LA HABRA – Frank Mazzotta pulled a small cart of supplies as he approached the football stadium chirping from players warming up for practice. La Habra’s veteran coach almost reached the field when his vast responsibilities tugged him to stop.
There were shoulder pads to check.
“It’s got to (fit) like a second skin,” he told running back Jamiel Henning.
There were players to encourage.
“You fire me up,” he told one. “I’m proud of you.”
There were others to console. The father of lineman Andrew Ueli-Fa’atoalia recently died.
“I’m going to go to the services,” Mazzotta said. “The kids love (Andrew). He’s highly respected.”
The last thing on Mazzotta’s mind seemed to be the 0-2 start by the Highlanders this season. Or maybe it was the second-to-last thing.
With No. 12 La Habra set to play at No. 3 Mission Viejo (2-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. in the OCVarsity Game of the Week, panic was the last thing on Mazzotta’s mind.
The Freeway League juggernaut is 0-2 for the first time since 1999 but a check of its pulse reveals a healthy football heart
It’s a rite of passage at La Habra to navigate through a mine-field of highly-ranked teams each nonleague season in the hopes of preparing for league and more-importantly, the playoffs.Only one of their seven CIF-SS championships under Mazzotta came in an undefeated season.
The Highlanders’ nonleague resume over the years features teams such as St. John Bosco, Orange Lutheran, Servite, San Clemente and Los Alamitos. They play Calabasas next week.
“Honestly, if you don’t play somebody who is really going to push you, how do you know (if you’re improving),” said Mazzotta, who team has lost to Mission Viejo the past five seasons by an average score of 38.6 to 19.2.
“We could maybe beat somebody else and get a false sense of our stature. This is humbling. I don’t want any fake or false impressions of ourselves. That will hurt you later.”
La Habra opened with losses against Division 2 rivals Upland (24-12) and Redlands East Valley (22-21 in overtime).
The Highlanders played Upland, ranked No. 1 in Division 2, without Henning. And they had Redlands East Valley on the ropes with a 14-7 lead late in the fourth quarter before REV capitalized on mistakes.
La Habra’s duo of Clark Phillips III and quarterback Ryan Zanelli have been bright spots.
Phillips, a junior cornerback/wide receiver, hasn’t allowed a pass reception and has already caught five touchdowns. Zanelli, another junior, has passed for 560 yards.
Both players should be tested against Mission Viejo. Arizona State-committed quarterback Joey Yellen features three talented receivers in JoJo Forest, Akili Arnond and former La Habra wide out Deavyn Woullard.
And the Diablos intercepted Santa Margarita’s Peter Costelli four times — including three by Arnold – last week in a 30-20 victory.
“I told the guys, ‘This (start) should be a stepping stone for us’,” Phillips said. “You got to lose before you win. … The tough schedule is great for us because it only helps us and prepares us better for the playoffs to win it all.”
Posted by https://goo.gl/TXzGV5
No comments:
Post a Comment