First published in the Aug. 11 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
Workout sessions during the spring and summer have come and gone and now the spotlight is on the La Cañada High School varsity football team as it looks to compete for the Rio Hondo League championship.
The Spartans had a decent campaign last year as they finished above .500 (6-4 overall) for the first time since 2016 (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season). In league play, however, LCHS finished fourth with a 2-3 record, losing to Pasadena Polytechnic, South Pasadena and powerhouse Monrovia.
“We don’t really set goals record-wise because football is a funny game,” LC head coach Dave Avramovich said. “For us as a program, our goal is to be the best team we can be and to reach our full potential. I think that puts us in the conversation to challenge for a Rio Hondo League title every year. If we are the best version of ourselves and we do what we’re supposed to do, play smart, fast, physical and together, we should be in the mix every year.”
LCHS, which last won a league title in 2000, graduated 13 seniors last academic year including Caleb Carruthers, Brandon Shepherd and Jack Stroben, among others. Although it will be tough to replace that trio, Avramovich has faith in his current seniors and underclassmen to step up and fill the voids.
“Last year’s seniors were great kids that really held the program together through COVID and the coaching transition. That’s not easy for high school kids to do,” Avramovich said. “What we are really losing is leadership in the locker room. But there are kids behind them as well that want to be great. The senior class is still small but there’s a bunch of great leadership. We think those kids will rise up because they want to be great. We talk about character a lot — everybody wants to win but not everybody wants to work to win and our kids understand that.”
The quarterback position likely belongs to junior Macky Plocher, as Avramovich confirmed he is slated to start in the pocket for the Spartans this season. He had 1,841 passing yards (184.1 per game average) with a .541 completion percentage (124-for-229) as a sophomore, and Avramovich said the young signal-caller is coming into the season better than last year.
“No moment is above him. He is competitive but not ‘rattle-able,’” Avramovich said. “He’s more comfortable with the offense, he’s more comfortable with his voice, and we’re going to need him to make plays with his arm and his feet.”
Corey Cheung is one of La Cañada’s top seniors after rushing for 808 yards on 141 carries last year while adding 45 receptions for 689 yards. Cheung was also one of LC’s top five defenders in 2021 with 53 tackles. Avramovich is expecting big things from his linebacker in his final high school season, noting that Cheung wants to be great and will not settle for “average” results.
“He is a senior with elite athleticism and a great football IQ,” Avramovich said. “There were games last year that were pretty frustrating to watch because he was so clearly somebody who needed to get the ball more and we had a hard time getting him the ball. If we are doing it right, Corey is probably touching the ball 30 times a game and that puts us in a position to win most games.”
Senior Anthony Venneri is expected to be the focal point of LC’s defense after a successful campaign last season, finishing third on the team with 60 tackles. He will look to help fill the hole Shepherd left on defense.
“Anthony is the leader of our defense and he is one of the reasons why our defense has been so successful the past couple of years,” Avramovich said about his dynamic safety. “He’s the best safety in the league, in my opinion. When you see him on the field, you wouldn’t be intimidated by him but boy does he play way above his weight. His football IQ is super high, he’s been playing for a long time and he’s one of the leaders on our team.”
The nonleague portion of the Spartans’ schedule concludes with a matchup against Crescenta Valley High for the first time since 2017. LCHS will be looking to snap an 11-game losing streak against their crosstown rival dating back to the 2006 season when the pair meet at La Cañada High on Friday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m.
A bye-week separates the matchup against the Falcons and the beginning of league when the Spartans host San Marino on Friday, Sept. 30. LCHS will hope to extend its winning streak to three games over the Titans later this year.
The regular-season finale is scheduled for Nov. 1 at South Pasadena. The Spartans haven’t beaten their league rival on the field since 2013, despite adding a win by forfeit in 2014. Since then, SPHS won for the next seven years but LCHS has kept it close each of the past two matchups, including losing by just one point in the final minutes of last year’s contest.
“Last year’s South Pas game was a heartbreaker for us,” Avramovich said. “We had an eight-point lead with 10 minutes left in the game and they blocked a field goal return, returned it and kicked a 40-yard field goal with 90 seconds left. That’s just what happens in those rivalry games.”
LCHS will kick off the regular season at Rosemead on Friday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m., followed by another road matchup at Norwalk on Friday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. The Spartans will finally head home to host Franklin High of Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m.
