Football:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

Jake Duronslet has played football for almost the entirety of his life.

In fact, 12 of his 17 years on this planet have included a football helmet and pads.

Duronslet (pronounced dew-ron-slay) has only been a quarterback for three-plus seasons.

In the eighth grade, he switched from running back and receiver to the game’s most consequential position.

The last three years have been spent leading the Covina High School offense.

And don’t let his boyish appearance fool you, Jake Duronslet plays football like a grown man.

He’s that high-character type of guy that all schools covet.

In just 31 games as the Colts quarterback, Duronslet has already tossed 65 career TD passes.

The CHS junior is just three TD’s shy of tying Billy Livingston’s career-record of 68, which was set 12 years ago.

Since arriving at the school in 2021, Covina is 21-10, and that includes a 6-0 mark and two consecutive Sierra League championships.

Duronslet is just 101 passing yards from reaching the prestigious 5,000-yard club.

As long as he remains healthy, Duronslet will surpass Livingston’s career record of 6,617 passing yards sometime in 2024.

Jake’s TD-to-interception ratio at Covina is better than 3-to-1 (65-20).

But it’s not just his right arm that has paid large dividends for the Colts.

In his 31 games at the high school level, Duronslet has rushed for 1,111 yards on 204 carries.

And that includes 19 rushing TD’s.

Considering how well they’ve played, neither Covina nor Duronslet have gotten the media attention they deserve and have earned.

But the really cool thing about this kid is that he wants to shout from a rooftop that his teammates and coaches deserve as much if not more credit for the Colts success than he does.

It all starts with his beloved offensive line, and from left tackle heading right includes Josh McElroy, Gabriel Rodriguez, Ricky Velazquez, Ben Rardin and Omar Esparza.

The Colts have a number of offensive and defensive stars.

Joseph Rangel (56 carries for 526 yards and 10 TD’s), Joaquin Barragan (46 carries for 360 yards & five TD’s) and
Jacob Perez (48 carries for 266 yards & three TD’s) have helped anchor a Colts running game that has totaled 3,000 yards rushing and an average of 200 per game.

Abraham Perez (24 catches for 487 yards and four TD’s) Adrian Rachal (23 catches for 350 yards and seven TD’s)
and Devean Urrea (nine catches for 215 yards and one TD) have been Duronslet’s top targets through the air.

On the defensive side of the ball, tackle leaders include Joseph Rangel (46 tackles), Jerry Ropke (44), Joaquin Barragan (43), Rey Marquez (43), Jayson Porter (42), Kamron Davis (37) and Dean Vargas, who has tallied 35 tackles.

Rangel and Vargas both have five tackles for-loss apiece, while Vargas and Marquez have totaled four sacks each.

Rachal leads the CHS defense with two interceptions.

Duronslet and the Colts (6-1) host Chino (6-1) on Friday night at Covina District Field.

It is the Sierra League opener for both programs.

Chino coach Joey LaRosa was classy enough to send me a quote for this feature story.

Said LaRosa: “Short and sweet, the kid is a baller. This is our third year playing against him and he’s 2-0 against us. He’s very calm and collective. He doesn’t make many mistakes, and he usually makes the correct read or throw all the time. Jake is very elusive, can extend plays and he’s able to make something out of nothing. He’s just a special kid.”

So far this season, Duronslet has completed 72-of-118 pass attempts for 1,255 yards.

He’s thrown 15 TD’s and has been picked four times.

Duronslet has 32 carries for 162 yards and four rushing TD’s.

Through seven games, Covina has outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 294-112, or an average victory of 42-16.

The lone loss of 2023 was a week-three, 37-35 setback to Northview, in spite of having two 14-points leads.

Since then, however, the Colts have defeated La Salle, Sierra Vista and Montclair, 135-29.

In spite of harboring a healthy rivalry, the Covina and Northview programs share a genuine respect for the other.

Anthony Silva, who is considered to be one of the SGV area’s best offensive minds had this to say about Duronslet.

“Jake is a leader, and most importantly, a football player,” he said. “He will do whatever it takes to help his team, whether it’s trying to run over a linebacker or throwing a deep ball to his wide receiver. You can tell he just wants to win. I’ve seen him multiple times on film fist pumping after a teammate makes a big run for a TD, and that right there shows you he wants to win more than getting his stats. My son plays for the Covina Vikings, and there have been numerous times that I have taken him to practice at 6 pm and Jake is still on the field by himself or with a coach or teammate getting extra work. Those are not traits you can coach.”

Duronslet holds himself to higher standards than anyone else, and he had no issue telling this writer that his 3.0 GPA is nowhere near what it should be.

Jake intends to change his educational results for the better.

At 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Duronslet doesn’t get the same attention from college coaches as would someone 6-foot-2.

But if he continues at this pace, someone is going to take a chance on Jake Duronslet, and if/when they do, their program will benefit greatly.

Duronslet gets his strength and cues from his faith in God, and his parents, Deserene and James Duronslet

“My dad is someone I look up to,” he said. “My dad is one of the hardest working people I know. He always taught me how to be resilient and never run away from things when times get tough. My mom is the most amazing person I know. I admire how she stands up for what she believes and isn’t afraid to tell it how it is. My mom is always the first person to tell me something when I’m wrong. She’s always been my No. 1 supporter and I love her with all my heart. Both of my parents work extremely hard to provide for me and my brothers. Words cannot explain how much I love them and how thankful I am for both of them.”

Jake also has two brothers.

Justice Duronslet is nine and can be seen on the Covina sidelines every Friday night.

His 20-year-old big brother, James, plays football at Ottawa University in Surprise, Arizona, and he’s someone Jake looks up to.

Duronslet said he loves CHS coach Kevin Glaspy, his staff and their players.

Jake believes a significant part of their success is due to the fact that his teammates have all accepted their roles and that the coaches and players are all pulling in the same direction.

Lastly, I asked Duronslet what he hopes his legacy and reputation will be after leaving CHS in 2025.

Said Jake Duronslet: “When my days are over at Covina, I hope my teammates remember me as someone who pushed them to be the best version of themselves. Someone who wanted to win at all costs, and someone who gave their absolute best for every person on the team. I hope I leave a legacy of someone who put Jesus first, and that I gave everything I had for the Covina High School football program, and for the community of Covina.”

To view a photo gallery of Duronslet through the years, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook

In the quotable section below, I asked Coach Glaspy to touch on the following: Jake has started since his freshman year. Was Covina lacking at that time or was Jake ahead of his time and ready for the job? What qualities does he have that makes him an effective QB? What kind of a kid/teammate and competitor is he? How do his teammates react to him? Is he a leader? Not being the biggest guy in the world, how does he overcome size issues and have the success he’s having?

Quotable:

Covina coach, Kevin Glaspy: “Jake was ready for the job his freshman year. He was the best QB in the program and the best players will play. He had an excellent year as a starting ninth grader at QB, and that produced some great numbers, passing for nearly 3,000 yards. He’s extremely football smart, elusive, and a pinpoint accurate passer. He is also physically tough.
Jake is one of the main leaders of our team this year. He is always putting extra time in after practice with his receivers. He is very competitive and simply hates to lose. He is willing to do the extra things to win. He is fairly quiet but speaks and leads when necessary. He will ride his teammates to match his dedication and intensity.

Jake isn’t the biggest physically, but he plays big. He isn’t scared to make contact and he would be starting at safety as well if we needed him there in a crunch. In high school at our level, size isn’t the factor it seems to be. Jake is one of the top QBs that we’ve had since I have been at Covina, even as a student here. And that goes back to the late 1980’s. We’ve had some good ones too with Nick Covarrubias, Mike McDonough, Billy Livingston, Nin Burns II, and now Jake. To lead for four years is quite the company to keep. I appreciate his leadership and his will to win and be successful. Those are things that you really can’t coach and you hope that every athlete has those characteristics about himself. It makes my job easier when the athlete exhibits those traits and takes the lead with his teammates and holding them accountable.

Northview coach, Marcel Perez: “I think Jake is a great competitor. He’s someone who is tough to prepare for since he is very accurate with his throwing, and he can turn around and run if need be. Sometimes, he is more dangerous with his legs than his arm.”

Covina senior, Abraham Perez: “Jake is a very good leader and also a great friend. He’s always bringing the energy at practice. What I like about him as a teammate is that he gets on us. He has that tough love for us and he’s always pushing all of us to be our very bests. Outside of football, he’s very respectful and kind and outgoing. He’s very focused when it comes to football and he’s a fierce competitor. Whenever I’m on the field with him, I’m very confident in his ability to make something happen, and to also do his job and his part in leading to our team to success.”

Covina senior, Joaquin Barragan: “Jake is an amazing teammate, competitor, athlete, and friend. He’s just a natural born leader and holds everyone to a high standards. Jake and I have been teammates and friends since we were eight years old, and I can say he has been a great teammate and leader since then. He and I have that same competitive mindset, so we just make each other better with him running offense and me running defense. We go at it at practice and just make the team better. We all feed off his energy. There is nobody around that has a work ethic like him. He’s working 24/7 and always pushing me and our teammates to get better.”

Covina senior, Adrian Rachal: “Jake is the type of leader you want on your team. He’s a great player and he always brings the intensity and competition to practice. He’s an overall great teammate.”

Covina’s Schedule-Results:
8/18: Covina 42, California 0
8/25: Covina 40, South Hills 14
8/31: Covina 42, Diamond Bar 32
9/8: Northview 37, Covina 35
9/15: Covina 37, La Salle 21
9/22: Covina 50, Sierra Vista 0
9/28: Covina 48, Montclair 8
10/13: Chino vs Covina at Covina District Field
10/20: Covina at Pomona
10/26: Covina at Rowland

Sierra League Standings:
Covina (6-1, 0-0)
Chino (6-1, 0-0)
Pomona (4-3, 0-0)
Rowland (0-6, 0-0)

This Week’s Schedule:
Chino vs Covina at Covina District Field
Rowland at Pomona

Jake Duronslet’s Career Stats at Covina:
2023 (seven games): 72-of-118 for 1,255 yards, 15 TD’s & 4 INT’s; 32 carries for 162 yards & 4 TD”s
2022: 104-of-186 for 1,504 yards, 21 TD’s & 9 INT’s; 112 carries for 700 yards & 12 TD’s
2021: 145-of-226 for 2,140 yards, 29 TD’s & 7 INT’s; 60 carries for 249 yards & 3 TD’s
Career Totals: 321-of-530 for 4,899 yards, 65 TD’s & 20 INT’s; 204 carries for 1,111 yards & 19 TD’s

Covina’s Record Over Duronslet’s Career:
2023: 6-1, 0-0
2022: 7-5, 3-0
2021: 8-4, 3-0