August 5, 2024
By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
GAHR GLADIATORS
7-4 overall, 3-1 in the Mid-Cities League, second place, lost to Quartz Hill High 28-7 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 11 first round playoffs.
11-34 overall last five seasons
Head coach: Greg Marshall (22nd season, 101-112)
Lost 17 seniors out of 43 players from 2023 opening day roster
Last time missed the playoffs: 2022
2024 schedule
Aug. 23 Valley Christian (3-7 overall last season)
Aug. 30 Cerritos (9-6)
Sept. 6 @ Ocean View (6-6)
Sept. 13 Garden Grove (3-7)
Sept. 20 Los Altos (5-6)
Sept. 27 BYE
Oct. 4 Lynwood (7-6)
Oct. 11 @ Norwalk (3-7)
Oct. 18 @ Compton Early College (first season)
Oct. 25 Firebaugh (3-7)
Nov. 1 @ Paramount (4-6)
When one looks back at the 2023 Gahr High season, the 7-4 record does not exactly tell what the season was really like or what it could have looked like. What’s hidden is the number of times the Gladiators had a turnover at crucial times, either in the end zone or driving for a game-winning score. On top of that, longtime head coach Greg Marshall, who won his 100th game against Paramount High in the ninth game of the season, was dealt with injuries to wide receiver Evan Spurlin-Renfroe in the fourth game at Santa Ana Valley High and linebacker Brendan Martinez just before Mid-Cities League play began. There were other injuries, but despite those two big ones, the Gladiators advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division 11 playoffs and trailed Quartz Hill by a touchdown at halftime.
“I’m not blaming [one particular player], but the time that those fumbles occurred were critical because we scored and we’re feeling it; we stop [the opponent], we get the football back and we fumble,” said Marshall. “That wrapped up the season for me when I looked at it. Obviously, we adjusted with Evan on offense, but he was that extra guy on defense to give [running back/safety] Kalen [Montgomery] a rest. The other one was Brendan Martinez, who got hurt [and] called all our defenses.”
As far as Marshall taking 21 seasons before getting his 100th victory, he said he’s good with that because being in the San Gabriel Valley League for as long as the Gladiators were, they usually had a ‘pretty good preseason’ but were trying to get two or three league wins. In fact, four times, Gahr went 3-2 in the SGVL and once did the Gladiators record four league victories since at least 1999.
“With this format that we’re in now, we probably win more league games, so that 100 wins probably comes a little sooner,” said Marshall.
OFFENSE
Gahr was once again solid on this side of the ball, scoring 338 points with four games north of over 40 points and holding a pair of opponents to single digits twice. But the biggest question will be how the Gladiators replace Montgomery, who led the team with 1,339 yards and 25 touchdowns. Marshall said you don’t replace a guy like Montgomery, but the hope is the Gladiators will throw the ball a little more.
“But the good thing is we have a couple of guys who can run the football and we know we have our line,” said Marshall. “Our line, I think, is going to be the strong part of our offense this year. We have our right guard back; we have a left guard back and a left tackle back. We’re pretty confident in our line.”
Junior quarterback Roman Acosta (16 of 22, 247 yards in three games, four touchdowns last season) returns and figures to get more playing time now that last season’s signal caller, Frank Williams, has graduated. Even though Acosta played in three games, Marshall said he has more experience than Williams did because Acosta played during his freshman and sophomore seasons whereas Williams had never played quarterback before last season. Senior Markell Slaughter would be Acosta’s backup, but he ran 54 times for 425 yards and scored four touchdowns while catching 28 passes for 455 yards and found the end zone another five times as a wide receiver.
Marshall says if Acosta goes down with an injury, then he’ll go with a running quarterback, with Slaughter or senior Ja’shon Wallace. No matter what, Slaughter, who is getting looked at by several colleges, is expected to be a jack of all trades on the offensive side and Marshall predicts he will get at least 25 touches each game.
Senior Dylan Richburg will join those two in the backfield while the main wide receiver, is going to be junior Alexander Gutierrez as Marshall is going to tune some guys at the Y and H [positions].
Senior left tackle Alejandro Duenas, junior left guard Marc Saldana, junior center Robert Sousa and senior right guard Cameron Frossard have locked down their respective positions on the offensive line. The question mark will be at right tackle where senior Ethan Windsor or junior Bradley Park are competing.
“Just because of Alex and Marc and Cameron…obviously we ran the ball so much and we were effective…we’ll probably be bigger than we’ve ever been,” said Marshall.
DEFENSE
It was rare to see the Gladiators allow as few as 238 points last season, but that’s what happened. They held five opponents to fewer than 10 points, but three others reached at least 44 points. Marshall credits the defensive performance to the offense being on the field most of the time.
The defensive setup will look different this season and as Marshall put it, ‘we’re going to have to figure out who can do what’. Duenas and Saldana, who had 38 tackles last season, will anchor the line with Windsor joining them if Gahr goes to a three-man line, according to Marshall. Senior Isaiah Portillo, who had 69 tackles and two interceptions, will be one middle linebacker while Richburg and Wallace and senior Evan Lucena were on the outside last season.
“I told the team is Alex and Marc and Isaiah can make sure that nothing penetrates the middle, we’ll stack it outside and we’ll be fine,” said Marshall. “But if those guys don’t dominate the middle, then we’re going to have issues.”
Junior Harlym Rayford, who was the starting right guard last season, will move to one of the linebacker positions while in the secondary, Slaughter (23 tackles, two interceptions) is the top cornerback returning while senior Issac Gutierrez, who hasn’t played much with the blue and gold, will be the other cornerback. At safety, it will be senior Jacob Sikma and junior Malachi Williams, both of whom have been on varsity but have played little.
Marshall, who prides himself on defense, admitted there are a lot of question marks in the back but thinks Gahr will still be able to stop the run because of who is on the line.
SCHEDULE
The first four opponents are the same as last season but not in the same order. The game with city rival Cerritos High is the earliest the two have ever played, and Gahr stunned the defending Division 12 champions 27-20 in the seventh week as it scored twice in the fourth quarter. The season opener against Valley Christian High was decided by a missed two-point conversion at the end while the Garden Grove High contest was a back and forth 49-47 affair, won by the Argonauts.
“I think if we flipped divisions, we both would have been fine,” said Marshall of Cerritos. “Both teams will be better; I just know Cerritos is better as a program and we played Valley Christian on seven on sevens and they have guys. They looked pretty good. I think both teams are going to be better than they were last year.”
Of course, you want to strive to win every game, but Marshall said he’ll be happy with a 3-2 non-league slate heading into the bye week in preparation for what figures to be an easier Mid-Cities League schedule. Only one league foe reached the playoffs last season and that was Lynwood High, whom the Gladiators blasted 38-0,
After Lynwood comes a Norwalk High program that returns to the league after experiencing a rough go-around in the Gateway League. After that, it should be smooth sailing for the Gladiators, which includes a game at first-timer Compton Early College.
“Lynwood won’t play the schedule we play; they usually play a softer schedule or a lower division schedule,” said Marshall. “So I think going in, we’ll be okay. For us, I’m not going to say [the Lynwood game] will be a step down. But it won’t be as tough as some of our preseason games whereas for them, we’re going to be a step up. That’s going to be a major difference for them in that first [league] game.”
Marshall is still quick to say that Norwalk is the favorites to win the league because of the style the Lancers play; how they run the double wing offense and how it’s tough to prepare for it in one week. He continued by saying they usually have more people, and they have two to three levels of football players.
HOMECOMING
If history repeats itself, then Gahr should be fine when it entertains Lynwood for its homecoming game. The Gladiators have faced the Knights four times since 2008 for their homecoming game and have been victorious each time, the last coming in 2022 in a 31-8 affair. The other three times, which came in 2008, 2010 and 2012, the combined score was 98-66. Last season, Gahr knocked off Paramount 32-6 on homecoming night.
FINAL COMMENT
“You always think it’s going to be this year, then a lot of times it ends up being next year,” said Marshall. “This could be that team. It could be that team where everything just falls into place; the quarterback throws far very well, Markell go off, those three interior guys dominate, and we can stack the outside. Then the other thing is, just like the other years, we can’t have any injuries. Losing Brendan and Even last year was tough. I think we make a little run in that division with those two guys [healthy]. It changes everything with those two guys.”
