Record: 6-5
Biggest win: 31-17 over Damien
Worst loss: 28-21 to Glendora
The Good: If you’re me, you have to look long and hard for the good in a season that saw the Chargers lose every step-up game and basically stay wide-eyed from Week 0 thru Week 11 about the fact they got moved up in league and division. Charter Oak did take care of business against the teams it was supposed to, so that can count as good. QB Travis Santiago and WR Dennis Rufus put up great seasons, stats-wise, so that’s good also.
The Bad: So much of what’s made the CO machine go the past 10 years or so is the ability to simply reload at running back. That didn’t happen this year. The position remained inconsistent from August to November, with nobody really stepping up. That’s what happens when you’ve got a freshman, two sophomores and a converted fullback to choose from. Without a running game, CO’s easy on the eyes group of receivers were a lot easier to handle for opposing defensive coordinators.
The Ugly: Lack of a signature win. What do you want it to be? A life-and-death victory over a 3-7 South Hills team with its best player playing on one leg for the entire game? Shutting out Santa Fe 17-0? Each time CO had a big game — Glendora, Rancho, Claremont, Chino Hills, Vista Murietta, the Chargers battled hard, but lost. That isn’t Charter Oak football. And that probably won’t sit too well with Big Lou over the offseason, which means a fun time (not really) is in store for next year’s returnees.
Sad to see you go: WR Dennis Rufus, DL Charlie Avila, OL Andy Orozco, LB Tanner Gibas, OL Travis Doll, WR/TE Josiah Thropay.
What to look forward to: QB Santiago will be back along with several talented skill players — RBs Kurt Scoby, Khari Garica, Aaren Vaughns and WR Chris Gilchrist.