2021 San Juan Football Preview

The Capistrano Dispatch August 13-26, 2021

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2021 SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO FOOTBALL PREVIEW

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAMS READY TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

After only four months off, it’s football season all over again.

That’s not to say there’s a “here we go again” sentiment to the fall season. There is palpable anticipation for a fully normal run through a high school football campaign.

After the pandemic forced the CIF-Southern Section to delay the start of football season three separate times, most teams were thankful to play any football at all in the spring. At the time, they were called steps toward normalcy, but they were small steps.

Seasons were shortened to just five games for San Juan Hills and JSerra. St. Margaret’s managed to put together a threegame schedule. Capistrano Valley Christian played what amounted to one scrimmage and no full season. Fairmont San Juan Cap-

istrano played an eight-man football season, but it will not field a team in the fall.

Now, it’s the real deal.

All four of San Juan Capistrano’s high school football teams are geared up for a full 10game slate, with playoffs to compete for at the end of the season, unlike the shortened spring season.

The threat of the pandemic still lingers, as some opening games around the Southern Section have already been canceled, but most teams are ready to go for football season.

San Juan Hills enters its second season back in the South Coast League, and while the Stallions’ attempt to play with the big boys of the league was derailed due to injuries, San Juan Hills is powered up and ready to prove its worth.

San Juan Hills has a talented receiving corps and a big, strong and experienced group of

linemen who will be more than prepared to kick off against Santa Margarita of the Trinity League on Aug. 20 at Saddleback College.

San Juan Capistrano’s representative in the Trinity League, JSerra, is beginning a new era after a couple seasons of changeover. Scott McKnight takes over as head coach of the Lions as they look to build the program back up to contention.

JSerra will be led by an exciting offense that will keep the Lions in games, as the Lions attempt to get as many wins on the board in their nonleague season to try and crack into a CIF-SS playoff spot in a lower division, thanks to the CIF’s new power ranking-based division system. The CIF-SS’ playoff divisions will be based on current season data, and teams will be slotted in after the regular season.

St. Margaret’s and Capistrano Valley Christian are in similar situations after the

disbanding of the San Joaquin League for football. With Fairmont San Juan Capistrano and other league teams dropping their programs, St. Margaret’s and CVC were left on islands to be freelance teams.

Both of the small private schools are also working with young groups that have been built up over the past year. Capistrano Valley Christian had only seven returning players in April of 2020, and St. Margaret’s was cut down to 17 players during its short spring season. Both have a full complement of more than 30 players for their fall teams.

San Juan Hills, JSerra and Capistrano Valley Christian open in Week 0 on Friday, Aug. 20, and St. Margaret’s follows suit in Week 1 on Aug. 27.

For news, in-game updates, scores, photos and videos all season long, follow along on Twitter @SouthOCSports.

(L to R) Chase Schmidt, Jaden Williams, Luke Davis, Cole Monach, Braden Pegan and John Gaines represent a San Juan Hills senior class that is eager to prove themselves among the best in a full regular season after a shortened and disappointing 2020 campaign. Photo: Zach Cavanagh

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San Juan Hills High School Schedule GAME 1 AUGUST 20

VS. SANTA MARGARITA SADDLEBACK COLLEGE, 7 P.M.

GAME 2 AUGUST 27

VS. CYPRESS

SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 3 SEPTEMBER 3

VS. ROOSEVELT (EASTVALE) SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 4 SEPTEMBER 10

VS. YORBA LINDA

SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 5 SEPTEMBER 17

VS. CORONA DEL MAR

SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 6 OCTOBER 1

VS. EL TORO

EL TORO HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 7 OCTOBER 8 San Juan Hills is always effective in its running attack thanks to a strong and experienced offensive line and a commitment to blocking from all levels. The Stallions are ready to take on all challengers in 2021. Photo: Zach Cavanagh

SAN JUAN HILLS EAGER TO PROVE ITS PLACE IN TOP LEAGUE

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

S

an Juan Hills football knows where it belongs in the classes of Orange County high school football.

In the years prior to head coach Rob Frith’s arrival and since his tenure began in 2018, the Stallions have produced top college recruits.

San Juan Hills also now has the hardware after winning its first CIF-SS championship in 2019.

San Juan Hills had risen back to the South Coast League in 2020 and was ready to prove it belonged in what Frith called “arguably the best public school league in the county, maybe even Southern California.”

Instead, the Stallions dealt with the turmoil of the pandemic, and once the season finally arrived in March, San Juan Hills had seemingly set itself up for a strong showing in its return to the South Coast League with two strong crossover wins against Sea View League opponents.

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Then injuries struck, and instead of giving a full-force swing at the league’s elite, the Stallions were summarily beaten by league standard Mission Viejo and eventual league champion San Clemente. Even San Juan Hills’ final shot against rival Tesoro in the Battle for the Bell was snuffed out in a late slip-up in a one-point loss.

Now back on track for a normal schedule and a full slate in the fall of 2021, the Stallions have talent shining throughout their skill positions, and groups of big, strong linemen ready to take on the challenge and fight to stay in the South Coast League.

“Last season was obviously very disappointing,” senior defensive back Chase Schmidt said. “Our group of seniors this year, we’ve all banded together, we have a strong bond, we’ve grinded super hard. We’re all holding each other accountable and trying to make the most of our last season together.”

When looking over the bona fides of the San Juan Hills roster, eyes fall immediately on a talented group of wide receivers. Braden Pegan is a UCLA commit; Elijah Barclay, a

former Mater Dei player who transferred from Salpointe High School in Arizona, has college offers from Arizona, Nebraska, TCU and Purdue, among others; and Cole Monach has been an instrumental varsity player since the 2019 CIF-SS title run.

Junior quarterback Colton Joseph figures to be the starting quarterback who will find connections in this receiver group, and Luke Davis will also get snaps at quarterback as a “Taysom Hill-type” utility player, according to Frith.

For San Juan Hills, even if the passing offense develops, the overall offense begins at the ground level with the running game and the offensive line. Four starting linemen return to a deep group that Frith called one of the best he’s had in his time at San Juan Hills.

Defensively, San Juan Hills returns its three starting down linemen in what is always an aggressive and creative front from defensive coordinator Pete Silvey. Senior defensive end Jaden Williams (6-foot-3, 215 pounds), junior defensive end Brayden Bockler (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) and junior nose tackle Jasper O’Loughlin (6-foot-2, 340 pounds) make up

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VS. CAPISTRANO VALLEY SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 8 OCTOBER 15

VS. SAN CLEMENTE*

SAN CLEMENTE HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 9 OCTOBER 22

VS. MISSION VIEJO*

SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 10 OCTOBER 29 *

VS. TESORO

TESORO HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

*SOUTH COAST LEAGUE GAME

that line.

The secondary is made up of fast players with good ball skills including Schmidt and most of the receiving corps, including Pegan, Barclay and Monach.

San Juan Hills boasts one of the toughest schedules in the entire county, and that’s just how Frith likes it. Frith likes to challenge his teams with tough games, like their opener against Santa Margarita of the Trinity League on Aug 20 at Saddleback College. The schedule will also help in the new current-season, power rankings-based CIF-SS playoff format, which Frith is also a fan of and rewards teams for criteria such as strength of schedule.

The early challenges prepare the Stallions for their tough league slate and will get them battle-tested for a potential playoff run ahead. thecapistranodispatch.com

JSerra Catholic High School JSERRA REBUILDS WITH YOUNG CORE, NEW COACH Schedule GAME 1 AUGUST 20

VS. SIERRA CANYON PIERCE COLLEGE, 7 P.M.

GAME 2 AUGUST 27

VS. NOTRE DAME (SHERMAN OAKS)

JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 3 SEPTEMBER 2

VS. NEWPORT HARBOR

NEWPORT HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 4 SEPTEMBER 10

VS. CENTENNIAL (CORONA) JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 5 SEPTEMBER 17

VS. RANCHO CUCAMONGA

RANCHO CUCAMONGA HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 6 OCTOBER 1

VS. SANTA MARGARITA*

JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 7 OCTOBER 8

VS. ST. JOHN BOSCO*

JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

Sophomore quarterback Dylan Mills got extremely meaningful playing time as a freshman in the gauntlet of the Trinity League. Mills leads a Lions offense that will keep them more than competitive. Photo: Zach Cavanagh

GAME 8 OCTOBER 14 *

VS. SERVITE

ORANGE COAST COLLEGE, 7:30 P.M.

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

T

he Lions are back at the drawing board and rebuilding their football program.

It only took one offseason for JSerra to slide from being among those elite teams in the mix for the Trinity League’s third playoff spot and a fixture in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs to staring back up the ladder at every other team in the league.

Following the 2019 season, JSerra saw an exodus of transfers, with at least 16 impact and contributing players leaving for various other programs. What was left for the eventual 202021 spring season was an extremely young group that struggled in an all-Trinity League schedule. JSerra was winless in five games, and head coach Pat Harlow stepped down from the position after the spring season.

JSerra now turns to longtime assistant Scott McKnight as the new head coach tasked with

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guiding the group of young talent that has stayed in San Juan Capistrano and rebuilding the foundation of a contender.

“I’ve seen us recruit players that were tremendous athletes, but they didn’t really want to compete in the classroom,” McKnight said at Trinity League Media Day. “There’s tremendous support at this school for all types of students, but you’ve got to give effort. (When we get the right kids,) we’ve got to do a good job retaining them, and that starts with everything we do: in the weight room, on the field, the type of offense you run, type of defense.”

The Lions offense might be that first thing JSerra can showcase in this 2021 fall season to entice that right kind of player and get moving forward. McKnight said the JSerra offense will be what gives them a chance in games this season.

The reins of the offense fall to sophomore quarterback Dylan Mills, who eventually took control of the offense in his freshman season in a tight competition. McKnight said Mills has that “it factor,” can extend plays with his feet

and throws a great deep ball.

While never directly coached by McKnight, whose focus had been special teams and defensive backs, Mills was excited for the program’s future under McKnight.

“When I found out Coach McKnight was going to be the head coach, I knew right away that would be a great fit for everyone here,” Mills said. “His energy and everything, it’s what you need to run a football team, especially in this league. I think we’re all very blessed to be in the position we’re in.”

In regard to the rest of the Trinity League, JSerra figures to be last in the league on paper, and the Lions may struggle to win a league game again this season. However, the new CIF-SS playoff division system, which will be based on current season power rankings rather than past performance, could give the Lions the opportunity to play in a lower playoff division as an at-large team, even if they were last in the Trinity League.

“For me, when you look at our team, they’re pretty young. Being able to play as many

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GAME 9 OCTOBER 22

VS. ORANGE LUTHERAN*

JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 10 OCTOBER 29 *

VS. MATER DEI

SANTA ANA BOWL, 7 P.M.

*TRINITY LEAGUE GAME

games as possible is hugely important to build our program,” McKnight said. “If we were an older team, a more seasoned group like Mater Dei or (St. John) Bosco, I wouldn’t really consider that. But for us, the opportunity to play at a lower level would be the opportunity to play more games.”

Unless JSerra wins all of its nonleague contests, the Lions would likely have a sub-.500 record, but based on the rankings format, there may still be a spot for JSerra to take in whatever division they would land. Divisions will be determined at the end of the season. thecapistranodispatch.com

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Schedule GAME 1 AUGUST 20

VS. CHRISTIAN (EL CAJON)

ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 2 SEPTEMBER 3

VS. LA MIRADA

LA MIRADA HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 3 SEPTEMBER 10

VS. RIM OF THE WORLD

RIM OF THE WORLD HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 4 SEPTEMBER 17

VS. RIVERSIDE PREP

ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 5 SEPTEMBER 24

VS. ST. JOSEPH (SANTA MARIA)

ST. JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 6 OCTOBER 1

VS. ST. PAUL Senior Trey Kingsley will be a force in a St. Margaret’s defensive front that constantly brings pressure. The Tartans learned the value of sticking together in the spring that will benefit them in the fall. Photo: Zach Cavanagh

ST. MARGARET’S READY FOR NORMAL SEASON WITH LESSONS LEARNED

(SANTA FE SPRINGS) ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 7 OCTOBER 8

VS. CASTAIC

ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 8 OCTOBER 15

VS. CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

T

here likely isn’t a team that is more ready for a full schedule and a normal football season than the St. Margaret’s football team.

The spring season for the Tartans can been viewed as an aberration for many different reasons.

At the top of the list is the fact that St. Margaret’s had a losing record for the first time since most people can remember. Based on MaxPreps’ records, the Tartans haven’t won fewer than nine games in a full season at any point in the past 20 years.

The Tartans played only three games and had only 22 players on their roster at most during their most recent season. Injuries had cut that number to 17 players, and St. Margaret’s pulled out its only win with a four-play, goal-line stand in its spring finale.

As St. Margaret’s prepares for the 2021 fall

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season, the Tartans have 38 players on the roster, and those who did endure through the 2020-21 campaign learned about much more than football.

“I don’t coach to be a coach. I coach to be a mentor of young men,” St. Margaret’s coach Kory Minor said. “That’s why I’m out here, and that’s life lessons, right? Sometimes, life doesn’t go the way you want, so how do you prepare, how do you get through it, how do you fight, how do you win, how do you scratch? And we had to do that.”

It’s the lessons of coming together that will serve the Tartans best as they play with another young group of players.

Offensively, St. Margaret’s actually has a decent amount of experience and talent that can carry the day. Quarterback Jack Ruff returns for his senior season as the leader of the offense. Ruff has interest from Ivy League schools that can only grow with a full season ahead.

Ruff will have options to work with as well, as St. Margaret’s has a group of tall receivers

who will be productive targets. Seniors Bobby Springer, Makai Todd and Tyler Matthews, plus juniors Sam Dunnell, Derek Smith and Will Stahl, make up the receiving corps. Senior Benton Barlow will also run the ball.

Minor called St. Margaret’s defense its bread and butter, and the Tartans will bring the pressure on nearly every single play. The majority of the receivers will also double as impact players on defense, and the Tartans will also get strong line play led by senior Trey Kingsley.

St. Margaret’s will play freelance along with Capistrano Valley Christian after the disbanding of the San Joaquin League for football.

Minor thought that was a good decision for now, to not rush and just join any league they could find for the year.

Though being in a league generally helps with CIF-SS playoff qualification, Minor said that the CIF-SS’ new current season power rankings-based divisional system may be a benefit for a freelance team such as the Tartans.

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GAME 9 OCTOBER 22

VS. CALIPATRIA

CALIPATRIA HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 10 OCTOBER 28

VS. RANCHO CHRISTIAN (TEMECULA)

RANCHO CHRISTIAN HS, 7 P.M. * NO LEAGUE GAMES

“The system can find a slot that makes sense for us,” Minor said. “I think the system is really good. If you’re going to be freelance, this is the year to be freelance. If we don’t win, then it doesn’t matter.”

Minor believes in the merit-based system.

If the Tartans win, then they deserve whatever spot they land as an earned reward, and Minor believes this St. Margaret’s team has enough talent and plenty of intangibles to win football games this season. thecapistranodispatch.com

Capistrano Valley Christian CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN BOUNCES BACK WITH YOUNG, LEARNING GROUP

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

I

t’s been a quick build for Capistrano Valley Christian football coach Eric Preszler over what’s been an eventful 16 months on the job.

As Preszler began his second stint as the head coach of the Eagles in April 2020, the CVC program had only seven football players returning from its 2019 San Joaquin League championship squad. Roster size is always going to be a concern for a school the size of Capistrano Valley Christian, but seven players isn’t even enough to suit up on one side of the ball.

Preszler, who also serves as the school’s athletic director, then embarked on a recruiting mission around the rest of the school’s athletic programs to pull in baseball players, basketball players and any athlete who was willing to give football a try.

CVC’s team was going to be a continual work-in-progress, even if there had been a fall season last year, but the circumstances of delays due to the pandemic actually gave Preszler and his staff something very valuable: time.

“In some ways, this whole unique situation we were in, it allowed us something we wouldn’t have in a normal year. It allowed us to practice football from, really, July to January,” Preszler said. “We practiced and got to the point where we understand fundamentals, understand the concepts. Again, we had seven guys, so there’s a lot of new bodies, a lot of teaching, and we really got to slow it down and teach football.”

In January, after the CIF-SS delayed the season a second time and many were wondering if there’d be a season at all, Preszler and the Eagles jumped the gun and pushed back on restrictions. Capistrano Valley Christian and Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana played a football game, which was reportedly more of a glorified scrimmage with adjusted rules. CIF-SS investigated the contest, and no punishments were doled out. However, that was the only football CVC played in the spring.

The Eagles did not hold a spring season because, with all their athletes splitting time across all of their other sports, Preszler and the department didn’t feel it was in the students’ best interests to spread them so thin.

But the fall has arrived, and there is a reg-

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ular season for Capistrano Valley Christian to put all those months of learning and practicing to work.

The Eagles will obviously be a young team, with 13 freshmen and three or four who will get considerable snaps. One of those freshmen is starting quarterback Nate Richie, who Preszler says is the best-kept secret in Orange County.

CVC will be led by the heart of one of those seven returners from April 2020, and that’s senior Kayden Manrique. The safety and running back took on a leadership role over the last year and helped instill a work ethic that will benefit the Eagles.

Junior receiver Hayden Carlson will also be

relied on at the skill positions. Carlson is one of the top CVC baseball players who has come over to play football.

CVC will be bolstered in the trenches by junior lineman Jack Leetzow and senior Bence Duka, who is a 6-foot-7, 235-pound basketball player giving football a shot.

After the pandemic, Capistrano Valley Christian and St. Margaret’s were the only teams left standing in the San Joaquin League, with teams dropping to eight-man football or dropping their programs entirely. The Eagles and Tartans will both be freelancing this year, which means they’ll need to rack up wins for the CIF-SS’ power rankings-based playoff system.

Schedule GAME 1 AUGUST 20

VS. ARROWHEAD CHRISTIAN TESORO HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 2 AUGUST 27

VS. CALVARY CHAPEL

SAN CLEMENTE HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 3 SEPTEMBER 3

VS. GODINEZ

GODINEZ HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 4 SEPTEMBER 10

VS. TEMECULA PREP

CAPISTRANO VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 5 SEPTEMBER 17

VS. DESERT CHRISTIAN DESERT CHRISTIAN, 7 P.M.

GAME 6 SEPTEMBER 24

VS. DON BOSCO TECH TESORO HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 7 OCTOBER 2

VS. SANTA ROSA ACADEMY PALOMA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 8 OCTOBER 15

VS. ST. MARGARET’S

ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 9 OCTOBER 22

VS. NUVIEW BRIDGE

NUVIEW BRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M.

GAME 10 OCTOBER 29

VS. WHITTIER CHRISTIAN CAPISTRANO VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL, 7 P.M. Capistrano Valley Christian only played what amounted to a glorified scrimmage in January for their 2020 season. The Eagles have built back their numbers but will play without a league as a freelance team this season.

Photo: Zach Cavanagh

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* NO LEAGUE GAMES

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Players to Watch

BRADEN PEGAN San Juan Hills, WR, Sr. Braden Pegan made a splash in the spring season when he committed to UCLA, his dream school. The 6-foot-4 receiver had offers from 10 schools, but he called the UCLA decision a “no-brainer.” Pegan was a proven deep threat last season and has worked on his footwork to improve on short routes.

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OFFENSE

DYLAN MILLS JSerra, QB, Soph.

Dylan Mills faced down the gauntlet of the Trinity League as a freshman and came out better for it. Mills says the game has slowed down for him approaching his second season. He has the ability to extend plays with his feet and also throws a good deep ball.

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BY ZACH CAVANAGH

JACK RUFF St. Margaret’s, QB, Sr.

JACKCVC, LEETZOW OL, Jr.

Jack Ruff has that prototypical quarterback frame at 6-foot-4 and uses it to his advantage.

He has grown as a leader for the Tartans over the past year and has full command of the offense. Ruff is drawing interest from Ivy League universities and has an offer from Georgetown.

Jack Leetzow will anchor an offensive line for Capistrano Valley Christian that is still learning. He possesses skill on both sides of the ball and will also anchor the Eagles’ defensive line. Leetzow is one of a handful of Eagles players to develop their leadership skills over the past year.

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Players to Watch

CHASE SCHMIDT San Juan Hills, DB, Sr. Chase Schmidt was second in tackles for San Juan Hills last season and was named firstteam All-South Coast League. He has been on the scene since his championship-sealing interception in the 2019 CIF-SS title game.

Schmidt is quick, feisty and loves to hit, despite his smaller frame.

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DEFENSE

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

JOEY TORREZ JSerra, MLB, Jr.

TREY KINGSLEY St. Margaret’s, DL, Sr.

KADENCVC, MANRIQUE S, Sr.

Joey Torrez is a lynchpin for the Lions defense in the front seven. Torrez is a tough, strong and sturdy football player who plays with a lot of passion. At 6-foot, 230 pounds, the junior can come downhill like a freight train to plug up opposing run games.

Trey Kingsley will be a force to be reckoned with on the offensive and defensive line for the Tartans. He is 6-foot-2 and can move well in the trenches. Kingsley will be integral for a St. Margaret’s defense that plans on being aggressive and bringing pressure throughout the game.

Kaden Manrique was one of only seven returners after the 2019 season, but the senior has stuck through to become a leader who showcases a strong work ethic. Manrique is a top athlete for the Eagles and will start on both sides of the ball at safety and running back.

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