BT HAROLD ABEND

 Cardinal Newman

2023 Record: 11-2

Second place North Bay League – Oak Division

CIF North Coast Section Division 3 runner-up

First game: Casa Grande on August 30 in Petaluma

Cardinal Newman has won one of the five state championships produced by the Adobe League but it was in the top division of the five titles when the Cardinals claimed the 2019 Division 3-AA championship with a 31-14 victory over El Camino-Oceanside.

Since then Newman has made it to the NCS title game in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but each time they have fallen to Redwood Empire Catholic School rival Marin Catholic, losing 42-7 in the 2021 Division 4 title game, and 48-22 once again in the 2022 Division 4 championship, and finally 24-3 last year in the Division 3 title game.

The big question among the Cardinal Newman faithful is can they end the losing streak if they face Marin Catholic once again, but the playoffs are a long ways off and even before league begins fourth-year head coach Richard Sanchez and his Cardinals will have their work cut out for themselves. The good news is despite losing some formidable talent, including San Francisco Chronicle All Metro First Team and Cal-Hi Sports All State Medium Schools Second Team selection Zach Homan, Sanchez returns a majority of the starters from the 2023 team so the outlook look good.

"We spent a lot of time this summer look at film on the Adobe League teams but right now we have to focus on Casa Grande," said Sanchez on picture day at Cardinal Newman earlier this month, and whose team opens August 30 on the road in Petaluma at Casa Grande. "Down the list we've got Vacaville after that, Armijo (Fairfield) we've got Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland), Pleasant Valley (Chico) is big and tough. The only positive thing about our league this year is we've got a bye before we start playing."

"The other good thing after that is we have Windsor after that bye, and that's always a good start to our league," Sanchez continued. "After that we have Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park), Windsor and San Marin-Novato before Marin Catholic but we have to take it one game at a time. They'll all juggernauts. Hopefully we're competitive and we stay healthy because the depth is the biggest concern of mine right now."

Overall depth may be a concern for Sanchez but one place where the Cardinals will be deep with returning starters is on defense.

Leading the charge will be 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior defensive end Jesse Myers. Myers, who committed to Oregon State in late June, was a Cal-Hi Sports All State Juniors Third Team honoree on defense and an All North Bay League First Team selection on defense. He finished with 41 total tackles last season with a whopping 10.5 of them sacks. Myers is rated 3-Stars as an edge by 247Sports.com and had nine solid D1 offers before committing to become a Beaver.

An up and coming defensive lineman to look for is 6-foot-4, 293-pound sophomore nose guard Kahlio Vaetoe. He was an Second Team All North Bay League – Oak Division and Cal-Hi Sports Preseason Redwood Empire Second Team honoree. Vaetoe has grown an inch and put on 30 pounds and according to Sanchez had D1 college potential. A third lineman that Sanchez said is looking good is 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive end Jimmy McKenzie.

The linebacking corps is solid as well and will be anchored by 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior Logan Rodriguez, an All NBL – Oak First Team and Cal-Hi Sports Preseason Redwood Empire First Team. Joining him will be Zach Raia, a 5-foot-11, 222-pound senior that was an All NBL – Oak Second Team selection last season.

The defensive backfield will also be strong with 5-foot-11, 186-pound senior Jamari Gentry as the top returner. With Zach Homan gone it will mean Gentry will likely be the primary running back as well.

There are many others but three players to look for are junior center Devon Bertoli, a Cal-Hi Sports Preseason Redwood Empire First Team honoree, senior offensive lineman Aidan Woods and sophomore wide receiver Zion Cargill.

Quarterback was up in the air when we visited on picture day, but the front-runners are seniors Wyatt Knechtle and Jayson Colter.     

       The Cardinals also return the top placekicker in the entire Redwood Empire in senior Patrick Gardner, the kicker on the Cal-Hi Sports Redwood Empire Preseason First Team.