Calvin shows his wares at Mayfair's spring game
LAKEWOOD » After weeks of spring practices, Mayfair football coach Derek Bedell stressed to his players Thursday that the program's spring game was simply about having fun.
Players and coaches engaged in friendly trash talk, and rising junior quarterback Jeremiah Calvin had the type of playground-like scramble and heave that proved to be the difference in Team Blue's 12-6 win over Team White.
Already leading 6-0, Calvin dropped back and rolled out to his right with Team White lineman David Paulo in heavy pursuit. Bedell, who was positioned behind the offense each series, was used as a screen as Calvin bought enough time to find receiver Chaz Gilbreath for a 50yard touchdown.
“I've been working on it with my dad every Sunday,” Calvin said of his ability to extend plays with his legs. “We go in the backyard and pull a tire, like the old school way . ... I just had to make a play.”
Calvin and backup quarterback Evan Jones served as alternating quarterbacks for both teams, with Calvin taking the first series for each team and Jones taking the next set.
Jones got Team White on the board on its fourth drive, finding receiver Max Mitchell on a 45yard connection to cut the deficit in half.
After Team Blue turned it over on downs, Calvin led Team White into the red zone but was unable to cap the final drive with a score.
Calvin finished with a pair of passing touchdowns, including a 10-yarder to running back CJ Johnson.
“Our ability to compete is on a level that I don't think we've had here, up and down our roster,” said Bedell, who will be going into his ninth season.
Bedell credited a young roster comprised of mostly sophomores and juniors, many of whom played last year, and one that has plenty of speed to make up for the lack of size.
“Our youth is forcing kids to compete,” he said. “If they can't compete, they're not going to play, and it's not like we have a bunch of solidified spots.”
Mayfair returns six starters on offense and seven on defense from a team that finished the 2022 season with an 8-5 record, including a third-place finish in the Gateway League at 3-2 behind Downey and league champion Warren. In the playoffs, Mayfair lost to Golden Valley in the CIF Southern Section Division 7 semifinals.
It was Mayfair's first season in the Gateway League.
“There's no getting around the fact that we are a small fish in a big pond as far as school enrollment,” Bedell said. “But that doesn't determine whether we can compete.”
It will be Calvin's first season starting after backing up outgoing senior Evan Tomich the previous two years.
“I want to thank Evan Tomich,” Calvin said. “He was a big, big part of my journey and getting better as a quarterback . ... Every question I had he would just be there for me and lead me.”
Calvin joins an offense that Bedell said has plenty of competition at running back and receiver.
Senior Ryan Heredia will lead a stable of running backs that includes Johnson and Gavin Ingram.
The receiver position is stocked with talent despite losing Owen Tomich to defending national champion and local powerhouse St. John Bosco as a transfer.
Gilbreath, a rising sophomore, headlines a pass-catching group that includes Mitchell, Jaiden Tanner, Gerald Myles, Aiden Sullivan and tight end Rudy Rojas.
“I think a guy that we need to watch for is Aiden Sullivan,” Bedell said. “He was the quarterback of our freshman team and he's going to play some safety and receiver for us.”
Gilbreath's biggest impact will likely be at cornerback, where his production as a freshman led to all-league and All-CIF honors. That's where Bedell sees a bright future for the 2026 prospect, who already has drawn interest from Pac-12 Conference schools Arizona and Washington.
Gilbreath said it was his first year playing cornerback.
“My biggest strength was knowing what the receiver was going to do since I've been in that position,” Gilbreath said.
In addition to the Tomich brothers, some of the bigger departures were defensive lineman Leroy Palu and linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr.
Bedell already identified a pair of players to help take over Burnett's production.
“Christian Gregory and Marcell Kemp can fit in and fill the role that we lose with Medrick Burnett,” Bedell said.
Rojas is expected to also play a role at defensive end.
Mayfair will open the season Aug. 18 on the road against Huntington Beach.