Sacramento HS football: 2026 coaching and schedule updates, Optimist All-Star recap
The calendar might say it’s late January and that high school sports action has given way from football to hoops.
But prep football these days is a year-round affair, so three weeks into 2026, there’s been plenty to keep tabs on across big-name programs within the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.
Here’s a football-forward lean on Sacramento-area high school happenings early in the new year.
Vista del Lago back shines in All-Star game
Jack Cromwell was a reliable rusher for the Vista del Lago Eagles of Folsom this past fall, churning out 787 yards and seven touchdowns as a team captain, and he showed that he still had plenty in the tank on Saturday afternoon in Placer County.
Cromwell stood out among a collection of Sacramento-area seniors in the 66th Optimist All-Star Football Classic, rushing for three touchdowns to help power the South past the North 30-17 at Granite Bay High School. An announced crowd of 6,101 saw Cromwell score on a 6-yard run in the second quarter and then break away on bursts of 68 and 62 yards for the South team that was co-coached by John Heffernan of Elk Grove and Casey Taylor of Oak Ridge.
A 4.06-GPA student who plays baseball in the spring, Cromwell was moved by his effort and the charity cause for the Optimist, which raises funds for Camp Ross Relles for disadvantaged children.
“I was excited and even more so after learning more about the Optimist Foundation and how important it is to area youth,” Cromwell said. “I couldn’t have dreamed I’d have a game like that. It’s something I will remember.”
Other Optimist highlights included:
- Grant McGarry of Rocklin booming an Optimist record 48-yard field goal for the North in the second quarter.
- Tanner McSweeney of West Park in Roseville returning an interception 11 yards for a score for the North. He had four interceptions for West Park in 2025.
- Ryder Trantham of Rio Americano hitting Max Graef of Dixon for a 7-yard score for a 24-10 South lead.
- The Bee’s 2025 All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year Aidan Lopez hitting Grant’s Sosia Noa for a 7-yard TD to pull the North to within a touchdown, 24-17, in the third quarter. Cromwell’s 62-yard score with 2:55 left to play capped the scoring.
Reber retained at Inderkum
Justin Reber was officially named head coach of the Inderkum Tigers after he served as the school’s interim coach in 2025. He is also the Inderkum athletic director. Reber in previous seasons served as Inderkum’s offensive coordinator.
Inderkum went 9-2 under Reber in 2025, winning the Capital Valley Conference and reaching the Division I playoffs.
Just for kicks, Reber has 2025 CIF State Open Division champion Santa Margarita on the 2026 schedule, a road trip to Orange County, and also a home game against five-time defending CIF section Division I champion Folsom, saying, “That’s how you get better.”
Hicks is head coach at alma mater Davis
Anyone who follows regional football history, especially in Yolo County, may well tell you that Marc Hicks is the greatest football player in the history of the Davis Blue Devils, a school that opened in 1926 — a reputation that includes Hicks ranking as the No. 1 running back prospect in the country in 1984 as a prep All-American.
Hicks went on to play at Cal and Ohio State and has spent decades coaching all levels of football in his hometown. This includes a previous stint as Blue Devils varsity head coach (going 5-5 in 2013) and recent seasons as the junior varsity coach. In 2025, Hicks was the Davis High assistant head coach. He is now back as varsity head coach, determined on returning Davis football to respectability.
A strong and sometimes great program in past decades, Davis in recent years has struggled with roster numbers and low victory totals despite having a robust enrollment as a Division I school. Davis played as an independent last fall, meaning no league affiliation, and went 3-7.
“We’re trying to build this up again,” Davis High athletic director Mark McGreevy said during the season. “Having our great hometown hero guy, the GOAT in Marc Hicks, helps. Kids need coaches like Marc.”
Ambitious scheduling
’Tis the season to secure nonleague schedules, and the early slate for 2026 includes some whoppers.
Folsom will have early games against decades-long North Bay power Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa, Orange County heavyweight Mission Viejo, Inderkum and Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco. Folsom’s only loss in 2025 came against Mission Viejo.
Folsom coach Paul Doherty tried to extend the series with Bay Area powerhouse Serra of San Mateo, and he could not align schedules with the most successful Northern California team of them all in De La Salle (the teams have played each other in regular season and postseason games in the past).
Delta League champion Monterey Trail opens against Contra Costa heavy Pittsburg, and Pittsburg’s North Coast Section rival De La Salle will play a Week 10 nonleague game against Granite Bay, which lost a tough game to 2025 state champion St. Mary’s of Stockton in the section Division II finals.
Oak Ridge, which finished second in The Bee’s final 2025 rankings after a fourth consecutive trip to the Division I section finals, takes on Fresno power Central East, Carlsbad of San Diego and Argyle of Texas while still seeking a game for Sept. 11.
Grant, a two-time CIF State champion in the last four years under coaches Carl Reed and Syd Thompson, will again play Central East of Fresno and Cardinal Newman while adding Downey of Modesto and Lincoln of Stockton. Central East went 14-1 in 2025, its lone loss coming at Grant, 42-26.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 11:28 AM.