Duffy Returns Fremont to Its Winning Ways

Pete Duffy acknowledges that it was a rash decision.

Disappointed over his Fremont football team’s 13-9 loss to eventual champion San Pedro in the 1997 City Section quarterfinals, Duffy decided to leave the headaches of high school coaching behind and became an assistant at East Los Angeles College.

A few weeks into the new job, he knew he had made a mistake.

“You never want to make a decision when you’re angry or emotional, and that’s what I did,” said Duffy, who had guided Fremont to a 20-4 record in two seasons. “The opportunity [at ELAC] seemed like an opportunity to work away the disappointment.

“I worked extremely hard at East L.A., but I found out that I missed the high school coaching experience.”

Fremont missed Duffy as well. The Pathfinders fell to 3-7 last season.

This season, Duffy is back. And so are the Pathfinders.

Fremont is 5-0 going into Friday night’s Coliseum League opener against Crenshaw. The Pathfinders have defeated Belmont, Bell, Huntington Park, South Gate and Santa Ana Calvary Chapel.

Senior running back John Tate, senior safety Lamont Taylor and 6-foot-5, 330-pound sophomore lineman Marco Guerra have helped Fremont to its perfect start.

“We’re blessed to have some big, tough hard-nosed linemen,” Duffy said. “We run the ball pretty well and throw it just well enough to keep you off balance.”

Coaching at the junior college level gave Duffy a new appreciation for the high school experience.

“In high school, the kids want to be out there, so you’re all in it together--for better or worse,” Duffy said. “Even if you go 0-10, the kids are like, ‘Yeah, Fremont,’ or South Gate or whatever.

“There are some real talented players at the JC level, but everyone is there for a different reason. The particular situation I was in just wasn’t right for me.”

Fremont is part of the new Coliseum League that also includes Dorsey, Crenshaw, Jefferson, Locke and Manual Arts.

“It’s not going to be easy, because anyone in this league can beat anyone else on any given day,” Duffy said. “But the kids are having fun again. And so am I.”