La Salle Football Juggernaut Preps for Homecoming Game This Week

Pasadena’s La Salle High School Lancers couldn’t have asked for a dreamier set up to this week’s Homecoming Game against Bosco Tech. The Lancers head into the game undefeated (9-0), backed by an incredible season marking new head Football Coach Russell Gordon’s debut at the school.

In all Coach Gordon’s Lancers have racked up 434 points while holding struggling opponents to only 112.

Only one game so far has even been close (against Westchester; the Lancers won 47-30). The Lancers have squashed opponents with scores like the 65-7 drubbing they delivered to Marantha and the record-setting 65-7 route they inflicted on Verbum Dei.

Maybe too early to forecast a La Salle football golden era dawning, but it’s hard to imagine a more stellar first year for a new coach and his staff. Over the past seven years, La Salle had counted just 7 wins while losing 34 games. Last year the team went 1-9.

Now word comes that Coach Gordon has just been named an NFL High School Coach of the Week.

In an interview, Gordon commended his players for training extremely well and playing “their hearts out each game – the kids were young and they trained extremely hard.”

Gordon credited his team’s success not only to the players’ passion but to his coaching staff – many of whom came with him to La Salle from Campbell Hall. According to Gordon, he and his coaching staff have been working together for about 12 years and their experience led to the program they’ve implemented at La Salle.

“I am fortunate to bring along my Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Coach William Shine. He has done a great job with his great game plans and prepping the kids in every game. And my head of football operations Randy Katz, who is also our Linebacker coach, is excellent, too. They have been playing hard every game and play,” Gordon said.

The entire La Salle football coaching lineup includes Tommy Moreno, Randy Katz, David Shaw, Nate Harris, Russell Gordon, Steve Gil, William Shine, Lamont Williams, Willie Tuitama, Steve Tolbert, Neil Breight and AJ Blanco.

Out on the field, Gordon points to La Salle’s three “incredible running backs” whom he said will get college sponsors “without a doubt.” The backs – dubbed “The Three Headed Monster” – are Bryce Harvey, Amir Evans and Israel Lacy.
At the helm: QB’s Austin Wallis and Man Berg.

Rounding out the offense are Jaylen Gray, Jordan Gray, Bobby LaSalle, Marcus Tappen, and the superheroes of the O-Line.

The bone-crushing defense highlights Bobby LaSalle, Marcus Tappen, Bryce Shaw, Ryan Cimino, Garrett Stone, Kyle Lewis and David LaSalle.

Gordon described his team as confident not cocky.

“These kids experienced losing before. Now that they are on the winning side, they understand that at any moment things can change. There is not room to be cocky,” he said.

But more important than the winning streak, the first-year coach said, the game of football should be about teaching young men and women (he insisted on including women because La Salle has fielded young women players in the past), the right mind set and values to face life successfully and to confront every fourth and ten life has to throw at them.

For more information about La Salle High School, please call (626) 696-4346 or visit www.lasallelancers.org.