Valencia Acura’s commitment as Santa Clarita’s Friendship Dealership is to provide the absolute best customer service at every stage of the sale and service relationship. As an independent, family-owned dealership since 1997, Don and Brian Fleming believe in treating customers the way they want to be treated making Valencia Acura more than a dealership, it’s a friendship.
Don and Brian Fleming
Turbo Earl Fleming Valencia Acura’s Official Canine Greeter
PUBLISHER/OWNER
Richard Budman
rbudman@signalscv.com (661) 287-5501
EDITOR
Tim Whyte
twhyte@signalscv.com (661) 287-5591
Sports Writers
Ryan Romero
Tyler Wainfeld
Photographers
Habeba Mostafa
Katherine Quezada
Ryan Romero
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Doña Uhrig
On the Cover:
Special thanks to the athletes from each of the nine Santa Clarita Valley high school football teams who participated in this year’s cover photo shoots. They are:
• Valencia: Brady Bretthauer – QB
• Hart: Jacob Paisano – QB/DB
• Golden Valley: Evan Nye – OL/DL
• West Ranch: Aiden Lynch – RB
• Castaic: Vicente Davalos – RB
• Canyon: Keyshawn Wooten – RB
• Saugus: Jake Nuttall – QB/DB
• Trinity: Andrew Carlson – QB
• SCCS: Caleb Shaffer – TE/DE
See pages 42 and 43 for bonus photos from the cover photo sessions. Cover photos by Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
The Signal Victory Bell symbolizes football supremacy in the Santa Clarita Valley. The Foothill League team with the most victories against other Foothill opponents wins possession of the bell for a year.
If there is a two-way tie for best record, the bell will go to the winner of the head-to-head matchup. If there is a three-way tie, the Foothill League's tie-breaking formula for playoff seedings will be used.
– Hart
– Canyon
– Hart
– Hart
– Canyon
– Hart 1975 – Hart
1976 – Canyon 1977 – Hart
1978 – Saugus
– Canyon
– Saugus
– Saugus
– Hart
– Canyon
– Canyon
– Canyon
– Canyon
– Hart
18 YEARS IN A ROW!
VICTORY BELL
– Saugus
– Saugus
– West Ranch 2023 – Valencia 2024 – Valencia
Canyon Country 19138 Soledad Canyon Rd. 661-252-5010
Golden Valley 19159 Golden Valley Rd. 661-250-0400
Newhall 24802 Orchard Village Rd. 661-200-7630
Sand Canyon 16400 Village Way 661-263-4500
Saugus 26510 Bouquet Canyon Rd. 661-296-1910
Saugus 19325 Plum Canyon Rd 661-263-4454
Saugus 26557 Golden Valley Rd. 661-724-7772
Ranch 25660 The Old Road 661-253-1600
Valencia 24453 Magic Mountain Pkwy. 661-222-3924
Valencia 23872 Copper Hill Dr. 661-775-6288
The Basics VALENCIA VIKINGS
HEAD COACH: Larry Muir
19th season. 161-73-1 overall record
Base offense: Spread
Base defense: 3-4
Top returners on offense: Brady Bretthauer (QB), Brian Bonner (RB), Nico Funez (WR), Matt Steen (WR), Aiden Ends (OL), Will Mayberry (OL)
Top returners on defense: Symeon Wilkins (DB), Ryan Galvan (DE), Isaac Osorio (DE), Rocco Testa (LB)
Key losses: Nick Seymour (WR), Konner Quitevis (OL), Xander Hohler (LB), Ronald Bruner (WR/DB), Jack Younkin (DB), Isaac Shin (WR)
2024 Results
2025 Schedule
Head coach Larry Muir. Photos by Katherine Quezada/The Signal
HART HAWKS
The Basics
HEAD COACH: Jake Goossen-Brown
2nd season, 8-3 career record
Base offense: Spread
Base defense: 4-3
Top returners on offense: Jacob Paisano (QB), Matix Frithsmith (RB/WR), Jared Trujillo (OL), Andrew Webster (OL)
Top returners on defense: Waymon Moore (DL), Josh Whitson (DE), Devon Thompson (DB), Caden Craft (LB), Matthew Pellow (LB), Graysen Rivera (DL)
Head coach Jake Goosen-Brown. Photos by Habeba Mostafa/The Signal
Hart Hawks’ Returners Thinking Big
By Tyler Wainfeld Signal Sports Writer
After finishing second in the Foothill League in his first season in charge of the Hart Hawks football team, head coach Jake Goossen-Brown feels confident that his squad is ready to challenge two-time defending league champion Valencia for the 2025 title.
“The community and the school here, the staff, the administration, like everybody made me feel so welcome,” Goossen-Brown said. “I feel like I’ve been here forever, you know … I’m excited to see what we do this year because we’ve been working hard since two weeks after the season ended last year. So, it’s nice to have all that time to get here, to get bigger, to get faster, to get stronger, and to get our stuff down.”
Goossen-Brown brings back senior Jacob Paisano, a second-team all-league selection as a junior, to lead the offense, and a missing piece last season when the Hawks suffered their lone loss of the league campaign against Valencia.
“I think we got a lot of good guys,” Goossen-Brown said. “I think Jacob’s the person that they didn’t have to deal with last year, you know. And I think he’s a difference-maker. They’re a high
The Numbers
3
Consecutive seasons in playoffs .
3,164
Graduated all-purpose yards.
school football team, just like anybody else. We all go out there, we’re just high school guys. You know, everybody puts their pants on one leg at a time. All that can happen is, ‘You never know, right?’ Go out there and take it one play at a time, and we’ll see what happens. They’re a very good team, they’re well coached — but I think we’re pretty good.”
Paisano missed some time last season with an injury but still managed to put up 2,222 yards and 22 touchdowns against just seven interceptions in nine games. He said he’s looking forward to playing as one of the guys with experience after learning for much of last season.
“Last year just, I mean, in the beginning, just getting used to the speed … So, just going into this year, just knowing that nobody has more experience,
13
Sacks from returners.
3
like, we’re the seniors,” Paisano said. Hart’s signal-caller, referenced by his coach as “like having another coach on the field,” will have some new faces to throw to after the graduations of receiver Parker Maxwell and running back Zach Rogozik. Those two put up a combined 2,848 all-purpose yards, well over half of the entire team’s production.
One familiar face is junior Matix Frithsmith, a first-team all-league selection last season who finished fifth in the league with 501 receiving yards, adding 357 yards on the ground.
Frithsmith, who Goossen-Brown labeled as “a key piece on the chess board,” is expected to fill in at multiple spots in the Hart offense, and he isn’t satisfied with simply repeating last year’s success.
GOLDEN VALLEY GRIZZLIES
The Basics
HEAD COACH: Dan Kelley 12th season. 62-55-1 overall record.
Base offense: Spread
Base defense: 4-3
Top returners on offense: Evan Nye (T), Joseph Lewis (RB), Anthony Baldoze (TE), Jaden Anderson (OL)
Top returners on defense: Ace Frias (DB), Damian Ozuna (DT), Jevin Smith (DL), Lance Harper (DB)
Key losses: Jamison Torres (RB/LB), Brandon Contreras (QB), Anthony Seragusa (WR), Jordan Flores (WR), Jason Acevedo (LB), Donovan Anson (LB), Rico Lapid (DE), Jonah Garcia (DB)
2024 Results
2025 Schedule
Oct. 2
Head coach Dan Kelley. Photos by Katherine Quezada/The Signal
Grizzlies: New QB, Same Expectations
By Tyler Wainfeld Signal Sports Writer
The Golden Valley Grizzlies are coming off one of the best seasons in program history, led by arguably the greatest individual season for a Golden Valley player.
But that was last year.
Head coach Dan Kelley, entering his 12th season in charge of the program, can no longer call upon Jamison Torres, who set the Grizzlies’ single-season records with 1,630 yards and 24 touchdowns. Torres is one of a few standouts — quarterback Brandon Contreras, receivers Anthony Seragusa and Jordan Flores, and linebackers Donavan Anson and
Jason Aceved, just to name a few — who helped the Grizzlies to a 9-3 record and the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 7 playoffs, but have since graduated.
“Very, very good football player,” Kelley said of Torres. “Very dynamic. He made things happen. He made us successful. He helped us win nine games, along with other people … There are some big shoes to fill, but I think some of these guys can do it. I know a lot of them want to do it, so it’s exciting.”
Leading the offense under center will be a newcomer to the program, senior Jayce Johnson. He was the backup quarterback at Canyon last season and also saw some
The Numbers
0
Passing attempts by returners
54
Rushing yards by returners.
time at running back. Now being given a chance to shine at Golden Valley, the somewhat undersized Johnson said he’s looking forward to showcasing the versatile skillset he brings to the table as a passer and runner.
“I have a lot of things to prove with transferring in here,” Johnson said. “A lot of people are thinking that
3,828
Graduated all-purpose yards.
3
Playoff
I’m not good. You know, me being my size as a quarterback, a lot of people are thinking I’m supposed to be a running back. It really depends on what me and my team have going on with the chemistry.”
Johnson can count on a couple of returning starters on the offensive line to
WEST RANCH WILDCATS
The Basics
HEAD COACH: TJ Yonkers
2024 Results
2025 Schedule
Head coach TJ Yonlkers. Photos by Katherine Quezada/The Signal
West Ranch Enters New Era
By Ryan Romero Signal Sports Writer
The West Ranch football program is embracing change this season.
After former head coach Chris Varner stepped down from the position following the 2024 season, TJ Yonkers was hired as his replacement and tasked with ushering in a new era for the program. And although there is typically an acclimation period when a new head coach enters a team, that doesn’t seem to be the case for this year’s West Ranch Wildcats.
Yonkers, who was a former assistant under Varner’s coaching staff before the COVID-19 pandemic, inherits a team that went 4-6 overall and 2-4 in the Foothill League last season. Despite the down year, Yonkers now mans the ship and plans to hit the ground running this season.
“I was glad to solidify things into the spring so that we can get started,” Yonkers said. “We’ve been in the weight room pretty much since the day I got the job back in February, just grinding away, trying to get bigger, and trying to get stronger.”
This season, the Wildcats will be missing key pieces that made big contributions last year, including all-CIF running back Luke Deperno, who led the team in rushing yards, touchdowns and all-purpose yards, has graduated and leaves a gap on offense that needs to be filled.
“He was kind of a stud of running back. We knew if things got bad, we could lean on him,” Yonkers said. “Right now, I’m working on replacing him with kind of a stable of running backs. We’re going to go with two or three guys this year to kind of give ourselves a little bit more flexibility at the position and hopefully be able to not beat these guys up and wear them down too much.”
The Numbers
5 of 6
1,194
CASTAIC COYOTES
The Basics
Head coach Sirr Guy Shakir. Photos by Habeba Mostafa/The Signal
HEAD COACH: Sirr Guy Shakir
3rd season, 10-10 overall record.
Base Offense: Multiple
Base Defense: 4-3
Top Returners (Offense): Vicente Davalos (RB), Grayson Gonzalez (WR/DB)
The Castaic Football program is in rebuild mode for 2025. Last year the Coyotes went 4-6 overall and 2-4 in Foothill league and had many impressive standout seasons from players such as Khanai Langford, Rossie Cherry and Adrian Urionabarrenechea, who all led their respective stat categories on offense and defense.
But, going into their senior year, not a single one of them will be playing for Castaic this year.
Top high school players transferring in and out of schools isn’t unheard of, in fact it’s quite common. But
this season it’s leaving head coach Sirr Guy Shakir at a crossroads of what he expects out of his team.
Nonetheless he’s not worried. Instead Shakir is happy with the squad of players he has now and expects those who didn’t get much playing time last year to take over the reins of the varsity team for 2025.
“We’ve graduated over 40 seniors over the first two years here, so that’s a substantial amount of kids,” Shakir said. “When the enrollment is as small as our school is, it’s felt a little differently than some other programs, but that’s why we kind of have our youth movement going on right now. So, a lot of those guys
The Numbers
26.1
Points per game last season.
5
Stat leaders last season who departed either due to graduation or transfer.
are going to be expected to contribute on both sides of the ball.”
From a returning perspective Shakir does have a two-way standout in Vicente Davalos, who’s expected to be the leader of the Coyote program after the departure of Monty Coleman.
163.1
Rushing yards per game last season.
430.8
All-purpose yards per game last season.
“For a young guy he reads the room very well,” Shakir said. “He lifts his teammates when they need to be lifted up and he knows when his teammates need to be held accountable. He works hard, he’s elusive, he has great hands, he plays lacrosse so
See CASTAIC, page 36
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CANYON COWBOYS
The Basics
2024 Results
Head coach Ken Holsenbeck. Photos by Katherine Quezada/The Signal
11 Total touchdowns from graduating Sebastian Martinez
22.5
Tackles
New-Look Canyon Looks Ahead in ‘25
By Ryan Romero Signal Sports Writer
After the team finished last season 3-7 overall and 1-5 in the Foothill League, the Canyon Cowboys are looking to turn it around this year and put 2024 in the rear-view mirror. As for head coach Ken Holsenbeck, he’s not spending too much time reflecting on the 2024 season.
Instead, he’s looking to use last season as extra motivation this year and move forward with a new team, and a new identity.
“Last season was a little bit of a disappointment for us, so we’re hoping to kind of capitalize on that,” Holsenbeck said. “As with every year, our goal’s to win a CIF championship. But to do that, we got to make sure and crack our league to get one of those automatic playoff bids, right? So, we can get into the dance.”
Holsenbeck is entering his fourth season with the program and is beginning the year with a quarterback competition to start off to see who the man under center will be.
Both Carson Soria and Julian Carlin are eyeing the top of the depth chart after Sebastian Martinez graduated last season.
“We’re pretty pleased with the development of Carson Soria at quarterback, and also Julian Carlin as well,” Holsenbeck said. “So, we have two guys who we feel very comfortable with back there. Carson will probably be our day one starter, but Julian’s going to definitely be in the mix as well. So, we’re happy with that.”
With Soria expected to be the week 1 starter against Charter Oak at home, it gives flexibility for the offense Holsenbeck wants to run. The Numbers 11
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SAUGUS CENTURIONS
The Basics
Head coach Jason Bornn. Photos by Katherine Quezada/The Signal
HEAD COACH: Jason Bornn
23rd season as head coach. 122-114 record
Base Offense: Spread Multiple
Base Defense: 3-4
Top Returners (Offense): Jake Nuttall (QB), Landon Lattimore (WR/DB).
Top Returners (Defense): Matt Long (DB)
Key Losses: Rylan Connelly (TE/LB)
2024 Results
2-8 overall, 1-5 Foothill League
Saugus 38 Buena 34 Oak Park 32 Saugus 24
Saugus 24 Camarillo 56 Simi Valley 49 Saugus 0 Valencia 62 Saugus* 21 Canyon 24 Saugus* 27
Saugus 24 West Ranch* 48 Saugus 16 Castaic* 20 Saugus 35 Golden Valley* 44 Hart 54 Saugus* 40
2025 Schedule
Saugus Preps for Bounceback Season
By Ryan Romero Signal Sports Writer
The 2024 season was a step up from 2023 for the Saugus football program. After the team went winless in ’23, the Centurions came out of ’24 with two wins but more importantly a foundation to build upon.
The Numbers
4
16
Unlike having to deal with many holes that need filling left by graduating players, head coach Jason Bornn is instead looking to continue working with key returners who have spent a significant time in the varsity program for a number of years.
“It can’t be understated that in a year or two in the program is going to lead to a natural maturation process where guys are going to grow, not only physically, but mentally, maturity-wise, and intellect in terms of the game and what we’re doing,” Bornn said. “When you get seniors who’ve been in the program for four years, that’s ideally their time to shine.”
He reiterates that his main goal for his program in 2025 is to not only obviously win every game but also be the best version they can be.
“It’s a unique animal, and every year it’s going to be a different approach,” Bornn said. “You have a blueprint that you use, but after every season, you sit down with the players that are graduating, the players that are returning and your coaching staff, and you evaluate, what do we need to get better at? And then you tweak and adjust moving forward.”
Bornn believes this year will be different than seasons prior. He’ll have quarterback Jake Nuttall returning for his senior season.
With another season of varsity play under his belt, Nuttall is coming off a strong junior campaign last season, throwing for 2,281 yards and 16 touchdown passes through 10 games.
Nuttall is expecting an even bigger year and believes the chemistry he’s had with his long-time teammates can help create some serious momentum.
“I’ve been playing with these guys for like four years now,” Nuttall said. “So, the trust I have in all of them and the trust they have in me is really grown. And I just feel like we’re like a super tight-knit team, and we all trust each other.”
One of Nuttall’s most trusted targets this year will be junior Landon Lattimore. The all-CIF star receiver comes off an impressive sophomore season, accumulating 1,046 receiving yards along with 11 touchdown receptions.
Lattimore will be looking forward to having a repeat performance again this year and credits that mentality to seeing him and his team as underdogs.
“We were the underdogs last year, that’s for sure,” Lat-
2
Back-to-back losing seasons.
1,654
Returning receiving yards.
timore said. “I had a pretty good season; I had a decent amount of yards with 1,000 receiving yards. But this off-season, we’ve been working pretty hard. Obviously, we are the underdogs this year, so we’ve all been cleaning up work on and off the season, on and off the field.”
The junior is also expected to be a two-way player again this season, lining up as a defensive back. Last season he recorded 26 tackles along with one interception.
Also, in the wide receiving corps lining up beside Lattimore will be senior Degen Grant and juniors Tre Lewis and See SAUGUS, page 38
Straight Road games this season
TD passes last season from returner Jake Nuttall.
TRINITY KNIGHTS
The Basics
2024 Results
Base offense: Spread
Base defense: 3-4
Top returners on offense: Andrew Carlson (QB), Aiden Visconti (WR), Hudson Sweitzer (RB), Tommy Heinrich (OL)
Top returners on defense: Patrick Cherry (LB), Cade Herta (DB), Micah Spring (LB), Luke Hernandez (DL)
Key losses: Noah Visconti (QB), John Carlson (WR), Luke Backes (WR), Andrew Kelley (DB), Corey Moberg (DB)
2025 Schedule
Head coach Dave Eastham. Photos by Katherine Quezada/The Signal
New Coach, New Leaders at Trinity
By Tyler Wainfeld Signal Sports Writer
The Trinity Classical Academy football program had the best season in its history in 2024, going undefeated in the regular season while lighting up the Cottonwood League in just the Knights’ first season in their new league.
What a difference a year can make.
Mike Parrinello is now gone as the head coach, retiring after leading the program for many of the last 20 years. Replacing him is Dave Eastham, who has been an assistant coach with the program while also acting as the school’s strength and conditioning coach, and previously made stops as an assistant at Alemany and Notre Dame high schools. He’ll have to lead a team that graduated nearly every major contributor from last season –no small feat for a small program like
The Numbers
48.9
2,085
Trinity.
“We just released some of our school records, and we have three guys up on that board that had either the best season ever in school history, or are the career leader in those things,” Eastham said. “So, you know, to replace those guys, it is — especially at a big school, you have so many kids to choose from, and you have so many kids to come through — at smaller schools, it’s very hard to reload and to replace.”
It may not be easy, but the new
leaders of the Knights are ready to take over.
At quarterback, junior Andrew Carlson steps in for Noah Visconti — the program’s all-time passing leader and last season’s Cottonwood League Offensive Player of the Year — after playing wide receiver last season. A star pitcher for the Trinity baseball team, he’s excited to see what he can do as the football team’s signal-caller.
“It’s an honor,” Carlson said. “I Feel
The Basics SCCS CARDINALS
HEAD COACH: AUSTIN FRY
5th
Top Returners (Offense): Mason Rappleye (QB)
Top Returners (Defense): Caleb Shaffer (TE)
2024 Results
Revamped SCCS Reloads for CIF Run
By Ryan Romero Signal Sports Writer
The Santa Clarita Christian Cardinals are going into the 2025 season coming off back-to-back Heritage League titles, including a playoff win last season against league rival Faith Baptist.
And not only is the team doing it in dominating fashion but they are also in the midst of an eight-game league winning streak since the team made the move to the Heritage League from the Liberty League.
Now, the program is entering its fifth year under head coach Austin Fry and not only is the team looking to capitalize on last season’s success, but also looking to build that under a new foundation.
“We just overhauled our whole offense. We’re a totally different team of offense,” Fry said. “So, we’ve really shifted both offense and defense around a
The Numbers
lot of our losses and tried to focus on what we have coming back.”
Throughout the offseason the team had to rethink both its offense and defense with key players departing the program due to graduations and transfers. But despite the changes, Fry still thinks his team is just as good as last season, if not better.
“We have here five seniors [Caleb Shaffer, Chase Kalinske, Jonah Babikan, Caleb Grissom and Tristam Quinones] who have been waiting pretty patiently and actively learning and growing and
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developing and have actually done a phenomenal job taking the reins from the last group,” Fry said. “So, my expectations are actually pretty high, and I actually think our team this year is built for a deep run.
On offense, the departure of prominent quarterback Cayden Rappleye, who threw for 22 passing touchdowns and 1,646 yards in the 2024 season, leaves the team searching for a new identity on offense.
“Cayden has started every single
VALENCIA
in the year last year, and then by that time, we thought we were all cool, and then we hit the first round playing a real good football team, it just wasn’t enough. So, I think this year we’re closer as a group, I believe, and I think that’ll help us.”
If the Vikings want to find postseason success, they’ll have to do so without a host of all-league talents who graduated, including receivers Nick Seymour and Isaac Shin, linebacker Xander Hohler, offensive lineman Konner Quitevis, and defensive backs Ronald Bruner and Jack Younkin.
That doesn’t mean Bretthauer has an entirely new receiving corps. Returning are sophomore Matt Steen, a second-team all-league selection last year, and junior Nico Funez, a first-team allleague selection. Looking to fill in the gaps are Anthony Vernon, a transfer from Castaic, and Elias Holloway, a transfer from Chaminade. Coming up from within the program is sophomore Hudson Sanders.
“There’s some really talented receivers, which is really
good for Brady,” Muir said. “He’s got a nice group to throw to that’s worked really hard this summer to understand everything.”
Funez added: “We’re a younger group, but I think we can handle it. You know, there’s nothing that we can’t do. We work hard and I trust my teammates. I trust our guys to build up that receiving corps.”
On defense, Muir sees the return of senior Symeon Wilkins at defensive back, juniors Ryan Galvan and Isaac Osorio at defensive end, and junior Rocco Testa at linebacker. All four were all-league selections last season.
Wilkins was second on the team with 52 tackles last season, 11 for a loss. He was also second with five sacks. The key for him, he said, is to lead the defense with a mindset of not making mistakes.
“I can’t lead the team and make mistakes,” Wilkins said. “I want to be not making no mistakes, do my job when I have to do it, and be able to help my teammates do the same thing. I just guide them to do the same thing. We want to be an unstoppable defense this year.”
Coming in as a transfer from Phoenix is senior Caleb Larson, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound linebacker who is set to anchor the middle of the Valencia defense.
Muir is looking forward to seeing what Bonner can do in his final season in Valencia purple before moving on to don purple once more at the University of Washington. Bonner said he still has some goals left at the high school level, though, specifically the program’s single-season rushing record, currently held by Steven Manfro. He ran for 2,553 yards in 2010.
Besides that, the goals are the same as every year for the Vikings.
“I want to win a league championship again and make a long playoff run,” Bonner said.
Bretthauer also has some personal goals, seeking to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 750 more. He knows he doesn’t have to do it all himself, though, as he and Bonner as a duo keep opposing defenses guessing.
“I think it’s dangerous, honestly, just because all teams have to worry about the run game with him in the backfield,” Bretthauer said. “If he’s in the game, you have to know where he is at all times. You have to know what he’s doing and where he’s going. But he’s also a threat in the pass game as well. So, he’s not one-dimensional, and our team isn’t one-dimensional, either. If you find a way to shut down Brian, somehow, some way, like we’re just going to go over the top, and we’re going to figure out other ways. But I think having both of us in
the backfield just adds more layers of things we can do together and just more things other teams have to worry about.”
It’s been two years of Foothill League dominance for the Vikings, who went undefeated each of the last two seasons. That’s still the main goal, but getting back to success in the postseason — the Vikings haven’t won a playoff game since taking the 2022 Southern Section Division 5 title — is something the Vikings will continue to work for throughout the campaign.
“I think the last couple years, I think that we would expect to keep playing, you know,” Muir said. “And it’s such a hard end when you just lose in the first round. So, I think that’s part of the expectations, part of the goals, part of the week in and week out — are we getting better, are we playing at a higher level at the end of the year than we did at the beginning of year, that type of thing.”
HART
Continued from 11
“I’m definitely working harder,” Frithsmith said. “This is a big year for me, junior year, wanting to put up even better numbers than last year. I’ve been lifting more weight, running faster, just all around developing bigger, stronger, putting on more weight, and just trying to be a leader to lead this team to championship.”
If the Hawks are serious about contending for the league title, they’ll need players to step up in some key positions.
One of those is junior Josh Rogozik, who, like older brother Zach, is expected to be a force at running back. Sophomore Silas Tucker and junior Michael Toner are expected to help Frithsmith at receiver, as is senior Joshua Wagner, a transfer from Canyon.
“I think we have like seven guys deep that could all start for us, and we’ve all been throwing in and out of practice all the time,” Paisano said. “So, whoever’s in, we won’t miss a beat. I’m excited for that.”
On defense, Goossen-Brown is looking forward to the return of multiple defensive starters, including senior defensive back Devin Thompson and junior linebacker Caden Craft. The defensive line sees the return of seniors Waymon Moore, Graysen Rivera and Josh Whitson.
“I think our D-line is gonna be one of our strengths of the defense, and I’ve been excited about it,” Goossen-Brown said. “It’s great for us, because then it makes
2025 Roster
No. Name Pos. Yr.
2 Jacob Paisano QB/DB Sr.
3 Josh Wagner WR Sr.
4 Matix Frithsmith WR/RB Jr.
5 Devin Thompson DB Sr.
6 Cesar Trujillo OL/DL Sr.
9 Gavin Sandoval WR/DB Sr.
10 Michael Toner Jr.
11 Owen Pontius Sr.
12 Kannon Clark QB/DB Sr.
14 Noah d’Autremont Jr.
15 Chase Madrid OL/DL Jr.
16 Silas Tucker QB/WR So.
18 Kadin Saalih OL/DL Jr.
19 Bailey Hill DL Jr.
20 Michael Verdi DB/LB Sr.
21 Will Greenfield WR/DB Jr.
22 Josh Rogozik RB/DB Jr.
23 Gautier Menard OL/DL Jr.
24 Elias Bernal K/DL Sr.
25 Juan Ramos OL/DL Sr.
27 Juan Trujillo Jr.
28 Mason Huerta WR/DB Sr.
29 Daimoni Lyfe Sr.
33 Caden Craft Sr.
34 Trevor Gonyea LB/DE Sr.
35 Jose Osores OL/DL Sr.
36 Ignacio Paz OL/DL Sr.
38 Robert Tejada LB Sr.
40 Ryan Samudio K Jr.
42 Pedro Campa WR/DB Jr.
43 Matthew Pellow OL Sr.
44 Dylan Monterrosa QB So.
47 Josh Whitson DL Sr.
48 Tommy Rosales Jr.
48 Troy Clark Sr.
53 Jared Trujillo Sr.
54 Andrew Webster LB Sr.
55 Waymon Moore WR Sr.
56 Kaelin Daniel Sr.
61 Trevor Tristan RB/LB Jr.
62 Hector Ruiz Jr.
63 Valentino Cederholm LB So.
64 Harold Ventura OL Sr.
65 Greyson Rivera DL Sr.
67 Noah Jauregui Jr.
68 Jeronimo Garcia DL Jr.
70 Colin VanDeventer OL/DL Sr.
71 Brian Barrios Jr.
72 Sebastian Valenzuela RB/LB Jr.
73 Gabriel Degl’Innocenti WR/DB Jr.
77 Claudio Navarrete Sr.
78 Angel Narciso RB Jr.
79 Zach Lloyd Jr.
84 Gideon Provens WR/DB Jr.
87 Ben Rubio Jr. Enzo March OL/DL Jr.
our offensive line that much better to go against those guys every day, you know.”
Thompson said he’s been looking forward to his senior season ever since he first
picked up a football, and now that it’s here, he’s hoping to finish things the right way.
“I’ve always looked up to the seniors,” Thompson said, “and now, being in the shoes of the senior, it’s just cool to kind of be able to have that feel of kind of knowing what’s going on, being able to kind of hopefully own that spotlight and just be able to hopefully have a great season and be able to end off my high school season well.”
Foothill League success is what the Hawks are after, but they’re also seeking to reverse their fortunes in the playoffs. Hart earned a home game in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs last year, only to fall to Rancho Verde, 47-34.
Paisano credits his coach for developing the game plans needed to stack up against any team. The key
will be executing those when the time comes.
“I think just week by week, we have good game plans,” Paisano said. “You know, we’re always well prepared on both sides of the ball, so I think even when it’s against elite teams like we played in the playoffs, somebody farther, we’ll still be prepared for whoever.”
The Hawks have spent much of the summer getting to work at 6 a.m., something Thompson believes will make a big difference throughout the season.
“Our work ethic, I think, is unmatched,” Thompson said. “Every day, we’re coming out here at 6 a.m., we’re waking up bright and early. We got guys out here putting everything they got on that field, coming into the weight room and leaving everything else in there.”
2024 A Look Back
2024 A Look Back
GOLDEN VALLEY
provide some protection in seniors Evan Nye and Jaden Anderson. Nye has been a starter since his freshman campaign and is also expected to be one of the keys to the Golden Valley defense. He said most people probably don’t think much of what Golden Valley will be like, but that doesn’t bother the Grizzlies.
“I feel like we definitely are the underdogs compared to a lot of the other teams, like Valencia and West Ranch and Hart, you know,” Nye said. “We’re a real underdog team. I really do believe that.”
Johnson has a couple of weapons who know Kelley’s offense in senior receiver
Ace Frias and senior tight end Anthony Baldoze. Senior Joseph Lewis is expected to be the lead tailback, and is the only player returning from last season to have carried the rock at least once. All three played smaller roles on last year’s team, but Baldoze thinks everyone is ready to step up.
“We have the athletes, but if we don’t know what to do with them out there, it’s not going to amount to anything,” Baldoze said. “His play calls are great. He knows the game inside and out. Like, run a play, and he’ll foresee everything before it happens.”
Baldoze is part of a defensive line along with Nye, An-
derson and senior Damian Ozuna that brings plenty of size to the table. Frias returns at defensive back after nabbing a team-high four interceptions last season. Senior Lance Harper is also a player to watch at defensive back.
Frias said putting up numbers isn’t on his mind, so long as the whole team does well.
“I just want to work on putting the team first over myself,” Frias said. “You know, as long as we have a good season, I don’t mind too much about myself because I love all these guys. They’re brothers to me. So, I’m excited to see what we could all do together. I just want to lift each other up and win games together.”
Kelley isn’t sure yet how exactly all of the pieces will fit together. He said it didn’t take very long to find out last season which players were going to be leaned on heavily on both sides of the ball, and he’s looking forward to find that out again early on in the 2025 campaign.
“Every team is different, every year is different,” Kelley said. “So, it’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. You don’t know what you have until you get out there. We want to continue what we’ve been doing and do our best every week. That’s all we can ask.”
Even with a whole set of new players — which is nothing new for Kelley, who will be on his third quarterback in four seasons with Johnson — the expectation is to still compete in the Foothill League, and make the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
The last two times the Grizzlies made the postseason, they won at least one game, including a berth in the 2023 Southern Section Division 7 championship game.
“I mean, we always shoot for the highest, right? CIF, that’s what we’re chasing,” Baldoze said. “I think if anyone can do it, I think it’s us.”
WEST RANCH
Returning at running back will be Aiden Lynch, who’s expected to take a fair share of reps in the backfield and is keen to fill the gap that Deperno left. Lynch, who accumulated 293 all-purpose yards last year, is expecting a bigger year for himself this season now that he expects a bigger role on offense.
“I’ve been trying to sharpen my skills throughout the off-season,” Lynch said. “I’m working on my catching, my running abilities, and just
2025 Roster
getting faster and stronger.”
Lynch is one of many players who have gotten to play under both Varner and Lynch and has said that even though there’s a difference, there’s still plenty of similarities between both coaches.
“There’s a difference, but since coach TJ was working under them and he played for him, he was there with him throughout when Varner was coaching,” Lynch said. “So, he really took some things from Varner, and I feel like he’s doing good filling the position of Varner that left.”
Also expected to be another key piece for Yonker’s offense this season is junior receiver Charlie Samuelson, who is expected to take on WR1 after Andrew Hamilton’s departure and is looking to do so immediately after he sustained an injury last season that sidelined him for the second half of the year.
“Last year, I got injured in the middle of the year, I think week five, so I was out basically the other half of the year,” Samuelson said. “I’ve been going to rehab; I went to physical therapy. I’m wearing a brace while I play. So, I’m definitely trying to get my shoulder better as much as I can.”
give everything that I have for this team,” Johnson said. “And if I’m not 100%, I’m still just going to give it my all. I’m not just going to go out there and like kind of lolligag around. I’m just going to give it everything I have to make it better for me and just make the team better.”
With Johnson returning for his junior year and being an expected starter barring setbacks, this will be the first year West Ranch will have a quarterback starting in consecutive seasons. The team has been in a QB carousel since 2022 after Ryan Staub graduated and went to the University of Colorado.
“We’re lucky to have a returning quarterback,” Yonkers said. “It gives us some continuity with Blake Johnson there.”
On defense Max Piccolino is leading the Wildcats again this season and he wants more. Piccolino enters his senior year with much to prove. L:ast season he led the league with 15.5 sacks and accumulated 44 total tackles.
Since the end of last season, Piccolino has only added to his game and insisted that this season, he’s more confident than ever.
out, but you should see a lot more moves like that, which just helps add more depth in my bag and I can work even more now this year.”
Yonkers has high hopes for his star defensive end. Not only does he believe he will be a force to reckon with on the field, but also he can be a leader off the field.
“We’re looking to get a similar performance out of him this year,” Yonkers said. “We know that he’s going to show up, he’s going to do what he needs to do, he’s going to do his best to bring up the younger guys around him.”
Expect to see safety Sebastian Gonzalez again this season after he was thrust onto the team when last year’s starter got hurt. Gonzalez, returning for his senior year, played in eight games, recording one interception and 27 tackles. He expects to be even better with a full offseason of training.
65. Tanvir Ghura OL/LB Jr.
66. Justin Zeringue OL/DL Sr.
69. Patrick Nnaji DL Sr.
72. Dwayne Rodrigues OL/DL Jr.
73. Ryan Kim OL Sr.
77. River Sweis OL/DL Jr.
87. Jake Movagharian WR/LB Sr.
Also coming off injury is quarterback Blake Johnson, who is going into his second varsity season. Johnson, who played through injury last year, only played in five games but threw for 442 yards and four touchdowns.
“I expect to be 100%. Even if I’m not, I’m still gonna
“I think the biggest thing over this past off-season that I’ve definitely improved on is just added to my pass bag,” Piccolino said. “I wanted to sit back work on my bag, so I’ve added more power moves, you may see me break out a long arm, you may see me break out a bull rush, and then definitely some counter moves. My spin last year was all right, but I still wasn’t confident enough in game to break it
“So, I got thrown into defense into a much more complicated defense than on (junior varsity),” Gonzalez said. “I got yelled at, I got thrown in, tackled like crazy, but I kept getting better and better, and especially during the offseason, been focusing on the gym, focusing on my mistakes and exactly how to learn my defense.”
Gonzalez will be expected to have a big year and has huge expectations from his head coach.
“Coach TJ was my receiver coach last year. So, he knows what he’s talking about, and he knows exactly how to run a football team,” Gonzalez said. “With that, every coach, it’ll be a change of
CASTAIC
Continued from 17
he’s a dual sport athlete as well. So, he’s got massive shoes to fill after Monty Coleman did everything for us.”
Last season Davalos didn’t get much playing time after sustaining an injury in week 2 against Calabasas. This year Davalos is going into his senior year with the Coyotes and looks to be the primary running back on offense and safety on defense.
But with the way the roster is constructed, Davalos doesn’t want to be limited and is willing to do whatever he can to help his team.
“Primarily, you’re going to see me running the ball,” Davalos said. “I feel like for me personally, there’s no position. If coach needs me somewhere, I’ll be there.”
The man under center is likely going to be Aiden Mojica, who played tight end and defensive end last year, but Shakir remains unsure and insist that that the competition of QB1 will likely continue until week 1.
“Aiden Mojica is taking a lot of reps right now,” Shakir said. “It’s a competition right now so we’ll see. We don’t have a clear-cut guy right now, but we have a lot of good guys that are competing, that are doing everything that we’re asking them to do.”
In the receiving corps it’s a much clearer picture for Shakir this season than in other positions. A name to look out for will be returner Grayson Gonzalez, a senior who played in three games in 2024.
“Last year was a big grow-
2025 Roster
No. Name Pos. Yr.
1 Izaiah Becerra Fr.
2 Vicente Davalos RB Sr.
5. Grayson Gonzalez WR/DB Sr.
6. Nathan Carr WR/DB Jr.
7. Aiden Mojica TE/DL So.
8. Andres Corretier-Molina LB/OL Sr.
10. Justin Priestley TE/LB Jr.
11. Lucas Dureya LB Jr.
12. Lincoln Kusumi WR/DB So.
14. Isaiah Galvin Jr.
15. Takai Bogan WR/LB So.
16. Jaay Hernandez WR So.
17. Logan Wissinger WR/TE Sr.
19. Andrew Amaya WR/DB Jr.
50. Logan Dorsey OL/DL Jr.
52. Landon Perez OL/DL Sr.
55. Isaac Moreno So.
56. Dylan Fisher OL/DL Jr.
57. Cole Godinez OL/DL Jr.
58. Nikita Berezkin Sr.
61. Dante Bobby OL/DL Jr.
62. Thomas Deegan DL Sr.
68. Tlaloc Plascencia Jr.
71. Anthony Fatoohi OL Sr.
72. Karr Singh OL/DL Sr.
74. Chase Ballard OL/DL Jr.
75. Jacob Perez OL/DL Jr.
77. Steven Barker OL/DL Jr.
99. Wes Douglas OL/DL Jr.
ing year for me. It was just a lot of learning, a lot of being a role player,” Gonzalez said. “But I was out there on the field a lot, just learning. And I think this offseason, I’ve really grown like my mental kind of aspect. I think I’ve grown a lot as like kind of what it takes to become a better wide receiver.”
Shakir knows his team is young this season and wants his underclassmen in the program to just learn from his older returners.
“Grayson Gonzalez is a returner player that’s really good as well,” Shakir said. “We’re very young so we need a lot of experience these guys can give our younger guys.”
On the defensive side of the ball a key transfer Castaic did bring in is linebacker Lucas Duryea out of Cham-
“You know, he played [halfback] for us last year. He wasn’t even a quarterback,” Holsenbeck said. “He’s done a lot of work in terms of developing his arm. He’s a very smart head, very high football IQ. He understands the offense, he understands reading defenses, and he can process things very quickly, which is great.”
Soria, who played running back last season with the varsity team, didn’t get much playing time. Although he played eight games throughout the season, he only recorded 120 all-purpose yards.
Now he’s expected under center and with an offseason of training, Soria has high expectations not only from his coach but also for himself to lead the team forward and take accountability.
“I just expect to be able to lead our team, to set a good example, to pick up everybody when they’re down and take accountability for mistakes,” Soria said. “I just want to be a great leader this year. And personally, I want to just excel when it comes to the passing and the running game. My No. 1 goal is not stats. I just want to win games.”
Lining up beside Soria in the backfield are two prominent running backs in Keyshawn Wooten and Semaj Richardson. Both are expected to be Soria’s rightand left-hand man this season.
In terms of expectations for that pairing, Holsenbeck says the sky is the limit.
“Our two-headed mon-
ster. Keyshawn last year was injured for much of the season. He played through a lot of it, but he’s back at full strength, which is great,” Holsenbeck said. “That combination of Keyshawn and Semaj, we’re expecting a lot out of them. Two different running styles, but two very good running backs.”
Wooten, who described chemistry with fellow teammate Richardson as “peanut butter and jelly” is confident in both of their abilities and doesn’t believe the duo is to be underestimated this year.
“Our chemistry is we’re like peanut butter and jelly,”
inade. Duryea, who won’t be eligible to play until the final five games of the season due to CIF rules, was recruited by the coaching staff to be a part of the program.
“There was an immediate connection when I met coach Shakir and when I met coach Hodge, there was an immediate connection,” Duryea said. “I love the way that the programs run in he weight room, in the classroom, on the field. Everything about it, it’s everything that I look for when I’m looking for a program.”
Even though Duryea is preparing for the final half of the regular season, he still has high expectations and looks forward to making a name for himself in the
Foothill League.
“I’m looking to match or come close to my total tackles last year of 70,” Duryea said. “I’m looking to really raise the standard here along with bringing up the work ethic and every aspect of football, weight room, on the field and classroom. I’m looking to really push the guys around me, make sure that we’re all on the same page, and we’re all competing at the highest level we can and just trying to come out and win the league.”
As for other returners on defense, Shakir still expects it to be players such as Davalos and Grayson to put in double-time given the small roster. But, it’s not a concern for Shakir as he has faith in his players to achieve their goals.
“We don’t have that luxury of just kind of putting a guy
in one box. We train hard in the off-season to be able to withstand the longevity of the season we have coming up. Guys are going to have to play a lot. There’s no way around it. They’re going to have to play a lot.”
This will no doubt be a challenging season for Shakir and the program, and going into his third season with the team he only wants to focus on continuing to grow.
“The first year was really establishing a culture,” Shakir said. “The second year we felt like we did that, and we had a more challenging schedule than we did our first year. Then we lost a lot of seniors. This year is going to be about growth because we’re going to be young, and we’re going to have other teams that are going to have a lot more players than us. That honest-
ly doesn’t concern me.”
The feeling around the program is that the team is ready to go and willing to do whatever it takes to win, and the players understand the path it takes to get there.
“We really want to compete like hell,” Shakir said. “We want to show our toughness, we want to show our togetherness. We want to show that the score doesn’t dictate how we play. For us, the book we’re reading, the story we’re trying to tell is, you, how are we playing? How are we playing together? Are we bringing people with us in the right direction when things get more challenging? Because they will. And so hopefully the culture that we’re trying to establish, the kids will stay together, and we’ll grow along the way.”
SAUGUS
Nolan Campo, who’s returning to the varsity program after getting injured last season.
“Those guys [Grant and Lattimore], like I’ve been playing with since I was younger,” Nuttal said. “We have a really good feel for each other, so, it’s kind of like a growing trust in just the familiarity I have with the receivers to know like where they’re going to be, how they run their routes.”
Lining up with Nuttall this season in the backfield will be running back Ty Hall. The senior back is going into his final season with the program just like his quarterback and couldn’t’ have asked for anyone better to go into his final year with.
“I have nothing but confidence within my O-line, my quarterback and the receivers,” Hall said. “I believe they have the capabilities and will do great things during the season, and we’ll all work together as one group, one team, to just be successful and win against the CIF championship. That’s the ultimate goal.”
And after a strong 2024 season in which Hall recorded six rushing touchdowns, Hall doesn’t seem to care about filling up the stat sheet for himself.
Instead, his primary goal is to win by any means necessary, and if that means at the expense of having a great year personally, he’s completely OK with that.
“What’s the point in rushing for 1,000 yards if you’re 0-10?” Hall said. “As long as we win, I do what I’m sup-
posed to do, all 11 players on the field, all 22 starting and the backups do what they’re supposed to do, and we win, that’s all that matters to me at the end of the day because winning is the ultimate goal.”
On the offensive line Bornn will have some younger guys stepping up this season: junior Beckham Welch, and seniors Kellen Jones and Tochi Okere. All three are standout linemen and Nuttall has his full faith in them.
“We have a really good feel for each other,” Nuttall said. “The linemen, I know they always got my back and they’re gonna fight.”
As an offense, Bornn is looking forward to what this year’s starting 11 can achieve. And he goes back to the point that he’s been instilling upon his team to focus on themselves and not the other guys on the opposing sideline.
“The expectation for us offensively is just to be the best version of us every single time we step on the field,” Bornn said. “We don’t really concern ourselves with the opponent as much in terms of, hey, they got this guy, they got that guy, we got to deal with this. No, no. We focus on ourselves. If we can take care of ourselves, if we can protect for our quarterback, if we can open up running lanes for our running back, if we can catch the ball, if we can limit penalties and sacks and turnovers and mistakes, if we can limit those things, then we like the chances that we have to be successful on the offensive side of the ball. It’s always about us against us, the best version of us.”
On the defensive side of the ball and leading the secondary going into his senior year will be two-way standout Matt Long. The defensive back is not only going to be a starter on defense but also be a receiver for Nuttall on offense alongside Lattimore.
Bornn has high expectations for his returning senior and was impressed when he saw him return to the program after Long was done with baseball season.
“He’s a multisport athlete, tremendous baseball player, and we didn’t see him all spring you know?” Bornn said. “He came out with us at the start of the summer, and it’s almost like he didn’t miss a beat. He’s worked hard in the off season. He’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s faster, super intelligent, you know, gets our secondary calls, you know, dialed in and making sure everybody’s all on the same page.”
Last season Long led the team in tackles as a junior with 81 while averaging 8.1 tackles a game. And now this season he only expects bigger things out of himself and the team.
“I think we have very high expectations. Some people might not think that,” Long said. “As a team, I know we all think the same and we want to make playoffs this year for sure. Win as many games as we can and make a deep run in the playoffs and just see where it goes from there.”
Slotting in at linebacker will be several young linebackers Bornn believes should excel this season. Juniors Mono Ortega and Justin Alvarez will have some
playing time along with seniors Andrew Nunez and Kory Bystrom.
Saugus is confident about 2025, and you can feel that confidence among the players in the program as the team wants to put the two previous seasons in the rear-
TRINITY
Continued from 27
like Noah did a great job last year leading the offense, commanding them, and obviously we had great success with him at QB, and I’m excited to take over that role.”
Looking to fill in bigger roles this season are senior Hudson Sweitzer and sophomore Aiden Visconti. The former is expected to be the lead running back, and used much more than last after watching the Knights throw the ball more often than not. The latter played all over the field as a freshman, racking up 282 rushing yards and 329 receiving yards, reaching the end zone eight times.
Sweitzer is confident that Carlson will end up being an able replacement at quarterback, but believes his own role will be a crucial one, both on the field and off.
“My goal is to prove to my team that if you can run fast and hard and you put your mind to it, you can get the ball far,” Sweitzer said.
The younger Visconti,
CENTS
Continued from 38
view mirror.
prolific as he was on offense, was just as valuable on defense last season. He was third on the team with 70 tackles and second with two sacks and three interceptions. He said a big key will be younger players like himself stepping up to play whatever role is needed of them.
“I played a great role as a freshman, but this year, I’d love to ramp that up, do a little bit more for the team and do anything I can,” he said. “Whether that’s moving positions, playing whatever they need me to do, and make the team better. I mean, that’s all I can do, and try and lead.”
All three players are expected to play both offense and defense. Carlson, like
If you combine the Centurions’ two previous Foothill League records, it’ll come out to a 1-11 record which would put them last in performance over those two years. The difference between Saugus and the other football programs is the team is bringing back multi-year varsity starters who understand how the league operates.
Saugus could very well be that team
his older brother, John, who earned co-Cottonwood League Player of the Year honors, will lead the defense at middle linebacker, while Sweitzer is expected to join him at linebacker and Visconti at defensive back.
Playing both ways is common for most Trinity players. Other players Eastham is hoping to lean on are: seniors Patrick Cherry (tackle and linebacker), Thomas Heinrich (center and defensive end) and Luke Hernandez (guard and nose guard), and sophomore Cade Herta (wide receiver and defensive back).
Cherry said with a large group of senior leaders no longer around from last year’s team, he’s taken
in Foothill that can cause some upsets and make a run this season if the team stays healthy.
And if there’s a coach who understand the ups and downs of football and how to craft a winning season for a football program, it’s Jason Bornn. But the pressure of this season doesn’t concern him — instead he’s enjoying every moment and focusing on the goal one day at a time.
“It’s cliche, but we literally take it one day at a time, one week, at a time, one game at a time,” Bornn said. “We’re not worried about titles, we’re not wor-
it on himself, along with Sweitzer, to keep the rest of the team focused.
“It’s been great,” Cherry said. “I mean, someone’s got to tell people what to do when we got to do it and lead by example. And I know I’ve been giving it my all to show these guys how it’s done.”
With so many new pieces, Eastham said he expects some mistakes, both from himself and the players. But if they can stay humble in their approach and learn from those mistakes, then he’ll see the season as a success — no matter the end results.
“I’ve been around teams that have had wins where there’s a ton of mistakes and a ton of things wrong, and I’ve been around programs that played great and got a loss,” Eastham said. “So, you know, I just think there’s lessons from each one. I think you learn more when you lose. Obviously, you don’t want to give up a lot of losses. But sometimes it’s inevitable. And the most important thing is just to learn from every game.”
Trinity’s roster was not available at press time.
ried about the future, because as soon as you start taking your eye off where you’re at, you start losing focus on the things that are important now. And that’s what we’re really trying to do in the present, focus on the things that are in front of us right now. And if you do that and do it well, then the other stuff takes care of itself.”
Saugus opens the season at home on Friday, Aug. 22, against Buena High and begins Foothill league play away at Hart on Sept. 19.
SCCS
Continued from 29 game in his last four yearsw at SCCS, at quarterback,” Fry said. “So, we’re in a new situation figuring out what we’re going to be this year without a four-year starter who hadn’t ever missed a game.”
Fry plans on running a Wing T offensive scheme in 2025, expecting the run game to have a bigger role moving forward.
“We have a couple of running backs in Jonah Babikan and Chase Kalinske,” Fry said. “They’ve just kind of been utility guys for us doing whatever we asked for the last two or three years who now get their chance to shine as our running backs in our system.”
Kalinske, who is entering his senior year, is looking for a stronger season this year after he finished the 2024 season with just 100 yards rushing in eight games.
“Last season, I was starting defense and not starting offense, this year I’m starting offense and starting defense,” Kalinske said. “I’m really confident in our team this year. I think we’re putting in a lot of work and I’m looking forward into getting as many
WILDCATS
Continued from 35
yards as possible.”
Another player coming up who Fry believes is poised to have a great year is Caleb Shaffer, who’s expected to play tight end on offense and defensive end on defense.
“Caleb Shaffer, he’s a man possessed this year,” Fry said. “He’s developed not just competitively, but in character and in ways that I can’t even express how proud of him I am.”
Last season Shaffer was a key figure on defense, leading the team in tackles for loss with 15 and sacks with 11.
“I think we can win Heritage League again. I think that’s ours based on the skillset and unity we have this year,” Shaffer said. “I think playoffs would be the dream goal, I think we have the skill set, I think we have the talent. But I also think we have the play schemes and the coaching for it.”
There is no doubt in Shaffer’s mind that this team is talented, but he also believes no matter who is out on the field the Cardinals can win.
“We’re focused on this year everyone doing their job and we’ll succeed with that,” Shaffer said. “And that’s what I believe can happen.
pace, especially since we switched a lot with not only our head coach, but other coaches in general. But I think they’re great additions.”
Looking toward the secondary, Mesziah Ramos is expected to be a two-way standout for Yonkers playing on offense and defense in 2025.
Yonkers believes this season that the junior will surprise a few people and light up the stat sheet as a defensive
We have guys who can fill the rest if anyone gets hurts or anything.”
Taking the lead in the offensive line is Gabe Wilson, a center who is coming off an ACL injury that he suffered after his freshman year.
“He played for us and was crucial for us,” Fry said. “He’s way more comfortable this year after a lot of physical rehab and lifting.”
Wilson played the entirety of the Cardinals’ playoff run last season and although he was limited due to injury, he’s hoping for more playing time. Wilson is also taking on a leadership role in the offensive line, having stayed in contact over the offseason and having them prepared for the 2025 season.
“I think we’re going to be way better than we were last year,” Wilson said. “My offensive line over the season, I’ve been on contact with them, having them do film study, workout with them, getting them locked in for the season, and just seeing in these past few months of football how much they care and how much they want it. I think we’re going to be a really good team.”
As for Fry, he believes the values he created in year one
back and running back.
“He’s a good athlete,” Yonkers said. “He’s very good around the ball. I think he’ll be a name that ends up showing up and shining out.”
The belief around the Wildcats program is that they’re in for a bounceback year. And there’re no shortage of expectations.
“The expectations that I’ve got for myself really is to come out and be consistent, show these kids that there’s value in that consistency,” Yonkers said. “You know, if you show up, do your job
No.
have now been instilled in his program, and then to his players today.
“Every year I’m looking for guys to take ownership of the program and reproduce the culture on their own,” Fry said. “From day one, we’ve been trying to lay those foundations where kids are adopting the culture of the program. And then this year, I really think we have our first group that’s actually taken ownership of it and it’s starting to reproduce it on their own.”
every day, good things tend to come your way.”
Yo“‘I’m really just looking to build off last season,” Yonkers added. “I’m hoping that if we can win the games that we’re supposed to win, if we can control the things we’re supposed to control, we can end up as a playoff team. This league’s going to be very tough this year, and we’re going to be young, but if we do the things that we’re supposed to do, I think we’re going to be able to overcome that and win some games.”
CANYON
Wooten said. “We go hand to hand, when he’s not on the field, I am, and when I’m off the field, he’s on the field and we just work together in ways that you can’t compete with.”
Both backs combined for 844 rushing yards last season as juniors and go into 2025 as seniors expecting to work with their new quarterback in Soria to take the offense to the next level.
Holsenbeck expects big things from his pairing this season and has higher standards for Wooten, who he believes will be the main man to watch this year because of the work he’s put this offseason to get stronger.
“Keyshawn’s worked really hard in the offseason here, and he’s got some fantastic football speed combined with everything that he’s done in the program,” Holsenbeck said. “I still think Semaj is going to do some good things for us, but Keyshawn’s that guy that we know we can count on day in and day out. When we need to punch it in for the 2 yards, Keyshawn’s a guy I want on the field.”
In the receiving corps, Holsenbeck expects many to help contribute and be weapons for Soria. One of those weapons is senior Myles McCrory, who is expected to be fully healthy this year after suffering an injury last season.
“He got injured partway through the season last year, he has lightning speed, and he’s going to be great for us out there as well,” Holsenbeck said. “He’ll be a big playmaker for us, both in the return game as well as wide receiver.”
Another receiving name to look out for is Jeremiah Herreres, for whom Holsenbeck has high hopes. Herreres, who is only a junior, played last season on varsity as a sophomore and played in five games with 25 receiving yards.
On defense Holsenbeck is changing things up after the departure of all-foothill star Evan Watts. Filling the role of Watts will be returner Ethan Nava, who’s going into his senior year. Nava, who accumulated 44 tackles along with three sacks, is expected to
be the face of the Cowboys’ defense. And although the team will miss Watt’s contributions, Nava believes this year’s team can fill those holes.
“He was a big help, but I feel like our linebackers can really have an impact,” Nava said. “I think I can do better as of myself, because he was over there and being a star player, but I feel like I can be that star player for this team now.”
Other than Nava, the linebacker corps will also consist of some familiar faces in new places such as senior Norberto Gonzalez.
“We expect [Nava] to be a dynamic player for us up front,” Holsenbeck said. “Norberto Gonzalez, who we played out of position a little bit last year, but then again as the season went on, he ended up being a defensive end for us. Again, he’ll be a two-way starter for us and I think he’s going to be really good for us up front.
“And then we have some youngsters that are going to be coming up and playing varsity for the first time that, again, have been impressive, so we expect that they’re going to play well.”
Those youngsters include freshman Miguel Castillo, spending his first year in the program with varsity.
“He’ll be coming up and playing for us,” Holsenbeck said. “At the linebacker level that we think he is going to do well.”
Leading the secondary are McCrory and Rowan Roberts, two key pieces on defense who return this season.
“Our secondary has a lot of good returning guys,” Holsenbeck said. “Our safety tandem, of McCrory and Roberts, I think are going to be really good.”
McCrory is not only going to be on defense alongside Roberts but is also going to be a key weapon for Soria on offense. Being a two-way player is a tough ask no matter where you play but the senior believes he’s up for it.
“It’s going to be a little tough, but I think I’m conditioned to do it,” McCrory said. “This year I will be taking more smart tackles. I’ll lean on my technique. And I think I’ll be very exceptional.”
The feeling around the program is that there will be more situations and
players like McCrory who will play both offense and defense this year. Holsenbeck reiterates that although he is going to have players do double-time, if the team can stay healthy, he feels good about his chances.
“We’re a small team, so a lot of depth is always an issue for us, right?” Holsenbeck said. “But if we can stay healthy, we feel pretty good about some of the things we have coming up.”
This year, the Cowboys will be looking for some of the magic they had in 2023 when the team won six games, including the first four. And although Holsenbeck believes the team will have some growing pains along the way, he’s confident in the ability his players have to overcome any adversity.
“I’m sure we’ll always experience some growing pains, but you know, that’s going to happen every year,” Holsenbeck said. “The reality is a lot of these guys got significant playing time last year. It just may not be in the exact same position there this year, or maybe they weren’t a starter on day one, but since then they ended up being a starter later in the season. So, we’ve got some good experience that we think is going to do well.”
There’s optimism around Canyon this year, and a need to succeed that all the players understand but the team wants to return to winning by focusing on getting there one step at a time.
“I feel like we have a strong core that came from last year,” Soria said. “We’re an extremely tight-knit group, we’re all friends outside of the sport, which brings a lot of chemistry to the team. We have fun out here, and we’re looking forward to changing the culture of what has been in the past few years. And obviously we won’t forget about the seasons that we’ve had before. It’s more we have to build on top of it and make this season a great year.”
The Cowboys open the season at home on Friday, Aug. 22, against Charter Oak and begin Foothill league play at Golden Valley on Sept. 19.
2025 The Cover Shoots
Bonus photos from the 2025 Football Preview cover photo sessions.
Photos by Habeba Mostafa.
Saugus: Jake Nuttall
Keyshawn Wooten
Trinity: Andrew Carlson
2025 The Cover Shoots
Bonus photos from the 2025 Football Preview cover photo sessions.
