Prep football storylines: Will Folsom slow down? Are there enough referees? What’s new?
Forgive us for blowing it by jinxing it, but the skies are clear, and never mind the 102-degree forecasts for much of the Sacramento region Friday. The kickoff of the 2022 high school football season is closing in fast.
This is progress. This is a good thing. Smoke from wildfires that raged across Northern California stalled the start of recent seasons. There are no such concerns — yet. And then there was the lost fall of 2020 when there was no season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even a year ago at this point, teams had to scratch their games in the 11th hour due to positive COVID-19 tests. COVID-19 still lurks, but it doesn’t hover above like storm clouds, so it’s all systems go.
“It feels normal again, and it’s definitely fun again,” Elk Grove assistant coach James Pale said. “High school football is such a neat thing.”
The usual teams expect to be in the championship chase: Folsom, Rocklin, Monterey Trail, Granite Bay, Elk Grove, Capital Christian, Sacramento, Christian Brothers, Jesuit, Sheldon, Casa Roble, Placer, Pioneer and a host of others. Everyone’s a contender in August, right?
But it is the unsung teams and players and coaches that add to the intrigue of any season. Here are six storylines that will shape the season.
1. Is football still the rage?
Big time. Sell-out crowds in the hills, in the city and in the suburbs made football a real happening last fall. For participation, the CIF reported recently 11-man football remains the most popular sport for high-schoolers in this state.
Judging by what area coaches have told The Bee, participation numbers are actually up, way up. Jesuit has nearly 100 freshmen, so the Marauders will go with an A team and a B team. Elk Grove’s has nearly 70 kids on the junior varsity. A lot of area coaches reported varsity rosters of 50-plus kids.
“Football isn’t for everyone,” Elk Grove coach John Heffernan said. “It’s hard work. It’s hot. Guys are hitting you. It’s demanding, but it’s the greatest sport out there. You can learn so much and accomplish so much if you’re willing to put the time in.”
2. The referee shortage
First of all, how about easing off on the referees a bit, or completely? We’re talking to you, parents, alums, fans and adults who should behave like adults. There’s a nationwide shortage of referees at the youth and prep level in large part because of the grief and guff they receive from fans.
Here’s a suggestion: If you can’t stand what you see, be a part of the change and become a referee. It’s a thankless task that warrants support and understanding, not relentless scorn.
Local referee associations have asked area schools to consider moving games to Thursday nights or Saturday or Saturday nights to help spread things out, but that’s easier said than done. Prep football is geared for Friday nights. Thursday games jam up the routine of practices and preparation. Saturday games can be tricky because of overtime needed for staff and faculty.
3. How long can Folsom keep this up?
The Bulldogs have been preseason No. 1 by The Bee every year since 2012, a remarkable run that is rooted in the program’s enormously successful youth feeder programs and the fact that players (and parents) have found Folsom to be a destination school for a lot of reasons.
Transfers do head in, understanding that sitting out 30 days is the norm for transfers, a steep price to pay. And everyone is gunning for the Bulldogs, who have gone 135-12 since 2010 with seven Sac-Joaquin Section championships and three state crowns, plus last season’s NorCal championship win over mighty De La Salle. (The teams play again this season.)
4. Can Grant growl again?
Regional football is better when Grant is a factor, and the Pacers had Sacramento’s backing in 2008 when it became the first (and still only) Sac-Joaquin Section team to win the prestigious state open division championship. The Pacers led the region in victories in the 1990s and again in the 2000s, piling up seven section crowns and 16 league championships under coach Mike Alberghini.
The program has been in decline, resulting in a 1-9 showing in 2019 and going 0-9 last fall. Second-year head coach and longtime coach Carl Reed vows to get the Pacers rolling again. We like his chances, particularly with Grant realigned back to the Metro League.
5. How do coaches fill big coaching cleats?
Just win, baby. That’s how new coaches make believers. There are new coaches at playoff-regular programs Colfax, Del Campo and Pleasant Grove, each with pedigree and each fired up for the challenge.
Jason Stowers takes over for Tony Martello at Colfax, winner of 230 games, producer of 24 winning seasons, 23 playoff teams, 37 playoff victories, 16 league championships, 10 section finals and four section crowns. Well, OK then. Stowers is new but he’s old-school. He spent 11 seasons as Colfax defensive coordinator with three successive section finals showings.
Del Campo has been a consistent regional winner since 1995 under coaches Steve Kenyon and Mike Dimino. The school now welcomes Matt Costa, who turned winless Kennedy and later winless Pleasant Grove into playoff teams. Costa grew up a Hail Mary throw from the Del Campo campus and feels rejuvenated after a mixed run at Pleasant Grove.
Oakmont was a solid program under classy coach Tim Moore, and now longtime area assistant Jake Messina takes over. He is similarly regarded as a good leader.
At Pleasant Grove, Josh Crabtree returns to the Elk Grove Unified School District as a head coach after guiding Sheldon, then coaching at American River College and then trying his hand at administration. He looks more in his element in a coaching outfit than a neck-bulging shirt and tie, and no one can fire up a crew with intensity, compassion and one-liners quite like Crabtree.
More first-year coaches of note: Franklin’s low-key yet demanding Joseph McCray, the one-time head man at Sacramento High; Galt’s Mervin Brookins, the former Foothill head coach and a man who is as spirited as they come; Liberty Ranch’s Warren Schroeder, in his third stint with the Hawks of Galt and never tiring of the challenges; El Dorado’s Kevin Placek, he of deep El Dorado County ties and whose personality has revved up the program; and Kimbbie Drayton at Sacramento High, where he played sports on the Oak Park campus and was the top assistant last season.
6. Welcome aboard
The Sac-Joaquin Section this academic year has added longtime Northern Section programs Esparto, Sutter and Wheatland to the mix. First-year varsity program Twelve Bridges of Placer County has also arrived on the big stage.
Twelve Bridges, Wheatland and Sutter are aligned in the Pioneer Valley League. Chris Bean is the Twelve Bridges coach, a program builder at nearby Lincoln. Esparto and Wheatland have produced a number of playoff teams over the decades, and Sutter has been a powerhouse under coach Ryan Reynolds.
This story was originally published August 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.