Serra preparing for a championship run
The calendar has changed to August and another high school football season has begun for Serra coach Scott Altenberg.
The last one ended with the Cavaliers at the top of the mountain as they won CIF Southern Section Division 3, CIF SoCal Regional and CIF State Division 1A titles.
The Cavaliers' first game is Aug. 19, and there are some of the same faces on the field that led the team last season.
Is a repeat in the cards? Maybe, and that's what makes things so exciting around the program.
“The guys are excited, but it's a new year,” Altenberg said. “They understand we have to start all over again.
“We don't talk about last year. It's a different team already. I love the way the guys are working. We have some young guys who are really working hard, and we have some returners that are going to help us.”
Serra's quarterback last season, Maalik Murphy, is now playing for the University of Texas, and three of the team's top four wide receivers last season (Matthew Coleman, Darrian Anderson, Troy Tw Crozier) have graduated, although Jeremy Lucky returns.
The biggest question Serra has on offense is at quarterback. In recent years Serra has had Division I-bound quarterbacks Doug Brumfield (UNLV), Justyn Martin (UCLA) and Murphy (Texas) come through the program, but this season there is a bit of uncertainty at the position.
Junior Jason Mitchell, who is ranked by 247Sports as one of the top athletes in the state, has started the season taking the first-team reps at quarterback.
“He's doing good, he's a great athlete, but he also has 30 (scholarship) offers or something as a DB,” Altenberg said. “He gives us the best chance to win right now, but it is still early. In two weeks, it might be very different.
“For him, he's such a great talent that when he does things, it's amazing.”
The Cavaliers offense will have a strong offensive line and running game led by junior Cincere Rhaney (1,024 yards, 12 touchdowns in 2021) and senior Kai Honda (821 yards).
“Those two are really good,” Altenberg said of Rhaney and Honda. “Jason (Mitchell) could also be a running threat at quarterback. Teams are going to have trouble stopping our run game, so we just have to get enough passing to keep people honest.”
Defense leads the way
Serra's opponents this season might find it difficult to complete passes against the team's secondary.
Even if Mitchell is the starting quarterback, the Cavaliers are more than capable of filling in at his safety position.
“We feel really good about our defensive backfield,” Altenberg said. “It's special. We feel really good about this group.”
Rodrick Pleasant, who starred at last year's CIFSS and CIF State track and field championships, holds down one cornerback spot. Juniors Dakoda Fields and Kwante Hampton, along with sophomore Tre Harrison and senior Cordell Montgomery, will add strength and depth to the secondary. All have been busy during the summer pulling in scholarship offers.
Juniors linebackers Tanu Sosa and Noa Keohuloa are also key returners.
Biggest challenge heading into Week 0
“Our schedule is pretty tough,” Altenberg said. “We open up scrimmaging Servite, then we play Orange Lutheran, a CIF champion, and then Long Beach Poly, a CIF champion, so there's not a lot of room to hide.
“We're going to find out real quick. I want to win every game we play, but I really care about how we finish. I want to see us compete, get after it and then get better.”
Serra will also have to navigate its way through another tough Mission League schedule. The league this year includes Sierra Canyon.