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If one needs an example of how resilience pays off, look no further than the Loara football team.
The Saxons and fourth-year coach Gary Wright are building an intriguing case through five games.
Loara (4-1, 3-0) sits atop the Tango League standings entering a game against Magnolia (2-2, 1-1) at Western High on Friday.
The Saxons have surpassed their win total from last season (three) and allowed only seven points in collecting three consecutive victories.
The success marks a major breakthrough for Loara. The program endured consecutive 0-10 seasons in 2023 and ’24.
Between those campaigns, Wright received a reduction-in-force notice from the Anaheim Union district, which was rescinded about a month later.
“Just keep building and it’s going to happen,” Wright said Monday of the team’s turnaround. “That’s been the attitude we’ve had since those rough days. Keep (the) pedal to the metal. Let’s keep doing it.”
“We had great (effort in the) weight room in the offseason,” the coach added. “We just keep growing the program and the kids finally started buying in and it’s been great.”
Much of Loara’s progress can be seen on defense.
The squad has blended seven returning starters with the arrival of defensive coordinator Ricardo Moreno from Norwalk.
Last season, Norwalk started 10-0 before losing to Warren 17-7 in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 9 playoffs.
Moreno installed a 3-5 defense that blitzes and focuses on forcing turnovers.
The unit has seven interceptions and six fumble recoveries.
Loara has forced 13 turnovers and committed three.
“They are the heart and soul of our team,” Wright said of the defense. “That defense has been absolutely amazing and you can tell by the scores.”
“We just feel like we always have a free guy (on defense),” he added. “Teams can’t figure out how to block everybody.”
Loara features eight players with at least 20 tackles.
They are: linebacker Brandon Marroquin (30 tackles), linebacker Giovani Hernandez Pastrana (28), lineman/linebacker Briand Torres (28), safety Angeles Delgado (27), lineman Vong Hung Pham (26), linebacker Andrew Medina (26), lineman/linebacker Jayden Faraimo (22) and linebacker Jasir Gerard (21).
Wright is especially high on Pham, who is a 6-foot-3 and 275-pound junior.
“This kid is special,” Wright said of Pham, who has three sacks and also plays left tackle. “He’s going to be a good one.”
The defense also features key senior leaders such as Medina, Torres and cornerback Daniel Quiroz.
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On offense, Loara has excelled running the ball from a spread formation.
Chavonte Carter has emerged as the leading rusher with 412 yards and six touchdowns.
The senior has exploded for 244 yards the past two weeks, including a season-high 154 yards in a 35-7 win against La Quinta.
Carter wasn’t eligible last season, Wright said. He attended Loara as a freshman, transferred to Cypress and returned to Loara as a sophomore, the coach said.
“He was a surprise to us,” Wright said of Carter. “He’s been the explosive guy.”
Carter forms a strong duo with senior Santiago Caudillo, who has rushed 208 yards and eight touchdowns.
The offense also features two-way lineman Jose Silva, wide receiver Traivon Nicholson and freshman quarterback Isaac Yamamoto.
Nicholson, a senior, is a top pitcher for Loara’s baseball team.
Yamamoto arrived at Loara with experience playing quarterback at the youth level.
“Every game he gets a little better,” Wright said of Yamamoto, whose father attended at Loara.
Wright strives to keep his players focused on the opponent at hand but said the team’s goals are rising. The Saxons last made the playoffs in 2021.
“That was our goal coming (into the season) — a playoff run,” Wright said. “We’ve been thinking (league) championship since (beating Bolsa Grande) but I’ve been careful not to let (the players) lose sight of what’s next. … Today was all about the Sentinels.”
SHORT ROUTES
A new, on-campus football stadium is being planned for Loara on the side of the school toward Euclid Street, Wright said. …
Wright said he was surprised that Magnolia defeated Santa Ana Valley 20-14 last week. …
Mater Dei fell to an out-of-state opponent for the first time in a 25-8 loss against Bishop Gorman of Nevada, Orange County football historian and author Dennis Bateman confirmed. The Monarchs entered the game last week with an all-time record of 30-0 against out-of-state teams, including a 5-0 mark against Bishop Gorman. …
Huntington Beach (5-0) is off to its best start since 1998 under former coach Tony Ciarelli. …
Huntington Beach quarterback Brady Edmunds climbed to No. 3 on Orange County’s all-time passing yards list after completing 25 of 33 passes for 310 yards in a 29-25 victory against Yorba Linda. The Ohio State committed senior has 9,774 career yards.
Edmunds had two TD passes last week to give him 105 for his career, which ties him with Malachi Nelson (Los Alamitos) for fifth in county history.
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