For the Covina football team, the end of the regular season has mostly been a formality.

Covina consistently has been in contention for league championships over the last several seasons and Friday’s regular-season finale will be no different as the Colts (8-1, 4-0) have an opportunity to win their third outright league title in four seasons.

The Colts set up Friday’s duel with Chino (3-6, 3-1) by securing at least a share of the Hacienda League title with a 40-35 win over intra-district rival South Hills last week.

“I know they’re going to be physical,” Covina head coach Joe Brown said of Chino. “They’re going to be well coached. They’re going to hit ya and run the ball. It’s going to be a physical game.”

Covina enters the Hacienda League showdown with an overall 12-1 record in league play since 2021 and are averaging nearly 40 points per game this season.

The program’s success this season and consistency over the last several seasons comes despite the lack of continuity in the program’s coaching staff. Covina promoted then-offensive coordinator Joe Brown to head coach in February, the Colts’ fourth different head coach in four seasons.

Brown, who is in his second stint at the helm, succeeded Kevin Glaspy after Glaspy was removed by the school district during an investigation into the handling of an all-star football game that used the district field. Glaspy was given clearance to rejoin the team — as an assistant coach — shortly before the season began in August.

Brown said one of the reasons the program has stayed consistent is because of working class kids “who aren’t afraid to work.”

One of those players is the team’s four-year starting quarterback Jake Duronslet. The senior has been the chief catalyst for much of the Colts’ success amid the coaching carousel over the last four seasons. Covina’s signal-caller has amassed a school record 7,583 yards passing and 93 touchdowns in his career, and has rushed for 1,815 yards and 29 touchdowns.

“In high school, if you have a quarterback of his caliber, you’re going to be in games,” Brown said. “(Duronslet) is something defenses have to scheme to stop … Ee can do it with his arm or his legs.”

What’s impressed Brown the most about his signal-caller is his understanding of the game and how similarly the two see the game. Brown acknowledged early in his coaching career he was a “mircro-manager,” but Duronslet has earned his trust, resulting in the Colts head coach having to “loosen the reins.”

Brown’s trust in Duronslet to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage isn’t common at the high school level and while sometimes the senior quarterback does make mistakes, other times it has paid off in big ways.

“(Against) Northview … I called a run play. They showed a double A gap blitz and they’re in cover 0. He goes up to the line, checks the protection and changes … to a pass play,” Brown recalled. “We hit a guy down the middle for a touchdown. Everyone’s yelling, ‘Good call, coach.’ Well, that’s not me.’”