Allow me to riddle you this: What does a man who’s won five CIF championship rings need more than anything? Answer: A win over Glendora High School in the Mayor’s Trophy tonight at Citrus College.
For somebody such as Charter Oak coach Lou Farrar, who’s been around long enough to win a ring for each finger on one of his hands, the harsh reality that the slate is wiped clean every fall probably goes a long way toward bringing the Valley legend back every year.
That’s why, with his program at an all-time high, Farrar needs a win over the Tartans in the worst way. Sure, if Charter Oak falls tonight, Farrar’s body of work will hardly suffer, but take a second to ponder what’s at stake for Big Lou’s program at the dawn of a new season in a new decade.
Charter Oak has been assigned to a new league and higher playoff division, and it enters play with a roster chock full of new faces. To put it simply, Farrar, for the umpteenth time in his career, is ushering in a new era.
The Chris Allen era ended two years ago. The Adam Muema and Keith Smith eras ended last year.
It will only take seconds for everyone in attendance at Citrus to realize that there’s no Muema to hand the ball to when times get rough against Glendora. And there will be no Smith to stop Tartans quarterback Chad Jeffries in his tracks.
Oh sure, there’s talent for Farrar and company to work with, but it’s got plenty of on-the-job training to go through before anybody sees its full potential.
When last seen, Farrar was walking off the field the victor of his second consecutive CIF Southeast Division title.
Could his retirement announcement have been better scripted? No, but it didn’t happen.
The Chargers are on a two-year run so impressive that even the most hardened Bishop Amat fan has to feel a tad uncomfortable. Time to ride off into the sunset, right?
“You’d think that would be it,” Farrar said. “To me, that’s not quite the way I wanted to finish. I don’t know, I’ve just never known what life is without football, and I guess that’s the scary part for me.
“I can’t imagine life without football. I love the challenge.”
With Charter Oak the best its ever been, the program surprisingly needs Farrar more than ever. To duplicate the bottom-line results of the past two years, the Chargers will have to prove they can be successful against a much-higher level of competition.
The task is so daunting, some are doubting the program will hold its seemingly annual Thanksgiving Day practice, which is significant because it means the Chargers reached the second round of the playoffs.
Who better to make sure Charter Oak doesn’t skip a beat than Farrar? And what better time to get the message across that everything will be fine than during tonight’s showdown with Glendora?
A win over Glendora, which has the best quarterback in the area in Jeffries and a coach who’s no slouch himself in Mark Pasquarella, would go a long way in keeping Charter Oak aloft for at least another week.
And who else besides Big Lou would the Chargers turn to in hopes of getting it done?
“I’ve worked harder this offseason than I ever have,” Farrar said, “just because I want to make sure we always present a good program and product on the field.
“When August comes and it’s 5:30 in the morning and they just cut the grass and I’m not out there watching practice, then you know something’s wrong with me.”