Norco’s Nakamoto out wih injured ankle

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Bad news in Norco today, and it’s not because they’re downwind of North Corona.

The Cougars, ranked No. 14 in the Southland by The Times, lost returning running back Joshua Nakamoto to an ankly injury Friday night and Coach Todd Gerhart doesn’t expect him back until Mountain View League play begins, which is Oct. 12 at Corona Santiago.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Cougars respond. You never know who can be waiting in the wings. I remember the night Ryan Bass of Corona Centennial took over for an injured starter two years ago and ran for, like, 300 yards. He’s now one of the top recruits in the state.

Back to the post I was working on before that news hit me.....

I made a wild guess and wrote earlier this week that Palm Springs would win Friday night at Hemet, but I doubt anybody predicted a 55-9 route.

Theo Murrell seems like the most exciting player in the Coachella Valley. He caught three touchdown passes and snared two interceptions on defense, coming on the heels of a 100-yard receiving game last week in a 35-18 loss to Fontana Miller.

If the Indians are indeed a Desert Valley League contender, they should win the next two games on their schedule, setting up its biggest test of the season, a Sept. 28 date with visiting Norco. Those rankings came before its win over Crenshaw, but also before Nakamoto was injured.

- Dan Arritt