San Mateo County high school football previews

Gators’ head coach Mark Grieb is excited about this year’s team, as it may be the best passing team he’s had since he took over the job prior to the 2017 season.

“We have speed, we have size, we have athleticism. This team, for me as a coach, is probably the most talented team in terms of throwing the ball,” Grieb said.

That starts with returning senior quarterback Teddy Purcell, who Grieb has said bulked up over the last year and has grown into a legitimate college prospect.

Purcell will definitely have some main guys to target — including 6-5, 200-pound Paul Barton and 6-1, 190-pound Jackson Girouard. Beck Anderson will handle flyback duties in the Gators’ fly offense.

“We’re kind of young at running back, but at wide receiver we have a bunch of guys,” Grieb said. “We have a lot of weapons, but when you look at all that stuff, it comes down to what happens up front (on the offensive line). We’re kind of young. It might take a little while to come together.”

The Gators’ defense will be anchored by defensive end John Carter and 6-2, 230-pound linebacker Will Mackie.

Aragon

The Dons find themselves in the Ocean Division for the first time since 2014, but Aragon head coach Steve Sell likes their makeup as the team that took its lumps in 2019 is poised to be better this season.

“We started more freshmen and sophomores on both side of the ball than juniors and seniors (in 2019),” Sell said.

Sell seems high on this year’s receiving corps with sophomore Lloyd Walter expected to see a lot of action. Joining him are senior Dylan Kaye and junior Alan Tanielu.

The biggest question offensively revolves around quarterback. Jake Willerup, who started in 2019, was expected to return for this season and was working out with the team until he and his family moved to Arizona in January.

Instead, Daren Randolph will convert from receiver to quarterback.

Sell is also high on transfer Jared Walsh, who will have to sit out the opener. Sell expects him to be the Dons’ main ball carrier.

But if there is an area Sell is really excited about, it’s his offensive line, especially three returners at the two guard positions — Sam Bolak and David Fononga — and center Kyle Fletcher, who took nearly every snap in 2019. Add in Valentino Faaumu and the offensive line could be one of the Dons’ strengths.

“There’s just not a lot of depth,” Sell said.

Capuchino

The Mustangs went 3-2 in PAL Lake Division play in 2019, finishing in third place. Overall, Capuchino finished 5-5. … The Bearcats had one of their best seasons in the last decade in 2019, going 4-1 in the Ocean Division and 8-3 overall, losing in the first round of the CCS playoffs.

San Mateo

The Bearcats feature a core group of three-year varsity seniors this season and they should be especially strong on the lines as they feature 6-3, 240-pound center Shadi Qobti; 6-1, 270-pound Soane Kolokihakaufisi, who won the 2020 PAL heavyweight wrestling championship. Head coach Jeff Scheller is also high on junior Semisi Latu, a 6-2, 280-pound lineman, the latest in a line of Latus to play at San Mateo.

“We’re big this year,” said head coach Jeff Scheller. “We have a bunch of guys who are 6-3, 6-4, 6-5.”

Triggering the offense is senior Dane Anderson, who is returning under center. He filled in for an injured Luke Bergstrom during the 2018 season and was moved to running back in 2019.

Anderson is already looking the part, as he led the Bearcats to a touchdown on their first drive during the team’s scrimmage against Half Moon Bay last week.

“We have five seniors who played varsity as freshmen,” Scheller said.

Lucas Castillo and Marco Martin will handle the bulk of the running game, but look for wide receiver/defensive back Olle Mandorf to make plays on the outside on both sides of the ball.

Capuchino

If there is one thing Mustangs’ head coach Jay Oca is known for, it’s his propensity for using trick plays.

The trick this year is finding the players to replace the bulk of the offense from 2019. Gone are Nick Solarzano, Sione Kafoa and Devin Meyer.

In fact, this could be a rebuilding year for Capuchino as only nine seniors are listed on the team’s roster posted to MaxPreps.com.

Burlingame at Half Moon Bay, 7 p.m.

The Panthers went just 2-3 in Bay Division play in 2019, but still managed a playoff berth, finishing the season 5-6 overall. … The Cougars were dominant in Ocean Division, going a perfect 5-0. A perfect 10-0 regular season, however, earned Half Moon Bay a spot in the CCS Open Division I playoffs, where the Cougars were one-and-done.

Burlingame

“Like everyone else, we’re a work in progress,” said head coach John Philipopoulos as the Panthers will have just six seniors on this season’s squad.

Those seniors, however, have plenty of experience. Taking over the quarterback duties is three-year varsity senior Wyatt McGovern, who was the Daily Journal’s 2019 Boys’ Golfer of the Year.

“He was an impact player for us last year,” Philipopoulos said. “He’s like having an extra coach on the field.”

Jackson Giovara, a senior, will give McGovern some experience on the outside as a wide receiver, while senior Isaac Frankel will see time in the Panthers’ multi-pronged offensive backfield. Prax Ramirez is a two-way, two-year varsity lineman and Stas Pantazis returns to football after sitting out his sophomore and junior seasons.

While the Panthers may be young, there is some experience. Will Uhrich, a junior, was an all-Bay Division defensive back in 2019 and will feature more at receiver and move closer to the line as a linebacker. Charlie Koch, who was brought up midway through the 2019 season, is expected to have an impact at defensive end and tight end. Xavier Bruening is a junior defensive lineman who starred for the school’s wrestling team and Elijah La Guardia, who started as a junior, is expected to see time in both the offensive and defensive backfields.

Half Moon Bay

It appears the Cougars are back to where they were in 2015, 2016 and 2017 when they were winning CCS titles and appearing in the state championship game.

They returned to those lofty levels in 2019, going a perfect 10-0 during the regular season. With key components from that team returning, there is no reason Half Moon Bay won’t be among the best in the PAL this season.

The Cougars are led by four-year varsity player Tristan Hofmann, a running back/linebacker, who has a chance to be the best player in the PAL this season.

“My expectations are he’s going to play well. He never hasn’t,” said head coach Keith Holden. “He’s not going to be any worse than he was before.”

The emergence of Will Moffitt at quarterback has taken some of the pressure off Hofmann. Now in his second season as starter, Moffitt just becomes more and more comfortable with the Cougars’ read-option offense.

“He’s pretty solid on what we want to do,” Holden said. “He reads the option consistently.”

The offense did take a hit this week, however, when junior running back Quinn McCauley was injured during practice. The three-year varsity player is definitely out for this week and it remains to be seen how long the Cougars will be without his service.

Connor Quisog will be expected to take over some of McCauley’s carries from his slot position.

Like Hofmann, Preston “Tuna” Dimas, a two-way lineman, is essentially a four-year varsity starter. He was called up for the playoffs during the 2017 season and started in the Cougars’ state championship game when the starter went down with a broken leg.

Senior wide receiver Nohea Sharp gives the Cougars some experience at the receiver spot.

“We’re pretty fired up to play [Friday],” Holden said. “I’ve been telling everyone, it’s the only thing that feels normal.”