Smiles all around as seniors return to football practice
Some players strapped on their pads at home the night before, just to get that feeling again
After months of wondering if they’d ever put on helmets and shoulder pads again, months of endless emotions about the fate of their season, high school football seniors across the Bay Area found normalcy this weekend.
They practiced in full pads, most for the first time in more than a year.
One week after Gov. Gavin Newsom eased COVID-19 guidelines for outdoor youth sports, clearing the way for high school football’s return throughout California, seniors were so fired up to get started that some strapped on pads at home the night before they hit the field.
“It’s long overdue,” said Jake Kern, the quarterback at Clayton Valley Charter High School in Concord.
The Bay Area News Group reached out to seniors who are preparing for a season that seemed unlikely to happen until
Newsom’s announcement.
Here are some of their stories:
Lu-magia Hearns, De La Salle
Hearns didn’t have a sense of urgency about this football season. The defensive back wanted to play, but given that he signed in December to suit up for Cal in the fall, he knew there was life on the field after he leaves the Concord powerhouse.
As the delay for a high school season continued, Hearns made the decision not to play this spring. He planned to show support by attending a few practices, but thought it would be best to rest for college.
Then came Newsom’s green light, the start of practice and a conversation with De La Salle’s defensive coordinator. Hearns changed his mind.
On the eve of Friday’s first practice in full pads, he couldn’t wait a minute longer.
“I have been walking around the house in my pads already,” Hearns said Thursday night. “As soon as I got home, I put all my pads on.”
Jake Kern, Clayton Valley Charter
Kern reached a mountaintop of high school football in December 2019. That night, the quarterback and his teammates won a CIF State championship.
There will be no repeat this spring.
His team’s truncated season will include six games and no playoffs. But Kern doesn’t mind, not after the roller coaster ride of emotions that stretches back
nearly a year. He still can’t believe that he is actually preparing for a season.
Thursday, Kern slipped on his state championship jersey over his shoulder pads to make sure he had the right size for a new one.
A day later, he was back on the field.
“The first day of pads is always exciting because usually it’s been a while since you’ve been in pads,” Kern said. “You might feel a little uncomfortable in your gear. But the energy, hearing the shoulder pads and the helmets collide, people screaming
and yelling, the energy is high. It just brings a smile to your face.”
Jackson Bundy, Palo Alto
Conditioning drills at Palo Alto were noticeably more upbeat Monday, the senior lineman said. It was the first time the Vikings had been together since receiving the news that they would be in pads by the end of the week.
“It was kind of a shocker,” Bundy said. “Our (Feb. 19) practice was really relaxed, people were at other sports, it was in the morning, it was really short, we were just messing around. Then
Monday came and everyone was serious, like everyone was there. It was a complete 180.”
Friday evening, the Vikings took the field for a full practice for the first time since November 2019. Bundy was limited with a torn labrum, but he was excited to get a taste of football after more than a year away.
“This really could be my last chance to play football for the rest of my life,” Bundy said. “Losing that opportunity kind of hit me hard and being given it back is just such a great feeling.”
Christian Pedersen, Serra
Though he signed with Louisville in December, the tight end had no hesitation about playing with his high school teammates this spring.
“I was always going to play my senior year with my boys,” Pedersen said.
The only question: Would there be a season?
As his coach, Patrick Walsh, helped lead the campaign to convince Newsom to soften the coronavirus restrictions, Pedersen called on spirituality to get him through many months of waiting.
“I knew it was out of my control, so I just left it in God’s hands,” Pedersen said. “I said prayers every night.”
Noah Short, The King’s Academy
The dynamic two-way senior standout put his pads on for the first time since a semifinal loss in the CIF State Division 5-AA playoffs more than 14 months ago. Like many of his peers, he long thought that might be his final high school game.
Short was starved for physical contact and ready to hit somebody.
Friday, he finally got his chance. Before practice, he described his favorite drill run by coach Pete Lavorato.
“It’s like a bag drill, it’s pretty much two dudes suited up on either end of the bag and one just has to push the other one back past the end of the bag,” Short said. “Everyone really gets excited about that. Guys get fired up. You start to hit, the plastic connecting, it’s ... fun.”
Josh Zeising, Monte Vista
The middle linebacker and tight end considers himself fortunate. He knocked off the rust this winter playing club football, which the CIF said this month won’t cause eligibility issues because at the time there was no high school season.
Now back with his Monte Vista teammates, Zeising was ready to go Friday night when full-padded practice began for the Danville school.
“The majority of our team has been waiting for this opportunity and it’s finally here,” Zeising said. “For a lot of guys, it’s their
first time being on a varsity sports team. Everybody is really excited to finally be out there to compete.”
Kyle Pinkham, Los Gatos
The wide receiver had just finished his first practice in pads Friday. It was after 7 p.m. and he was describing what it felt like.
“It felt great being back out there with all the boys, just hitting people and having fun,” Pinkham said. “It was amazing. There were definitely a lot of smiles. Very excited to get back out there.”
Pinkham said he plans to go to college for academics, so this is his last shot on a football field
“It’s definitely sad that we didn’t get a full season,” Pinkham said. “But I am definitely glad we ended up getting anything at all.”
Kaleb Elarms-orr, Moreau Catholic
At Moreau Catholic in Hayward, players just picked up their helmets last week, the senior defensive end said.
The Mariners were still mostly going through conditioning drills Friday despite the relaxed restrictions, he said.
Since the last time he played for Moreau Catholic, Elarms-orr finished up his recruiting process and signed with Cal, all through a historic pandemic.
The Division I-bound defensive end had no qualms about not ramping up to full contact immediately.
“We’re just going to ease into it, you know,” he said. “Start with (just) helmets, then go helmets and shoulder pads, and then full pads some time by the end of this week.”