One of the best parts of going into a new football season is getting a fresh start and going back to the chalkboard.
A clean slate, so to speak.
It’s exactly what St. Francis High senior Mason Borrego and his teammates needed following a mediocre 2023 campaign.
“Last season left a bad taste in our mouth,” he said. “I know last year doesn’t really represent what we are. So we know we have to show up this season, show out, show what we could do.”
For starters, Borrego has noticed a stronger chemistry compared to last year’s group.
He said the biggest obstacle wasn’t that they weren’t getting along, they just didn’t have a strong enough bond with the Class of 2024—a group that missed several school activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I think it was a little bit of class disconnect,” Borrego said. “They were their own thing and we were our own thing. We weren’t meshing together.”
The Sharks placed sixth in the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division–North going 1-5 in league play, and finished with a 3-7 overall record.
“I love the seniors from last year. You cannot understate what that did for their four years that made it very hard to be connected,” St. Francis head coach John Ausman said. “It was definitely hard for them, and they worked as hard as they could through that. But I definitely think this [senior] class is closer for those reasons.”
St. Francis has 12 incoming seniors including Borrego, and 65 total players for both varsity and junior varsity teams. Ausman always prepares his teams to be competitive, but at the same time he realizes it’s a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line.
“It’s a unique situation for us and I think the guys are handling that well. They’re competing really hard against each other but they’re also loving each other through it,” Ausman said. “I think it’s important those younger guys are seeing this.”
Borrego and his teammates follow a five-pillar system that includes teamwork, dedication, hard work and accountability by showing up to everything team related.
He wants to prove they can stick together as one unit and not be divided, making connections with the juniors to the freshman.
“We gotta know all their names. Talk to them during practice and bring them up if they make mistakes,” Borrego said.
Ausman feels confident in their ability to both run and pass the ball, keeping them as balanced as possible on offense. He has depth at some positions—most notably the offensive line—that could help the Sharks down the stretch.
Marcus Gonzalez, a senior, is one of those with tons of experience up front. The 6-foot-1, 260-pound lineman is fired up to see players from last year’s junior varsity team coming in to lend a helping hand for the 2024 season.
“We go with the guys we have and we make sure we all work hard to be the strongest we can be so we can go up against those teams with a lot of depth,” Gonzalez said.
Borrego added, “We make it up with our effort and our stamina.”
Javier Fonseca, a senior, returns as the Sharks’ starting quarterback, and backing him up is junior Jacob Jimenez Jr., standing at 6-feet-2 and has looked outstanding thus far, Ausman said.
Others to look out for are juniors Robert Gomez Jr., who will be utilized at several skill positions, and Jaden Casey up front in the trenches. Paise Gitcho is another up-and-coming junior working his tail off at whatever the coaching staff advises him to do.
The underclassmen will primarily stay at the lower level. Being able to stick together in the same class is a huge deal for Ausman. But, he said some of the sophomores have stepped up and can scrimmage against the varsity squad.
It gives the younger players both exposure and a perspective of what it’s like at the next level just in case they get called up.
“That says a lot about that group as a whole sophomore group. Some guys have taken huge steps there,” Ausman said. “Then the juniors going from JV to varsity, there’s been guys, numerous of them, that have stepped up. But that’s all based on that senior leadership.”
Gonzalez said it’s going to take tons of leadership from the upperclassmen and hard work from everybody, especially the younger players.
“Some of our sophomores, they’ll be playing varsity next year, so we got to be role models for them,” Gonzalez said.
Borrego has been equally impressed by the physicality and effort from this year’s group of incoming freshmen.
“I see this group of freshmen and they’re more going at it. They’re taking our advice and they’re being aggressive, and giving it everything they got,” he said.
St. Francis will see some action against other schools for the first time this season in a scrimmage with Carmel and North Monterey County at North Monterey County High School in Castroville on Aug. 23.
Then the regular season begins on Borina Field as the Sharks host King City High and Pajaro Valley on Aug. 31 and Sept. 7, respectively. Both games are scheduled to kick off at 12:30pm.
The non-league portion of their schedule concludes with consecutive away games at Greenfield on Sept. 13 and Harbor on Sept. 19. Both of those games begin at 7:30pm.
St. Francis returns to the PCAL Mission Division–North along with Watsonville, Monte Vista Christian, North Monterey County and defending league champion Scotts Valley.
Alisal High replaces Santa Cruz High after it was relegated to the Santa Lucia Division—the lowest tier of the four within the league.
Borrego said at times it feels they tend to play with a chip on their shoulders. Largely because St. Francis competes against schools with enrollments of up to 3,000 students.
And yet, they always seem to hang with the best of them.
“We’re out here with 250 kids and we’re still putting up a fight,” Borrego said.
St. Francis High 2024 football schedule
Aug. 31: King City, 12:30pm
Sept. 7: Pajaro Valley, 12:30pm
Sept. 12: at Greenfield, 7:30pm
Sept. 19: at Harbor, 7:30pm
Sept. 28: Seaside*, 12:30pm
Oct. 4: Watsonville*, 7:30pm
Oct. 18: at Alisal*, 7:30pm
Oct. 24: vs. Scotts Valley*, at Cabrillo College, 7:30pm
Nov. 2: North Monterey County*, 12:30pm
Nov. 9: at Monte Vista Christian*, 7:30pm
*PCAL Mission Division–North game
