SLV sets sight on Mission North Division title defense run | PCAL football

Cougars prepare for season-opener against South San Francisco on Aug. 29

August 12, 2026

PBR2633 SLV football 2026 preview - WEB-1 — San Lorenzo Valley High senior Gabe Attia will play both sides of the ball as a lineman for the Cougar football team. (Juan Reyes/Press Banner)

The San Lorenzo Valley High football team in 2025 was supposed to be considered a doormat as newcomers to the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Mission North Division.

Instead, they finished with an 8-3 overall record while going undefeated, 5-0, in league play en route to their first championship banner in 15 years.

The remarkable season for the Cougars came to an end following a 31-13 loss to Willow Glen in the Central Coast Section Division IV quarterfinals in November.

But, the good thing for SLV head coach Dave Grant is he’ll still have a solid group of returning players for the upcoming fall campaign, including team captains Jacob Hardin and Brayden Scoma, who are hungry to exceed expectations once again.

“The goal is just to go back and win another [league title],” Hardin said. “But more than that we want to do well in the playoffs. And we want to make sure that, above all, we get connected to each other and we get better as a team.”

Hardin is the Mission North Division’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year. The Cougar senior finished with 70 total tackles (27 solo), 4.5 sacks and one interception in 2025, according to statistics on the Max Preps website.

Scoma, a senior, returns as this year’s starting quarterback. He received a ton of reps during the summer at several camps and tournaments, including the challenging Lake Tahoe Football Camp in June.

“It’s all mental being there, getting the reps as quarterback with 7s without the defensive line is very good,” Scoma said. “It’s helping with seeing the routes and seeing them open up for the timing and stuff. It’s just good for us as a team to get out there.”

Grant plans to run a balanced offense this season that will include plays out of the shotgun, single back and two-back spread formations.

The Cougars’ fourth-year head coach believes their biggest strength is the offensive line. They have senior Jordan Gonzalves leading in the trenches, while senior Gabe Attia is unarguably the strongest player on the team.

Also returning in the mix is senior tight end Gabe Robison and senior running back Justin Griffis, who is slowly returning to full speed following a minor wrist injury.

“These guys are not only returning starters but they also were true leaders in our offseason program,” Grant said. “Overall, our entire varsity team, and especially our seniors, have been working very hard all spring and summer.”

SLV is expected to line up in a 4-2-5 formation on defense with the emphasis of always stopping the run.

“We have a pretty difficult schedule this season and we will face a variety of offenses,” Grant said. “Each game will be a good challenge for us.”

SLV’s biggest strength on defense is having seven returning starting players. Grant mentioned they have several other guys competing for playing time at every position, as well.

Senior defensive back Landon Pifer will lead the Cougar secondary, while Hardin will take command of the linebackers.

Grant said he expects a lot from the senior class, but the coaching staff is also confident in the group of newcomers that have become a great fit with the returners.

Grant anticipates big plays from junior lineman Jackson Bates, sophomore receiver/defensive back Cirion Jacobs and Dylan Chechi, also at wide receiver.

“They have all been working incredibly hard and showed a lot of big play potential at competitive camps this summer,” Grant said.

SLV returns as king of the north in the Mission North Division, and it’ll be the first crack at a title defense run since 2011. Scoma said there’s no other place he’d rather be as they continue to bring back a winning culture to the valley.

“We have all our coaches who pretty much played on this team,” Scoma said. “They bring back that culture, that intensity, and then we push forward to the younger generations and just try to bring it back.”

They’ll square off against familiar foes such as rival Scotts Valley, Monte Vista Christian, St. Francis, Watsonville and newcomers Aptos.

SLV has not played Aptos since 2016 after both schools split from the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League to join the Mission Trail and Monterey Bay leagues, respectively.

“I’m excited to find out what we can do and find out what our limits are,” Hardin said.

The Cougars’ non-league portion of their schedule is no walk in the park, either. They kick off the season in Felton against South San Francisco High on Aug. 29 at 12:30pm, followed by a meeting at Mountain View High on Sept. 3 at 7pm.

SLV’s series of PCAL cross-over games includes matchups against defending Mission South Division champion King City, North Monterey County and finally Pacific Grove to cap off non-league play.

“We had a good season last year, and I think people have solid expectations for us this year,” Grant said. “We played tough last year, and we’re in some tough freaking games. We expect the same thing this year. It’s definitely not going to be easy.”