MidValleySports.Com

By Alex A. Gonzalez

Covina — Charter Oak’s Corin Berry charged his way to a four-touchdown performance Friday night against Canyon at Lou Farrar Field by throwing three touchdown passes and adding a rushing touchdown in the first half, powering his team to a 44-6 win over the Cowboys to start the 2024 campaign. 

“You know, his offseason, I could not be more proud of him. His work ethic is unmeasurable and unprecedented,” said Charter Oak head coach Dominic Farrar when speaking about Berry. “He is just a humble young man that is just hungry and he works tirelessly. He really is a true role model.” 

The Chargers started the scoring onslaught with the special teams, giving them a 10-0 lead with 4:26 remaining in the opening period. First, the offense stumbled once it entered the red zone on its first possession, and thanks to Mitchell Gibbens’ 24-yard field goal, Charter Oak was the first to put points up on the scoreboard. Then, when the defense forced Canyon to punt on its next possession, the kick was blocked and recovered by Michael White who then took it in for the touchdown. 

Then, in the second quarter, the offense took over and scored the game’s first offensive touchdown when Berry capped an 11-play drive by dropping back to pass and connecting with Marquis Bradley for the 26-yard score. 

Canyon, however, was able to punch back on their ensuing possession when the return team set the offense up on Charter Oak’s 11-yard line. The team only needed two plays to reach paydirt when Keston Banos took the handoff and bulldozed his way for the score. The two-point try was no good, giving the Chargers a 17-6 lead with 9:10 in the first half. 

The Chargers then scored three consecutive drives, all led by Berry, extending their lead to 37-6 before the break. 

The Boston College commit scored his second touchdown of the night when he optioned to keep the ball and bolted his way to the end zone from 64 yards out. His next two touchdowns came via his arm when he connected with Legend Lyons and his tight end from 26 and 17 yards out.

“A lot of it was my confidence, and that’s due to my teammates and coaches,” said Berry when talking about his performance. “Last year we went through a rough time and we ended up having a good playoff run but really this offseason, they (coached) instilled a lot of confidence in me and trusted me and that’s how I play now.”

Following intermission, Charter Oak added one more scoring drive before the starters were pulled, and a running clock was instituted. 

Capping a 12-play drive, Torry Huff took the handoff, made a defender miss, and scored the game’s final touchdown, giving his team a 44-6 advantage. 

With the win, Charter Oak will look to carry their momentum into next week’s game against Chino Hills on Friday night. 

Canyon will look to bounce back from the loss when they host Buena next Friday night.