2009 Valley Trojans Tryouts and Pro Combine!

2009 is here and the Valley Trojans are getting things started in a big way. Our Tryouts will be held January 24th between 11am-4pm. This will not just be another Minor League Football tryout... we will be co-hosting this event with the CENTRAL VALLEY COYOTES of the AFL2! This will be a great opportunity for players to showcase their talent and get the exposure that they deserve.

This will be an open tryout... We are looking for new talent for our 2009 LCFL season... but, if you are committed to another team, you may still show up! It is the goal of the Valley Trojans to assist players in reaching their goals of playing professional football, so this tryout is open to any player that feels they have the talent to make it pro!

The Coyotes coaching staff will be on hand running the combine as they look for players to bring in for their 2009 training camps.

Basic Info:
Date: Jan 24th
Time: 11am-4pm (registration opens at 11am, tryouts start at 12pm)
Location: Ribet Academy, 2911 San Fernando Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065
Fee: $50 day of; $40 pre-registered. (Cash or Money Order)
Pre-Register: If you are interested in attending and would like to pre-register all that you need to do is email admin@valleytrojans.org and we will send you the form. Once you have completed the form, fax it back into the number on the form. When you email for the form, please include your NAME, POSITIONS, HEIGHT, WEIGHT, EXPERIENCE and PHONE.
Attire: Shirts, Shorts, Tennis shoes and Cleats.

We are expecting a large turn out for this event, so please get your information in to us as soon as you can.

We hope to see many of you out there.

Thank you,

Valley Trojans Football

Here is the flier...

Trojans Win North Division Title!

The Valley Trojans clinched the North Division title today by defeating the West Coast Sharks 25-13. The Trojans are now guaranteed a playoff spot as the division winners. With two games remaining, the Trojans look to finish strong as the prepare for the playoffs.

Next week the Trojans travel to the California Dolphins to play the second part of their Battle for the Valley series. The Trojans beat the California Longhorns earlier in the season for the first leg of the series. The Trojans are the two time defending Valley Champs, and look to hold on to that title against their rivals this week!

Congrats to all the Trojans for their hard work!

Upcoming Match-up: Blackhawks @ Trojans

When the season schedule was finalized, the Trojans knew immediatly that if there was one game on there that would test their strength and potentially define their season. The Inglewood Blackhawks, who lost in the 2007 LCFL West championship game, have always been recognized as a powerhouse team. Looking at their history, they have earned that right.



This season, the Trojans have demonstrated their resolve as they have played three of the tougher teams within their division. Having been battle tested for three straight weeks now, the Trojans look to continue to build on the successes of the past weeks, and utilize parts of their offense and defense that they have yet to use in any of their game thus far.



So, the Trojans will take the field Saturday at Ribet Academy for the 3pm kickoff looking to define their strength in the LCFL. We would like to see all Trojan Fans out there in full force to help cheer your team to victory!



The Trojans come into this match-up 3-0 on the season, and currently ranked #2 in the LCFL and #26 in the nation. The Blackhawks are 3-0 as well, and are ranked #4 in the LCFL and #14 in the nation.



See you all at the game! And remember, $2 for parking, $7 admission to the game, and concessions will be open, so bring and appitiete!



FIGHT ON!

Power Rankings & Playoff Picture: Week 3

As we have all seen in the pros, whether it be Football, Basketball or any other sport, there are weekly rankings of all the teams in the league. This season the LCFL West has decided to post this list on a weekly basis as well. And while the league website is being updated, we will post this information weekly in an attempt to keep you all informed.



Since this is the Valley Trojans website and Blog, these posts will be focused on the team, as you can imagine. But, it is our goal to promote the league as a whole as well and there for we will post the entire LCFL West Power Rankings along with the entire LCFL West Playoff picture. As for the National Power Rankings, you can visit the NAFL website to view the top 50 teams in the country.



The LCFL West Power Rankings, as well as the NAFL's, are strictly mathematical formulas that calculate a number and when sorted, provide the rankings. There is no opinion added to either ranking. The LCFL's takes into number of games played (games), Wins, Losses, Ties, Home/Away (H/A), margins of victory greater than 21 points (21), Own record (OwnR), Opponents record (OppR), and each teams Opponents-Opponents record (OpOpR). The points awarded vary for each. Below are this week’s Power Rankings and you will be able to see how it all breaks down.

As for the NAFL Power Rankings, they account for Wins, Losses, Ties, and point’s differential over the course of the season. For the complete list, please click here for the NAFL.org website.



Now, the playoff picture is based on the games played up to this week, and the positions are as if the season had ended that week. It is a long season and anything can happen throughout the course of it; so use this to see how well your team is doing. As the season nears its end, the race for the playoffs should be interesting, especially with the new format for the 2008 season.



The new format goes like this... There are four division, North, West, South, and East. The North and West are paired up as one conference, and the South and East make up the other. The winners of each division are automatically in the playoffs, and have a first round bye. The next four best overall records on each conference are then in as well. There is a tie breaker in place if needed as well. So, we will have 12 teams make the playoffs in total; 6 per conference. See the below chart to see how the seeding looks.

With all that said, the Valley Trojans are currently the #2 team in the LCFL Power Rankings, and are #26 in the NAFL National Rankings. It has been a great start to the season and the Trojans are looking to win the North Division and solidify a spot in the playoffs as they are off to a 3-0 start, all of which are division wins as well!



Special thanks go out to Ken Harsha of the Foothill Firehawks for all his hard work he does for the league, and for making/maintaining the LCFL West Power Rankings!

Game Recap: Trojans Vs. SLO Panthers

Eagle Rock, CA - Saturday, July 26th, 2008 - The Valley Trojans improved to 3-0 on the season Saturday after defeating the San Luis Obispo Panthers 31-7. The Trojans played very well on both sides of the ball as the defense was stingy (as usual), and the offense seemed unstoppable.



Wide Receiver Fred Alexander (#8) had a break out game, amassing 189 yards on 8 receptions, and scoring three touchdowns. The aerial assault, lead by Quarterback, Mike Carlstrom, was firing on all cylinders and gained 241 yards. Ole Olson, came into the game in the third quarter at Quarterback, and added another 69 yards to the air attack giving the Trojans 310 yards in the air on the day. The offense took advantage of the defense throughout the contest, and even with the usual suspects not gaining big yardage, everyone played a big role in the overall success. Anthony Celestine made another great catch as he tip-toed the sidelines, Marquis Powell was about half a step from making what was a 29 yard gain, into a 70 yard TD; and Brandon Wright occupied the middle of the field holding Safeties and Linebackers at home.

The Running game sought out some success as Running Back Donald Carpenter bull-dozed his way into the end zone in third quarter. Carpenter finished the day with 9 carries, 21 yards and a TD. Running Back Joe Prado added some huge sparks to the running game, and the offense in general, with 5 carries, for 29 yards. Adding to the rushing totals, Olson rushed for 22 yards as he scampered out of the pocket and made plays with his feet.



As for the defense... well, they played the way that they play all the time, stingy! It was not until late in the fourth quarter that they Panthers were able to score. The Trojans defense kept a very solid Panther passing attack at bay for the majority of the game. Cornerback, Rob Harris, intercepted 2 passes and was one block short of taking one to the house! Both Harris, and Cornerback, Billy Payne, played lock down coverage all game. Last week’s defensive stand out, Chad Johnson, was at it again as he pressured the Quarterback all game; as well as a huge stripped ball on the kickoff coverage, that he recovered as well. These were all parts of a defensive unit that play extremely hard and very well together.



But, there is one man this week that dominated the field and the stat sheets! Nick Skophammer, the massive Defensive End, slash Defensive Tackle, caused mayhem for the Panthers offense. Skophammer finished the day with 8 tackles, 5 of them were sacks!



The Trojans advance to 3-0 in league play, but more importantly, they are now 3-0 in division play. The season is still young, but the playoffs are always in mind, and winning the division is the key to getting into the playoffs, and getting a first round bye.



The next game will be a home game as well, and possibly the toughest on the schedule as the Inglewood Blackhawks come to town. Stay tuned for the preview on this match up, as it will pin two of the top teams in the LCFL North/West conference in a head to head battle.



Notable Stats:



Offensive:



Mike Carlstrom (QB #17) - 11/18, 241 Yards, 3 TD's

Fred Alexander (WR #8) - 8 Rec, 189 Yards, 3 TD's



Defensive:



Nick Skophammer (DE #96) - 8 Tackles, 5 Sacks

Rob Harris (CB #2) - 4 Tackles, 2 Int's

Edwin Flores (DE# 94) - 4 Tackles, 1 Sack

Game Recap: Valley Trojans @ California Longhorns

"Battle for the Valley": A Tale of Two Half’s



July 19th, 2008, Reseda, CA - For the past two seasons, the Valley Trojans have had their way versus cross-town rival California Longhorns. The Trojans were out keep hold of their reign over the San Fernando Valley, but the Longhorns had other ideas!



The first half of the game could not have gone much worse for the Trojans. The offense spent very limited time on the field, and the three or four series that they did have, were all three and out or turnovers. On the other hand, the Longhorns played a great half as their offense seemed to run all over the Trojans defense. The Horns took a 12-0 lead going into the half, and the Trojans appeared to have no answers for them!



But, there is a reason that both halves are played! The Trojans came out in the second half, and still looked to be flat on offense. But, mid way into the third quarter, the defense would provide a huge spark as they shut off the Longhorns offense and forced a punt. Andre Moore (DB #3) returned the punt to mid field after an electrifying return that was set up by a few huge blocks, and that was all that the Trojans needed to finally wake up and plays football!



On the very next play, the Trojans offense came out with one mission; Take a shot down field. Mission Accomplished! Mike Carlstrom (QB #17), in a recurring theme with the Trojans, hit Anthony Celestine (WR #4) on a 45 yard bomb! Celestine made a very difficult over the shoulder catch in the end zone for the Touchdown. With the Chris Guardado (K #14) extra point, the score was 12-7 and the Trojans new it was not their game to take over!



And why not? With the defense back to their true form, the Longhorns would not have another real shot at scoring in this game! The most notable spark that changed the defense was change in defensive personnel, as head coach and defensive coordinator David Perez, sent first year player Chad Johnson (DB #9) into the game. Johnson, one of the fastest players on the field, used this speed to get into the backfield and wreck havoc! Johnson tallied 6 tackles in the last quarter and a half of play, most in the backfield, as he stuffed the run, and hurried the pass attempts! This new energy brought the entire defensive play to level not seen yet in this game. And the Trojans fed on this!



The Trojans were still down early in the fourth quarter, but after what amounted to be about a 15 play drive, the Trojans offense would punch the ball into the end zone when Carlstrom called his own number and powered straight ahead for the score. The two point conversion was no good, but the Trojans now lead 13-12 with about 8 minutes left in the game.



The Longhorns final attempt to come back ended in four plays, and the Trojans offense would run the remaining six minutes off the clock for the victory.



The Trojans now await their September 13th meeting with the California Dolphins to play the final part of the "Battle for the Valley" championship! But, first things first, the Trojans are now 2-0 in league play, and 2-0 in division play as they head into this week’s battle with yet another division opponent, the San Luis Obispo Panthers. Come out and support the Trojans as it is a home game at Ribet Academy, game preview coming soon.



Notable Stats:



Offensive:

Mike Carlstrom (QB #17) - 12/16, 146 yards, 1 TD, 2 Car, 1 Yard, 1 Rushing TD

Anthony Celestine (WR #4) - 6 Rec, 110 yards, 1 TD



Defensive:

Chad Johnson (DB #9) - 6 Tackles, 1 Blocked Punt, 1 Forced Fumble

Bryant Barrientos (LB #0) - 6 Tackles

Marcus Kelly (DB #5) - 5 Tackles, 1 Int

Nick Skophammer (DE #96) - 4 Tackles, 1 Sack

Upcoming Match-up: Trojans @ Longhorns

2008 "Battle for the Valley" - Trojans Vs. Longhorns



For three seasons now, the San Fernando Valley has been inhabited by three Minor League Football teams; the Valley Trojans, California Longhorns and California Dolphins. These three battle it out in a three way contest for the title of "Valley Champions"! It is with great pride that the Trojans have owned this title since it started. But, with every new season comes new challenges. Opponents grow stronger and look to avenge previous year’s losses as everyone shoots for the top!



The Trojans know that this week’s opponent is looking to strike back from the past two seasons defeats, and that the Longhorns will be ready! For the second season in a row the game will be played at the home of the Longhorns, but with such close proximity between the two teams, it is hard to call it a home field advantage!



The new look Trojans are coming out to prove that last week’s success was not a fluke and that they belong on top of the LCFL North division. The Longhorns are coming off of a close loss to the Inglewood Blackhawks and look to turn around their fortunes this week! This is yet another division game, so the playoff impact is huge for both teams... not to mention the rivalry!



The game will be played at:

Reseda High School

18230 Kittridge St.

Reseda, CA 91335 [map] 

When: Saturday, July 19th, 2008



Kickoff time: 5:00 PM