It should come as no surprise the team that is shaping up this summer in the North Bay League as the one to beat once again is a Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa group that went 7-0 in league and 11-3 overall before losing 38-21 to Marin Catholic-Kentfield in the CIF North Coast Section Division IV title game.
Right now Coach Paul Cronin feels pretty good about this year’s group as summer vacation is about to come to an end.
“Right now we’re finishing up some summer stuff and we have a camp next week. Then we have a week off before we get rolling August 8 with the first official practice,” Cronin said.
The now veteran Newman coach returns two of the top skill players and two of the top lineman not only in the league but the entire North Bay and Redwood Empire.
Incoming senior 6-2, 205-pound quarterback Jordon Brookshire may very well be the top skill player in the area and he showed very well at a June 19 camp at Contra Costa College covered by Prep2Prep.
“Jordon is getting better and better. He’s maturing, getting stronger, is super athletic and explosive,” Cronin remarked. “You can see it from how he throws the ball to the way he lifts weights. Plus, he’s gone from a 23’ vertical last year to a 32’ right now.”
The other skill player that can’t be overlooked is WR/CB Damian Wallace. The 5-9, 160-pound incoming senior was having a great season before he broke his fibula early in the loss to Marin Catholic.
“We’re nursing him along and I’m working with him personally in the gym, but he’s good to go,” Cronin said. “That type of a break creates a lot of scar tissue because of lack of mobility, but by game one we expect him to be 100-percent ready to roll.”
Both Brookshire and Wallace were First Team All NBL with Brookshire named the Back of the Year.
There are over a half dozen other players Cronin rattled off that will be in the North Bay League preview but for this feature two he felt merited mention were lineman Zion Vogt and Jake McElderry. Vogt is a 6-5, 240-pound tackle that can also play tight end. McElderry is a 6-1 250-pound guard that right now looks ticketed for center.
“Those two returning starters will anchor the line,” Cronin said.
Two other players Cronin says are looking good as summer winds down are All NBL second team linebacker Irwin Mann and fellow senior linebacker Michael Daly who Cronin feels will be a key to the Newman defense.
The answer as to who is going to challenge Newman this season seems to be the recently perennial NBL powers.
Two years ago Rancho Cotate-Rohnert and Cardinal Newman both went 6-1 and the Cougars beat the Cardinals 45-38 in overtime but lost to a Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa team Newman beat. Last season both Rancho Cotate and Carrillo went 5-2 in league and tied for second place.
Rancho Cotate looks to be rebuilding but is always tough
With just about all of his offensive firepower graduated, including Chris Taylor-Yamanoha who is going to Louisville, Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park Coach Ed Conroy is still likes what he sees in his kids so far this summer on a team coming off a 9-4 season overall and a 5-2 record in league.
“We graduated a ton of talent but I really like this team. The kids are working really hard and they’re focused,” Conroy said. “Newman is the team to beat no doubt but we don’t play them until week 10 and I think we’ll be right up there.”
Jaelen Ward, a 5-7, 150-pound incoming senior and the No. 2 receiver on the team is back but who will be throwing to him is still not settled. Incoming 6-0, 185-pound junior Jake Simmons, who broke the Rancho Cotate JV passing records, currently has the inside track, however incoming 5-11, 170-pound senior Ryan Phillips is competing for the job. Phillips was injured in baseball last year and could not play due to shoulder surgery.
On defense the top returner is 6-1, 205-pound sophomore linebacker and probable center Elias Rantissi.
Two other players Conroy feels could be breakout players are incoming 5-8, 180-pound junior linebacker Ryan Matteri, who came up for the playoffs from JV last season, and 5-7, 155-pound incoming senior Peyton Whetstone. He will be the starting running back after starting last season as a wide receiver/slotback.
Casa Grande could be the sleeper
Casa Grande had a bit of a down year last season after losing its first four games and going 5-7 overall but they tied for fourth place in league at 4-3 with a Windsor team they beat 21-20 in league.
Quarterback will be a question mark with three players vying for the spot as summer winds down, but Coach Trent Herzog does return what some coaches consider the best running back and outside linebacker in the area in 6-1, 200-pound incoming senior Spencer Torkelson.
Travis Voight, a 6-0, 225-pound incoming senior will be an anchor on the offensive line at guard and will play defense as middle linebacker. Dylan Korte, a 6-7, 295-pound incoming senior that is committed to Idaho and looked good at the Contra Costa College camp, will be another O-line anchor.
Another returner that was all league last season is 5-10, 185-pound incoming senior outside linebacker Matthew Kubes. Dulio Froes, a 6-0, 170-pound incoming senior that Herzog says is the “fastest kid in the county,” will use his 11.0 100 meter speed at wide receiver and free safety.
Rebuilding for Maria Carrillo?
Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa tied with Rancho Cotate for second place in the NBL at 5-2 (7-5 overall), and although they have some solid returners it looks like it could be a re-building season for Coach Jay Higgins and his staff.
Incoming 6-1, 170-pound senior Toppa “TJ” Epps, a second team All NBL selection at defensive back, appears to be the top Carrillo player returning.
Three other returners that were Honorable Mention all league are incoming senior lineman Josh Kauvesi, incoming senior wide receiver and defensive back Westley Picard and incoming senior wide receiver and defensive back Seth Vernon.
Year two for Windsor Coach Kirkpatrick
Last year after coming out of retirement Coach Tom Kirkpatrick led Windsor to a fourth place tie in the NBL with Casa Grande at 4-3 and a respectable 7-5 record overall.
Kirkpatrick does not return a quarterback that saw any significant action last season, but both of his top running backs return, incoming 5-10, 175-pound senior David Escarcega, and incoming 5-8, 160-pound Jackson Baughman. He will also be the leading returning receiver as a slotback.
All the leading tacklers on defense have graduated but 6-0, 190-pound incoming senior defensive end is back after leading the team with five sacks last season.
Other top returners
Santa Rosa isn’t really projected to contend for an NBL top four finish but they do have one of the most exciting and explosive players in the league in incoming senior wide receiver Kalei Aukai. The 6-2, 185-pound Aukai not only was All NBL First Team last season but has impressed the college coaches and analysts this summer at several camps he’s attended, including Contra Costa College on June 19.
Ukiah returns second team all league incoming senior lineman Caleb Allen and incoming senior tight end Morgan Edwards and Montgomery-Santa Rosa returns incoming junior and second team all NBL wide receiver Austin Rapolla.
