Standing beneath 4 palm timber within the quad space of Calabasas High, Los Alamitos football gamers have their eyes skilled on coach Ray Fenton’s face for greater than 5 uninterrupted minutes.
Looking to see if anybody loses focus when a mom walks by and begins yelling at her daughter, the reply is extremely no. The gamers maintain listening and maintain their eyes directed on Fenton.
It’s robust sufficient to make youngsters pay attention for 30 seconds to adults today, however to see a whole football team not letting anybody or something disturb their focus whereas their coach is talking offers a trace why Los Alamitos is 7-0 and the shock highschool football team in Southern California this season.
“Everyone has their eye on coach,” offensive lineman Braiden McKenna stated. “It’s all the little things that keep you disciplined. Wearing your mouthpiece, keeping your eyes on him.”
It’s not true that Los Alamitos doesn’t have any stars. They won’t have been talked about a lot in preseason hype lists, however gamers have carried out at a excessive degree to this point.
Tight finish Beckham Hofland, 6 foot 5 and 230 kilos, is a load to cowl and in addition serves as a kicker. Running backs Kamden Tillis and Lenny Ibarra are versatile and dependable. Quarterback Colin Creason, who sat out final season whereas transferring from Long Beach Poly, retains enhancing. The offensive line, led by the veteran McKenna, who performs middle, is superb. Ibarra leads the protection with 66 tackles.
Coach Ray Fenton and his 7-0 Los Alamitos football team.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
“It’s so much easier to want to win with someone you care about and they care about you,” McKenna stated of the team chemistry.
Los Alamitos has had extra proficient groups lately aided by switch college students. This one is usually residence grown, and Fenton couldn’t be happier.
“They’re friends,” Fenton stated. “They’ve grown up together. You play harder with guys you’re friends with. You don’t want to let them down. They’re Los Al kids. They take pride in the community.”
They received in Hawaii 34-31 on tying and game-winning area objectives by Ibarra, who practiced kicking the ball between two palm timber at a park. They knocked off Gardena Serra 42-21. They beat a good Granite Hills team 49-42. Seven straight wins came to visit seven weeks, so now they’re on a two-week break to organize for the daunting process of going through three good Alpha League opponents — Edison at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 16, at San Clemente on Oct. 24 and a finale in opposition to Mission Viejo on Oct. 30 at Artesia.
They are severe contenders for a Southern Section Division 1 playoff berth regardless that some folks nonetheless can’t work out how they maintain profitable.
The reply is straightforward: they’re hungry. Never underestimate a team the place one teammate after one other helps one another regardless of the challenges, regardless of the obstacles, regardless of the skepticism of others.
“This is throwback,” Fenton stated. “It’s old school. Play for your local school, play for your community, play for your friends. The kids you played Pop Warner with are the kids you’re playing high school football with. It’s the way it was supposed to be.”