La Mirada coach Mike Moschetti: No regrets scheduling up …

For the past several days, the La Mirada High School football team has heard all about its lopsided 76-8 defeat to St. John Bosco in Week 0.

The Matadores can sway public opinion back in their favor on Friday night when they visit Charter Oak in an important nonleague battle. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

“It was a straight-up butt kicking,” La Mirada head coach Mike Moschetti said of last week’s game. “I always look at the good and bad, and it was a very humbling experience for the coaches and players.

“When you get your butts kicked like that it’s humbling, but I liked the way we came back to practice on Monday.”

La Mirada has scheduled up this season. In addition to St. John Bosco, the Matadores will also play Mater Dei and San Clemente in nonleague games. Charter Oak, although a quality opponent, looks like the most doable task on the schedule.

The Matadores beat Charter Oak last season, 48-28. Several key players from that team have graduated, though. But La Mirada has replaced many of them with some impact transfers.

Things started well enough for La Mirada against St. John Bosco. The Matadores scored first, went for a two-point conversion and got it, and led 8-0. From there, it was a 76-0 run out by the nationally ranked Braves.

Moschetti has come under heavy second guessing by area fans who think La Mirada isn’t being realistic by scheduling Pac-5 Division powerhouses in nonleague play.

“We’re going to challenge ourselves and I’m just a big believer that we got a lot out of that game,” Moschetti said. “I think you get more out of that game than you do playing somebody and beating them 65-0.

“I remember La Serna getting beat 84 to something in a championship game and they seemed to be OK. It’s life. You’re going to get smacked in the mouth and we’ve got to deal with it.”

It’s been back to basics for the Matadores this week, according to Moschetti. Getting lined up properly, especially on defense, has been a key point in practices thus far.

Although Charter Oak is considerably smaller than St. John Bosco, the Chargers do have the skill players to make things hard on La Mirada’s defense if it’s confused.

“Their quarterback is a great player, their running back is big-time and they have great players at the skill positions,” Moschetti said of Charter Oak. “They do a lot of different things defensively where they try to confuse you. We’ve got our hands full.”