Cougars embrace challenging road ahead | PCAL football preview

SLV coach Dave Grant feels inspired following large turnout of players

August 19, 2024

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SLV High football team 2024 preview-web-1 — The San Lorenzo Valley High football team was back on the field for the second week of training camp before the 2024 fall season, which officially kicks off in nearly two weeks. The Cougars will host South San Francisco High School on Aug. 31 at 1pm. (Paul Firenzi/special to the Press Banner)

San Lorenzo Valley High football head coach Dave Grant decided to test his returning players by putting them up to a challenge during the offseason.

So far, he’s pretty impressed with the response.

“One thing for sure is these guys have been putting in the work,” Grant said. “We’re asking a lot of these guys as far as their commitment for showing up, what we’re asking them to do as far as strength and conditioning…The overall commitment that we see in the whole entire football program with JV and varsity, it’s pretty cool right now.”

The Cougars have a combined 70 players for both varsity and junior varsity teams, which is already a win for Grant in a school with an enrollment of less than 600 students.

Jack Dagan is returning as the starting quarterback for the Cougars. He was eager to get back out on the field with his teammates, who put in the extra work to prepare for the 2024 campaign.

“It just feels good to throw with the shoulder pads on, get everything loosened up,” he said.

Dagan was introduced to a new offense last season, which took time for him to get into rhythm and build a connection with players in the system.

The only downfall is he’ll be without receiver Dominic Chiechi and standout lineman Jayden Lyman, who earned All-PCAL First Team offense honors. Both players graduated in June.

Lyman and Chiechi, who earned all-league first team defense honors as a defensive back, aren’t the only key players gone. Malcolm Deguara, Jack Fontinell and Connor Scarborough will also be missed by the Cougars.

“We’re always low on guys, but that’s not an issue,” Dagan said. “We all gotta have heart.”

Other players to watch for this season include Gio Ricigliano, and a trio of receivers in junior Kenji Pane, senior Jordan Renteria and junior Gabe Machado.

Grant is also thrilled to have four sophomores who are some of the strongest players in the football program. It left quite the impact on him and the coaches following conditioning in the spring.

“Ideally we’d like guys to stay together with their grade, but if we feel like there’s room for them to play a lot, and we think physically they’re ready, that’s something we look at every year,” Grant said.

Deep down in the trenches will be seniors Cody Bumbaca-Thomas and Haden Woolworth, an All-PCAL First Team offense honoree in 2023.

Woolworth is excited to have athletic and aggressive teammates, but he also mentioned they’ve been a disciplined bunch, as well.

“It’s gonna be a good season. We got a good team this year,” he said.

The Cougars ended the 2023 season on a high note with back-to-back wins in Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia Division action against Marina and Harbor high schools.

Grant said he feels they carried over some of that momentum, especially the way his players didn’t give in despite not having a winning record.

“You see it in our JV team, where the guys that are seniors right now, they’re really setting the tone,” Grant said. “We’re taking things in the right direction as far as our seniors, our coaches, and it’s trickling down throughout the whole football program. We’re just trying to do things the right way, and we want to find out what that hard work is going to do.”

SLV placed fifth in the Santa Lucia Division standings going 2-4 in league play, and finished with a 4-6 overall record.

“We leave the past in the past and we’re coming out here and gonna show what we can do with this team this year,” Woolworth said.

The 6-foot-2, 240 pound lineman likes the fact that they have plenty of depth this year on both offensive and defensive lines. He mentioned how having a deep rotation will allow players to catch breaks during plays and be a lot fresher down the stretch.

Woolworth said he’s always been keen on keeping up with SLV traditions, which means working hard and never letting off the breaks. The weight room was the place to be during the offseason, yet Woolworth felt it was also mainly trying to bring the team together.

“We always take initiative, getting here on time and being the best we can be, and picking each other up,” he said. “Be a family. That’s all this team is about, being a family and working hard all together.”

Last year’s biggest goal was to improve. Woolworth has bigger plans in store for 2024. His main goal is to be at the top and capture the Santa Lucia Division crown.

A league title would be the first for SLV since 2010 when it was part of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.

“We gotta work hard, it’s not gonna come easy,” Woolworth said. “We’re not in the best division, but there are no easy games for us. We got to work our hardest.”

The Cougars will square off against familiar league foes in Harbor, Marina, Gonzales, Stevenson and Pajaro Valley, along with newcomers Santa Cruz, which was demoted from the Mission Division North.

Non-league action begins Aug. 31 in Felton against South San Francisco High—the defending Central Coast Section Division V champion. Kick off is slated for 1pm.

SLV will continue its non-league portion of the schedule at Gunderson High in San Jose, followed by back-to-back home games against Scotts Valley and Greenfield high schools.

“It’s important that we keep a schedule like this. I think it helps guys understand we’re not looking for easy [wins], we’re not looking for games to get everybody stats,” Grant said.

Bumbaca-Thomas said there’s going to be plenty of tough battles ahead, but each one is going to prove who they are and all the work they’ve put in during the offseason, and beyond.

“I feel like it’s just going to help each one of us see who we are, how much work we can put into what we’re doing,” he said.

Most of all, Bumbaca-Thomas is just looking forward to playing with his teammates in what’ll be his fourth and final year with SLV.

“Honestly I wouldn’t want to be playing with anyone else. This is my family, and I’m so proud to be out here with them,” he said. “Every day, they’ve always helped me, they raised me up. I just love them.”