Monday Morning Lights: Inside Riordan’s players-only meeting that turned around its season
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RIORDAN: PLAYERS-ONLY MEETING FUELS TURNAROUND
Archbishop Riordan’s season was spiraling in mid-October. Its record stood at 2-4, and the Crusaders had followed up blowing a 21-0 lead at rival St. Ignatius by getting routed at Valley Christian.
But it wasn’t the coaches who were the catalyst of the team’s regular-season turnaround, four straight victories that concluded on Saturday with a 34-24 win over a St. Francis squad with dreams of an outright WCAL title.
The Crusaders that were plagued by penalties and mental lapses earlier in the year were nowhere to be found, replaced by a disciplined unit that only had two flags thrown on them all day against St. Francis.
Coach Adhir Ravipati pointed to a players-only meeting that righted the ship. His star quarterback remained tight-lipped about the exact details, but its obvious that whatever was said worked.
“I’m going to keep it confidential, but something definitely clicked in that meeting,” Vanderbilt commit Mike Mitchell Jr. said. “You’ve seen what we’ve been able to do that last few weeks.”
Washington-bound wideout Chris Lawson, who caught a touchdown against St. Francis and also pulled in an interception, was slightly more talkative.
“We were telling the guys that we’ve got to hold each other more accountable, even if they’re not a captain,” Chris Lawson said.
– Joseph Dycus
SALESIAN: BASKETBALL STAR REACHES 1K RECEIVING YARDS
Salesian wide receiver Carlton Perrilliat had made a name for himself as one of the top wide receivers in the East Bay.
After Friday’s 63-14 win over Pinole Valley, Perrilliat surpassed 1,000 receiving yards this season. The 6-foot-5 pass catcher is also a power forward on the Pride’s basketball team that won the NorCal Open Division championship last season.
“He’s a special talent,” Salesian football coach Chad Nightingale said. “I’m gonna say he’s the best talent in our league. … He’s having a monster year.”
– Nathan Canilao
LELAND: KELLY KING JR. CALLS ON LEGENDARY DAD FOR ADVICE
Football coaches can turn to many different sources for inspiration.
But not every coach can rely on a father who does the same exact thing. That’s the luxury afforded Leland coach Kelly King Jr., who can call upon his dad, legendary Milpitas coach Kelly King Sr., for advice any time he needs it.
“We talk a lot, probably like once or twice a week,” King Jr. said. “I kind of peek in at him, and he peeks in with me. I was over there for 17 years as his offensive coordinator, so I still have a lot of ties with the coaching staff. We actually scrimmaged them for our scrimmage. So the programs are pretty close, and they run kind of the same stuff.”
As Leland gets ready for the CCS playoffs, King Jr. has a lot to draw upon from his father. Milpitas has been a perennial contender historically in CCS play, most recently winning a CIF 5-A state championship in 2019.
With King Jr. in charge, Leland will try to replicate that success this season. He got close in 2019, leading the Chargers to the CCS Division V championship game, where they lost to Santa Cruz.
Five years later, the goal is the same for Leland and its second-generation coach.
“Our goal at the start of the season was to win a CCS title,” King Jr. said after Leland’s loss to Willow Glen. “We clinched the playoff spot last week, so we knew we were in. Played with a little bit of house money. Obviously it didn’t come our way. But our goal is to win a ring, so we’ll look forward to whoever we get, and then we’ll work hard and try to win that.”
– Christian Babcock
GRANADA: PLAYERS WIN LEAGUE TITLE FOR COACHES
In just one season as Granada’s head coach, Brandon Black has already built a strong bond with his players.
That bond was evident after Granada rallied to beat Livermore on Friday to capture the East Bay Athletic League Valley Division crown – the school’s first league title since 2018.
“This win is great,” Granada quarterback Jack Badger said. “We have a new coaching staff this year, so it’s been great to give them something.”
Before the season started, Black set out to capture a league title in his first year as head coach. The odds didn’t look great halfway through the season with Granada starting the year 2-4.
But since then, the Matadors have found their identity and are peaking at the right time. They’ll have a home rematch against Livermore in the first round of the NCS Division IV playoffs on Friday night.
“I never lost hope,” Granada linebacker Hayden Hobbs said. “It was destiny with this new coaching staff, and I’m just proud of this team.”
– Nathan Canilao