Prep football: Marin Catholic puts on the pads, prepares for title defense
After spending their summer working hard to prepare for the upcoming season, players on the Marin Catholic football season took the field in pads for the first official practice of the season on Monday – a sure sign that their North Bay Adobe Division title defense begins in just a few short weeks.
“It’s always good to take care of the fundamentals and stuff in soft shells but I love hitting, you know,” said MC’s Vince Tarantino, a two-way lineman and team captain. “I think we can all agree that we’re excited for this day in pads.”
MC went undefeated in the first season of the North Bay Adobe Division – the top level of a four-tiered conference featuring teams from Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties. Last season, three of the six Adobe teams — Marin Catholic, Cardinal Newman, and San Marin — were selected among the top eight teams into the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs.
“Last year we were really excited to get in the new league and make a statement of what we can do and I think we did that,” MC running back and team captain Jarred Geissberger said. “I know we did that. We won the league. We’re really excited for our schedule this year. It’s one of the toughest schedules in the North Bay. We play some really good teams – some of the top teams in California – and our league is the same but all the competition is still there. We’re looking to get after everyone in our league this year and make some more statements.”
The Wildcats enter this season with a team that is both younger and deeper than last season, according to coach Mazi Moayed. The biggest change for MC will come under center as sophomore Dylan Skrinar is set to take over as the team’s starting quarterback when the season starts on Aug. 29. MC also brought in Jamar Lincoln, a transfer from El Cerrito who saw some action last season as a freshman for the Gauchos.
“So far with Dylan, he’s done a fantastic job this summer of homing in on the things we do and trying to do them at a high level,” Moayed said. “It’s been a lot of fun to watch. He’s got great energy and we’ll see what he can do once we get going. It will be his first varsity start at Inderkum in Sacramento so that will be an exciting night for him.”
Skrinar, who helped lead the JV team to a 7-3 record, almost made his varsity debut in last season’s playoffs.
“My first part of varsity was last year right before the playoffs,” Skrinar said. “I was getting a little bit of reps. We had some injuries going on so I was getting to split reps. (Then-starting quarterback Caedon Afsharipour) fractured his thumb so it was kind of half and half if I was going to play or he was going to play. He ended up playing. My reps started there then we started spring ball and I’ve gone all the way up until now.”
Lincoln could also enter the mix at quarterback once he has sat out for five games following his transfer. El Cerrito, like Marin Catholic, was one of the top 5-6 teams in the North Coast Section last season, per the MaxPreps.com rankings.
“I got to start practicing with them like four or five weeks ago,” Lincoln said. “I came in kind of late. That’s the down side but I’m still working. The guys welcomed me in like I was their brother already. It’s just a great brotherhood over here, a great experience.”
Offensively, MC also saw a lot of turnover in the receiver room following the graduations of Braiden Bacich-Dixon, Jude Baker, Kelly Storms, Branden Johnson, and Chase Merrick.
“We have a lot of new guys rising up from JV from last year or guys that were second string on varsity last year,” Skrinar said. “We have Dom Tarantino, we’ve got Gabe Baker, Eddie Bullian, Johnny Greco, Nick Brisbane, Ian Macaulay. We’re definitely not shy on receivers and skills and new guys stepping up, everybody filling a role. We’re just seeing who can find that first ball.”
MC posted eight wins on the field last season but picked up another victory off the field during the summer when a judge ruled that the school was cleared to move forward with its plan to install light towers and play on Friday nights during the upcoming season. The light towers are expected to go up sometime within the next four weeks.
“I’m excited,” Vince Tarantino said. “I’ve heard a lot about potentially getting lights over my four years here but it’s definitely an honor to have it for my senior year. I feel like all kids deserve to be able to experience that Friday night environment and just to be able to play the majority of our games under the lights this year, its just really fun and special.”
Lincoln, who played in Friday night home games at El Cerrito last season, elaborated on why playing under the lights is so special.
“Friday night is just the atmosphere,” Lincoln said. “When you get ready to play and you see them lights turn on, you’re just ready to go. You know its game time. You know what you have to go out there and do. You already see it — in movies and the tv shows, Friday Night Lights — that’s all you dream for, that’s all you look forward to. So being able to play under those lights is special.”