GLENDALE YMCA QUARTERBACK CLUB:
SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 66th year, meets Tuesdays at the Elk’s Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the 12th and final meeting of the year.
COACHES ANNOUNCE 2008 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Though the area high school football season hasn’t come to a close, the four programs affiliated with the Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club handed out their respective teams awards at Tuesday’s event.
Crescenta Valley, which will compete against top-seeded Charter Oak in a CIF Southern Section Southeast Division second-round contest at 7 p.m. Friday, had three players honored with plaques.
Senior wide receiver/linebacker Jake Walker was tabbed the team’s most valuable player. Senior linemen Jonathan Cook, who has a 4.24 grade-point average, earned the team’s Scholar Athlete Award.
Nikko Domingo was named the junior varsity team’s most valuable player after helping the team go 6-3-1 and 5-1-1 in league for second place.
St. Francis, which also qualified for the postseason this season, tabbed senior offensive and defensive lineman Rian Younker as the squad’s most valuable player. Senior tight end/defensive end Kevin Mitchell (4.18 GPA) garnered the team’s Scholar Athlete Award, and Michael Melnick was named the junior varsity MVP.
Glendale’s most valuable player varsity player was senior center/linebacker Jano Khajarian, who scooped up a pair of fumbles recoveries for touchdowns this season. The Nitros’ Scholar Athlete Award went to senior defensive back Joey Miranda (3.4 GPA). Quarterback/free safety Paul Archer was named the team’s junior varsity MVP.
Hoover senior running back/strong safety Jose Galan was named the Tornadoes’ MVP and senior offensive tackle/defensive tackle Wyatt Bowers (3.8 GPA) earned the team’s Scholar Athlete Award. Hoover’s junior varsity MVP award went to wide receiver Dymond McRae.
FORMER VAQUEROS COACH CICUTO SPEAKS
For most of the past 35 years, former Glendale Community head football Coach John Cicuto was a mainstay on the Glendale YMCA Quarterback circuit. Cicuto, who coached the Vaqueros from 1989-2007, spent many weeks addressing his team’s most recent game, current group of players and the many lessons learned on and off the field that centered around life-shaping experiences.
Cicuto, who relinquished his head-coaching responsibilities in December so he could focus entirely on being the college’s men’s athletic director, spoke at Tuesday’s meeting. Cicuto, who went 98-95-2 with the Vaqueros after replacing Jim Sartoris, reflected back on what football meant to him on and away from the gridiron.
“Coming up here all of these years was the brightest day of the week so I could talk about our players,” said Cicuto, who was previously the team’s defensive coordinator. “You listen to the coaches here speak, and you feel lucky to have them be able to teach you different things.
“When you are a coach and you are winning, that’s easy. When things aren’t going so well, that’s when you learn about yourself. Teaching isn’t about winning titles. It’s about the carry-over values that make you successful in life, and you draw on your experiences when you are down and out.”
Cicuto, a former All-American tackle at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High, coached myriad players at Glendale college since coming on board in 1975. On Tuesday, he addressed a group of current high school football players who were on hand to receive club awards, telling them about a gift that they had.
“Every player can do something great,” Cicuto said. “You don’t lose that, and you continue to develop that.
“You can make a difference because you have opportunities in life.”
