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WCAL 2024 Football Schedules

colhenrylives said:
The Padres, lacking an experienced passing QB, will probably be run-heavy this year. Additionally, look for between 12-15 sophs to play significant snaps. Serra will be young, fast and athletic. Defense will have to be rebuilt. Special teams should be good.
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That's wild considering I read a pre season publication that described a roster of 99 on the varsity. That many sophomores starting?

That's a boatload of inactive junior and senior players AKA full tuition squad.
 
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colhenrylives said:
A couple of notes:

Walsh is not perfect. Far from it. He would readily admit that. But he did assume control of a moribund Serra program in 2001 (his first head coaching job) and, within one year, brought it to a co-WCAL title with Valley Christian (which joined the league in 2002). Those two programs broke the St. Francis/Bellarmine stranglehold on the league championship. That 2001 co-crown was Serra's first since 1972. Talk about a drought.

Walsh also was primarily responsible for a truncated prep football "season" in the spring of 2021. Other sports benefited as well. Teens got back on the field and in the gym. His lobbying and public relations work via the media and politicians was outstanding. He became the face of California prep athletics, for good or ill.

He hasn't been avoiding tough schedules. His 2024 log is a killer _ Folsom, DLS and Bosco all in a row. Ouch. Combined with the typical WCAL sked, Serra's 2024 opponents add up to the most difficult since the school first fielded a varsity football unit in 1946. So, regardless of his expertise with X's and O's, he hasn't been ducking challenges.

On a different front, Walsh has become, arguably, Serra's (and the WCAL's) most important spokesman and recognizable figure. That can indeed rub some folks the wrong way. The Serra football program now represents about 27 percent of the school's total enrollment. You can view that in both positive and negative ways.

Some associated with the San Mateo school fret that it is viewed by the public as a "jock" enterprise. Football is the primary reason. Walsh's thriving youth sports business is another source of an undercurrent of discontent in some quarters. It's been too successful in some ways at this point,

In sum, Walsh is seen somehow as a Jekyll/Hyde figure by a lot of people. He's terrific and less-so at the same time. There's a lot more to this guy than meets the casual eye. He has his critics. He also has supporters. He's a target. That's the price of success, though limited to Northern California (2-6 vs. SoCal units), as if that is now a failing. How much longer will he stay coaching at Serra? It's not clear. But speculation is growing.

A footnote: With 17 of 22 starters (most of whom were heavy-duty contributors to a 36-1 record vs NorCal teams over the last three campaigns) gone from Serra's stellar 2023 team, arguably the best in school history, naysayers are looking forward to 2024 as the Padres re-tool with a young group of key newcomers (more than a dozen sophs may be on the varsity on opening night in Folsom). There will be defeats, some of them, perhaps, ugly. A 6-4 or 5-5 mark is likely. Let the catcalls commence.
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Has also never received a visit from the CCS office in regards to illegal recruiting in his 23 years at the helm.
 
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Cal 14 said:
Tell us you didn't watch the game without telling us you didn't watch the game.
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Cal 14 said:
Tell us you didn't watch the game without telling us you didn't
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colhenrylives said:
A couple of notes:

Walsh is not perfect. Far from it. He would readily admit that. But he did assume control of a moribund Serra program in 2001 (his first head coaching job) and, within one year, brought it to a co-WCAL title with Valley Christian (which joined the league in 2002). Those two programs broke the St. Francis/Bellarmine stranglehold on the league championship. That 2001 co-crown was Serra's first since 1972. Talk about a drought.

Walsh also was primarily responsible for a truncated prep football "season" in the spring of 2021. Other sports benefited as well. Teens got back on the field and in the gym. His lobbying and public relations work via the media and politicians was outstanding. He became the face of California prep athletics, for good or ill.

He hasn't been avoiding tough schedules. His 2024 log is a killer _ Folsom, DLS and Bosco all in a row. Ouch. Combined with the typical WCAL sked, Serra's 2024 opponents add up to the most difficult since the school first fielded a varsity football unit in 1946. So, regardless of his expertise with X's and O's, he hasn't been ducking challenges.

On a different front, Walsh has become, arguably, Serra's (and the WCAL's) most important spokesman and recognizable figure. That can indeed rub some folks the wrong way. The Serra football program now represents about 27 percent of the school's total enrollment. You can view that in both positive and negative ways.

Some associated with the San Mateo school fret that it is viewed by the public as a "jock" enterprise. Football is the primary reason. Walsh's thriving youth sports business is another source of an undercurrent of discontent in some quarters. It's been too successful in some ways at this point,

In sum, Walsh is seen somehow as a Jekyll/Hyde figure by a lot of people. He's terrific and less-so at the same time. There's a lot more to this guy than meets the casual eye. He has his critics. He also has supporters. He's a target. That's the price of success, though limited to Northern California (2-6 vs. SoCal units), as if that is now a failing. How much longer will he stay coaching at Serra? It's not clear. But speculation is growing.

A footnote: With 17 of 22 starters (most of whom were heavy-duty contributors to a 36-1 record vs NorCal teams over the last three campaigns) gone from Serra's stellar 2023 team, arguably the best in school history, naysayers are looking forward to 2024 as the Padres re-tool with a young group of key newcomers (more than a dozen sophs may be on the varsity on opening night in Folsom). There will be defeats, some of them, perhaps, ugly. A 6-4 or 5-5 mark is likely. Let the catcalls commence.
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Walsh did come into Serra and established and built one of the best programs in the bay area no doubt . Every team that ended up at state last season either won their respective division state title or lost a very competitive game . Just believe the buck stops at the top and no excuses from the top .
 
STRAIGHTFOOTBALL said:
Would Strongly Disagree! So Basically saying the players from down there are ? Then the players at Serra? Ok The QB they (Serra) had more then a dozen D1 offers more then the QB down there . You really going to give Walsh and his OC a pass ? Not one play was successful, Negro told him in a interview prior to Serra going down south " dont come down here running the same stuff you been running up there, you gona have problems" . Serra ran same stuff they ran all season and you saw the results every year . I'm sure you Disagree but it is what it is. Walsh and OC are not on the same level as the coach's at Bosco or Mater Dei it would seem . I guess we can watch the tapes?
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Serra gets more crap for going 12-1 ( and beating DLS and Folsom) than any team I’ve seen. SJB was one of the best teams in the nation last year, and they lost to MD 35-7 the week before.
 
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PALFan said:
So now you're agreeing with the guy who has sent his son to 4 schools in 3 years and used a fake address along the way? Whatever fits the narrative, right? Or are you posting under both names ala the Folsom homer g61 of a few years back?
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You should really learn to comprehend what people write which was “if the statement above is true“

It has nothing to do with anything other than how coaches speak to each other.

Stop reaching for something that isn’t there, Karen.
 
STRAIGHTFOOTBALL said:
Walsh did come into Serra and established and built one of the best programs in the bay area no doubt . Every team that ended up at state last season either won their respective division state title or lost a very competitive game . Just believe the buck stops at the top and no excuses from the top .
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Thank goodness SoCal has so many superb teams they tend to eliminate many of them in the equity playoff formula, thus opening the door for NorCal teams in the mid- and lower-divisions. Example: Mater Dei and Bosco play each other in the SoCal Open finale. The loser cannot be in the CIF finals.
 
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Macallan said:
Random Housewife: Coach Walsh is a terrible HS football coach that doesn't know his ____hole from his elbow.

Non-ignorant Person: (Silent because they know Coach Walsh is an excellent FB HC, and that HS football outcomes are multivariable).
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The average fan, in general, doesn't understand what they're seeing on the field beyond the most simplistic terms.
 
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Niklas227 said:
I felt Serra had the size and speed to compete against Mater Dei. That's why I said it comes down to play calling and finding the counter to what the Mater Dei's defense was running. It's up to the HC to read the game. I was hoping Serra would've at least made it a game.

Believe it or not, I do root for every WCAL team playing outside the league.
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I won't act like I know whats going on over on with high school football over on the peninsula, but I believe I read somewhere that the OC at SJB was the same OC that won the state championship with Serra against Cajon in 2017.

I am also seeing post about how well Serra's defense played.

So the question keeps coming up; is it the coaches or the players? IF this is true and the same offensive coordinator was running the winning offense with Serra in 2017 & SJB, what does this mean? Coaching?

It looked to me that Serra was over matched physically in each of the Open Championship games. But that's just my opinion.
 
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Note: Archbishop Riordan was the undefeated League Champion in the WCAL in 2000. Archbishop Mitty was the second Place team that season.

Archbishop Mitty was the League Champion in the WCAL Football League in 2001.

So it appears Serra did not break the strangle hold by Bellarmine and St. Francis on the League Championship, Since Riordan and Mitty had already won Football League Championships prior to Walsh's arrival at Serra.

In 2000 Saint Francis was 4th in league and Bellarmine was 3rd in league.
In 2001 Saint Francis was 5th in League and Bellarmine was 4th in league.
In 2002 Saint Francis was 4th in league and Bellarmine was 2nd in league.
In 2003 Saint Francis was League Champion and Bellarmine was 4th in league. I think Bellarmine was in 4th place with 3 win and 3 loss league record.
 
The combination of the arrival of VC into the WCAL and Walsh's hiring at Serra within one year of each other (2001-02) has created a new dynamic. Those two factors are clearly the primary reasons SF and/or Bellarmine no longer dominate the league routinely. The other four schools have yet to demonstrate consistent championship chops. The Bells, in fact, have slumped to their lowest level in decades, dating all the way back to the old CAL.
 
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Between 1975 and 1999 (a span of 25 seasons), either Bellarmine or SF (or both) won the WCAL varsity football title. Between 2002 and 2023, Serra and VC won or shared the title 13 times. The stranglehold has been broken.
 
FBIQ said:
I won't act like I know whats going on over on with high school football over on the peninsula, but I believe I read somewhere that the OC at SJB was the same OC that won the state championship with Serra against Cajon in 2017.

I am also seeing post about how well Serra's defense played.

So the question keeps coming up; is it the coaches or the players? IF this is true and the same offensive coordinator was running the winning offense with Serra in 2017 & SJB, what does this mean? Coaching?

It looked to me that Serra was over matched physically in each of the Open Championship games. But that's just my opinion.
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Serra beat the city schools 157-17 last year. Their coaching is probably fine.
 
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dcpanda said:
Serra beat the city schools 157-17 last year. Their coaching is probably fine.
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DC, I regularly respect your posts but to suggest the discrepancy is because of coaching is off. Just look at the numbers. Riordan and SH only field 2 teams. Talent has much more to do with it.
 
CAPTAIN MORGAN said:
DC, I regularly respect your posts but to suggest the discrepancy is because of coaching is off. Just look at the numbers. Riordan and SH only field 2 teams. Talent has much more to do with it.
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I agree with you Captain in that Serra has comparable talent to Mater Dei. Hence, why they blew out every team in the city last year until they met in the final where coaching was the difference.
 
For a bit of perspective, two years ago as Mater Dei began a search for a new HC. they wined and dined Coach Walsh, making him a generous offer that he did consider for awhile but, in the end, rejected. So, at least the sporting poobahs at MD believed that Walsh was sufficiently savvy to coach football at the OC powerhouse with its endless stable of studs headed for D1 college programs and, later, the NFL.
 
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CAPTAIN MORGAN said:
DC, I regularly respect your posts but to suggest the discrepancy is because of coaching is off. Just look at the numbers. Riordan and SH only field 2 teams. Talent has much more to do with it.
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My response was admittedly cheeky, but in my opinion coaching and talent are both important. Historically, talented teams with poor technique and poor scheme do not do well.
 
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Niklas227 said:
I agree with you Captain in that Serra has comparable talent to Mater Dei. Hence, why they blew out every team in the city last year until they met in the final where coaching was the difference.
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Here’s why I don’t think you are correct. In the 247 CA Top 25 prospect rankings, Mater Dei has 6 in the ‘24 class, 5 in the ‘25 class, and 5 in the ‘26 class. Serra had zero across all three.

It’s unusual for a team to even have one top 100 player, let alone 16 top 25 players across three classes. Serra did have four within the top 100 for ‘24 — they had a great team, but again we talk about the different levels of HS football.
 
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LecheDeMiPalo said:
Do you really think so?
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Yes. SHC will have Michael Sargent for a full season at QB. He lead the second half of the WCAL season in passing.
Prince Parnham is a talented back. He has an offer from Nevada.
Watch Senior RB Obryan Flanigan and DB Isaiah Glover.
https://x.com/d1_ob_
Last year's Frosh were 5-3-1, beating Wilcox, SH Prep, SI, Bellarmine and Valley Christian. They also tied Pittsburg.
As for the lack of on-campus facilities, that's improving too. SHC uses it's own practice field as well as the newly-renovated Lang Field at Hayward Playground nearby. There are also plans for a rooftop field to be built over the existing practice field, plus other improvements in the near future. The school has really done all they can with what is at their disposal. Give some credit.
 
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Irish_Cheers said:
Yes. SHC will have Michael Sargent for a full season at QB. He lead the second half of the WCAL season in passing.
Prince Parnham is a talented back. He has an offer from Nevada.
Watch Senior RB Obryan Flanigan and DB Isaiah Glover.
https://x.com/d1_ob_
Last year's Frosh were 5-3-1, beating Wilcox, SH Prep, SI, Bellarmine and Valley Christian. They also tied Pittsburg.
As for the lack of on-campus facilities, that's improving too. SHC uses it's own practice field as well as the newly-renovated Lang Field at Hayward Playground nearby. There are also plans for a rooftop field to be built over the existing practice field, plus other improvements in the near future. The school has really done all they can with what is at their disposal. Give some credit
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Sargent is a Legit QB! He will definitely have a great season.. very talented QB and a Great humble kid!
 
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Irish_Cheers said:
Yes. SHC will have Michael Sargent for a full season at QB. He lead the second half of the WCAL season in passing.
Prince Parnham is a talented back. He has an offer from Nevada.
Watch Senior RB Obryan Flanigan and DB Isaiah Glover.
https://x.com/d1_ob_
Last year's Frosh were 5-3-1, beating Wilcox, SH Prep, SI, Bellarmine and Valley Christian. They also tied Pittsburg.
As for the lack of on-campus facilities, that's improving too. SHC uses it's own practice field as well as the newly-renovated Lang Field at Hayward Playground nearby. There are also plans for a rooftop field to be built over the existing practice field, plus other improvements in the near future. The school has really done all they can with what is at their disposal. Give some credit
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That’s interesting about the rooftop field. I’ve heard about those in NYC and I think New Jersey.
 
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Irish_Cheers said:
Yes. SHC will have Michael Sargent for a full season at QB. He lead the second half of the WCAL season in passing.
Prince Parnham is a talented back. He has an offer from Nevada.
Watch Senior RB Obryan Flanigan and DB Isaiah Glover.
https://x.com/d1_ob_
Last year's Frosh were 5-3-1, beating Wilcox, SH Prep, SI, Bellarmine and Valley Christian. They also tied Pittsburg.
As for the lack of on-campus facilities, that's improving too. SHC uses it's own practice field as well as the newly-renovated Lang Field at Hayward Playground nearby. There are also plans for a rooftop field to be built over the existing practice field, plus other improvements in the near future. The school has really done all they can with what is at their disposal. Give some credit
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Rooftop field over the practice field? Wow, good stuff. But what ever happened to (I forgot what was the plan) corner lot where that old church used to be? I thought the school was supposed to do something with that?

Parham's impact will be more on the defensive side of the ball. This kid has the RL Miller capability. Without seeing any practices or who's on the field, the defense should much improved. Sargent, his poise and ability to make the right throws and pocket awareness is very similar to Leo Fiallos.
 
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iamgearyblvd said:
Rooftop field over the practice field? Wow, good stuff. But what ever happened to (I forgot what was the plan) corner lot where that old church used to be? I thought the school was supposed to do something with that?

Parham's impact will be more on the defensive side of the ball. This kid has the RL Miller capability. Without seeing any practices or who's on the field, the defense should much improved. Sargent, his poise and ability to make the right throws and pocket awareness is very similar to Leo Fiallos.
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The Rooftop field is in the Master Plan. The land where the church was is leased to another tenant. John Vigo would know. I thought it would be good for a parking lot. They could use one.

I remember Fiallos. He was good. Once an SI player made a fake "fair catch" signal while Fiallos was on Special Teams and ran. Refs ignored it.
 
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colhenrylives said:
For a bit of perspective, two years ago as Mater Dei began a search for a new HC. they wined and dined Coach Walsh, making him a generous offer that he did consider for awhile but, in the end, rejected. So, at least the sporting poobahs at MD believed that Walsh was sufficiently savvy to coach football at the OC powerhouse with its endless stable of studs headed for D1 college programs and, later, the NFL.
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and Bosco's OC is a former Serra Assistant, so is the Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans, but the Serra coaching staff doesn't know what the hell they're doing right? 🤣
 
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colhenrylives said:
Ah, leave it to the Jesuits to employ the old now-you-see-me, now-you-don't move. It was ever thus.
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Not like they needed the help but there was a good string of years there was always a phantom holding penalty called vs SH during a long TD run. .... Interesting. ..... Also interesting the women's teams were added just now to the BM series when the dominance over the SI volleyball and basketball teams has fizzled. ... simply interesting.
 
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iamgearyblvd said:
Not like they needed the help but there was a good string of years there was always a phantom holding penalty called vs SH during a long TD run. .... Interesting. ..... Also interesting the women's teams were added just now to the BM series when the dominance over the SI volleyball and basketball teams has fizzled. ... simply interesting.
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Yeah, I noticed all that too. The irony did not escape me.
I don't know how many times SH had a "ten-yard penalty"... i.e., if they gained 10 yards, it's a penalty.
Jamar Sheppard said once that he had at least 20 TD's called back because of a "hold" or other penalties.
 
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