You’d be hard pressed to find a defending back-to-back-to-back undefeated league champion in the entire section with a bigger chip on its shoulder than Central Catholic.
Despite winning 16 straight Valley Oak League contests without a loss dating back to 2022, the Raiders were slotted as the league’s third best team in the first edition of MaxPreps’ Sac-Joaquin Section rankings, released in early August. The Raiders were named the SJS’s 13th best team, behind VOL foes No. 8 Patterson (more on the Tigers later) and No. 10 Manteca, which has yet to beat the Raiders in a VOL game.
“Preseason is preseason,” Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa said. “You’ve still got to go out and play the games.”
The Raiders have gone to the Division I section semifinals in two straight seasons, but a lot of the outside doubt comes after the team lost nearly all of its offensive production from its past few seasons.
Gone are the team’s three-year starting quarterback, TP Wentworth, who is playing baseball at Clemson; last season’s leading receiver and tackler, Brooklyn Cheek, now a defensive back at Cal; the 2023 second leading receiver; Trace Hernandez, and a number of key linebackers and linemen.
Preseason rankings and the potential for some players to earn a recently vacated starting gig have energized the team.
“I told TP that this is the best midnight practice we’ve had,” Canepa said. “We’ve got a lot of energy. We’ve got 40 guys. We’re everybody’s big game and our guys play hard. … We hear people saying, ‘Oh, they’ve lost all these seniors.’ Well, don’t poke the bear … I think we can be as good as we’ve been.”
The Raiders’ leading rusher, Joey Alcutt, returns, and Carter Meeks is expecting to earn more snaps on offense as a running back/receiver and on defense at defensive back. Kayden McHenry, fresh off an impressive stint helping the Raiders’ baseball team in the spring, has been getting the QB1 snaps. Zion Denning is expecting to anchor the offensive line at the center of the team’s rushing attack.
An already competitive league gets even tougher with the additions of Patterson and Mountain House. Canepa believes the VOL is one of the most competitive leagues in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
“I think our league is right there,” he said, “if you think of all of the championships Manteca, Oakdale and Central have won.”
The Raiders’ nonleague schedule is highlighted by Pleasant Valley, last season’s Division 5-AA state runner-up, St. Mary’s, a top-50 team in the state, a trip to Oregon to face the Central Catholic Rams of Portland and a home matchup against Bishop Manogue.
Oakdale’s top rusher returns and looks better than ever
Oakdale is the No. 24 team in MaxPreps’ first Sac-Joaquin Section preseason ranking. It is likely most of that is because one of the section’s top rushers from 2023, Wes Burford, is back for his junior season. As a sophom*ore in the Mustangs’ run-first offense, he finished seventh in the section with 1,819 rushing yards, third in the section in points (215) and sixth in total touchdowns (27). Second-year head coach Garrett Martin says he’s gotten only better this offseason. He could also see extended time on defense as a safety and linebacker.
“He’s bigger and faster,” Martin said. “He’s a great wrestler, that helped improve his conditioning and he ran track as a hurdler, which helped his speed. He’s definitely going to do more for us this year.”
Burford’s running mate, Chase Lopez, returns for what he hopes will be a great season after he missed most of 2023 with a hand injury. They’re fast at the skill positions and young on the lines. At quarterback, rising junior Grant Gardner will fill the shoes of Tommy Chance, who graduated.
“He’s stepped into that role nicely,” Martin said. “It’s about running the offense, carrying out fakes effectively. He’s doing a good job at developing that.”
Martin’s outlook on the VOL is similar to Canepa’s: The league just keeps getting better and better. Oakdale vs. Patterson could be a budding rivalry as the Mustangs knocked the Tigers out of the section playoffs in two of the past three seasons.
“There’s not many off weeks in the VOL,” Martin said. “It’s good, though, because it prepares teams for the playoffs.”
Patterson enters as “new kids on the block”
Patterson High is one of two schools added to the VOL as a result of realignment. Head coach Rob Cozart believes the Tigers have the perfect balance of experience and humility. They are experienced because they have at least one returner in every key position group who has more than 20 wins. Quarterback Max Medina, receiver/defensive back Noah Cozart, lineman Tressor Mulumba and linebacker Royale Tago are all entering their third seasons as varsity starters. Rising senior Jeremiah Lugo and sophom*ore Jace Johnson are looking to be main contributors for the second straight season.
The humility comes from the fact that over the past couple of seasons, the Tigers have dropped some important games. In 2023, they fell to Grant in the D-III section semifinals. Last season, they fell to Merced, which cost them a CCC title, and lost a heartbreaker to Escalon in the D-IV section title game after leading for nearly the whole game.
“Even with these experienced guys, they feel like they have unfinished business and feel like they have more they can do,” Cozart said.
They’re embracing their role as the “new kids on the block” in the VOL but won’t roll over to the league’s powerhouse programs.
“We’re excited about being able to compete in the VOL this year,” Cozart said. “Every week is going to be a great matchup.”
If the Tigers end up in the D-IV playoff bracket this season, they could be one of four to five VOL teams in the postseason. And it’s likely they would be a favorite to get back to the title game. Medina, Cozart and Lugo have another year of chemistry under their belts. Johnson has continued to blossom into a potential Division I recruit, Tago returns as the team’s leading tackler at linebacker and all of the other pieces continue to mold into place.
More VOL notes
East Union
▪ East Union is looking to get back to the playoffs after not qualifying in 2023. It made the postseason in 2021 and 2022.
▪ The Lancers will look to get back on the winning track after losing their final six games of 2023.
▪ Kirk Simoni was East Union’s quarterback last season as a sophom*ore. He passed for 2,093 yards and 22 touchdowns.
▪ East Union’s leading rusher and top four receivers were either sophom*ores or juniors in 2023.
▪ Just one of East Union’s top six tacklers from 2023 graduated.
Manteca
▪ The Buffaloes are the 10th-ranked team in the first edition of MaxPreps’ preseason rankings.
▪ Manteca will have to replace its starting quarterback, leading rusher and leading tackler.
▪ Manteca plays Elk Grove, Laguna Creek, Marin Catholic and Lincoln-Stockton before VOL play.
Mountain House
▪ Mountain House enters the VOL after playing the last six seasons in the Western Athletic Conference.
▪ Mountain House had a 17-14 overall record in its final three seasons in the WAC.
▪ In 2023, the Mustangs made the Division III playoffs, narrowly losing to Roseville in their first game.
▪ The Mustangs’ quarterback, top three rushers, leading receiver and top three tacklers from 2023 were all seniors.
Sierra
▪ Sierra is looking to win a playoff game for the first time since 2019.
▪ The last time the Timberwolves won in the postseason, they won a D-IV section title, beating Oakdale 22-19.
▪ Sierra’s 2023 quarterback, junior Zak Wilson, threw for 2,317 yards and 23 touchdowns.
▪ The Timberwolves’ second-leading rusher and top two receivers in 2023 were all juniors.
VOL participants (alphabetical order)
Central Catholic
East Union
Manteca
Mountain House
Oakdale
Patterson
Sierra
