Football: Miracle on Rinaldi Street, Part II

In 1982, I coined the phrase, "Miracle on Rinaldi Street" for the Mission Hills Alemany football team that made it to the Division I semifinals before losing to Anaheim Servite and future NFL quarterback Steve Beuerlein. The team had been 3-5-1 the previous year.

Fast forward to 2010. Alemany is 12-0 and takes on 12-0 Servite next Saturday, expected to be at Cerritos College. Is there a Miracle on Rinaldi Street, Part II?

Alemany has the Herrington brothers, Dean and Rick, and they alone are good enough to figure out a way to beat a Servite team that hasn't lost since a regular-season game to Huntington Beach Edison in 2009.

Alemany's defensive line is playing terrific, and quarterback Vernon Adams has been coming through in the playoffs. Even more important, Alemany has the passing and rushing balance to test Servite's defense, which is the best in Southern California.

I still don't think Servite is going to lose, but let's see if the Herrington brothers can outwit Troy Thomas.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Comments

[art martinez]

Alemany will play the game of the year and come out ahead this is there championship game. what an honor 2 be on the same field with a power house like Servite. Go Alemany!!!!

[Alan Lawrence]

Hey Eric, thanks for the reminder about the '82 Indians, er Warriors season. McLovin has a short memory. Wasn't Alemooch in a finals last year? Hmmmmmm. Crespi gets more than its share of press. Look at the LA Daily news today, full of drooling over Crespi for the last several weeks. I don't like Crespi or Notre Dame. Go Warriors

[Mike]

Great Coverage Eric!
I've been reading you for over 30 years and you've always been FAIR TO ALL local high schools and their accomplishments.
I've been to both the Alemany-Bishop Amat game 3 weeks ago and last night's Crespi-Servite game. Servite's defense might be the best in California. Should be a great game next week, but Alemany will have to have their very best game to win.

[Celt Dad]

Good luck to Alemany. They will have to play their best game of the season to beat Servite. Adams will have to continue to make big plays. Servite is very, very good.

[es]

The Notre Dame people think I don't like them and I like Crespi, so it's good that a Crespi fan thinks I hate them. Please. It's laughable. Good for banter among alumni.

[McLovin]

Hey Sondheimer,

How come you never made up a cute litte catch phrase like "Miracle on Rinaldi Street" when another local team made a run at the PAC-5 Championship in 1986 and 2005?

It's just straight ahead, "unbiased" reporting for those guys...but Alemany makes it to the semis for the first time since 1982 and the fireworks are going off, starting with you, ES.

I challenge you to write an article about why you don't like Crespi. You never have, and it goes back almost as far was when the Valley News was called the Greensheet.

Explain, please.

And, kudos to Alemany on a fine season, but beware of the Troy Thomas buzzsaw. I wish Alemany the best...may they reach the finals!!!

[mongoose]

The little team that could. Down to the final 4, anything can happen.