No. 17 Nationally Ranked JSerra Catholic 2019 Preseason Football Preview
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
Photo credit: Raymond Joyce Photography
Twitter: @RJPSports
The difficult life in the Trinity League on the gridiron might be best summarized by the 2018 JSerra Catholic football team. The Lions posted a 7-4 campaign in 2017 winning their first seven contests of the year, which included league wins over Servite and Orange Lutheran, before dropping their final three regular season games to Mater Dei, Santa Margarita, and St. John Bosco and taking a first-round exit in the playoffs to Long Beach Poly. With a healthy squad, more experience, and a motivated team taking the field in 2018, the San Juan Capistrano area school posted a 9-3 season ending the year ranked No. 17 nationally with losses only coming to end of season No. 2 St. John Bosco, No. 1 Mater Dei, and No. 16 Oaks Christian. The good news for fans of the Lions, No. 17 nationally ranked JSerra (MaxPreps) returns top talent on both sides of the ball, which is bad news for Trinity League foes.
The Lions 2018 offense was led by senior quarterback Caden Bell (Columbia). Bell threw for 2,012 yards with 25 touchdowns while scrambling for 204 yards with four more scores going up on the board. The offensive line gave Bell time to throw and paved open holes for breakout Class of 2020 star running back Chris Street. Street took over games with his speed and power carrying the rock 202 times for 1,342 yards with 17 trips into the end zone. When Bell went back to pass, he had senior targets in Tyler Shimomura, Tarkik Luckett (Colorado), and Munir McClain (USC).
In non-conference games against top teams like Calabasas, Bishop Amat, Pinnacle (AZ), and Faith Lutheran (NV), the defense set the tone for a team that only allowed 22 points per game on average. The Lions defense will miss leading tacklers in Calvin Mouisset, Victor Clanton, and Quantraill Morris-Walker and defensive tackle Shawn Nielsen, but return the likes of rising linebackers Jaden Genova and Class of 2022 standout Malaki Te’o. Genova was third on the team in total stops with 78 coming up with 14 tackles for a loss and nine sacks. Te’o produced 66 tackles and four tackles for a loss.
Offense
No questions around this one, the JSerra offense will ride on the success of four-star running back Chris Street. The Cal commit has the luxury of having some stout dudes in the trenches pushing the line of scrimmage downfield in senior Jeff Persi (Michigan) and Class of 2021 talents Mason Murphy (3-star), Brody Crane (3-star), and Ross Maseuli (3-star). When Street takes a breather, there is another tailback with next level abilities in Samuel Green waiting to slice through the competition. Green spelled Street in 2018 for 53 carries covering 404 yards with six touchdowns. Adding a presence in the run blocking and pass game is 2021 tight end Jasper Lott (3-star). Taking the place of Bell in the pocket this season is General Booty. Booty played the 2018 season at Cornerstone Christian in San Antonio nearing the 2,300-yard mark in the air with 19 touchdowns produced.
Chris Street on the offense: “The strength in our offense is the balance. I feel like we have a good head to led the way in General Booty. We will dominate in the passing game as well as in the running game this season. I think we will be able to spread the ball out and pass a lot more efficiently than we did last year.”
Defense
The linebacker corps is set with Genova (3-star) and Te’o. In 2019, the secondary will be led by 2021 defensive back Zamajay Duncan (3-star). Duncan was ever-present on the field a year ago coming up with 45 stops, two tackles for a loss, and picked off two passes. Some rising sophomores to watch for on the Lions defense is defensive lineman Siale Suliafu and defensive backs Brodie Garrett and Christian LaLiberte.
RB Chris Street on how the team looks top to bottom: “The team is looking hungry. I think this team is ready to play physically, but we just need to tighten up some of the mental aspects of our game so we will be as crisp as possible. If we do that, we will be unstoppable.”
The Schedule
There are no breaks, other than the bye weeks, on the schedule for the Lions. The opener takes JSerra on the road to face Utah’s ninth ranked squad in East High School. JSerra returns to California for a neutral site game against the top team in New Jersey, ranked No. 15 nationally, in St. Joseph Regional. The games against Bishop Amat (CA) and Milton (GA) cannot be overlooked for what should be a thriller against No. 30 nationally ranked Calabasas.
After a two-week layoff, league play opens with a Santa Margarita squad that has stocked the roster with new talent over the offseason. After that test, No. 2 St. John Bosco comes to town followed by a road trip to the 20th ranked team in California, Servite. The final two games of the season are held at Santa Ana Stadium colliding against Orange Lutheran and defending back-to-back national championship Mater Dei.
Overview
Based on the schedule alone, if Lions head coach Pat Harlow can produce another two-loss regular season, he needs to be nominated for national head coach of the year honors. There is plenty of talent on the Lions roster, but there are also loaded games against four Top 30 nationally ranked squads and only four home games set. The Lions are always ready to play, and will be one of the elite teams in California this season.
2019 JSerra Catholic Schedule
Week 1 – Aug. 23 at East – Salt Lake City, UT
Week 2 – Aug. 31 vs. No. 15 St. Joseph Regional – Montvale, NJ – Cathedral High School
Week 3 – Sept. 6 vs. Bishop Amat – La Puente, CA – JSerra Catholic
Week 4 – Sept. 14 vs. Milton – Milton, GA – at St. John Bosco
Week 5 – Sept 20. vs. No. 30 Calabasas – Calabasas, CA – JSerra Catholic
Byes: Week 6 and Week 7
Week 8 – Oct. 4 vs. Santa Margarita – Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – JSerra Catholic
Week 9 – Oct. 11 vs. No. 2 St. John Bosco – Bellflower, CA – JSerra Catholic
Week 10 – Oct. 17 at Servite – Anaheim, CA – Orange Coast College
Week 11 – Oct. 25 at Orange Lutheran – Orange, CA – Santa Ana Stadium
Week 12 – Nov. 1 at No. 1 Mater Dei – Santa Ana, CA – Santa Ana Stadium