Football is back: High school teams hit the field. Here’s what and who we’re watching
In a matter of weeks, the fun kicks off across the state for high school football.
To that end, teams hit the field Monday for the first day of official fall practice, though the calendar reads July.
The days of prep football kicking off after Labor Day went away years ago, just before most teams stopped running the dive play on third and 8.
Monday marked a new beginning for Sacramento-area programs seeking a fresh start, heavy on optimism. Monday also marked a chance to roll momentum from a spring season, a first in this state.
While spring football is common in states such as Texas and Florida, it’s never been more than a pipe dream in California. It became a dream campaign, of sorts, this past spring after the pandemic derailed the fall season, pushing shortened seasons without any postseason into March and April.
Some teams played six games, others just one or two as the nightmare of COVID-19 testing and canceled games hovered. It led to delays and some coaches burned out, quitting their posts.
It’s too early to know if any schools will test for COVID-19 this fall, though it’s quite likely students at a lot of schools will be wearing masks on campus, which is OK for some and absolutely not OK for others.
Teams need five days of practice before they can hit. The early days of practice include helmets and shoulder pads. Hitting can start as soon as next Monday. Area teams will have intrasquad scrimmages on Aug. 6 and 7, then engage in scrimmages against opponents on Aug. 13 and 14. The official kickoff weekend is Aug. 20-21.
We can only keep our fingers crossed that dry/drought conditions don’t lead to more fire destruction, seemingly the norm in recent years in Northern California. Had the season played out last fall without the pandemic, the first two or three weeks of the season would have been wiped out due to poor air quality.
Is Folsom still the top dog?
Yes, and then some. With a remarkable 19 returning starters back, Folsom aims to carry on from its 6-0 spring season.
The Bulldogs have the makings of another championship team, and this is a program that has won nine Sac-Joaquin Section crowns since 2010 to go with four CIF State banners. The Bee’s Large School 2021 Spring Players of the Year are back for Folsom in senior twins Josh and Tyler Tremain, not to mention national recruits in tight end Walker Lyons, receiver Rico Flores and San Jose-committed linebacker Justin Eklund.
Tyler Tremain passed for 2,024 yards and 27 touchdowns in six games — a full season of statistics for most others. Josh Tremain led the Bulldogs with 57 tackles, averaging 11.4 a game. Both grew up in the Bulldogs youth program and both sport 4.0 grade-point averages.
Bulldog scheduling
Folsom doesn’t just boast the region’s most talent-laden roster under third-year coach Paul Doherty, it has perhaps the region’s most daunting schedule.
It starts with a season opener at Monterey Trail, the last area program to beat Folsom (in the 2019 playoffs), then contests against longtime powers Jesuit of the Delta League and Pittsburg of the North Coast Section, then a Sierra Foothill League opener against 2019 Division I section champion Oak Ridge, with an Oct. 8 home game against De La Salle for extra kicks.
De La Salle has not lost to a Northern California team in 30 seasons, including four playoff or regular-season victories over Folsom since 2012. The Spartans of Concord have a remarkable 315-game unbeaten streak against NorCal teams north of Fresno, including two ties.
De La Salle also plays Sac-Joaquin Section power St. Mary’s of Stockton on Aug. 27 and Monterey Trail on Sept. 3.
The area’s top player
There is plenty of argument that the area’s top talent is a skill guy, say Tyler Tremain or Capital Christian passer Anthony Garcia, or Elk Grove running backs Ethan Archuleta or Zeke Burnett, or those national recruits at Folsom in Flores or Lyons, or perhaps do-all talent Kai Santos of Jesuit.
But really, it might be a guy who doesn’t even touch the ball but wreaks havoc in the trenches.
The Bee’s Spring Lineman of the Year Bobby Piland is back for his fourth varsity season for Rocklin as a two-way lineman terror. Rocklin is coming off an unbeaten spring season. Headed to Air Force on a scholarship, Piland already stands as one of this region’s top linemen — ever.
Coaching circle
New coaches with familiar faces dot the landscape. They include:
▪ Carl Reed, the longtime Grant assistant coach now heading the Pacers.
▪ Casey Taylor, the one-time Del Oro, Capital Christian and Inderkum coach now heading his alma mater at Oak Ridge.
▪ Joe Cattolico, the one-time Pleasant Grove, Sheldon and Roseville coach now leading Granite Bay.
▪ Reggie Harris, the one-time Grant assistant coach, Antelope head, now leading Inderkum.
▪ Tanner Mathias and Mike Profumo of Bear River, longtime staples within the program who take over for famed co-coaches Terry Logue and Scott Savoie.
Subscribe to stay in the game
The Bee will preview teams and top players leading up to kickoff, and then have more than 15 stories a week during the season, including rankings, news and notes, player profiles, game previews, features, analysis and game coverage. Subscribers can watch the weekly The Buzz with JoeD on sacbee.com, a half-hour program breaking down teams and themes with guests, video and more. To subscribe, click here.
This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.