Pictured L-R: Charter Oak & Ayala quarterbacks, Richie Munoz & Bryan Wilson

Football:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor:

As the 2022 regular season nears its crescendo, each game magnifies in importance and intensity.

And no week-eight contest features a more intriguing matchup than that of Charter Oak at Ayala.

The Chargers and Bulldogs are a combined 13-1, and the winner of Friday’s showdown becomes the likely favorite to win the Mountain West League title.

But that’s only the beginning of what makes this game captivating.

COHS (Dominic Farrar) and AHS (AJ Gracia) are well coached, they have playmakers at quarterback and running back, and both programs feature solid depth amongst its receiving corps.

Charter Oak throws the ball more, and Ayala has 70 more carries than pass attempts, but both teams have a balanced offensive approach.

COHS senior quarterback Richie Munoz has been nothing short of amazing.

The La Salle transfer has completed 94-0f-145 for 1,776 yards, and an area-best 26 TD’s.

Perhaps just as important, is the fact that Munoz has been picked just two times.

Charter Oak has five separate athletes with four TD catches or more, and five that have 190 or more receiving yards.

Zakkarii Black (19 catches for 319 yards & four TD’s), Solomon Davis (17-295, 7), Jayden Alexander (16-284, 4), Isaiah Johnson (10-334, 5) and Nathan Alvarado (14-234, 4) have been invaluable for COHS.

The Chargers ground game averages 113 yards per game, and is led by Zakkarii Black, who has 500 yards on 68 carries and five TD’s.

Bryan Wilson has been the pilot of the Ayala offense since he walked on campus in 2020.

All this kid does is win. In fact, the Bulldogs are 20-1 in games that he’s started during his three-year run.

In 2022, Wilson has completed 61 of his 105 pass attempts for 1,228 yards.

Wilson has thrown 12 TD passes, been picked six times, and has a pair of rushing TD’s to his name.

As mentioned, the Bulldogs like to establish their ground game, and AHS averages nearly 170 rushing yards every Friday night.

Marquis Monroe (83 carries for 583 yards and five TD’s), and Anthony Hernandez (57-335, 3) have led the Bulldogs rushing attack all season.

Dominic Alloway has been Wilson’s favorite target in 2022, and the AHS senior has 19 receptions for 450 yards and five TD’s.

Lytallion Payne (16-326, 3 TD’s) and Drew Amico (16-326, 1) have also done their share in the program’s 6-1 start.

Charter Oak and Ayala have two opponents in common.

They both defeated Chino Hills by one point each, and COHS had a 30-point victory over Glendora, while the Bulldogs handled the Tartans, 56-33, two weeks ago.

It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to realize that minimizing turnovers and penalties will be key, as will the play of both special teams’ units.

What is for certain, though, is come Friday night, Farrar, Gracia and their staffs will have the Chargers and Bulldogs ready for the biggest game on their 2022 regular season schedule.

Win or lose, both programs will be better prepared for the postseason after competing in this Mountain West League showdown.

Lastly, I asked Coach Farrar and Coach Gracia: what are Ayala’s/Charter Oak’s strengths that you need to contain? Is there a single factor or key to winning based on the opposition and what they do well? Is there someone or something you’re most concerned with? People know the big-name players on both teams. Is there an x-factor from your team that if he/they step up on Friday, the chances of victory go up even higher?

Quotable:

Charter Oak coach, Dominic Farrar: “Ayala’s strengths are they are so well-coached and physical up front and at the point of attack on both sides of the football. Their quarterback is a threat anytime he has the football in his hands and his ability to make plays and get his playmakers the football. Their run game is also very explosive. They are just excellent at being balanced in how they attack you on offense. Their defense is aggressive, swarms to the football, and does not allow many points. This is our step-up football game of the year, and we have a ton of respect for them and the success their program has every year. This will be an excellent barometer to see how far we have come as a program and how far we have to go to be able to contend with our league champion. Ayala’s coaches do a great job along with outstanding athletes there is not one concern more than another. My immediate concern is we expect we will have to play our very best football game of the year to contend with our league champion. Our x-factor week in and week out has been our team. We do have some very good athletes, but at the end of our games to this point, our best individual performers are when we have been most successful in our overall team’s performance everyone together playing for one another.”

Ayala coach, AJ Gracia: “Charter Oak’s speed and athleticism in all three phases of the game are very impressive. Richie Munoz has been incredible all year and has made a lot of plays extending the play for big passes or runs. They have 4-5 wide receivers who will put a lot of stress our on secondary, and of course we need to know where Zakkarii Black is at all times. Defensively, we will need to slow down their big-play ability and get off the field on third down. C.O.’s defense has been very aggressive all year long. They can cover guys in the passing game and cause negative plays in the run game. We will need to continue to be balanced offensively, control the ball, and make big plays when they are presented to us. Once you get the league and you play great teams like Charter Oak, it comes down to winning the penalty margin, turnover margin, and making the big plays when presented. The team that does these three things Friday night will have a great chance at winning.
As I mentioned above, their QB and RB are playmakers. Additionally, we will have to focus on their great group of WRs in Solomon Davis, Isaiah Johnson, Jayden Alexander, and Nathan Alvarado. I think if our offensive and defensive lines can win the line of scrimmage battle, we can have a successful night. The big guys never get their names in the paper, but without them, the skill players don’t get the highlights. Once you get to league and playoffs, it comes down to your offensive and defensive line play.”

Offensive Stat Leaders:
Quarterbacks:
Richie Munoz (CO): 94-145, 1,776 yards, 26 TD’s, 2 INT
Bryan Wilson (A): 61-105, 1,228, 12 TD’s, 6 INT

Running Backs:
Zakkarii Black (CO) 68-500, 5 TD’s
Marquis Monroe (A): 83-583, 5 TD’s
Anthony Hernandez (A): 57-335, 3 TD’s

Receivers:
Zakkarii Black (CO): 19-319, 4 TD’s
Solomon Davis (CO): 17-295, 7 TD’s
Jayden Alexander (CO): 16-284, 4 TD’s
Isaiah Johnson (CO): 10-334, 5 TD’s
Nathan Alvarado (CO): 14-234, 4 TD’s
Dominic Alloway (A): 19-450, 5 TD’s
Lytallion Payne (A): 16-326, 3 TD’s
Drew Amico (A): 16-326, 1 TD

By the Numbers:
Records: CO (7-0); A (6-1)
Points Scored: CO (273); A (220)
Points Allowed: CO (91); A (134)
Passing Yards Per Game: CO (254); A (203)
Rushing Yards Per Game: CO (113); A (168)
Most Points Scored in a Game: CO (59 vs Marina); A (56 vs Glendora)
Most Points Allowed in a Game: CO (24 vs Northview); A (33 vs Leuzinger)
Average Margin of Victory: CO (39-13); A (32-19)
Charter Oak Road Record: (4-0)
Ayala’s Home Record: (4-1)
Current Win Streak: CO (7); A (1)
MaxPreps State Ranking: CO (90); A (47)
CalPreps Projected Winner & Score: Ayala 31, Charter Oak 21

** Note: This site does not make predictions, but I thought it might be interesting to see how right or wrong CalPreps turns out to be in their projection for Friday’s game.

Common Opponents:
COHS 37, Glendora 7; Ayala 56, Glendora 33
COHS 16, Chino Hills 15; Ayala 20, Chino Hills 19

Last Two Meetings:
2021: Ayala 40, COHS 14
2020: Ayala 35, COHS 14

Charter Oak’s 2022 Schedule-Results:
8/25: COHS 38, Northview 24
9/2: COHS 37, Glendora 7
9/9: COHS 16, Chino Hills 15
9/17: COHS 55, South Hills 7
9/23: COHS 34, West Covina 21
9/29: COHS 34, Los Altos 3
10/7: COHS 59, Marina 14
10/14: COHS at Ayala
10/21: Bonita at COHS
10/27: Alta Loma at COHS

Ayala’s 2022 Schedule-Results:
8/19: Ayala 28, Torrey Pines 14
8/26: Ayala 28, Etiwanda 7
9/1: Ayala 40, Leuzinger 33
9/9: Ayala 41, Monrovia 0
9/16: Ayala 20, Chino Hills 19
9/23: Citrus Valley 28, Ayala 7
9/29: Ayala 56, Glendora 33
10/24: Charter Oak at Ayala
10/21: Ayala at Alta Loma
10/27: Ayala at Bonita

Mountain West League Standings:
Charter Oak (7-0 overall, 0-0 in league)
Ayala (6-1, 0-0)
Bonita (5-2, 0-0)
Alta Loma (4-3, 0-0)