WCAL Gearing Up for the Season!

[jordan24]

Lots of activity in the WCAL this Spring. New coaches at St. Ignatius and Bellarmine should continue and improve their already successful programs. Perennial favorites St. Francis and Serra have a great core returning and continue reloading with strong freshman classes. Mitty loses a lot, but program is on the upswing with their HC of the year. VC returns a good amount of players and SHC looks to continue their upswing.
Riordan looks to improve with Coach Adhir in his 2nd season with the Crusaders. They return a good core and a promising freshman class.

 

[colhenrylives]

The wild card is St. Ignatius. There are strong signs that the Wildcats are determined to become a regular factor in the WCAL upper echelons. The indications are there: Vastly improved facilities; solid roster numbers; committed coaching staff; administrative support; continued strong feeder system (especially via Marin and San Mateo counties); a terrific overall athletic program. It's all there on the Sunset District campus. Money is being spent on athletics. SI competes with SHC, Riordan, Serra and several small private schools in SF for students. There is no reason SI cannot take on and deal with the rest of the WCAL in football on an annual basis. It's time.

 

[ArmchairGOAT]

SI has a junior to be stud qb and a soph qb from Marin. SHC has a San Marin qb transfer. What’s in the water 💦 in Marin County?

 

[Scott2138]

SI has a junior to be stud qb and a soph qb from Marin. SHC has a San Marin qb transfer. What’s in the water 💦 in Marin County?

SHC San Marin transfer soph QB looks very mature and poised he looks very good. If you think about it...SHC is closer to Marin than SI is. ....Getting a few from Marin means SHC is doing something right currently especially how Marin Catholic and SI is such a strong draw traditionally. I don't know if the SHC athletic complex is still in the works but it was prior to the pandemic...but if they are going to compete in this league they will have to invest since it looks like every WCAL school are spending money on improving athletics.

 

[Scott2138]

Lots of activity in the WCAL this Spring. New coaches at St. Ignatius and Bellarmine should continue and improve their already successful programs. Perennial favorites St. Francis and Serra have a great core returning and continue reloading with strong freshman classes. Mitty loses a lot, but program is on the upswing with their HC of the year. VC returns a good amount of players and SHC looks to continue their upswing.
Riordan looks to improve with Coach Adhir in his 2nd season with the Crusaders. They return a good core and a promising freshman class.

Yeah maybe....Riordan football underperformed last year despite all the potential. Maybe this year will be better especially with all the new lineman and transfers.

 

[Scott2138]

The wild card is St. Ignatius. There are strong signs that the Wildcats are determined to become a regular factor in the WCAL upper echelons. The indications are there: Vastly improved facilities; solid roster numbers; committed coaching staff; administrative support; continued strong feeder system (especially via Marin and San Mateo counties); a terrific overall athletic program. It's all there on the Sunset District campus. Money is being spent on athletics. SI competes with SHC, Riordan, Serra and several small private schools in SF for students. There is no reason SI cannot take on and deal with the rest of the WCAL in football on an annual basis. It's time.

I think you can say that about every WCAL school...they are all trying to be relevant on a yearly basis but no body seems to be doing it better than Serra and St. Francis currently.

 

[ArmchairGOAT]

I understand both SHC and Riordan have a few incoming freshmen that could immediately contribute

 

[Scott2138]

I understand both SHC and Riordan have a few incoming freshmen that could immediately contribute

I think so! A couple of receiver types...It will be interesting...SHC has a nice young soph bruiser RB to complement the QBs they have now! He is a load. The line is very young but they got some promising pieces.

 

[CAPTAIN MORGAN]

SI has a junior to be stud qb and a soph qb from Marin. SHC has a San Marin qb transfer. What’s in the water 💦 in Marin County?

Rumor has it the very talented soph qb has transferred to Marin Catholic. Possibly didn't like the prospect of sitting on the bench behind Hummel for 2 years.

 

[iamgearyblvd]

Am I missing something or is there an open competition for starting QB at SH for upcoming season? I would think McGrath is the starter.

 

[Scott2138]

Am I missing something or is there an open competition for starting QB at SH for upcoming season? I would think McGrath is the starter.

McGrath most likely would share time like with Ray John Spears....but I don't see how this new soph QB would not get decent playing time if he is as good as advertised. Patton and some others would need to find a different role too.

 

[ArmchairGOAT]

Can’t beat Varsity experience in the WCAL. McGrath should be the starter. Always need 2-3 good backup QBs for depth.

 

[iamgearyblvd]

Can’t beat Varsity experience in the WCAL. McGrath should be the starter. Always need 2-3 good backup QBs for depth.

Will be interesting to see McGrath with 6 new starters from the skilled positions on offense. Sanders, Mixon, Miller, Calonico, Keishk, and Daly all graduated. Thats a ton lost.

 

[Scott2138]

Can’t beat Varsity experience in the WCAL. McGrath should be the starter. Always need 2-3 good backup QBs for depth.

Agree...but they already have two QBs from last year as backups on the roster....With all the seniors gone, it will be interesting to see how good McGrath's progression is...The positive thing is that at the receiver position they have some size and speed and some new blood to compliment them so the starting QB's should be able to find his favorite thru time and experience. But they will all be new so to early to tell at this time. At the running back position they have #42 who will be a senior and had some decent moments last year, etc...but they will also have a big RB that is the size of Reagans but faster. It will all iron itself out soon enough and we will see how they progress. The OL is really young other than #75 and his brother who started as a freshman. #75 got a D1 offer from Weber State last month.

 

[iamgearyblvd]

Agree...but they already have two QBs from last year as backups on the roster....With all the seniors gone, it will be interesting to see how good McGrath's progression is...The positive thing is that at the receiver position they have some size and speed and some new blood to compliment them so the starting QB's should be able to find his favorite thru time and experience. But they will all be new so to early to tell at this time. At the running back position they have #42 who will be a senior and had some decent moments last year, etc...but they will also have a big RB that is the size of Reagans but faster. It will all iron itself out soon enough and we will see how they progress. The OL is really young other than #75 and his brother who started as a freshman. #75 got a D1 offer from Weber State last month.

Irish lost a lot of star power however I do see for the upcoming season alot more depth where they wont have to have players play both sides of the ball which can wear some of these kids down. It's awfully nice to have a squad (like Serra) where a player can concentrate on one position and occasionally help out on the other side of the ball.

They will have decent depth at the DB and RB position. Look for Campbell III (soph) to be that next Irish athlete to garner alot of attention. He is also a tremendous wrestler as well.

 

[Footballgrind]

Anyone else following the laundry list of D1 bound transfers that last place Riordan has added over the last few months?

If I’m doing math right they’ve added 10 transfers (many of which have D1 offers) this off-season and last:

Chris Lawson - Foothill HS (Pleasanton, CA)
Cynai Thomas - Menlo Atherton HS
Peter Langi - Matre Dei (Santa Ana, CA)
Tyrone Jackson - Oakland Tech HS
Moses Vaenuku - Provo HS (Provo, UT)
Tommy Tofi - Sheldon HS (Sacramento, CA)
John Tofi Jr - Sheldon HS (Sacramento, CA)
Judge Nash - St. Patrick- St. Vincent HS (Vallejo, CA)
Kalolo Ta’aga Kaihea - Sheldon HS/Serra HS
Tobey Wedyemuller - St. Ignatius

Sheesh... That's a boatload of talent. From an offer perspective.... I mean do they line up with Serra?? Riordan has multiple guys with Oregon offers.

 

[Scott2138]

Irish lost a lot of star power however I do see for the upcoming season alot more depth where they wont have to have players play both sides of the ball which can wear some of these kids down. It's awfully nice to have a squad (like Serra) where a player can concentrate on one position and occasionally help out on the other side of the ball.

They will have decent depth at the DB and RB position. Look for Campbell III (soph) to be that next Irish athlete to garner alot of attention. He is also a tremendous wrestler as well.

Yes, the receivers will be mostly new but they do range in ht and wt so plenty to choose from. Campbell and Williams both sophs will be a good tandem in the future plus the lone remaining senior as RBs this year. The QB situation will be interesting and will settle itself out as soon as the go to receivers are recognized. Well, Riordan I don't know how they go from famine to feast but they do have a lot of new studs, not just in football but basketball as well. I don't know if SHC got any bright prospects in basketball 2023-2024, but they will just have to win more with less as they have been.

 

[MC415]

Anyone else following the laundry list of D1 bound transfers that last place Riordan has added over the last few months?

If I’m doing math right they’ve added 10 transfers (many of which have D1 offers) this off-season and last:

Chris Lawson - Foothill HS (Pleasanton, CA)
Cynai Thomas - Menlo Atherton HS
Peter Langi - Matre Dei (Santa Ana, CA)
Tyrone Jackson - Oakland Tech HS
Moses Vaenuku - Provo HS (Provo, UT)
Tommy Tofi - Sheldon HS (Sacramento, CA)
John Tofi Jr - Sheldon HS (Sacramento, CA)
Judge Nash - St. Patrick- St. Vincent HS (Vallejo, CA)
Kalolo Ta’aga Kaihea - Sheldon HS/Serra HS
Tobey Wedyemuller - St. Ignatius

Where is all the NIL money coming from over there at Riordan? How much did it cost to get this all done? That’s impressive

 

[Scott2138]

Where is all the NIL money coming from over there at Riordan? How much did it cost to get this all done? That’s impressive

Sure is a lot of money....if these girls and boys are getting full rides to go to school and live there its quite a sell.

 

[Scoop and Score]

10 D1 players don’t just show up, especially after how terrible they were last year. The new guy is doing a fine job recruiting these players away from other schools.

 

[Scott2138]

10 D1 players don’t just show up, especially after how terrible they were last year. The new guy is doing a fine job recruiting these players away from other schools.

Im sure he is doing a good job recruiting but the question is where is the money coming from...RIordan was in serious trouble less than a decade ago.

 

[jordan24]

Im sure he is doing a good job recruiting but the question is where is the money coming from...RIordan was in serious trouble less than a decade ago.

A lot has changed over the last decade. Meet Coach Ravipati and why he chose Riordan to continue his career. Very impressed with this young man and not surprised why kids (and their parents) now strongly consider going to Riordan. His answer is at the 10:00 minute mark. https://www.youtube.com/live/tsuBsW7a6Y8?feature=share

 

[MC415]

A lot has changed over the last decade. Meet Coach Ravipati and why he chose Riordan to continue his career. Very impressed with this young man and not surprised why kids (and their parents) now strongly consider going to Riordan. His answer is at the 10:00 minute mark. https://www.youtube.com/live/tsuBsW7a6Y8?feature=share

But where did they money come from to get a bright coach like Ravipati to even make the move? This isn’t a deep pocket school like Serra or a Branson or SHP…….how is this whole thing getting bankrolled ?

 

[jordan24]

But where did they money come from to get a bright coach like Ravipati to even make the move? This isn’t a deep pocket school like Serra or a Branson or SHP…….how is this whole thing getting bankrolled ?

"Fastest growing school in the Bay Area." Coach Ravipati mentions this in the interview and that he works as a Product Manager for one of the high tech companies in the Area. He is able to work remotely from Riordan. He left M-A for that reason since he had to commute btwn M-A and his job (pre-COVID).

 

[MC415]

You don’t “grow” without capital, who’s the source of the capital to fuel the growth ?

 

[iamgearyblvd]

So Riordan is becoming what Brian Windhorst calls it a "checkbook" school.... athletically speaking. Their football and basketball athletes aren't "homegrown". Curtin and Ravipati go onto their laptops to AmazonAthletes.com, add whatever players they want to the cart, hit checkout and boom, player arrives in less than 2 days.

 

[ArmchairGOAT]

Be careful of accusing a school of being a checkbook school and athletes that are not homegrown as Riordan is not the only school in the WCAL or in NorCal that attracts out of area kids. Simply ask the parents.

 

[cityfan]

You don’t “grow” without capital, who’s the source of the capital to fuel the growth ?

Tuition. Doubling the enrollment in 3 years by going co-ed and a thriving boarding program helps. You can ask the same question to the other private schools as well. Didn't someone post that St. Francis is putting $100mil into an athletic complex, SI just upgraded their sports facilities, Serra and Bellarmine have upgraded as well. BTW, have you seen Valley Christian's campus?

 

[iamgearyblvd]

Tuition. Doubling the enrollment in 3 years by going co-ed and a thriving boarding program helps. You can ask the same question to the other private schools as well. Didn't someone post that St. Francis is putting $100mil into an athletic complex, SI just upgraded their sports facilities, Serra and Bellarmine have upgraded as well. BTW, have you seen Valley Christian's campus?

Private schools cannot solely rely on tuition to operate the school. That is why they always have fundraisers year round. The golden goose is private donations. Or other situations like St. Francis and hit a huge windfall by being an early investor in Snapchat and cashing out their shares after it IPO'd.

 

[MC415]

Tuition. Doubling the enrollment in 3 years by going co-ed and a thriving boarding program helps. You can ask the same question to the other private schools as well. Didn't someone post that St. Francis is putting $100mil into an athletic complex, SI just upgraded their sports facilities, Serra and Bellarmine have upgraded as well. BTW, have you seen Valley Christian's campus?

All those schools have benefactors or outside funding outside of tuition…….Marin Catholic for instance has gotten millions and millions of dollars from the Ghilotti family it’s not a secret, just curious who the money is coming from Riordan

 

[cityfan]

All those schools have benefactors or outside funding outside of tuition…….Marin Catholic for instance has gotten millions and millions of dollars from the Ghilotti family it’s not a secret, just curious who the money is coming from Riordan

You just answered your question - alumni, benefactors and outside funding. The Mayer family, the Gellert Foundation and alumni contributions upgraded the athletic field. The Olympic Club contributed to the gym upgrade. Riordan finally caught up and is doing what the other schools are doing.

 

[cityfan]

Private schools cannot solely rely on tuition to operate the school. That is why they always have fundraisers year round. The golden goose is private donations. Or other situations like St. Francis and hit a huge windfall by being an early investor in Snapchat and cashing out their shares after it IPO'd.

Don't you think Riordan has fundraisers and private donations, too?

 

[MC415]

You just answered your question - alumni, benefactors and outside funding. The Mayer family and the Gellert Foundation upgraded their athletic field. The Olympic Club contributed to the gym upgrade. Riordan finally caught up and is doing what the other schools are doing.

Actually you answered my question with the specific donors, which was my question

 

[Scott2138]

All those schools have benefactors or outside funding outside of tuition…….Marin Catholic for instance has gotten millions and millions of dollars from the Ghilotti family it’s not a secret, just curious who the money is coming from Riordan

Yes all those listed schools have benefactors but this is is huge growth in 3 years...to get a haul of 10 division 1 athletes for next year for just one sport is better than all WCAL schools I must say...We are not even talking about basketball now!...So its just a question of what are they doing better than the other WCAL schools other than the boarding program and the girls coming to the school. Great for them but for Riordan to be doing all this better than lets say St. Francis, Bells, and Serra recently is eye opening for basketball and football.

 

[iamgearyblvd]

Don't you think Riordan has fundraisers and private donations, too?

I dont see anywhere above of me saying Riordan doesnt. I said private schools. Riordan is a private school isnt it? So they are lumped into my statement.

 

[cityfan]

Yes all those listed schools have benefactors but this is is huge growth in 3 years...to get a haul of 10 division 1 athletes for next year for just one sport is better than all WCAL schools I must say...We are not even talking about basketball now!...So its just a question of what are they doing better than the other WCAL schools other than the boarding program and the girls coming to the school. Great for them but for Riordan to be doing all this better than lets say St. Francis, Bells, and Serra recently is eye opening for basketball and football.

The link to the Ravipati interview pretty much explains what they are doing.

 

[ArmchairGOAT]

Tyrone Jackson, Lolo and Tobey were at Riordan last year. This year the Tofi family returns to San Francisco and go to the school their dad attended. Peter Langi joins his brother who started as a freshman last year. I understand the other players all are part of KT Prep - the same organization that WCAL Freshman of the Year- Michael Mitchell played his jr. ball and training.
As far as homegrown, I didn't know that Capitola and Santa Cruz were next to San Jose as there are numerous players from the area playing at WCAL schools. Isn't the current 4 Star WCAL POY from Sacramento? Didn't Ryan Silver start at SHC and ended up at Serra? As did a former BOD and DLS player now in San Mateo? It's widely known that even DLS has players from Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakland and Richmond. Interesting that a school that is following that same "playbook" to improve their program is suddenly all the news.

 

[ArmchairGOAT]

So Riordan is becoming what Brian Windhorst calls it a "checkbook" school.... athletically speaking. Their football and basketball athletes aren't "homegrown". Curtin and Ravipati go onto their laptops to AmazonAthletes.com, add whatever players they want to the cart, hit checkout and boom, player arrives in less than 2 days.

Tyrone Jackson, Lolo and Tobey were at Riordan last year. This year the Tofi family returns to San Francisco and go to the school their dad attended. Peter Langi joins his brother who started as a freshman last year. I understand the other players all are part of KT Prep - the same organization that WCAL Freshman of the Year- Michael Mitchell played his jr. ball and training.
As far as homegrown, I didn't know that Capitola and Santa Cruz were next to San Jose as there are numerous players from the area playing at WCAL schools. Isn't the current 4 Star WCAL POY from Sacramento? Didn't an all-WCAL lineman start at SHC and end up at Serra? As did a former BOD and DLS players now in San Mateo? It's widely known that even DLS has players from Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakland and Richmond. Interesting that a school that is following that same "playbook" to improve their program is suddenly all the news.

 

[dcpanda]

Going coed was a huge shift for Riordan, financially. They now have a CCS CBED of 1,056 students. Conservatively, let’s say they’ve been able to add 300 kids to overall enrollment, at $15k net average per year (including financial aid and parent pledge donations), that is an extra $4.5M per year for the budget.

 

[Footballgrind]

Tyrone Jackson, Lolo and Tobey were at Riordan last year. This year the Tofi family returns to San Francisco and go to the school their dad attended. Peter Langi joins his brother who started as a freshman last year. I understand the other players all are part of KT Prep - the same organization that WCAL Freshman of the Year- Michael Mitchell played his jr. ball and training.
As far as homegrown, I didn't know that Capitola and Santa Cruz were next to San Jose as there are numerous players from the area playing at WCAL schools. Isn't the current 4 Star WCAL POY from Sacramento? Didn't an all-WCAL lineman start at SHC and end up at Serra? As did a former BOD and DLS players now in San Mateo? It's widely known that even DLS has players from Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakland and Richmond. Interesting that a school that is following that same "playbook" to improve their program is suddenly all the news.

I don't think anyone is saying it's bad thing. Just wondering how they're doing it. Now you gave some reasons, but I still don't think that explains the # of kids that they have got with the talent level. Adhir obviously can work magic when it comes to recruiting. I mean he did it at MA too. Multiple ST Francis kids transferred to MA while he was there: Malik Johnson, Andre Bishop. At the end of the day he makes great connections and kids want to play for him.

I will say this, if he is as good of a Football coach as everyone thinks, there is no excuse for Riordan not to have a deep playoff run this year. Honestly I thought they underperformed at 3-7 last year. I know it was his first year, but like you said Tyrone Jackson (Power 5 offers) Zachary Jones (UC Davis commit), and other dudes were already there and Riordan got shut out multiple games, and struggle to score points in other games as well.