Claremont High School’s football coach Coco Jarin has been on the job for six months, however, he has yet to see his team tested in an actual game. That will all change this month when the Pack travels to Chino in a pre-season scrimmage against Don Lugo on the 21st followed the next week with a home game against El Rancho.

Coach Jarin has been an assistant coach for over 30 years but he has had to adjust a bit to the job of running his own program.

“Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it,” he said recently following practice at CHS. “Being an assistant for 34 years, you’re really enjoying being a football coach, and not really recognizing all of the hats a head coach puts on. You really don’t appreciate it ‘til you have to go get fitted for all of those hats.”

One of those hats involves selecting the players who will start for the Pack this season and motivating players to make that cut.

“Our mission statement, our mantra, is to create a better version of ourselves every step of our lives, so if we’re not elevating then we are right where we were yesterday,” he said. “The kids are embracing that and trying to make that happen.”

Coach Jarin took over after the retirement of longtime coach Mike Collins who had a pretty good year in 2014 with an overall record of 6-5 including winning all four home games. However, the Pack had disappointing results in 2013, winning only one game, so the program certainly has some challenges.

“If you are a competitive person then challenges are exciting,” he said. “When you know you’ve got to go up against El Rancho, then play Glendora, and a tough Ayala team after opening up against Bonita, there is no relaxing, you’ve got to go to work and the kids recognize that.”

Claremont has a new quarterback in senior Raine Pohaku Kaheaku-Paiva, a transfer student from Paloma Valley High School in Menifee. Last year he had some impressive stats including: 132 completions for 218 attempts, 14 touchdown passes, 1437 total yards averaging 133 yards per game.

Returning from last year is multiple sport standout junior Duy Tran-Sampson who will anchor the Pack’s running game at tailback. Tran-Sampson, who also performed well on the track team, was on the second team all state last year.

“Without a doubt our tailback is one of the best running backs in California,” said Coach Jarin.

On defense sophomore Solomon Tuliaupupu, a six-foot-three, 225 pounds linebacker is already being looked at by Pack 12 scouts, according to Coach Jarin.

“We’re going to make some noise. I think this football team has lot to prove, they work real hard and are not taking anything for granted. Definitely a team that wants to earn it and have the respect of their peers on the football field,” he said.

“If the ball bounces well for us, we are going to have a good season.”

—Steven Felschandneff

steven@claremont-courier.com