St. Pat’s to rely on speed for spring
Bruins to play in Diablo Athletic League this year, open Friday vs. College Park
St. Patrick-St. Vincent High football players have been waiting to show off their speed for some time now.
It’s seemingly been a longer wait than 10 trips to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
That delay will finally be over at 7 p.m. on Friday when the Bruins host College Park in the Diablo Athletic League opener at Dante Magnani Field.
“It’s exciting. It’s the most exciting it’s been in a while,” said senior Zion Booker, one of those players who figures to test the resolve of defensive coordinators. “The energy we had for the scrimmage was high and the energy is high right now, especially with Friday being our Senior Night.”
The contest will be the first for St. Pat’s in the DAL after the Tri-County Athletic League frac
“The team basically understands what we are trying to do on both sides of the ball, but it was a scrimmage, so we’ll see how things play out this Friday.”
— Lane Hawkins,
St. Pat’s head coach.
tured earlier this year with several schools going their separate ways. The Bruins are expected to move back to the TCAL next fall.
College Park is coached by ex-St. Pat’s defensive coordinator Mark Spinelli, who was with the Bruins during their state championship in 2016.
St. Pat’s head coach Lane Hawkins was pleased with what he saw during the team’s scrimmage last week. The Bruins’ roster features 13 seniors on a 24-man roster.
“We were extremely fast and we looked good offensively,” he said. “We looked very good defensively. We had multiple tacklers to the ball on almost every single snap. The overall team concept was evident. The team basically understands what we are trying to do on both sides of the ball, but it was a scrimmage, so we’ll see how things play out this Friday.”
Quarterback Ja’vione Shepherd, in his third season behind center, was also impressed with the performance at the scrimmage.
“I was excited to see what we looked like as a team,” he said. “This offseason we were all working on trying to get better with techniques, from offensive linemen to receivers and my releases and learning to read defenses. We have been trying to get better at the little things that matter.”
Shepherd should have plenty of weapons at his disposal as Noah FranklinMcNeal could be the primary running back with Bobby Brooks alternating between running back and slot receiver.
“Franklin-McNeal is a tough runner. He reminds me of Marshel (Martin),” Hawkins said about the former Bruin who is now a tight end at Sacramento State. “We moved Bobby to the slot but he’s also going to play running back. Bobby’s versatility is going to cause a lot of problems for defenses. Do you put a safety or a linebacker on him? If you do that, who covers the other wideouts?”
Booker is another wide receiver with speed. Kolbe Olmes and Alyas Vigil, two seniors, will see time at tight end.
The offensive line will be anchored by seniors Ivan Ibarra, Adam Guila and Rob Alexander. Junior Andre David and American Canyon sophomore transfer Jonathan Smith are the other top linemen.
On defense, senior Nicho Cisneros and Olmes will lead the linebacking corps.
“They’ve really made progress from last year,” Hawkins said of the two. “It’s extremely different than it was last year when we watched film. You can see the growth, you can see the development, you can see the confidence, you can see that they not only developed themselves physically but mentally. They understand how to make adjustments to put our defense in the right position.”
At defensive back, Brooks, Shepherd, Booker and Jomar Connors Jr. should lead a solid unit.
“(Connors) who saw time at quarterback last year is now going to be our starting corner,” Hawkins said. “He is a phenomenal player in his own right. He has one of the highest football IQs on our team. He really understands football.”
Hawkins said his players were tested for COVID before last week’s scrimmage with Salesian and will be tested again on Thursday prior to Friday’s game.
“We tested both Salesian and us. (Salesian) was here,” Hawkins said. “(Both teams) had a rapid test and Salesian practiced here on Friday, and they came back on Saturday for the scrimmage.”
Hawkins, who is also the school’s athletic director, said there are still plans for indoor sports at St. Pat’s, although he admitted the testing issue and facility space will make things challenging.
“It’s a logistical issue that we’ll have to overcome and adjust and deal with just to keep everyone safe,” he said. “I’ve already heard some schools saying that they are not going to do anything indoors. … At St. Pat’s we’re working hard to ensure that all of our student-athletes, whether they are indoors or outdoors, are going to play.”