“All I know is that I’ve got a team that’s got a thin roster, has 14 sophomores and some injuries to key players. We’re scrambling to put the best kids we can on the field. The reality of the situation is that we’re working as hard as we can to be competitive,” —Charter Oak coach Lou Farrar
By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
The Charter Oak High School football team’s blowout victory over South Hills last Friday in the Sierra League opener for both teams has caused the Chargers’ bandwagon to grow, but veteran head coach Lou Farrar has found a way to not get caught up in the hype. “My son (offensive coordinator Dom Farrar) fends off everything from the outside world,” Charter Oak coach Lou Farrar said. “I feel bad about that. If I’m out of town, the next person they go to is him.”
Farrar was out of town this weekend following Charter Oak’s 63-28 victory over the Huskies. The win, and the manner in which it happened, has many Chargers fans thinking big, even though a difficult stretch still awaits in the Sierra and presumably the Inland Division.
“All I know is that I’ve got a team that’s got a thin roster, has 14 sophomores and some injuries to key players,” Farrar said. “We’re scrambling to put the best kids we can on the field.
“The reality of the situation is that we’re working as hard as we can to be competitive.”
Needless to say, very few non-Charter Oak fans will feel sorry for Farrar’s supposed roster woes. Every week the Chargers trot out arguably the best quarterback in the area in senior Travis Santiago, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for three more in Friday’s blowout.
With South Hills out of the way, Charter Oak still has games against fellow league-title hopefuls Chino Hills and Damien. Up this week is Ayala, which has struggled to 2-4 overall and 0-1 league records.
“The first league win is always the one you want to start with,” Farrar said. “Each week, in this particular league, you can’t make any mistakes.
“We’re just trying to get to 6-1, 7-1, 8-1. If you look at our division rankings, there are so many good leagues. CIF (playoffs) is so far down the road; all we’re trying to do is get through our league and hope for the best.”
