La Cañada football found ways to win despite COVID-19 impacted season

LA CAÑADA, Calif. — La Cañada had done everything they could do to prepare for its football season. Working with a limited practice schedule and tight regulations, Coach Dave Avramovich had readied his program for a tricky fall slate.

However, the morning before the Spartans’ season opening scrimmage, he got word from school officials: four of his starters had to be sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols.

It was a shock emblematic of an unpredictable season for La Cañada in Avramovich’s first full season at the helm. Still, the Spartans found positives amidst a difficult season.

“It’s been a challenging year,” Avramovich said. “But I think the kids have handled it really well.”

Facing the slew of problems brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Avramovich has been forced to tinker with his team throughout the season. Virus protocols have seen his players taken off the bus before games. Practice limitations have limited the amount of work the team has been able to put in.

However, on the field, the team still found a way to win games. The Spartans secured their first winning season since 2016 last Friday with a 46-43 win over San Marino.

But it had been a long road to get there.

It was January 2021 and a football season looked unlikely. Avramovich, then an assistant coach, assumed that the Spartans wouldn’t be taking the field until fall at the earliest.

“If you’d asked me in January, I’d say there’s no chance we’re playing any games,” Avramovich said.

But the Rio Hondo League ruled otherwise, declaring that a four-game slate was possible, albeit with the strictest of regulations. The Spartans played four games from March 19 through mid-April, going 3-1 in those contests. It was a small sample size, but one that set the tone for a strong fall season.

That momentum carried over, but not without complications. The Spartans parted ways with head coach Jason Sarceda prior to the fall 2021 season. Avramovich was eventually handed the reins but didn’t get full control of the program until June, giving him a tight deadline to put a squad together.

And when he did assemble his team, things looked different from normal. Some players weren’t vaccinated, others were simply held back from playing by parents due to medical concerns. Developing a team at full strength was difficult, he found.

“It’s been really hard to practice consistently,” Avramovich said. “We’ve gone shorthanded into some games. And that’s all part of the normal.”

A change of mindset helped things for the Spartans, though.

“We said that at the beginning of the year, we’re gonna hold the season loosely,” Avramovich said.

That meant preparing for the unpredictability of things. Being ready for the possibility that the whole offensive line could miss a contest. Or even anticipating the likelihood that a mismatch could become a tight contest.

And with that attitude, the Spartans have enjoyed one of their more successful seasons in recent memory. They rattled off three straight wins to begin the season, including a 58-21 throttling of Glendale on opening night.

A narrow loss to Campbell Hall blemished what would have been a perfect start heading into league play, but the Spartans still carried a 4-1 start into the Rio Hondo League.

Things got trickier in league play. They faced a 60-15 drubbing at the hands of Monrovia, and a contest with South Pasadena also ended in defeat. But Avramovich’s squad rebounded, blanking Temple City 48-0.

Then came the signature victory, a 46-43 shootout win over San Marino, Avramovich’s former program. The Spartans raced out to an early lead and looked to have killed the game at half time. However, the Titans kept things close and took the lead with just over three minutes remaining.

But the Spartans fought back, mounting a game-winning drive and sealing a narrow victory to see out a remarkable season.

It was a victory emblematic of a difficult season, one of last-minute lineup changes and rescheduled games. One of starters missed and reserves relied upon. Still, no matter who was missing, or what adjustments had to be made, La Cañada found ways to win.

And for Avramovich, that’s a promising start.

“They’re a resilient group of kids,” he said.

This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.