish in 1992. The Leopards lost All-American quarterback Willie Reyna, who holds most of the school’s passing records, and are looking for an able replacement in Ryan Campuzano, Anthony de la Vara and John Alaimo.

La Verne, under Coach Rex Huigens, also features receivers Craig Stewart and Gabe Cotero. Danny Paquil, who transferred from Cal State Fullerton, and Greg Davis, a transfer from Chaffey College, should bolster the running game.

Claremont will try to end a 19-game losing streak Saturday at Trinity College in San Antonio, Tex.

John Zinda is in his 25th season as coach of the Stags, who feature senior running back Bob Berger. Receiver Kurt Brubaker, linebacker Brian Coin and defensive back Mike Sullivan are other key players for Claremont.

Pomona Pitzer, coached by Clarence Thomas, opens Saturday at home against Macalester (Minn.) The Sagehens finished 4-4 and 3-3 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1992. Quarterback Josh Spitzen passed for 1,241 yards and nine touchdowns.

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The Cal Poly Pomona women’s volleyball team will compete in the 11-team UC Davis Invitational beginning Friday.

Pomona lost to Cal Baptist in the semifinals of the Concordia University tournament last weekend.

Pomona, under second-year Coach Rosie Wegrich, is led by junior hitters Nikki Egilske and Aimee Achenbach. Senior Trang Nguyen is the setter.

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The Cal Poly Pomona men’s and women’s soccer teams will travel to Colorado this weekend for nonconference matches.

The Pomona men (1-1) play Colorado School of Mines and Metro State. The Bronco women (2-0) play Northern Colorado and Metro State.

The Pomona men are a young team led by sophomore midfielder Mack Thompson. The Broncos have experience at goaltender in senior Jeff Bettencourt.

Six of the top scorers from last year’s women’s team are back, including senior forward Allison Thompson, who will probably conclude her career as the school’s leader in career goals.

COLLEGE ATHLETE OF WEEK

Anthony Calvillo, Utah State--Calvillo, a former standout quarterback at La Puente High and Mt. SAC, completed 29 of 51 passes for 362 yards and a touchdown during Utah State’s 34-13 victory over Southwest Louisiana.

MISCELLANY

The Alhambra High Athletic Alumni Assn. invites all former Moor athletes to attend a reunion luncheon on Sept. 18 at the Santa Anita Golf Course in Arcadia. Information: (818) 287-0209.

CALENDAR

Harvey Hyde, a radio talk-show host who is a former football coach at Pasadena City College and Nevada Las Vegas, will be the featured speaker Friday at a luncheon sponsored by the Pasadena Quarterbacks Club. USC Coach John Robinson will be the featured speaker Sept. 17.

The club meets every Friday during the football season at Brookside Country Club in Pasadena. Membership in the organization is open to all. Information: (818) 796-6190.

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A 5-K and 10-K run and 5-K walk sponsored by the city of La Puente will be staged Nov. 7. Awards will given to the top three finishers in each age category. Information: (818) 855-1500.