I was invited to attend a meeting of the YMCA Quarterback Club on October 7th, and I was immediately on board with it. This event has reportedly been going on for more than 80 years, and I appreciated the invitation from Manuel Lemus, our head football coach at Glendale High School. 

Coach Lemus felt that our readers should be able to understand more about this weekly meeting, and since no GHS student had ever been invited to one of these meetings or had it featured in the newspaper, I was honored to be involved. I especially felt like a real reporter when I was introduced as a member of the press during lunch. 

During the football season, which runs from August 26 to November 4, a YMCA Quarterback Club luncheon is held every Tuesday at the Oakmont Country Club. The Quarterback Club was founded in 1942, and supports all of the Glendale community schools and colleges. 

Each meeting features a report from all of the local football coaches, and they talk about their games from the previous Friday, going over general statistics, including their athletes and game strategies. Just having the coaches gather together and speak about their weekly updates is interesting, because they give their perspective about each game and how their teams performed. 

The current Quarterback Club chairman, Kevin Danni, introduced each football coach individually, who each represented their school. The participating coaches were Glendale College’s Tanner Farwell, St. Francis High School’s Dean Herrington, La Canada High School’s Dave Avramovich, Glendale High School’s Manuel Lemus, Hoover High School’s Jordan Ward, Crescenta Valley High School’s Hudson Gossard and Village Christian School’s Richard Broussard. The coaches talked about the results of their games, what worked, and how they could do better for their next matchup.

Spiro Psaltis, who was president of the Quarterback Club from 2021 to 2023, is currently co-chairing the scholarship committee and raffle prize donations. But he also serves as the public address announcer for our GHS baseball, basketball and football games. Mr. Psaltis provided me with a quick overview of himself, his roles within the club and the event calendar. 

He also discussed his involvement with this YMCA organization and its future ambitions, particularly for the high school football players in the area. In particular, they plan on collecting money for team gear and upcoming scholarships. Despite his retirement as president, Mr. Psaltis continues to be actively involved in this organization, in order to help all of its members have a better and more prosperous future. 

Mr. Psaltis has now handed Kevin Danni the microphone. As part of his position, Mr. Danni runs the meetings and introduces the public to each football coach and guest speaker, and he also establishes the meeting’s agenda and expectations. Additionally, he ensures that all matters are handled, including community relations, athletic programs, meeting scheduling and scholarship decisions. 

Meeting Mr. Danni and Mr. Psaltis was such a pleasant moment. Both of their faces lit up when they discovered that I was covering this meeting for Explosion for the first time. Although the Quarterback Club has been running for almost a century, and coincides with every football season, few people are aware of this organization. 

Both Mr. Danni and Mr. Psaltis want the public to be interested in these events, come by for lunch and learn more about what this program can do for the community and local high school athletics. Their primary goal in establishing this program is to bring people together, whether they are members, athletes, parents or alumni. 

Coach Lemus was given a chance to come up to the mic and talk about the previous game against Crescenta Valley. Unfortunately, the Nitros has just lost a close game against the Falcons, with a final of 42-34. Despite the loss, Coach Lemus was proud of a tremendous effort that our players showed on the field. For example, sophomore Arman Papazyan rushed for 217 yards and scored two touchdowns for the team, setting a new season-high mark for himself. 

Towards the end of the session, I was able to pull Coach Lemus aside to ask him questions about the football season, and he talked about his history with local sports. “This is my third year attending the quarterback club meeting, and it is just like a full circle for me,” he revealed. 

“Before coaching at the Glendale football team, I coached with Richard Broussard from Village Christian High School, and he hired me,” he continued. “Broussard gave me the opportunity as a coordinator position, and even coached in the CIF finals with him.” 

Before coming to GHS, Coach Lemus coached at Shamanade High School in West Hills, California. “It’s a private school, but they play division one and two, a higher level of football,” he said. 

Coach Lemus admitted that hopes were not high for the game against the Falcons. “Before the game with Crescenta Valley, we had two losses in a row, with the score zero, so it was difficult to watch as the head coach,” he admitted. “Without a doubt, the kids were playing hard in the field, despite the struggles they faced. It was the beginning quarters that were hurting us. Yet they came back each practice harder and harder, to show their true character on the field.” 

 “At the end, these games are a life lesson for the kids,” he reflected. “They have to learn that sometimes it’s not about winning, but it’s about what you do on the field. It’s teaching them to fight back from defeat and adversity.” 

Coach Lemus also talked about how quickly the season has gone by this year. “It just feels like yesterday in March when we started having practices at 6:00 a.m., and now it’s October,” he said. 

Ultimately, Coach Lemus has nothing but respect for his players. “I am so proud of my team because they are truly gritty,” he stated. “They are…determined to do their best. They work so hard every single practice and game day, regardless of the result. They truly have a passion for playing football. They put their blood, sweat and tears on the field, and it truly makes me happy to be their coach.” 

Coach Lemus also shared some final words for his team in the Battle for the Bell this Thursday. “My advice for them since day one, and on the Homecoming Game, is to play fast and have fun,” he advised.

If anyone is passionate about joining the football team for the upcoming school year, contact Coach Lemus at [email protected]. And make sure to watch the Homecoming Game on October 30th at Moyse Stadium at 7:00 pm and cheer for our Dynamiters!