Football: Charter Oak Coach Lou Farrar celebrates win No. 300

The tribute for any coach is when players return to their school as adults and offer thanks.

On Friday night, there were many former Charter Oak players who dropped by to offer support for the coach who keeps going and going like the old Energizer bunny.

Lou Farrar, 70, began coaching in 1968, and Charter Oak players gave him his 300th victory with a 45-21 win over Chino. Charter Oak is 7-0 and ranked No. 1 in Southern Section Division 4.

“It’s been a long journey,” said Farrar, who has been Charter Oak’s only coach since it opened in 1985 when combined with Royal Oak. “It feels good. It was an opportunity to have a lot of great kids come through and a lot of coaches stay. My wife has supported me, and it’s made a difference.”

His wife, however, reminded him how old he really is.

“My wife keeps reminding me some of the kids I coached are 65 years old,” he said.

But Farrar is full of energy. He got home last night at 2:30 a.m. He was up at 6 a.m. for a booster breakfast.

“I look 70 on the outside but feel 25 on the inside,” he said. “I still have that spark. I still want to coach.”

His teams have won five Southern Section titles but kids don’t necessarily return because of titles. They return because a coach makes a difference in their lives, and Farrar continues to do that year after year.

For the latest on high school sports, follow @LATSondheimer on Twitter