SGV/WHITTIER PREP SPORTS ZONE: 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW: El RANCHO AND SANTA FE
El Rancho looking to contend for a Del Rio League title; Santa Fe projected to turn some heads in 2023.
El Rancho High School
Coach: Adrian Medrano
2022 Record: 6-5
2022 Calpreps.com Rating: -10.8
Last Six Year Calpreps.com Avg. Rating: 4.56
Number of Returning Players: 28
Number of All-League Players Returning: 5
OFFENSE
Offensive Coordinator: Adrian Medrano
Number of Off. Returning Starters: 5
Number of OL Returning: 3
Number of Off Skill Players Returning: 2
Rushing yards: 1,677 yards (152.5 Yards Per Game, 4.7 yards Per Carry)
Passing Yards: 2,085 yards (189.5 Yards Per Game, 14.6 Yards Per Completion)
Key Offensive Skills Players Returning
Phoenix Navarro 11 5'10 170 RB
Giovanni Montenegro 11 6'0 165 WR
Key Offensive Lineman Returning
Diego Alvarado 12 6'1 260 LG, LT 1ST TEAM ALL DRL, 2ND TEAM ALL SGVN
Diego Diaz 11 6'1 220 LT 2nd Team ALL DRL
Julian Acero 11 6'0 200 C/G
DEFENSE
Defensive Coordinator: Ray Medina
Number of Def. Returning Starters: 7
Number of DL Returning: 2
Number of Def. Skill Players Returning: 5
Key Defensive Skills Players Returning
Phoenix Navarro 11 5'10 170 FS 2nd Team All DRL
Julian Acero 11 6'0 200 LB Honorable Mention DRL
Jonathan Medina 11 6'0 220 LB
Giovanni Montenegro 11 6'0 165 SS Honorable Mention DRL
Key Defensive Lineman Returning
Diego Diaz 11 6'1 220 NG/DE 2nd Team All DRL, 3 yr starter
Eric Cortes 11 6'0 210 NG/DE Honorable Mention DRL
Emilio Gomez 12 6'1 200 DE
Sabino Sanchez 12 6'0 240 NG/DE
TOP NEWCOMING/TRANSFER SKILL PLAYERS
Adrian Orihuela 10 5'6 160 RB/SS
Ryan Dominguez 11 5'11 160 QB
Andrew Guerrero 11 5'10 165 WR/DB
Brandon Curiel 12 5'7 170 TE/LB
TOP NEWCOMING/TRANSFER OFF/DEF LINEMAN
Ever Duarte 12 5'10 260 C
Carlos Villanueva 12 5'10 240 G/DT
COMMENTS FROM COACH MEDRANO: Still a lot of unknowns about our team. We look to have a solid Junior class and several of those guys should be key contributors. We have a few returners on both sides of the ball and a lot of guys who saw action last year on defense. I'm proud of the way this group has worked in the off-season and overall, it is a very enjoyable team to coach. They understand that being an El Rancho football player always comes with a lot of expectations and the standard will always be high. As for our league, La Serna has more than proved that it is always a force to be reckoned with, not just in our area, but in the entire Southern Section. Cal has a 4-year starter at QB and they are always tough. Whittier always presents problems for us. And from everything I'm hearing about Santa Fe, they have tons of guys out.
2023 Schedule (with 2022 season records)
Week 0: at Don Lugo (2-8)
Week 1: vs. Bell Gardens (7-4, CIF-SS Div. 11 First Round)
Week 2: at Monrovia (8-3, CIF-SS Div. 8 First Round)
Week 3: at Montebello (6-6, CIF-SS Div. 12 Quarterfinalists)
Week 4: vs Mayfair (8-5, CIF-SS Div. 7 Semifinalists)
Week 5: vs. West Covina (5-6, CIF-SS Div. 9 First Round)
Week 6: vs. California (League) (4-6)
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: (Thurs.) vs. Whittier (League) (4-6)
Week 9: vs. La Serna (League) (9-2, CIF-SS Div. 3 First Round)
Week 10: vs. Santa Fe at Pioneer HS (League) (0-10)
CRYSTAL BALL: We had a bit of a higher expectation for the Dons last year as we projected them to finish with a 7-3 record and they checked in at 6-4 with a first-round loss in the CIF-SS playoffs. So, we weren’t all that off. We’ve had several chances to see El Rancho this off-season and we like what we see. The biggest question comes at the QB position where Vasquez and his 2,000+ passing yards walked through the graduation line this past May. It appears as if Ryan Dominguez has earned the QB1 spot and displayed some nice development throughout the summer. Montenegro and Navarro are two really nice underclass players that Medrano will be leaning on heavily. The player that we are very anxious to see is junior LB Julian Acero. The coaching staff has big expectations for him. Again, this might be the team that goes as far as what they will get at the QB position. As for the schedule, it’s very interesting. They start the season against the hottest team in the summer passing league in Don Lugo. That game could give us a lot of clues as to the potential of this team. Six of the 10 teams on the docket are playoff teams from 2022, so the potential is there for a nice Strength of Schedule rating. The West Covina game will be the final test before Del Rio League play. Markdown week 10 as the possible Play-In game for the playoffs - and don’t take the Chiefs for granted (see the next preview below). This team should be just fine in 2023.
Projected record: 6-4
Santa Fe High School
Coach: Ryan Bateman
2022 Record: 0-10
Number of Returning Players: 29
Number of All-League Players Returning: 2
OFFENSE
Offensive Coordinator: Danny Banzet
Number of Off. Returning Starters: 3
Number of OL Returning: 1
Number of Off Skill Players Returning: 3
Key Offensive Skills Players Returning
Adrian Huguez, 12 5' 9" 175 QB All Del Rio League
Jacob Reyes 12 6' 0" 170 WR
DEFENSE
Defensive Coordinator: Ryan Bateman
Number of Def. Returning Starters: 2
Number of DL Returning: 2
Number of Def. Skill Players Returning:
Key Defensive Skills Players Returning
Matthew Hernandez11 5' 8" 165 CB 34 tkls, 1 deflection
Robert McCans 12 5' 9" 190 OLB 56 tkls, 3 deflections, 1 fmbl recov
Dominick Pichardo 12 5' 10" 195 ILB All-League, 97 tkls, 1 sk, 3 hurries, 1 int
Julian Valdivia 12 5' 8" 175 OLB 82 tkls, 5 sks, 4 hurries, 1 caused fmbl
Key Defensive Lineman Returning
Adam Mancillas 12 5' 9" 185 DT / LB 51 tkls, 3 sks, 2 hurries, 1 caused fmbl
Michael Moreno 11 6' 0" 185 DE 42 tkls, 2 sks, 8 hurries
TOP NEWCOMING/TRANSFER SKILL PLAYERS
Elijah Aguirre 11 5' 9" 175 WR/S
Xander Arias 10 5' 7" 160 CB/WR
Sebastian Macias 11 5' 7" 160 WR
Joseph Madden 12 5' 9" 175 RB/CB
TOP NEWCOMING/TRANSFER OFF/DEF LINEMAN
Raymond Casas 11 5' 11" 240 OL
Alexi Diaz 12 5' 11" 250 DL
Anthony Porter-Fuentes 11 5' 10" 215 OL
Keith Young 12 6' 0" 215 OL
COMMENTS FROM COACH BATEMAN: “We are extremely young and hungry. This senior class has now adopted their 3rd head coach in 4 years and have acclimated quickly to the new style and scheme. We return a 3-year starting QB in Adrian Huguez ('24), who serves as the team's emotional leader. His growth has been tremendous thus far. Dominick Pichardo ('24) is our Middle Linebacker and is our defensive captain. He's the team's returning All-League, leading tackle getter and is poised for a breakout year in a defensive scheme that is built around his skillset. With that said, we have a great group of underclassmen and newcomers that we believe are going to be difference makers this year. We've grown the program from 38 athletes to 171 as of today, with only 2 outside transfers. 50 of which are freshmen. We're excited to bring tradition back to Santa Fe! As it's written in our coaching office, we are in the business of building champions! "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" ... and we've been building our shoulders all off-season.”
2023 Schedule (with 2022 season records)
All Home Games will be played at Pioneer High School
Week 0: BYE
Week 1: vs. Burbank (4-6)
Week 2: at Buena Park (3-7)
Week 3: at Fullerton (4-6)
Week 4: vs. Montebello (6-6, CIF-SS Div. 12 Quarterfinalists)
Week 5: vs. Rosemead (4-8)
Week 6: vs. Pioneer (4-6)
Week 7: (Thurs.) vs La Serna at California HS (League) (9-2, CIF-SS Div. 3 First Round)
Week 8: at California (4-6) (League)
Week 9: Whittier (4-6), (League)
Week 10: El Rancho (6-5, CIF-SS Div. 10 First Round) (League)
CRYSTAL BALL: The Whittier area is much better with Santa Fe back in the mix and that is the assignment that new coach Ryan Bateman has accepted in his first year. This program has too much history and tradition to be mired in the swamp of mediocrity within the area. Love the fact that Bateman has tapped on Banzet to become the OC, one of the sharpest offensive minds in the area. We had a chance to watch the skills guys at the Baldwin Park Tournament and we were very impressed with how the kids competed throughout the afternoon. Bateman is installing the culture the way that he envisions it, and the players appear to have bought in fully into it. Huguez looked sharp at the QB position (veteran that has two years of varsity experience in his hip pocket). Pichardo looks sharp on defense and will be a force. We will have a lot more to say about this team in our season premiere of the Monday Morning QB. I can safely say that this team will be one of our “Surprise Teams of 2023.” And we’ve had tremendous success with teams that make that list - they end up making surprise runs in the postseason. You’ve been warned!
Projected record: 5-5
