Ramses Barden

New York Giants wide receiver and Flintridge Prep graduate Ramses Barden matched the amount of receptions he had all of last year Thursday night when the Giants defeated the Carolina Panthers, 36-7, in North Carolina. Barden, who is from Altadena, was the Giants' leading receiver in the game after Hakeem Nicks was a late scratch from the game with a foot injury, as he hauled in career-highs of nine passes for 138 yards. Barden came into Thursday night's game with just 16 receptions for 198 yards on his career.

New York Giants wide receiver Ramses Barden, a Flintridge Prep graduate, caught three passes for 46 yards and one touchdown on Friday in New York's 20-17 preseason home loss against the Chicago bears on Friday. Barden, who was drafted by New York in 2009, caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning with 5:33 remaining in the second quarter to give the Giants, who captured the Super Bowl last season, a 10-7 lead.

ALTADENA - While Ramses Barden stands in the middle of a critical crossroads in his career, the first-time free agent and possibly former New York Giants wide receiver took a timeout to speak at a local children's mental-health service. Barden visited Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services' all-boys residential treatment facility in his hometown of Altadena Wednesday. The Flintridge Prep graduate shared with the group of around 40 people about keys to success and following your dream.

The difficult part of one of the biggest decisions Ramses Barden ever had to make is behind him. Now, it’s time for the fun part. There will still be pressure on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo senior wide receiver to make big plays in close games — as he did with a first-quarter touchdown catch and a pair of key receptions during the game-winning drive of the Mustangs’ season-opening 29-27 win over San Diego State on Saturday....

The following are final updates on area athletes and coaches in the National Football League for the 2012 season. Change was abundant for the three locals in the NFL this past season with even more on the horizon. Most notable was Andy Reid, a former Glendale Community College football player, joining a new team, the Kansas City Chiefs, for the first time in nearly a decade-and-a-half after a second year of struggles with the Philadelphia Eagles. Another former Vaquero, Hue Jackson, had more success as an assistant coach, helping the Cincinnati Bengals reach the playoffs after being fired from his head coaching job in Oakland at the end of the 2011 season.

On a number of levels, the story of how 2004 Flintridge Prep graduate Ramses Barden wound up starring for the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo football team is one of faith. By offering the 6-foot-7, 210-pound wide receiver a scholarship, Cal Poly head coach Rich Ellerson took a leap of faith. And by accepting that offer, Barden took a considerable step of faith as well. For Ellerson, recruiting Barden demanded faith in Barden's potential. Like everyone else, he could see that Barden possessed a potent combination of size and athleticism.

GLENDALE ? The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level . ? Matt Abbey (St. Francis High, 2005) junior quarterback, Wagner College football: Abbey, a former All-Area pick, threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyrone Collins with 7:06 remaining in the game to propel Wagner to a 17-13 victory against Saint Francis in a Northeast Conference game Saturday. Abbey completed 15 of 35 passes for 229 yards to help the Seahawks end a three-game losing skid.

After testing the free-agent waters, Ramses Barden returned to the New York Giants and signed a one-year, $780,000 deal on May 23. The Flintridge Prep graduate and 6-foot-6 wide receiver's New York reunion didn't last long as he was let go with four other players in the team's last round of cuts Saturday morning. The move comes after the four-year veteran enjoyed his finest statistical season with 14 receptions for 220 yards in a career-high 12 games in 2012 when the Giants were hit by injuries.

ALTADENA - While Ramses Barden stands in the middle of a critical crossroads in his career, the first-time free agent and possibly former New York Giants wide receiver took a timeout to speak at a local children's mental-health service. Barden visited Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services' all-boys residential treatment facility in his hometown of Altadena Wednesday. The Flintridge Prep graduate shared with the group of around 40 people about keys to success and following your dream.

The following are final updates on area athletes and coaches in the National Football League for the 2012 season. Change was abundant for the three locals in the NFL this past season with even more on the horizon. Most notable was Andy Reid, a former Glendale Community College football player, joining a new team, the Kansas City Chiefs, for the first time in nearly a decade-and-a-half after a second year of struggles with the Philadelphia Eagles. Another former Vaquero, Hue Jackson, had more success as an assistant coach, helping the Cincinnati Bengals reach the playoffs after being fired from his head coaching job in Oakland at the end of the 2011 season.

The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene. PALADINI, FIRE HEADING FOR PLAYOFFS St. Francis High graduate and former Golden Knights standout Daniel Paladini and his Chicago Fire are headed to the Major League Soccer postseason, but their regular season finale on Saturday against the D.C. United is paramount in the Fire hoping to get as high a seed as possible. In a worst-case scenario, the Fire could finish second in the MLS Eastern Conference going into the postseason, but could also drop to as low as fifth.

The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene. LATE GAFFE HELPS EAGLES BEAT GIANTS There were a few local story lines involving Sunday night's contest between the New York Giants and host Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The contest provided its share of drama, all the way to the game's final minute, when New York place kicker Lawrence Tynes missed a 54-yard field goal attempt with 15 seconds left. For Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid , a former Glendale Community College football player, his team improved to 3-1 with a 19-17 victory.

New York Giants wide receiver and Flintridge Prep graduate Ramses Barden matched the amount of receptions he had all of last year Thursday night when the Giants defeated the Carolina Panthers, 36-7, in North Carolina. Barden, who is from Altadena, was the Giants' leading receiver in the game after Hakeem Nicks was a late scratch from the game with a foot injury, as he hauled in career-highs of nine passes for 138 yards. Barden came into Thursday night's game with just 16 receptions for 198 yards on his career.

Playing professional football in the Big Apple, Ramses Barden can claim he's already become accustomed to being surrounded by a media circus and watched under a microscope by legions of die-hard fans. But having spent the past few days in the eye of the international media storm that is Super Bowl week, Barden may feel the normal intensity of being a New York Giant pales in comparison when he returns home. "I can't imagine another event that would bring this kind of energy and excitement to Indy," said Barden, a 2004 Flintridge Prep graduate and now a third-year wide receiver for the Giants, who will take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI today at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene. RAIN POSTPONES LOCAL EVENTS Several soccer matches were postponed Monday because of rain. A Mission League girls' soccer match between rivals Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Harvard-Westlake will now be played at 5:15 p.m. Feb. 10 at Occidental College, according to Flintridge Sacred Heart co-Coach Frank Pace . The match will remain as the Tologs' senior night. Hoover High and Burroughs had two soccer matches postponed, as well, and both will be made up next Monday, Hoover Athletic Director Jack Van Patten said.