2025 SAN JUAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW
SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
FAMILIAR FACES LOOK TO CARRY SAN JUAN HILLS
BY JOE MCHUGH
The Stallions took home a league championship in the Bravo League, going a perfect 5-0 to complete a 9-1 regular season. But, in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs, San Juan Hills fell short to Ventura County powerhouse Oaks Christian, 35-21, sending the program into the offseason.
But, the grass is still very green for the Stallions, and all indications are pointing to them making another playoff push.
“We actually have quite a few players that are coming back that saw a significant
amount of time,” head coach Robert Frith said. “When I think of our guys, I think that they look a lot like last year, because there’s a lot of familiar faces. So, I think the familiarity is the biggest thing.
“I feel that the culture, how we play, our leadership, will be very similar to what we saw last year.”
Having experience is a luxury that not many coaches get to see in the ever-changing landscape of high school football. From graduation to transfers, it is rare to have a sizable number of contributors on the same team twice. Frith, on the other hand,
returned nearly 10 key contributors from a successful 2024 program, and he is confident in their ability to carry the torch even further than they did last year.
“Having a group of experienced kids like we have, I’m really happy,” he said. “It’s really fun being able to put a system together that we feel has more depth of knowledge that we did last year.”
On the offense, it starts with star quarterback Timmy Herr. Set to be a third-year starter for the Stallions, he has become an “on-field coach” for the whole unit, whose knowledge of the San Juan Hills offense has
grown steadily throughout his tenure. That knowledge culminated into 2,230 yards and 22 touchdowns, while only throwing four interceptions. He also tacked on 239 yards and two touchdowns rushing. His locked-in understanding of the position, Frith said, makes coaching the rest of the offense that much easier.
“We have a tremendous amount of trust in Timmy, and he puts us in the situation to be right as coaches,” Frith said. “He makes decisions in a timely manner, and that’s the most important thing to us as a quarterback. You’ve got to make good decisions in
a timely manner.
“He’s an expert in that, so we trust him. He stirs the drink with our offense and is a tremendous leader.”
In the skill positions, running back Elijah Ayala is, to use Frith’s description, “a dude.” The do-it-all back has sharpened his ability to read the line of scrimmage, make a single cut and “take it to the house.” His big-play ability helped him take 138 carries for 897 yards and 10 touchdowns, as well as haul in 14 receptions for three touchdowns.
“You can really utilize him however,” Frith said. “He’s like a ‘five-tool’ guy, in baseball terms.”
Flanking the offense is a trio of talented pass catchers who all showed their value to the team in spades last year. Juniors Luke Frith — the coach’s son — and Ryan Matheson, and senior Dean Kolasinski combined for a majority of the Stallions’ passing game yardage. Together, they posted 1,589 yards and 12 touchdowns, giving Herr an abundance of options to look at on each play.
Anchoring the offensive line is star lineman and UCLA-commit Cooper Javorsky. He played all 12 games for San Juan Hills
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JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
JSERRA LEANS ON SENIOR CLASS IN 2025
BY ALICIA VENTER
Facing some of the best talent in the country each year, JSerra Catholic High School is used to a fight. Despite struggling in league play last year and falling short of aspirations in playoff competition, head coach Victor Santa Cruz is confident in his senior class, building “champions while pursuing championships” in the 2025 season that officially kicks off at the end of August.
“You’re seeing a senior class that’s really mature,” Santa Cruz said. “They really have their fingerprints all over the culture. You can see just the level of attention to detail that they bring to the table. I’m really excited about what this senior class has done over this year and how they’re basically spearheading us into this fall.”
The JSerra Lions compete in the Trinity League, widely considered among the toughest leagues in high school sports. Within it, the Lions face St. John Bosco, Orange Lutheran, Santa Margarita, Servite and Mater Dei, the latter undefeated last year and last’s year Open Division state champions. Each team has a place in the 2025 California Preseason MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings, with JSerra coming in at No. 14, and all are already expected to perform in the playoffs after regular season concludes.
“We know we’re one of the best programs in the country, and we’re one of the best programs in the state of California,” Santa Cruz said. “The issue is we play in the best conference in America. For us, we want to be No. 1 in our conference, and we want to be No. 1 in the
state. We have big goals.”
Needless to say, the JSerra squad faces brutal competition throughout the year — the best in the state, if not in the nation, at any given time.
“You have got to bring your A-game every day, and that’s what I love about the league,” Santa Cruz said. “I love to compete, and I love that about the competition, because it also helps these young men realize what they (have) to do in life after they dealt with high school and beyond.”
Last year’s league play proved difficult for JSerra, which went 1-4 against Trinity League teams, their only victory coming in a 35-33 win against Santa Margarita. Before league play began, however, they were undefeated at 5-0. Last year, all six Trinity League teams were ranked in the
top 10 in the state by MaxPreps and made the playoffs; JSerra earned an at-large berth into the Division I playoffs, though the season came to an end on Nov. 15 with a 40-20 loss against Trinity League rival Orange Lutheran High. The Lions fell behind 28-0 at halftime. Though they narrowed the deficit to 28-20 within the first few minutes of the third quarter, the Lions were unable to keep the energy at the game’s end.
Several key players graduated from JSerra at the conclusion of last year — notably, linebacker Madden Faraimo, now at the University of Notre Dame, and safety Logan Christensen, a UNLV commit who was named the Trinity League’s Most Valuable Specialist. However, arguably its greatest loss came from a transfer. Four-star recruit and starting
All Photos Courtesy of Alan Gibby
quarterback Ryan Hopkins — with 1,111 yards passing and 483 yards rushing in the 2024 season — transferred to league rival Mater Dei over the summer.
In his place, two leaders have emerged: junior Koa Smith-Mayall and sophomore Gino Wang.
“We got great quarterbacks, so I’m happy for Ryan and whatever choices people make, but I really feel so excited about what our quarterback situation gives us right now,” Santa Cruz said. “Koa can make all the throws. He’s a leader. He’s a competitor. Gino Wang, his backup, does an amazing job of just physicality. He can run. We love what we have in the quarterback spot.”
Anchoring the line is senior Nate Leovao in the center position at 6 feet tall and 297 pounds, alongside senior tackle Josh Haney, a Fresno State commit.
“Josh has developed so much,” Santa Cruz said. “He’s really a strong interior, a strong presence for that line. I’m a big believer in the trenches. How you are doing in the trenches really sets the tone for the whole season.”
On the receiving end, senior Jarod Sersansie stands at 6-3, and last year had 487 receiving yards. He is “just a big target,” Santa Cruz said, able to make any catch with his strong vertical presence. At his side is junior Clark Cokley, with 346
receiving yards during the 2024 season.
“Those two threats are just amazing,” Santa Cruz said.
There is also some new blood starting this year — junior Dylan Brown, one of the fastest players on the team, plays in the slot position, as well as in the safety position. Santa Cruz rattled off more than a dozen names of players on both ends of the ball who have trained diligently in the offseason, putting on weight and improving conditioning to prepare themselves for the upcoming year.
“We got a lot of youth in the group, but these guys are athletic, and they’ve been just having a heck of a practice and a heck of a camp,” Santa Cruz said.
This season marks Santa Cruz’s third year as head coach at JSerra, and his 30th year coaching overall. Though the sentiment is overused at times, he concedes, there is a true brotherhood among the players.
“This is probably the most balanced team that I’ve had in a long time, where we’re seeing both sides are just bringing their edge to the table,” Santa Cruz said. “Time will tell, like every season, but I think what we have right now is this is a really unified group and a pretty balanced effect on both sides of the ball.”
The JSerra season begins on Friday, Aug. 22, against Sierra Canyon.
JSERRA CATHOLIC SCHEDULE
AUGUST 22
SIERRA CANYON
Sierra Canyon School, 7 p.m.
•••
AUGUST 29
DAMIEN
JSCHS, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 5
KAMEHAMEHA KAPALAMA
Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi Campus, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 12
OAK HILLS
Oak Hills HS, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 19
LEUZINGER
JSCHS, 7 p.m.
OCTOBER 3
ST. JOHN BOSCO
JSCHS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 10
SERVITE
Orange Coast College, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 17
ORANGE LUTHERAN
JSCHS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 24
MATER DEI
Santa Ana Bowl, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 31
SANTA MARGARITA
JSCHS, 7 p.m.
CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
CVC’S CAMARILLO: ‘OUR MOST BALANCED TEAM YET’
BY ALICIA VENTER
and earned his college offer from that campaign. Defensively, Javorsky mans the nose guard spot. He was an All-League Honorable Mention last year, and Frith expects him to grow in that capacity this season.
The defense was the unit hit the hardest by graduation, as eight key contributors left the program. A relatively young unit this season, Frith still feels that he has the players in place to halt opposing offenses.
A star who might emerge this season is junior defensive lineman Maxwell Porter. The Stallions’ graduating class leaves 23 sacks up for grabs, and Porter has already proven his ability to get after the quarterback. In a limited role, he clocked 18 quarterback hurries and collected 2.5 sacks a year ago. He also forced one fumble and snagged one interception.
“He’s a really good athlete,” Frith said. “He’s got great technique. He’s pound-forpound our strongest player on our entire team. So, I’m excited to see him have another
great year.”
The linebacker unit saw possibly the biggest loss, however, as star Weston Port graduated and moved on to play at UCLA. Even so, Frith has faith in Jacob Mullen and Jonah Sanchez to fill the void and lock up the middle of the field.
Rounding out the defense, Kolasinski and Luke Frith will be manning the safety roles and helping contain opposing offenses.
The Stallions will be taking on a tough schedule, but Frith sees it as a way to test his team and see if they have what it takes to make a deep playoff push.
“That’s why we schedule these teams, because it doesn’t really matter pre-league; you’re just seeing where you’re at, and then in your league, that’s supposed to determine whether you think the playoffs are possible,” Frith said. “So, if things go well, we stay healthy, I think we could be pretty competitive in every single game.”
San Juan Hills will open the season at home
SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE
AUGUST 22
CHAPARRAL
San Juan Hills HS, 7 p.m.
•••
AUGUST 29
ROOSEVELT
Roosevelt HS, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 5
CHINO HILLS
San Juan Hills HS, 7:30 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 12
ROCKWALL-HEATH
Rockwall-Heath HS, 7:30 p.m..
•••
SEPTEMBER 19
MIRA COSTA
Mira Costa HS, 7 p.m.
OCTOBER 3
CORONA DEL MAR
Corona del Mar HS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 10
YORBA LINDA
San Juan Hills HS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 17
NEWPORT HARBOR
Newport Harbor HS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 24
VILLA PARK
San Juan Hills HS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 30
TESORO
San Juan Hills HS, 7 p.m.
After his first season as head coach at Capistrano Valley Christian, Brandon Camarillo is ready to exceed expectations for the 2025 season.
Last year, the Eagles ended the season tied for fourth in the Ironwood League, with a 5-6 overall record. With its starting quarterback, top running back and top receiver graduating, there were major holes in the CVC offense left at the end of the 2024.
“In my second year, they know who I am, and I know who they are,” Camarillo said. “There’s a little bit more of that trust factor. This is a group that really competes really hard against one another.”
The Eagles lost several of their key players from last season, including quarterback Nate Richie, who threw for 2,084 yards on the year, including 375 in their final matchup alone, completing 57.6% of his passes. Other notable losses include wide receiver Max Krasky, with 1,008 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the season; running back Joshua Monroe, who averaged 105.4 running yards per game with 1,159 on the season; and defensive lineman Jackson Prather, who had 49 total tackles in 2024.
Despite many of its leading players from last season graduating, Camarillo’s Eagles feel prepared heading into nonconference play later this month.
“Whenever you lose guys like that, it’s always kind of a big loss, especially when it’s guys like your quarterback, receiver and running back,” Camarillo said. “But our numbers have grown tremendously in our program, and so we have a lot of people that are able to fill those roles. We’re really excited about where we’re at. We’re so much further along at this time this year than we were last year.”
Senior Drake Bothwell is stepping up at the Eagles’ helm as quarterback. He was a starting cornerback last year, proving himself as a great defensive player, and with a natural throwing ability, he was tasked with learning the ins-and-outs of the offensive line this summer, spending hours in the film room with Camarillo and the offensive staff.
The biggest thing he brings to the table, however, is his running.
“We can make the passing easy for him with quick stuff; he can run and do all those things, and he’s just done a great job of kind of taking that role onto his shoulders and is just performing at a high level.”
Senior Rocco Windham is filling the shoes of the leading receiver CVC lost. The senior has trained himself into becoming the leader that a new quarterback can lean on, improving his route running among other necessities as an outside receiver.
“It’s been a long journey for me,” Windham said. “I transferred to this school last season, so I’m still not familiar with the program, but it feels good to finally have the recognition from all the work I’ve put in over the past four years. I’m really trying to elevate my teammates as well.”
The 2024 season culminated in a 45-33 loss against the Big Bear Bears, despite a stellar performance by then-junior Luke Vincent, who had 240 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the game. Standing 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, Vincent had 359 receiving yards on the year, and on the other side of the ball, he contributed 43 tackles.
Vincent is taking on the responsibility left by Monroe, Camarillo said. Though it is Vincent’s first season in the role, Camarillo feels he is fully prepared for the position’s responsibility
“He’s done a tremendous job this summer of not only learning the offense but becoming a really good running back with his vision and with his blocking and pass protection,” Camarillo said. “You would think that he’s been playing running back for a while, not just a summer.”
The defense is led by senior linebacker Michael Vukich and senior safety Sam Brown.
“A big part of my game is definitely my corners, which is Matthew Ahern and Luke Vincent,” Brown said. “They make the job
See CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN on page 8
SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL from page 3
ST. MARGARET’S TO RELY ON EXPERIENCE IN 2025
BY JOE MCHUGH
St. Margaret’s struggled throughout the majority of the 2024 season, leading to a 4-6 record on the year.
But, through the adversity, the Tartans rallied late in the year to secure two wins against Kappa League foes Garden Grove and Westminster. These wins alone inspired hope in the program, and in head coach Dan O’Shea that the team had grown during the season — tendencies he feels confident will come to fruition in
the new season.
“We were just so gosh darn young last year, and we had our bumps and bruises, but we are really pleased how we did finish with the two victories,” O’Shea said.
“Frankly, I think we’ve had our best offseason. The players did a wonderful job of getting in the weight room and doing their speed training during the offseason, so we’re really looking forward to the 2025 season.”
Because of their inexperience last year,
O’Shea said that a couple of the losses last year could have been wins with the team that the Tartans have assembled for 2025. Leading the charge is quarterback Kai Letcher, the lone junior captain for St. Margaret’s. As a sophomore, he threw for 1,695 yards and 15 touchdowns with 12 interceptions, while completing 54% of his passes. Additionally, he added 244 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
O’Shea feels that Letcher’s intangibles on the field and the plays he was making
go far beyond the stat sheet.
“I don’t think the stats necessarily show everything that he did for our football team, but he’s a true dual threat, and we’re really looking forward to his growth this year,” O’Shea said.
The receiving corps will be revamped coming into the new season, as both Luke Newman and Will Viola are headed
See ST. MARGARET on page 8
Dan O’Shea is beginning his third year as head football coach at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School. Photo: Courtesy of Alan Gibby
super easy when they’re able to cover whatever is asked of them, especially just on the defensive coverages. That’s very key — and just being able to go out there. A lot of it is classroom textbook, knowing the plays, but the other half is just going out there and having fun.”
As a smaller program, CVC has many players that fill offensive and defensive roles. However, there are changes underway for the Eagles — for the first time in many years, CVC has a junior varsity team, giving younger players an opportunity to play and grow.
“We’re excited for just the chance and that we’re able to have with this JV team, because it allows us to develop everybody,” Camarillo said.
Camarillo joined the CVC family last year, and was unable to get on campus until May, when most other programs have begun preseason conditioning and spring ball. This year, Camarillo has taken his time with his players at a less accelerated pace, allowing the players the chance to better familiarize themselves and get comfortable with the offense.
“People are just in the position where they’re not having to think as much, which is great,” Camarillo said. “With us breaking in a new quarterback, he’s been doing a really good job of understanding our offense and what we’re trying to do. It’s just made the learning curve a lot easier for everybody.”
The Eagles open the season at Claremont High on Aug. 22.
CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHEDULE
AUGUST 22
CLAREMONT
Claremont HS, 7 p.m.
•••
AUGUST 30
UNIVERSITY
Aliso Niguel HS, 1 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 5
LAGUNA HILLS
Laguna Hills HS, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 12
CALVARY CHAPEL
Laguna Hills HS, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 19
ST. MARGARET’S
St. Margaret’s Episcopal, 7 p.m.
OCTOBER 3
VALLEY CHRISTIAN
Laguna Hills HS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 10
VILLAGE CHRISTIAN
Village Christian School, 7 p.m. •••
OCTOBER 17
ONTARIO CHRISTIAN
Aliso Niguel HS, 7 p.m. •••
OCTOBER 24
AQUINAS
Aquinas HS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 31
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN
Aliso Niguel HS, 7 p.m.
off to University Chicago. In their place comes an opportunity for Jack Kleinhanzl, a junior receiver who led the junior varsity team to a league championship. On varsity, he caught 29 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns, proving that he can play at the top level. The Tartans will also mix in Sammy Grant-Lewis and Sam Ludlum as targets for Letcher.
The strength of the offense will lie in the trenches, led by captain Ryan Chin. The three-year starter has been an active player and leader in the St. Margaret’s locker room and will look to help lead a more experienced group to success.
“Our offensive line is substantially more experienced from last year and so far, has looked very, very good in fall camp,” O’Shea said. “I think that allows us to give balance to our offense, being able to run the ball equally as well as our passing.”
Defensively, that message also rings true. The “Tartan Way” will be to control the line of scrimmage — led by Chin — and help get the ball back to the offense. The defensive line will be returning a group of defensive ends and guards who have experience in the system, making O’Shea confident in the unit’s ability to
get stops.
The linebacking corps, however, has been shining in offseason practices and scrimmages. Headed by Jack Klausner and Sebastian Salazar, O’Shea said that they played well in both the Dana Hills and Ocean View 7-on-7 passing tournaments. He also expects outside linebacker Sawyer Collins to make some noise at the position this year as well.
“I think confidence is growing, not only with myself and our coaching staff, but with the players every single day,” O’Shea said. “We have a phenomenal buzz going on right now amongst our team; culturally, the leadership is just outstanding.
Putting all of the pieces together, that “buzz” is making the players want to go out and win against tough competition, and show that their experience and work has elevated their talent — possibly leading to a successful season.
“They’re excited, they’re working hard, and I think our confidence grows as a group every single day,” O’Shea said. “We’re together, and we’re looking forward to great things this year.”
St. Margaret’s will open the season at home against Arlington on Aug. 22.
ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHEDULE
AUGUST 22
ARLINGTON
St. Margaret’s ES, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 5
LA SALLE
La Salle HS, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 12
FOUNTAIN VALLEY
St. Margaret’s ES, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 19
CAP. VALLEY CHRISTIAN
St. Margaret’s ES, 7 p.m.
•••
SEPTEMBER 26
LAGUNA HILLS
Laguna Hills HS, 7 p.m.
OCTOBER 3
SEGERSTROM
St. Margaret’s ES, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 10
BREA OLINDA
Brea Olinda HS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 17
ESPERANZA
St. Margaret’s HS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCTOBER 23
GARDEN GROVE
Garden Grove HS, 7 p.m.
•••
OCT. 30
WESTMINSTER
Westminster HS, 7 p.m.
CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
ST. MARGARET from page 17
APISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN from page 6