2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW – John Glenn’s culture changed last season, but pressure awaits the Eagles to duplicate in 2024

By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X

JOHN GLENN EAGLES

6-4 overall last season, 1-2 in the 605 League, third place

17-24 overall last five seasons

Head coach: Elijhaa Penny (second season, 6-4)

Lost 10 seniors out of 35 players from 2023 opening day roster

Last time made the playoffs: 2019

2024 schedule

Aug. 22       @ Bassett (5-5 overall last season)       

Aug. 29       Rancho Dominguez (3-7)                        

Sept. 6        @ University-Los Angeles (3-8)             

Sept. 13      @ Norwalk (3-7)                                        

Sept. 20      La Quinta (6-4)

Sept. 27      University-Irvine (4-6)

Oct. 4          Grace (7-4)

Oct. 11        BYE

Oct. 17        Artesia (8-5)

Oct. 24        Cerritos (9-6)

Oct. 31        @ Pioneer (2-8)

In the eyes of John Glenn High head coach Elijhaa Penny, last season was a success, even though the Eagles failed to advance to the CIF-Southern Section playoffs for the since 2019. In fact, his six victories ties the output from the 2018 and 2019 playoff seasons.

“I believe it was a success because these kids aren’t used to winning,” said the former Norwalk High standout and NFL player. “So building that culture of just winning and expecting to win, and putting the work in to win is a success without looking at the record. Just changing the culture and changing the mindset…now these guys are here now, and these young guys have a standard to meet, which is actually cool now. Overall, it was a big time success.”

Penny continued to say that he saw how the players viewed the new coaches in that they didn’t cut any corners or any slack. The coaching staff was on the players all the time and following the one-point loss to Bassett High in the season opener, Penny said the players saw the demanding work the coaches were giving them worked.

Last season was the third time the Eagles finished north of .500 since at least 1998 and Penny became the first rookie head coach to have a winning season during that same time. Former head coach Vince Lobendahn coached the Eagles to consecutive 6-5 seasons in 2018 and 2019, which were the last two of his six seasons with the program.

Glenn had just 10 players graduate from last season’s team, but this season is poised to be a difficult one for Penny as many key players who would have returned opted to transfer out or not play. Because of that, the Eagles have only six returning players. One thing is sure, this will be a completely different Glenn team.

OFFENSE

The offense was decent at times, scoring 303 points, and the Eagles went 6-1 when they scored at least 28 points in seven games. The offense will probably center around junior quarterback Luis Manuel Vergara, who was 49 of 80 for 1,200 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions last season. One of the things Penny noticed about his signal caller this past offseason compared to when Penny took over the program is how Vergara is like a coach on the field because he has been practicing and putting the work in every day with the other players.

“It’s just great to just learn with him and grow with him as well,” said Penny. “We’re expecting another great season from Luis.”

His backup will be senior Raymond Acosta (22 of 40, 476 yards, five touchdowns), but Penny is quick to mention that Acosta will predominantly be a tight end. Another backup to Vergara will be freshman James Cecilo, who might be the future of the program.

The biggest defection from last season’s team, and probably the biggest loss in recent memory for the program, is senior running back Tuiono Tuifua, who transferred to La Mirada High. His absence will be greatly missed with the numbers he put together last season (134 carries 1,425 yards, 14 touchdowns, 26 receptions, 597 yards, seven touchdowns).

“Obviously, Tui was a great player,” said Penny. “He’s a good kid overall and unfortunately in this day in age, this transfer thing is like too big. We understand the loss that we took with Tui, but my confidence is super high with these young guys and the guys that we have now who came in and stepped up and filled roles. It’s going to hurt us, but my confidence is sky high through the roof with the kids that we have now.”

Other running backs not coming back to the Eagles are senior Dylan Arrington and juniors running back Terry Henderson (54 carries, 569 yards, five touchdowns, seven receptions, 143 yards) and Daron Walker. That means sophomore Samuel Reeves, who gained 64 yards on nine touches, will have big shoes to fill and is now the go-to running back. He will be joined in the backfield by junior Josiah Alcala, who was listed as a fullback last season, and junior Okoro Lee, who transferred from Gardena High. Penny says he is fast, tough and will be a big part of what the Eagles do this season.

Senior Jacob Ramirez is the leading experienced wide receiver, catching 18 passes for 439 yards and scoring four touchdowns with Acosta and junior Jonah Mason the top targets of Vergara.

“To me, how I look at it is if you’re not a kid from Texas that’s 6’3”, 260 pounds running a 4.4 40-yard dash, then any position can be replaced,” said Penny of the transfer situation. “Any kid can be replaced. Losing those guys definitely took a big hit on our offense and it took a big hit on our program in the direction we want to go.”

If there is a concern with Glenn’s offense, it will come from the line as several positions are, as Penny puts it, in a frenzy. There is a battle for the left tackle spot while last season’s left guard (Johdan Escobar), center (Joshua Frausto), and right guard (Ivan Galindo) are no longer on the team. With that said, the line will be inexperienced with sophomore Andre Romo slated to be at left guard, junior Emmanuel Lopez projected to be at center, junior Martin Lopez probably will be at left guard and at least three players competing for the two tackle spots.

“Just being here last year, definitely we had some skill,” said Penny. “We had a lot more experience, a lot more polished guys. But they came with a germ. They came with the germ of just not being used to a winning culture, not used to practicing on how to be a winner, not knowing how to talk as a winner. This group of guys that I have right now are the guys you want to go to war with on Friday’s. They’re not going to quit; they’re not going to give up. I know that’s not going to be an issue. The only issue that we would have is the experience across the board.”

DEFENSE

Rare for any Glenn team was the 208 points it yielded last season as the Eagles held five opponents to under 20 points. In fact, they were only blown out in two of the four losses, losing by 36 points to Norwalk High and 38 points to Cerritos High.

Acosta and Alcala will take the end spots on the line with Lopez at nose guard. The secondary will be home to Lee, Mason, Ramirez, Reeves, senior A.J. Gutierrez with Romo, with one of the top linebackers in the league, returning in that position. Reeves could also see some time there.

“I think that both sides of the ball are going to do their jobs; do what we need to do to get the job done,” said Penny. “Actually, all three phases because now, I’m installing my special teams and schemes that we have going in now. The kids are excited about it; they’re pumped up. this group is a very hungry group of kids, and I believe that they’ll get the job done in all three phases of the game.”

SCHEDULE

Glenn will be familiar with the first four opponents as they split with those teams last season, losing to Bassett by a point before putting a beating on Rancho Dominguez High. Then came a four-point win over University High from the CIF-Los Angeles City Section and finally, a 36-point loss to Norwalk.

“Those first four games, I think, are decent programs,” said Penny. “I don’t think their record really reflects what type of team they were because Bassett obviously has some talent on their side of the ball and Rancho Dominguez as well. But all games are winnable games, including the Norwalk game. I feel with this young group, if we can get them off to a hot start…that would be very good for their confidence.”

The next three games, all at home, should be right around Glenn’s competitive level before its bye week heading into the 605 League slate. The Eagles haven’t played La Quinta High since 2009 and have won five of the past six meetings with the Aztecs from 2004-2009. Knowing that two league wins will get you into the playoffs, an upset over at least one of the first two games following the bye is critical. When Glenn faced Cerritos last season, it was only 10-0 at the half.

“I think that if you’re watching the game from the stands, it looks tough,” said Penny. “But if you watched the Cerritos game, everything was right there. They lined up exactly how we wanted them to. They played exactly how we expected them to, and this is not a thing to where I’m blaming the kids or pointing fingers at the kids.

“But we were a very young team last year, including the head coach,” he continued. We were fresh off our bye, and I think that we were 5-2 too high. We had this ego that oh, we’re beating teams now. I don’t even think we were manhandled [against Cerritos]. If you watched the film, the film says that John Glenn made way too many mistakes.”

HOMECOMING

Grace High will be the fourth non-league homecoming opponent since 1999. Last season, the Eagles defeated Godinez High 31-10 for the program’s seventh homecoming win since 1999, snapping a four-game losing streak in such games. The other two non-league homecoming games came in 2016, a 51-20 loss to Hoover High, and in 2019, a 24-16 setback to Hawthorne High.

The Simi Valley-based Lancers were a Division 13 freelance team last season after having played eight-man football the previous two seasons and won seven of their last eight regular season games before falling to Miller High, 65-50, in the first round of the playoffs.

FINAL COMMENT

“I think what you’re going to see this year is a different group of kids, obviously with a lot of kids transferring,” said Penny. “But the mindset and the mentality is going to be totally different. There are no kids here that are used to losing. We have a brand new group of kids who expect to win, and they do what they have to do to win and prepare the right way to win. I love this group, we’re young and I look forward to the challenge for them.”