ANAHEIM – The tattooed inscription on Cassius Savage’s left bicep partially hides beneath the sleeve of his blue, Western football jersey. The message pays homage to his namesake but also traces to the heart of a rejuvenated team.
“It means a lot,” the soft-spoken junior shares before lifting his shirt to reveal the cursive writing.
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life
The quote is from legendary boxer and activist Muhammad Ali, who was born Cassius Clay.
“He’s an inspiring person,” Cassius said of Ali, a favorite of his mother, Ebony. “He changed a lot.”
In his own way, and with plenty of help, Cassius is helping bring those words of wisdom to life at Western.
He has teamed with his twin brother and fellow wide receiver Caine Savage and quarterback Anthony Munoz to change the fortunes and culture of a once-struggling football program.
The Pioneers take a 4-1 record into an intriguing game at higher-division Garden Grove (5-0) on Friday. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Munoz, a senior, ranks second in Orange County in passing yards (1,674 yards) and touchdowns (24). He has only been intercepted once.
Caine, a blazing junior, ranks third in the county in receptions with 33 and also has 568 yards and eight touchdowns. He plays the “Z” receiver on the far right in Coach Dan Davidson’s spread attack that averages just over 50 points per game.
Cassius, ever the competitive sibling, is nipping at the heels of his brother. He has collected 20 catches for 377 yards and seven TDs.
Laguna Beach coach John Shanahan, whose Breakers are part of the new Pac 4 League with the Pioneers, said he believes Western is passing the ball as well as any team in the county.
Garden Grove coach Ricardo Cepeda said this week that Western – ranked No. 1 in Division 11 – will “probably win CIF.”
“They are a good team,” said Cepeda, whose team is ranked third in Division 9. “Very good offense with lots of weapons.”
How significant is the chatter about the Pioneers? They haven’t made the playoffs or even had a winning season since 2008. They won four games all of last year.
“We have a long season ahead still …. (but) we’ve come a long way,” Munoz said before practice this week, “a long way.”
Munoz and the twins have helped shape Western’s transformation by trusting their own gamble. In the spirit of Ali’s passage, they chose to enroll at Western during its football doldrums in the Empire League.
Munoz, who played quarterback as a youth player in Buena Park, arrived as a freshman in the fall of 2015. The Pioneers posted a 1-9 record in 2014, the first season for Davidson.
“I love being doubted,” Munoz said of his decision. “I want to be part of a change.”
The Savages, who played youth football in Cypress, felt the same way when they started at Western as freshmen in 2016. The Pioneers were 2-8 the previous fall, but the brothers saw an opportunity that matched their inner drive.
“I like being an underdog,” Cassius said. “Most people think coming into the games that we’re going to lose. But when we come in there, we step it up.”
Munoz first had to conquer his failures to find success. As a first-year starter during his sophomore year, Western went 2-7-1.
The 5-foot-9 quarterback said that season was challenging mentally and physically, but he maintained a belief that Western’s script would change.
“I always believed deep down that we had potential,” he said.
Davidson saw the 2016 season as his Ali moment, a chance to be courageous and stick with the commitment to run the spread attack.
“We knew where we could probably get to (with the offense), but you got to have that vision and you sometimes got to take your lumps a little,” said Davidson, who coordinates the offense with Tramaine Brown.
It certainly helped Davidson and Munoz knowing that after 2016, more help was on the way courtesy of the Savages, who played on the freshmen team as ninth-graders.
Caine (5-11, 170) brings 4.5 speed and athleticism that reminds Davidson of a certain former Cypress High star now making highlight grabs for the Washington Huskies.
“His upside is as good or better than Quinten Pounds,” Davidson said of Caine, who has received recruiting interest from Eastern Washington, Fresno State and Nevada among others.
The same colleges also are recruiting Cassius (6-1, 160), who Davidson positions opposite of his brother on the far left of the field as the “X” receiver. Cassius also plays safety.
Munoz’s moving parts on offense are slot receivers such as James Mendoza, Jacob Domino and Rahsaan Hester, all of whom are also dangerous.
“Everybody gets the ball,” Caine said. “It’s not just one person.”
Western focuses on more than its offensive numbers. Davidson has incorporated outreach activities with special needs groups and school organizations as part of the Pioneers’ regular schedule.
Several players participated in the school’s 5K “Color Run” on a recent weekend. Munoz serves as the senior class president, he’s the school ambassador at the district and he leads a few clubs. He also maintains a 4.0 grade-point average.
“It’s a culture,” said Davidson, who counts his son, Jeremy, Joe Conway and Dexter Taylor as key assistants.
“We want to teach these guys to be very successful, good young men. … We haven’t turned the corner (as a program), but we’re on the corner of turning a program all the way around.”