WCAL 2024-25 SEASON

[iamgearyblvd]

I agree...SI looks magical this year....

Does anyone know what is the status of Flanigan at SHC, he has been out for three games???
Also where has #99 been? They have a small roster this year on Varsity.

Flanigan has been injured the past 3 games which has led to some offensive inefficiencies. Irish played with a whole lot better effort today with 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries and a recovered onside kick. Bad news is they lost key lineman Tristan Forks to a nasty leg injury (he got rolled up from behind). They were already thin on the line so losing him doesnt help. Idk about Bellamy. I didnt see him out there today so assume hes injured as well.

 

[Irish_Cheers]

I agree...SI looks magical this year....

Does anyone know what is the status of Flanigan at SHC, he has been out for three games???
Also where has #99 been? They have a small roster this year on Varsity.

I don't know their status. Even the announcers on the live stream mentioned him. They also said there was only one Senior starting on the offensive and defensive lines. They really need more depth.

 

[ArmchairGOAT]

I don't know their status. Even the announcers on the live stream mentioned him. They also said there was only one Senior starting on the offensive and defensive lines. They really need more depth.

How many are on the Irish ☘️ roster? Way to keep the game competitive for the most part yesterday.

 

[Irish_Cheers]

How many are on the Irish ☘️ roster? Way to keep the game competitive for the most part yesterday.

The school's athletic site shows 35 players with only 6 Seniors. Serra has at least 91 players.
I was pleasantly surprised the Irish kept it competitive as well. Everybody was expecting a blow-out.

 

[colhenrylives]

The SHC football program has its hands tied for a variety of very tough reasons. By all rights, it should not compete in the WCAL. For many years, it didn't. Now, it's stuck. With both San Francisco rivals, Riordan and SI, (and Serra to the south already a WCAL big boy program), upgrading their football programs, SHC is caught in a vise as the odd man out. Frankly, it's not at all clear The Irish can ever break free and become an annual factor in the WCAL. They are really up against it. They have chronically low numbers, a lack of overall talent, too many coaching changes over time, minimal facilities, no frosh team and no history of WCAL success, having never won a league varsity football title. You might say SHC, with its inner city campus not all that far from the Tenderloin, is simply not a football school. Normally, that would be fine. Nothing wrong with that. But SHC, which hesitated to join SI in the new WCAL back in the late 1960s and then had to relent, is stuck in the WCAL, one of the top leagues in NorCal. The football competition is unrelenting. In a perfect world, The Irish would compete in the expanded PAL. But such an option, considered years ago and discarded, seems to be DOA. SHC's football future appears to be grim. That's not news. But it is depressing, for SHC and, frankly, for the WCAL. It's not good, no matter how you look at it. Saturday, Serra barely showed up, committing mistake after mistake and performing as badly as any Walsh-coached team ever has in his 24 seasons at the school. SHC, credit to them, hung in there but simply got overwhelmed in the end by Serra's depth, speed, overall size in both lines and an occasional big play. The final score was 29-12, pretty respectable really. But the difference in the two programs was so stark it was painful to watch, even as Serra (which did showcase its impressive transfer kicker from Stuart Hall) continued to self-destruct for most of the day. Oh, the JV score was Serra (with 60 sophs on the roster) 33, SHC 6. More bad news. It was a long, hot day on West 20th Avenue.

 

[Relly900]

The entire WCAL story the pundits and reporters tried to spin prior to the season all thru the pre-season was a nice story.

St. Ignatius is winning the WCAL this year.

They put themselves in a better spot

But there not the favorites they came from behind late in both games

They could be had by a mitty or vchs

There not serra where they were dominant the previous 3 years, they just outlast teams.

That a recipe to get beat possibly if u get down to far of a rabbit hole by a team


But so far they did what they needed to do

 

[cityfan]

They put themselves in a better spot

But there not the favorites they came from behind late in both games

They could be had by a mitty or vchs

There not serra where they were dominant the previous 3 years, they just outlast teams.

That a recipe to get beat possibly if u get down to far of a rabbit hole by a team


But so far they did what they needed to do

The possible rematches in the CCS playoffs with SI vs Serra and/or Riordan will be interesting...

 

[iamgearyblvd]

The SHC football program has its hands tied for a variety of very tough reasons. By all rights, it should not compete in the WCAL. For many years, it didn't. Now, it's stuck. With both San Francisco rivals, Riordan and SI, (and Serra to the south already a WCAL big boy program), upgrading their football programs, SHC is caught in a vise as the odd man out. Frankly, it's not at all clear The Irish can ever break free and become an annual factor in the WCAL. They are really up against it. They have chronically low numbers, a lack of overall talent, too many coaching changes over time, minimal facilities, no frosh team and no history of WCAL success, having never won a league varsity football title. You might say SHC, with its inner city campus not all that far from the Tenderloin, is simply not a football school. Normally, that would be fine. Nothing wrong with that. But SHC, which hesitated to join SI in the new WCAL back in the late 1970s and then had to relent, is stuck in the WCAL, one of the top leagues in NorCal. The football competition is unrelenting. In a perfect world, The Irish would compete in the expanded PAL. But such an option, considered years ago and discarded, seems to be DOA. SHC's football future appears to be grim. That's not news. But it is depressing, for SHC and, frankly, for the WCAL. It's not good, no matter how you look at it. Saturday, Serra barely showed up, committing mistake after mistake and performing as badly as any Walsh-coached team ever has in his 24 seasons at the school. SHC, credit to them, hung in there but simply got overwhelmed in the end by Serra's depth, speed, overall size in both lines and an occasional big play. The final score was 29-12, pretty respectable really. But the difference in the two programs was so stark it was painful to watch, even as Serra (which did showcase its impressive transfer kicker from Stuart Hall) continued to self-destruct for most of the day. Oh, the JV score was Serra (with 60 sophs on the roster) 33, SHC 6. More bad news. It was a long, hot day on West 20th Avenue.

Very precise write up. Couldnt have written it any better. SH is not a football school. An awesome "successful" football year would be .500 and a trip to CCS D3. But most years 2-8 or 3-7 sounds about right.

There has been however more consistency in their coaching staffs than your suggestion of alot of coaching turnover. Since McLaughlin, its been pretty much the same staff and there are talented kids that come and play for them. Its not enough of course compared to the big dogs of the league. There is no stink there that causes players to leave or not want to go there. Thats when you know its bad.

Still proud and support SH no matter what. Fun little school that sometimes wins a trophy here and there.

 

[Niklas227]

The possible rematches in the CCS playoffs with SI vs Serra and/or Riordan will be interesting...

I want to see a rematch of SI against SRV.

 

[Niklas227]

Here's my WCAL Week 3 Rankings

1. SI
2. Serra
3. Riordan
4. St. Francis
5. Valley Christian
6. Mitty
7. SHC
8. Bellarmine

Bellarmine not being a better team at this junction after hiring a HC with an NFL background is alarming. I'm wondering if he's able to relate to his team.

 

[iamgearyblvd]

Here's my WCAL Week 3 Rankings

1. SI
2. Serra
3. Riordan
4. St. Francis
5. Valley Christian
6. Mitty
7. SHC
8. Bellarmine

Bellarmine not being a better team at this junction hiring a HC with an NFL background is alarming. I'm wondering if he's able to relate to his team.

I think the only thing going against you is the natural regression to the mean. SI with two improbable comebacks. You win games like that and eventually will lose games just like that or have a huge letdown. Kids are especially susceptible to being told how good they are and getting drunk off their success.

Havent wavered from my preseason prediction but that SI-SF game should be a doozy.
1. SF
2. SI
3. Riordan
4. Serra
5 VC
6 Mitty
7 SH
8 Bellarmine

 

[Scott2138]

Very precise write up. Couldnt have written it any better. SH is not a football school. An awesome "successful" football year would be .500 and a trip to CCS D3. But most years 2-8 or 3-7 sounds about right.

There has been however more consistency in their coaching staffs than your suggestion of alot of coaching turnover. Since McLaughlin, its been pretty much the same staff and there are talented kids that come and play for them. Its not enough of course compared to the big dogs of the league. There is no stink there that causes players to leave or not want to go there. Thats when you know its bad.

Still proud and support SH no matter what. Fun little school that sometimes wins a trophy here and there.

All this is true...But the last five years of SHC football has been some of the most exciting to watch if you are a school follower. The offensive game is more fun to watch the last five years than decades ago. More passing and less relying on a running back. They have low numbers this year but they do the best with what they got. Riordan football was owned by the IRISH the last decade, so the trend is reversing now. But the school does need to concentrate on being a football school more since SI and RIordan really upped their games the last two years. I would rather be SHC than Bellarmine currently. They have bodies and facilities but are not attracting football players either. Weird cycles.

 

[Scott2138]

How many are on the Irish ☘️ roster? Way to keep the game competitive for the most part yesterday.

35 on varsity I think.

 

[Irish_Cheers]

Very precise write up. Couldn't have written it any better. SH is not a football school. An awesome "successful" football year would be .500 and a trip to CCS D3. But most years 2-8 or 3-7 sounds about right.

There has been however more consistency in their coaching staffs than your suggestion of a lot of coaching turnover. Since McLaughlin, it's been pretty much the same staff and there are talented kids that come and play for them. It's not enough of course compared to the big dogs of the league. There is no stink there that causes players to leave or not want to go there. Thats when you know it's bad.

Still proud and support SH no matter what. Fun little school that sometimes wins a trophy here and there.

I wouldn't go so far to say the situation is "grim". There are ebbs and flows every season. I don't think anybody is expecting SHC to be a powerhouse team and reloading year-in and year-out. I'll take wins over our City rivals and a CCS D-III title or better any day. The competition level in D-III is comparable to SHC's anyway. I'm realistic about gaining WCAL titles.
I think the coaching is steady these days, and the practice facilities are no longer a factor and who doesn't want to play at Kezar? But there is a problem with depth. There are only 2 Seniors starting on the offense and defensive lines. If any Serra dudes want playing time, call Phil Freed.
The Irish are only three seasons from a CCS, NorCal and State title. It wasn't long ago that Riordan was playing like an 8-man team and selling doormats with their name on them.
As for the PAL, they had their chances.

 

[colhenrylives]

Irish Cheers: Keeping it real.

 

[Irish_Cheers]

Irish Cheers: Keeping it real.

I know... but after 50+ seasons, I've seen it all from these guys.

 

[colhenrylives]

I know... but after 50+ seasons, I've seen it all from these guys.

Awesome

 

[Niklas227]

I think the only thing going against you is the natural regression to the mean. SI with two improbable comebacks. You win games like that and eventually will lose games just like that or have a huge letdown. Kids are especially susceptible to being told how good they are and getting drunk off their success.

Havent wavered from my preseason prediction but that SI-SF game should be a doozy.
1. SF
2. SI
3. Riordan
4. Serra
5 VC
6 Mitty
7 SH
8 Bellarmine

I beg to differ. I believe SI has yet to play a full game at its best. This was echoed by Coach Vandermade in an interview after the Riordan game.
Hence, why they've been a 2nd half team playing from behind their last 3 games.
I think we're only going to get better as the season progresses.

 

[ArmchairGOAT]

I beg to differ. I believe SI has yet to play a full game at its best. This was echoed by Coach Vandermade in an interview after the Riordan game.
Hence, why they've been a 2nd half team playing from behind their last 3 games.
I think we're only going to get better as the season progresses.

Ravipati also echoed what Vandermade said in the same interview. Riordan hasn’t put together a full 4 quarters. The Crusaders are even younger than Serra starting/playing several sophomores and freshman. Lots of football to be played and potential rematches in CCS.

 

[THEOC89]

That's a thought I don't want to think about. His son IS set to graduate in 2027.

Hopefully, St. Ignatius opens up the wallet to keep Vandermade from wanting to stray.

The Scary one Is Rancho Santa Margarita who is about to fire their Coach due to a Hazing Scandal…. You have to imagine they would come calling….

Hopefully he stays though, good for Nor Cal Football to have him up here…. He won’t take any kind of College job until after his son Graduates…..

 

[M.C. fan]

The Scary one Is Rancho Santa Margarita who is about to fire their Coach due to a Hazing Scandal…. You have to imagine they would come calling….

Hopefully he stays though, good for Nor Cal Football to have him up here…. He won’t take any kind of College job until after his son Graduates…..

S.I. well done. Mike Mibach is stoked no doubt!!

 

[Niklas227]

S.I. well done. Mike Mibach is stoked no doubt!!

Especially considering his son is playing football on the Freshmen team. Perfect timing for his son to play for Coach Vandermade and be part of a winning program.

 

[SFcityfan]

Irish Cheers: Keeping it real.

Honestly @colhenrylives, keeping it Real Is Not in some posters perspective.

I think @iamgearyblvd oosted honestly, SHC is a program that win every now and then, but isn’t that the same criteria that took them out of the league?

Hey @MC415 why doesn’t Marin Catholic replace SHC in WCAL,… or stay in place easier that playing with the big boys?

 

[Irish_Cheers]

Never fails... Once and always.

 

[colhenrylives]

As we know, Marin Catholic was indeed a member of the old Catholic Athletic League back in the post-WWII decades. Adding MC to the WCAL (football only?) might make sense if another school (Sacred Heart Prep?) joined too. But it won't happen. MC, SHP, Menlo School, Palma, et al are more than pleased to participate in public school leagues. SHC lobbied hard to become part of the PAL years ago. It didn't happen. The Irish are stuck. It's not healthy.

 

[M.C. fan]

As we know, Marin Catholic was indeed a member of the old Catholic Athletic League back in the post-WWII decades. Adding MC to the WCAL (football only?) might make sense if another school (Sacred Heart Prep?) joined too. But it won't happen. MC, SHP, Menlo School, Palma, et al are more than pleased to participate in public school leagues. SHC lobbied hard to become part of the PAL years ago. It didn't happen. The Irish are stuck. It's not healthy.

They should invite Central Catholic and St. Mary's of Stockton perhaps Jesuit. All can afford travel.