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Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv
Today’s guests include:
Originally broadcast on 6/1/19
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Today’s Catholic Sports View interview is unique. Host Bob Gibson welcomes a man who was a legendary athlete at Santa Margarita High School in Orange County in the mid 1990s.
His name is Damien Minna, and he’s with us today to share his story. It’s truly a story of triumph over tragedy. His book is titled “All Different Directions.”
Give it a listen, and share with a friend.
Originally broadcast on 4/27/19
Podcast (catholic_sports_view): Play in new window | Download
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Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County.
Today’s guests include:
Originally broadcast on 3/2/19
Podcast (catholic_sports_view): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
They were the two biggest stars on the football field that October night and rightfully so.
As the starting quarterbacks for Mater Dei and Servite in the much-anticipated Trinity League opener at Angel Stadium, most in the crowd of 11,352 would’ve locked in on Chase Forrest and Travis Jonsen anyway, but they earned every ounce of attention.
Jonsen, then known as Travis Waller, passed for 184 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 100 yards and another score. Forrest completed nine of 12 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns, leading Mater Dei to the 28-21 victory.
Five years later, Forrest and Jonson recently wrapped up another football season, only the days when both were the center of attention are long gone.
Forrest completed his college eligibility on Dec. 26, his fifth season as a backup quarterback at California. That night, he got his first chance to play this season, replacing the starter after an ineffective first half against TCU in the Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix, but Forrest was unable to pull off the dream ending in the 10-7 overtime loss.
Forrest is believed to be the only FBS quarterback to arrive on scholarship four years ago and spend his entire college career with the same program without starting a game.
His willingness to remain at California, despite watching six different quarterbacks start in front of him the over past five seasons, has made Forrest one of the most respected players on the team.
“He’s one of those guys you’ll always remember,” Cal offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Not simply because he stayed, but because of whom he is while he’s stayed. It’s impressive.”
Jonsen also had visions of being one of the next great quarterbacks to emerge from the Pac-12, joining the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck and Jared Goff.
But Jonsen also found himself buried behind others on the depth chart. After two seasons at Oregon, he transferred to Riverside Community College, where he also lost out on the starting job during the 2017 season. He thought he was getting a fresh start at Montana State, but a few days before the start of last season, he was switched to wide receiver.
It wasn’t the type of news Jonsen was prepared to hear.
“I had to reach deep down and realize that no matter what position I’m at I have to give it all for my team,” Jonsen told 406mtsports.com. “Wherever they want me to help this team succeed is where I’ll go.”
Jonsen ended up finishing second on Montana State in receptions (19) and yards (319), helping the Bobcats win their first FCS Playoff game since 2014.
“I think he’s been great,” Montana State offensive coordinator Brian Armstrong said. “From my vantage point, he’s a good team guy and whatever’s best he’s good with and he’s embraced.”
Jonsen has one season of college eligibility remaining and wants to make the most of it, regardless of where he’s playing.
“Time is crunching down for me,” he said. “I’m just happy that I get the opportunity to play and have fun and just be out there with the guys.”
The athletic future for Forrest isn’t as clear, but he certainly left his mark with the Golden Bears.
“Guys have to respect him because he’s put in the time, the work, the years” said California senior center Addison Ooms, who played with Forrest at Mater Dei. “He comes from a place of love. There’s nothing selfish about that guy.”
The timing seemed perfect, even if it was just coincidental.
Two days after former Servite head football coach Troy Thomas resigned at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, the Friars lost their head coach when Scott Meyer also stepped down.
Servite had reached unprecedented success under Thomas, winning a state championship in 2009, CIF-SS titles in 2009 and 2010 and seven Trinity League crowns.
Would the Friars be interested in a second run with Thomas, who at 48 years of age is just hitting the prime of his career?
Would Thomas even be interested in coming back?
“We’re going to be looking for a head football coach who has a solid presence and fully embraces the Servite culture,” school president Peter Bowen told the OC Register. “Someone who will build Trinity League-competitive football teams without compromising our values.”
Thomas had tough shoes to fill when he took over at Servite in the spring of 2005, and he wasn’t even Servite’s first choice to take the job.
Larry Toner was the head football coach for the Friars from 1989 through 2004, leading them to two CIF-SS final appearances and numerous league titles. When he stepped down, the job opening drew much interested and it didn’t take long for the Friars to land one of the bigger names in Southern California high school football, John Barnes of Los Alamitos.
Barnes stepped to the microphone during the public introduction and, according to those in attendance, quoted former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on the virtues of loyalty, stating that he had a hard-and-fast rule that if you quit, there’s no going back.
On the ride home from the press conference, Barnes changed his mind and decided to stay at Los Alamitos.
Thomas suddenly became the top candidate for the Friars. It would be easy to feel slighted after getting passed up the first time around, but Thomas didn’t hesitate when offered the job after Barnes backed out.
The first few years were a bit of a struggle for Thomas, as he inherited some very talented players, but wasn’t able to take the program to new heights.
He turned the corner in a hurry during the 2009 season, beating Mater Dei to end a 20-game losing streak against the Monarchs. Seven weeks later, Servite defeated Edison at Angel Stadium to win the Pac-5 title, the school’s first upper-division championship since 1983, and followed that with a win against Sacramento Rocklin in the Division II state bowl game.
The Friars would win another Pac-5 title in 2010 and would beat Mater Dei in three straight seasons overall before the run ended in 2012, when the Friars didn’t even qualify for the playoffs.
In May of 2013, Thomas resigned at Servite to take the head coaching position at Crespi, his alma mater and where he coached prior to coming to Servite.
The Friars hired A.J. Gass to replace Thomas and he had a combined record of 10-13 in two seasons before leaving to take the same job at Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield.
In came Meyer, who had won three section titles and one state championship at Corona del Mar, but was unable to lift the Friars back to the heights Thomas had reached, posting a 14-18 record in three seasons at the helm, including a 4-11 mark in the Trinity League.
Don and Timmerie discuss the confusion and crisis on college campuses, quarterbacks Case Keenum and Tua Tagovailoa, scientism, and evangelizing the “nones.”
Originally broadcast on 1/21/18
Here’s a few performances that will likely be remembered for years to come.
Best game
Third place in the Trinity League was on the line when JSerra hosted Santa Margarita on Oct. 27. Things were looking pretty good for JSerra when the Lions took a 27-14 lead in the third quarter, and even better when they went back ahead by seven points with 5 1/2 minutes left in the game, but Santa Margarita came back with a touchdown of its own with 30 seconds remaining. The Eagles then went for a two-point conversion instead of a game-tying PAT and Jake Peters caught the two-point pass from Josiah Norwood for a 36-35 lead. Quentin Buchman sealed the victory with a diving interception with 13 seconds to go.
Best individual performance
Mater Dei or St. John Bosco have been atop the Trinity for the past five seasons, and the league title figured to come down to these teams again. Sure enough, the Monarchs won the regular-season matchup for the second straight year and the league title, and they can thank Amon-Ra St. Brown for leading them to the 31-21 victory on Oct. 13. St. Brown caught eight passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns and also returned a punt 51 yards for a touchdown. He scored the first two touchdowns of the game on a 12-yard touchdown reception and the punt return, giving Mater Dei a 14-0 lead it never surrendered.
Most improved
Stephon Robins played sparingly as a junior defensive back for Mater Dei last season, but impressed enough over the summer to earn a starting role this season. Robins, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior, led the Trinity League with five interceptions during the regular season. His biggest came in the 35-21 victory against Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, which ended its 55-game winning streak. “Going into the season, everybody said, ‘Mater Dei is good but their DBs are too young. We’ll be able to pass on them,’ Robins told the OC Register after the game. “I think we can play against anyone.”
Most versatile
Julius Irvin helped Servite in a lot of ways during the regular season. He had the second-most receiving yards (526) and the third-most receptions (11) while averaging 47.8 yards per catch. He was also the team’s main punt returner and was on kickoffs too. But the senior was especially valuable on defense, leading the Friars with four interceptions, nine pass deflections, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Irvin could have committed to any number of colleges before his senior season, but instead let his play increase his value. Notre Dame, Michigan and USC are among the teams vying for his signature.
Most overlooked
Ryan Hilinski of Orange Lutheran might be the most overshadowed quarterback in the nation. That happens when you’re the same grade and compete in the same league as J.T. Daniels of Mater Dei, another junior who has committed to USC. But it was Hilinski who threw for more yards during the regular season, albeit because he threw nearly 100 more pass attempts than Daniels. Hilinski passed for 3,094 yards and 28 touchdowns while completing 70.1 percent of his passes. Daniels, by comparison, threw for 2,862 yards and 36 touchdowns while completing 73.7 of his throws.
Raymond Melgarejo, 9, is your typical, rambunctious fourth-grade boy. A student at School of Our Lady in Santa Ana, “Ray-Ray,” as he’s known, plays video games, rides his bike around the neighborhood, and is a diehard football fan.
In fact, his uncle says, football probably saved his life.
More than a year ago, Raymond was preparing for his season with the Santa Ana Monarchs, a Pop Warner football team where he was “the smallest boy on the team,” according to his aunt. But what he lacked in size, he more than made up for in toughness.
“He used to push down kids bigger than him,” said Heidi Yanez, Raymond’s aunt. His love for the game extended to the Dallas Cowboys, where he followed the team and its quarterback, Dak Prescott, religiously.
While being fitted for his football helmet at the beginning of the season, Raymond complained about a lump on the back of his head. His uncle took him to the emergency room at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) where they were given a devastating diagnosis: Langerhans cell histiocytosis or LCH, a rare disease that is often treated with chemotherapy.
“He has always been a tough kid; he never complained about a lump or any symptoms,” said his uncle, Jose Melgarejo. “If it wasn’t for the helmet fitting, we wouldn’t have brought him to the ER.”
After a four-hour operation to remove the tumor and part of his skull, Raymond faced a year of chemotherapy, which prevented him from going to school for two months and, sadly for Raymond, kept him off the football field.
“That was the only time he had a reaction,” said Yanez. “When we told him he couldn’t play football, he was really sad. And he missed going to school.”
Throughout the 50 sessions of chemotherapy, Raymond wasn’t allowed to go to the theater or malls, where an infection could have serious consequences.
Students and faculty at School of Our Lady rallied around Raymond and his family. His teacher worked with him to ensure he kept up with his schoolwork, and friends and families sent him get-well cards, but mostly, “our school community came together and supported him through prayer,” said Principal Adela Solis. School of Our Lady is one of 34 schools in the Diocese of Orange that receives tuition assistance funds from the Orange Catholic Foundation, which grants $2.1million a year in tuition assistance, most of which comes from the Diocese’s Pastoral Services Appeal (PSA). These funds help families like Raymond’s send their children to Catholic schools.
Jose Melgarejo says their Catholic faith has played an integral part during Raymond’s treatment and recovery. When Raymond was unable to attend school during treatment, he insisted on joining his schoolmates at Mass every Thursday.
“We never questioned our faith because we know everything happens for a reason,” said Melgarejo. “Our faith was never really tested; since Day One it has always been what’s helped us get through it.”
Raymond’s journey wasn’t complete without a football fantasy. When CHOC and the Make-A-Wish Foundation heard that Raymond’s favorite team was the Dallas Cowboys, they arranged to fly Raymond and his family to Dallas to meet the team and Prescott, Raymond’s favorite player.
“At first, I didn’t believe it was him,” Raymond said about meeting Prescott, who tossed footballs with him. At the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium, Raymond signed an honorary one-day contract, took snaps from the center field and handed off the football to the Cowboys star running back—all of which was documented by ESPN.
“He’s a natural leader,” said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett.
Chemotherapy treatment is over and Raymond is back at school with friends for a new year, where his favorite subject is science because “I like to dissect things,” he said.
But his doctors continue to monitor him every three months. His family remains optimistic, and LCH hasn’t dashed Raymond’s dreams of gridiron glory. “I know I’m going to be a Cowboy someday,” he said.
Grant Aason was set up for a great final college football season at Georgia Tech. But God had other plans.
This Catholic News Service interview shares his story of being called to the priesthood, his period of discernment, and sharing his decision with the coach.
The preseason national media polls and computerized rankings have spoken and the two highest-ranked high school football teams in the nation are from the Trinity League.
Mater Dei was ranked No. 1 in two major polls and one computerized ranking, and St. John Bosco is considered the top-ranked team in two others.
The Monarchs emerged No. 1 in the USA Today Super 25 poll, the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and the MaxPreps Computer rankings.
St. John Bosco took the top spot in the USA Today Computer rankings and the High School Football America poll. Mater Dei was ranked second in both.
Of course, who’s No. 1 can be settled on the field Oct. 13 at El Camino College, when Mater Dei and St. John Bosco meet in their annual Trinity League showdown.
Both teams, however, will need to navigate a difficult preseason schedule and tough league opener before clashing for the third time in 12 months.
Mater Dei opens the season at Bishop Amat on Aug. 25, then hosts Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas the following week at Santa Ana Stadium. Bishop Gorman opened the season in the top five in the five preseason polls and computerized rankings.
After hosting La Mirada, the Monarchs play Bergen Catholic of Oradell, N.J. at Mission Viejo High School. Bergen Catholic is ranked in four of the five national polls and computerized rankings, including as high as No. 7 by the MaxPreps computer.
Mater Dei completes its nonleague portion of its schedule by traveling to Stockton to play St. Mary’s on Sept. 23. The Monarchs then have their bye week before opening league play Oct. 6 against Santa Margarita at Laguna Hills High School.
Then it’s St. John Bosco a week later.
The Braves face their toughest nonleague opponent in their season opener, travelling to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to take on St. Thomas Aquinas, which landed in four of the five national polls and computerized rankings, including No. 5 in both the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and the USA Today Super 25.
St. John Bosco opens league play Oct. 6 against Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College before taking on Mater Dei a week later.
Staying undefeated heading into that matchup will be a challenge, but both teams were unbeaten heading into their league showdown last season.
They collided Oct. 22 at Cerritos College and the Monarchs ended a six-game losing streak against the Braves with a 26-21 victory. The win also ended a 23-game league winning streak by St. John Bosco.
The Braves earned revenge six weeks later when they beat Mater Dei 42-28 in the CIF-SS Open Division final.
“I don’t think there’s a week or a day that goes by that I don’t remind them of that,” Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson told the USA Today. “We’re going to play Bosco in the regular season and there’s probably a strong likelihood we will play them in our section finals or semifinals. You have to prepare for that and you have to stay healthy.”
JSerra also made its way into three of the five national polls and computer rankings.
The Lions were ranked No. 22 by the MaxPreps Computer and No. 25 in both the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and the USA Today Super 25.
Mater Dei will face JSerra the week after it plays St. John Bosco.
