Last season, the MacDonald Condors varsity football team put together a remarkable 9-1 season as it graduated its first senior class in school history. During the first four years of its football program, Head Coach Burt Codera has seen his squad understandably fluctuate back and forth with one tough season, followed by a strong season.
In year one, playing junior varsity with only a freshman class was a tough challenge. The next year, MacDonald had a much stronger JV season, but in year three, it once again faced a brutal challenge when the team moved up to varsity without a senior class.
Having lost a plethora of its top players at key positions to graduation, can the Condors break the streak of fluctuating back and forth by putting together a second consecutive strong season? Coach Codera spoke with the Voice this week and was unfazed in using the term “rebuild year,” but perhaps that veteran coach is using that as extra motivation for his players, in the let’s prove coach wrong kind of way?
“We’re definitely losing a lot of talent and experience; this is definitely like a rebuild year,” acknowledged Codera. “But we have a lot of good young talent coming up from JV, and we have a lot of guys who have played varsity for two years already. My right tackle and defensive end, Fernando Herrera, is coming back for his senior year, and he has played three years of varsity. Lucas Carlos, our offensive lineman, has played three years of varsity.”
One of the key young talents moving from JV this season is Memphis Olivarez. The junior can play multiple positions all over the field, including quarterback. The Condors will have to replace the departing Moussa Fall, and Olivarez is in line to help fill those shoes. While doing so will be a significant challenge, Olivarez can rely on support and guidance from his older brother Boston, who was a senior captain on the offensive line for the Condors last season.
“Practices are going good right now, bonding and building chemistry,” chimed Memphis Olivarez when speaking with the Voice. “I’m building a lot of chemistry right now, particularly with Josiah Chavez; he’s been one of our good receivers for a while, and then also with Calvin Vinson, whose older brother, Trevvon, was also on varsity last year.”
All the newcomers moving up to varsity will be put to the test early as MacDonald will once again open the season against cross-town rival Santa Clara.
A year ago, the Condors shocked the higher-division Bruins by handing them a 28-6 beat-down in the season opener. MacDonald is just over five weeks away from that rematch, which will take place at MacDonald on Friday, Aug. 28.
“It’s always good to challenge yourself early and see where we’re at,” noted Codera on the now annual tradition of playing Santa Clara the first game of the season. “Plus, it’s a fun game. They are down the street. It’s the district rivalry. The kids want to play it, and the people want to see it. It just feels right, you know?”
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