MidValleySports.Com

By Alex A. Gonzalez

Covina – With less than a minute left to play in the first quarter, Charter Oak quarterback Richie Munoz connected with Salomon Davis for the 11-yard touchdown, giving the Chargers a 10-7 lead, and from there, the route to a 37-7 blowout win over visiting Glendora on a hot Friday night began. The win also reclaims the Mayor’s Trophy in the process. 

“It was an amazing team win. People doubted our defense last week, and we came and showed them that we do have a real defense, and that is going to dominate some people,” Commented Munoz on the defense. 

At first, it had looked like Charter Oak’s defense would struggle against the Tartans rushing attack, especially when they allowed tailback Marquize Brown to rip off runs of 55 and 20 yards, with the second of the two carries leading to the end zone with 3:35 in the opening period. 

Their 7-3 early lead evaporated instantly on the ensuing possession when both Munoz and Zakkarii Black carried the offense on the ground and eventually was capped off by Davis’ 11-yard touchdown reception. 

Glendora tried to respond by repeating what they did on their previous drive, but the Charger defense could push back and force a punt. But with a low snap that punter Jack Norell could not handle, it led to CO recovering the ball on the Tartan 13-yard line. 

After Black reached pay dirt one play later, giving Charter Oak a ten-point cushion in the second quarter, Glendora could not find a way to produce another drive that to points. 

“Our defense last week obviously went through some adversity, and it was an opportunity for us to make some adjustments. I was really proud of how we adapted. Our response this week on our coaching staff, they rallied, they collaborated, worked really hard, and our kids were really receptive,” said Charter Oak HC Dominic Farrar post-game. “We were going to play our best 11 together.”

The Chargers’ defense at all three levels created problems for Jake Dennison, which limited him to only completing two passes out of ten attempts. The secondary forced incompletions, and the unit blocked a field goal attempt before the halftime whistle. 

Following the halftime show, Munoz and his offense returned to work on their first possession, with little resistance from Glendora. 

The Chargers were able to methodically create a drive with a mixture of running and passing plays that the Tartans could not keep up with, especially when Black took the screen pass from Munoz and coasted his way into the end zone with 7:17 remaining in the third period. 

Munoz then put the game away when he threw his third passing touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter when he rolled out of the pocket and heaved a 41-yard pass to Nathan Alvarado, who slipped past the defense for the score. 

“At first, I was reading the post-curl, and then I saw him -Alvarado- completely dust his defender, and from there, it was easy,” said Munoz after the game. 

Then with backups filling in following the touchdown pass, backup tailback Danny Orosco recorded his first rushing score of the night, giving his team a 37-7 lead after the PAT was good. 

With the loss, Glendora falls to 0-3 and would look to get their first win of the 2022 season next week when they host Los Altos next Thursday. Charter Oak will look to remain undefeated when they host Chino Hills Friday night.

next Friday night.