Above: From left, offensive linemen Chris Cisneros, Nathan Rodriguez, Nofo Tii, Memo Monreal, Hugo Correa and Spencer Fox have helped lead La Mirada deep into the CIF-SS Southeast Division playoffs. (Keith Durflinger / Staff Photographer)
LA MIRADA – An offensive lineman’s world doesn’t change much.
It consists mainly of an imaginary three-yard box, and it doesn’t matter if the ball rests near the opponent’s goal line, on the 50 or inside his team’s own 10.
Success from this view comes from attitude and work ethic, and that’s what La Mirada High School’s starting front thrives on.
Quarterback Gerry Myres and running backs Johnny Hills and Andy Gramajo have received most of the glory for the Matadores, but the difference-makers have come up front where seniors Spencer Fox (6-foot-5, 265 pounds), Memo Monreal (6-0, 250) and Nathan Rodriguez (6-3, 260); juniors Hugo Correa (6-2, 245) and Chris Cisneros (6-2, 235) and sophomore Nofo Tii (6-2, 300) have paved the way for the Matadores’ rebirth from an 0-3 start to be within two games of the program’s second CIF-Southern Section Divisional title during the past three seasons.
“It’s a good group of kids,” said La Mirada coach Mike Moschetti, whose Matadores host top-seeded and 2010 champion West Covina at 7 p.m. on Friday in a Southeast Division semifinal. “They don’t speak two words, but they just show up and work. That’s who they are. They want to be the guys who show up and work and don’t want a lot of publicity.
“They’ve done well all year long. There was a concern going into the year about the offensive line. But the more you practice, the more you work, the better you are going to get. And they’ve jelled and gotten better. They are by no means a finished product. We made a ton of mistakes last week. But they are the type of kids who get into the film room and want to learn and get better.”
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