Serra to debut 11 new starters on offense in opener

Ranked No. 14 in Northern California in a preseason poll by MaxPreps.com, Serra has plenty of unknowns, especially on offense, where head coach Patrick Walsh will go into his 25th season at the helm testing 11 new starters in Saturday’s season opener against Folsom.

“Last year we replaced a ton of great players on offense in ’24, but we replaced them with all seniors,” Walsh said. “This year ... we’re replacing 11 starters on offense. That is atypical for any high school.”

Those fresh 11 faces will find out where they stand in the state power structure really quickly. Folsom — Serra’s opponent Saturday on Freitas Field at Brady Family Stadium at 2 p.m. — is Nor Cal’s No. 1 ranked team. The Padres will follow in Week 2 by hosting No. 2-ranked De La Salle-Concord.

And for the non-league preseason finale? Serra travels to Bellflower to take on the No. 2 ranked team in the state, St. John Bosco.

“It’s a monster of a schedule,” Walsh said. “We’re not win collectors around here. We’re trying to prepare ourselves for the WCAL. And no better way to do it than against the state’s best.”

The West Catholic Athletic League is going to be an uphill battle this season for any team not named Archbishop Riordan. After a disappoint third-place finish last season, the Crusaders enter the year ranked No. 4 in Nor Cal. WCAL rival St. Francis-Mountain View is also lands a preseason ranking ahead of Serra, coming in at No. 12.

Serra offensive coordinator Darius Bell touts a backfield with some varsity experience. Junior running back Jeovanni Henley could have cracked the starting 11 last season as a junior, but got injured in Serra’s 2024 opener at Folsom and didn’t play the rest of the year. Henley’s backfield counterpart Iziah Singleton, a 5-9, 210-pound senior, saw more reps last year, but not a lot more.With 6-4 junior Caleb Bandel set to make his first varsity appearance as Serra’s starting quarterback, his ability to use his good, strong arm effectively will count on the Padres backfield establishing a tempo that keeps stride with now-graduated running back Nano Latu’s 1,191 rushing yards from a year ago.

“We’ve got to be able to run the ball,” Walsh said. “We’ve got a young offense, we’ve got a young quarterback ... so there’s not a ton of experience. So, one of the great ways to get a quarterback indoctrinated into the varsity football season and schedule is to have a strong running game.”

Bandel has some big targets with the potential to become household names around West 20th Avenue in 6-3 senior wide out Matteo Gambelin and 6-4 junior tight end Jace Cannon. One of Bandel’s most intriguing receivers, though, is the 5-6 Wookiee turned slot receiver, junior Charlie Walsh, son of head coach Patrick Walsh, famous in Serra circles for wearing his Chewbacca costume on the sidelines for many years prior to high school.

“Yeah, he’s ready to go,” Patrick Walsh said. “He’s been around Padre football since he was a zygote. So, it’s time for him to play some high school football.”

Defensive coordinator Steve Monsef touts more experience on the other side of the ball, highlighted by junior four-star recruit Malakai Taufoou at safety.

The junior class is the backbone all the way through Serra’s “D,” including Henley at the other safety spot, 6-3 middle linebacker Dylan Modena and 6-2 edge rusher Lemani Fehoko.

“I would say the defense is the strength of our team,” Walsh said. “Where we don’t have any returners on offense, we do have several returners on defense. And those returners were all sophomore starters last year. So, now we have a lot of juniors that have experience. They’re not seniors, but they are experienced players.”

Seniors to watch are nose guard Peyton Thomas, linebacker Aaron Maier and cornerback Aiden Labrador. But the most intriguing starter is defensive end Taupaki Latu, a 5-10, 230-pound freshman — the first true position player to start in a fall season as a freshman during Walsh’s tenure.

Senior kicker Saul Marks marks another first, as no other player has played kicker only since Walsh took over the program in 2001. Marks will get his money’s worth, though, serving all the kicking positions for the Padres, including field goals, point-after tries, punts and kickoffs.

Walsh said he considers Marks a “defensive player,” though, since he — like many Serra place kickers before him — consistently puts kickoffs in the end zone for touchbacks.

“Saul has an absolutely powerful leg,” Walsh said. “He will kick in college.”

Serra is coming off a 5-6 overall record in 2024, just the second time in Walsh’s years the team has finished below .500, and the first since 2005. The Padres did record a 4-3 record in West Catholic Athletic League play, tying for fourth place and qualifying for the Central Coast Section Open/Division I playoffs. Serra went one-and-done in the postseason, falling 14-7 to Los Gatos in the opening round.

Walsh, though, is steadfast in his not subjecting the Padres to a preseason scrimmage game. It is the seventh straight year Serra has not scrimmaged the week prior to their season opener. Walsh called the strategy a double-edged sword, especially going into a season opener against the No. 1 team in the Northern California region.

“We’re going to see,” Walsh said. “That’s the thing. I mean, not scrimmaging for us is a double-edged sword. On one side it’s great, because I know zero players are ever going to get hurt in a scrimmage never played ... but the negatives are we don’t get any experience, and it’s kind of all or nothing the very first time.”