BUENA PARK – From 1969 to 1970 and again from 1984 to 1985, Buena Park had 16-game losing streaks.
For large parts of the late ’80s and early ’90s, the Coyotes struggled to win league games.
More recently, between 2006 and 2007, Buena Park lost 17 straight.
On Friday, after the Coyotes defeated Troy, 42-7, Coach Anthony White and his players reflected on the following:
The Coyotes are Freeway League champions for the first time since 1994.
“There are doubters, haters, naysayers, and then there’s us,” White said. “The Buena Park family.”
Buena Park (9-1, 5-0) shared the league title in 1994, and the last time it earned a title outright was 1991.
And this team?
“There’s a lot of excitement,” said linebacker Cedric Dashiell II, part of a defense that allowed only 26 yards after halftime. “We’re making history all over the place. It’s a great feeling. I’m just glad to be sharing it all with my teammates.”
Coyotes quarterback James Rafkin threw for 98 yards. Taariq Johnson and AJ Allen had touchdown receptions.
Jojo Hawkins scored first for the Coyotes on an 84-yard punt return.
“We have great senior leadership,” said White, whose senior running back, Marcus Manglona, scored twice. “Our coaches work hard, our staff works hard. We all want to make our families proud.”
The win makes Buena Park, La Habra and Troy playoff qualifiers. The pairings will be released Sunday.
Last season, the Coyotes lost in the CIF-SS semifinals.
“Our motto these past few weeks has been, ‘So what? Now what?’ ” White said. “Don’t be satisfied with what you’ve done. We still expect the best out of every player, out of every coach.”
“We made a lot of mistakes tonight,” Dashiell added. “We’ll watch tape, fix everything and come back stronger next week.”
Skyler Taylor had 54 rushing yards for Troy (7-3, 3-2).
Contact the writer: bwhitehead@scng.com
