La Cañada coach Dave Avramovich returns to San Marino
LA CAÑADA, Calif. — La Cañada football coach Dave Avramovich still remembers the play. It was late in the fourth quarter of the 2015 California regional playoffs, and San Marino was trailing Sierra Canyon by one point.
After Michael Chan had punched the ball in for a touchdown, the Titans had a choice to make: take the extra point to knot the game at 35, or go for two and seal a win.
San Marino opted for the latter. Quarterback Mark Wicke received a snap and rolled out to his right. He ignored two wide open receivers and dove into the end zone, capping off a 22-point comeback win.
Avramovich was on the home sideline in Titan blue that night, part of the San Marino coaching staff.
Six years on, and he will be back at Titan Stadium again. Only this time, he’ll be dressed in rival colors as the Spartans face the Titans in a Rio Hondo League clash.
“It’s such a special place in my life. Really, formative years,” Avramovich said.
Avramovich enjoyed 10 years in the Titan football program, shepherding the freshman team and serving as an assistant for the varsity squad. After leaving in 2017, he took a job on the staff at La Cañada. Prior to the 2021 season, the Spartans handed him the head coaching role, his first such position at the varsity level.
That spot was the reward for a career that’s spanned almost 20 years and has seen an immense amount of success. At San Marino, he led a dominant freshman squad for five years, developing talent for a strong varsity squad.
“We didn’t lose a lot in those five years,” Avramovich said. “We were able to build something.”
It will be his second visit to the away locker room in Spartan colors. He served as defensive coordinator when La Cañada lost 42-7 back in October 2019. Two years later, and his Spartan squad is in a much better position. La Cañada is 5-4 and could shoot up the Rio Hondo League standings with a win on Friday night.
Despite a COVID-19 limited season, Avramovich and his staff have brought a previously dormant Spartan squad to life. They opened the season with three straight wins, tallying 110 points in those victories. Though Rio Hondo league play has been more of a mixed bag, albeit with some key absentees due to COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing, a game against a struggling San Marino side represents a good opportunity to stay above .500.
But for Avramovich, Friday night’s clash reaches beyond the two teams on the gridiron. Over his 10 years at San Marino, he got involved in organizations around the school and was in the classroom, too. He made connections in the community, befriending parents, families and seeing how his players operated off the field.
“It’s a special place,” Avramovich said. “I spent a lot of time there, and I love the community. I love the people.”
He’s still attached to the current team as well. Avramovich coached siblings of current San Marino starters and is expecting to see some familiar faces in the bleachers.
Avramovich has rekindled his old friendships, reaching out to families associated with the San Marino football program, encouraging them to come to the game Friday night. So far, the response has been positive. And while his focus remains on the game, he’s looking forward to the hugs and catch-ups after the final whistle.
So, it’ll be an emotional return for Avramovich as he coaches the Spartans Friday. The away locker room is unfamiliar territory, he said. And it’s still strange to be standing on the opposite side of the field. But reach into his pocket, and he still has the keys to the Titan’s locker room and weight room, reminders of a successful tenure as he embarks on a new one.
“There’s lots of stories and examples and memories of being on that field, good and bad,” Avramovich said. “It’s a special place for me personally.”
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