Chase Curren looks like a 15 year old. He has braces on his teeth, his blond hair is cut in the middle, and his chin hints that he might have to shave one day. It's his youthful appearance coupled with the talent of the sophomore quarterback that has Crespi High football fans excited about the revival of a program that was 0-10 just three years ago.
Brad Wonnama, a 34-year-old QA from Fresno State in the 2022 class, has been tasked with rebuilding the program. The team went 2-8 in 2023, 5-6 last season and 7-0 this season after beating La Salle 49-7 on Friday night.
With former Crespi and Oregon guard Brian Bennett coaching Curren, the future looks bright. Curren threw three touchdown passes and scored a touchdown on Friday, giving him 21 touchdown passes on the season. The Celts had five sacks, including two each from Grant Woods and Somto Nwude.
It was 40 years ago, in 1985, when a freshman running back named Russell White enrolled at Crespi and changed the fortunes of the football program. By 1986 the Celts had won the championship. Big Five Conference Championship defeating St. John Bosco in the final at Angel Stadium. White, a sophomore, rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns against the Braves.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Curren could be the Celts' next teenager to change the program by attracting others who want to catch passes, provide protection as a blocker and gain popularity playing with a quarterback who dreams of making it to the NFL.
Curren lives in Manhattan Beach and made the decision to come to Encino because of “the coaching staff. I like the environment and the energy, and several of the kids on my eighth-grade team came too. I love it here. It's comfortable.”
He was a JV quarterback his freshman year, so he had to develop away from the pressures of social media expectations.
“You always want to strive to be that guy in college, but I felt like it would be good for me to take a year to develop and learn the system better and get more comfortable,” he said. “I feel ready. I like the pressure that comes with being the starting quarterback. There weren't many people looking at you at JV. The stakes are higher now, especially because we're winning.”
Curren surprised some by rushing for 86 yards and a touchdown last week against St. Anthony's.
“It was a read, a counter play, and I just took advantage of it,” he said. “When I came back, I was really tired. I'm not a play-first quarterback, so it was a little different for me.”
Last summer, he and his father went to Fresno and received private instruction for an hour or two from real-life quarterback whisperer Jeff Tedford, Aaron Rodgers' trainer in California. He worked on his mechanics and his stride to create more power in his throws. “Jeff feels like he can make shots,” said Crespi president Ken Foersch, who played for Tedford at Fresno State.
Curren said: “It was a wonderful experience. He has a lot of wisdom and knowledge to share.”
The program is gradually adding talent. The JV program, led by former Loyola and Cal State Northridge coach Jeff Kearin, is 16-0 the past two seasons. Freshman Antonio Glasby returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown Friday against La Salle. Sophomores Steven Nunez and Marcus Daley each had touchdown catches. Sophomore Oliver White returned the ball 64 yards for a touchdown.
There are different recovery methods. You can take shortcuts by attracting transfers and hiring shady assistants who try to use their connections to attract new players. Or you can gradually change the culture and develop players within the program, hoping that positive feedback will inspire others to join.
This is a dilemma for private schools that have been successful in the past but are unlikely to return to the highest level because of changes. Will graduates be satisfied with winning Division 10, 9 or 8 titles after previous years of glory in the higher divisions? Bishop Montgomery showed what can happen if you try to become an overnight power by accepting 24 transfers and then have to cancel a university season when the transfers were deemed ineligible for providing false information.
On Friday, Crespi honored his 2005 Division X champion team, coached by Jeremiah Ross, who succeeded Troy Thomas, coach of the 2004 Division X champion team. The Celts are looking to recapture that potential and will play the Del Rey League championship decider against Salesian next week.
Curren is just focused on continuing to improve every week.
“Never stop there,” he said. “We need to stay humble, keep working, keep climbing the ladder, get better every week and prove that we can play against some of the best teams that we couldn’t handle before.”
