The road to recovery hasn’t been easy for DeSean Gomez after a torn ACL injury sidelined him during his senior year at Aptos High two years ago.
But now the Cabrillo College freshman is back feeling healthier, and stronger, than ever.
“I hear a lot of things from other people getting hurt, how isolated you feel,” he said. “But I feel you don’t really feel that situation until it actually happens to you. The current process has been a long way. I knew I’d recover, but it was just in due time.”
The Seahawks kick off the 2026 fall campaign at Chabot College in non conference play on Saturday at 1pm.
Cabrillo interim head coach Anthony Romero said Gomez is the definition of commitment and loyalty. Those are the two big pillars that former head coach Steve Cox instilled in the 80s, leading him to five conference titles and six bowl game appearances.
“DeSean is the epitome of that stuff,” Romero said. “You could tell he took his rehabilitation from the previous season really well and took it on with full strength. He was an everyday guy in the spring, strong in the weight room, learned the playbook and he’s a tough runner.”
Gomez is listed at 5-foot-6, 185 pounds on the roster but his explosiveness and power makes it hard for opponents to take him down.
“He’s a great leader, great person, great teammate and kids love being around him,” Romero said. “It just builds the team up.”
In order to prepare for the much faster-paced collegiate level, Gomez was taking numerous reps on the field. Yet, he also hit the film room constantly and studied it just like homework.
“At the end of the day, you’re a student-athlete,” he said. “You gotta use that student [aspect] to look at film and rehearse what you’re gonna do.”
Cabrillo’s roster is filled with several local talents such as Gomez’s former Aptos teammates Korey Callahan-Cade and Josh Bermio.
Watsonville High alumnus Pablo Valle and Soquel High alumnus — both 6-foot-4, 260-pound offensive linemen — will be a brick wall for the Seahawks, while St. Francis High alumnus Nick Ibarra and North Monterey County alumnus Arnulfo Jimenez have potential to cause havoc in the trenches as defensive linemen.
Once former foes, Gomez is now teammates with all of them.
“I’m glad we played in the past, but I’m glad all our skilled and talented people just all come together as one,” he said. “I definitely enjoy the competition, so I’m just glad to get more of that out here.”
Santa Cruz High alumnus Myles Reber, who spent the past three years at the University of California-Berkeley, was also a nice addition at wide receiver for Romero.
“[Reber’s] a professional in the sense that he knows how to practice,” Romero said. “He knows how to do all the little things that you look for in a college athlete.”
Throwing the ball to Reber will be Clovis High alumnus Mario Cosma, who makes his return as the starting quarterback for the Seahawks. They also have a solid backup in Belay Brummel, who also spent time with Reber at Cal.
“We’re very fortunate to have two really good high-level quarterbacks on our roster right now,” Romero said.
Other notable locals include Scotts Valley High alumni Vaughn Chomentowski and Jack Tucker, along with San Lorenzo Valley High alumnus Lonan Dickinson.
During his time at Scotts Valley, Chomentowski was named the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission North Division’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2025. He was primarily used as a running back but his skills on the defensive side didn’t go unnoticed.
Chomentowski, who is currently positioned as a defensive back, said he takes pride in being able to play for Cabrillo and contribute in any way possible.
“You just gotta use all the days that you have ahead of you and in preparation for that game day or even those practices,” Chomentowski said. “Getting good sleep at night and just thinking about what you do outside of practice and in the game affects how you play.”
There was a brief moment when Chomentowski was unsure if he was going to continue his football career at the next level. He missed the entire spring ball camp but then decided to join the team during the summer.
It didn’t take long to convince Chomentowski that he belonged on the Seahawks.
“I just didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” he said. “Then I was talking to coach Travis, and he convinced me to come out and just see how it was like. It was over from there. I just knew I was gonna play.”
Chomentowski is a true freshman but Romero said he came into that first day of practice looking like a seasoned player.
“He showed up, he gave it a shot, and he loved it,” Romero said. “Vaughn has been a stud for us, to say the least.”
Cabrillo will need all the help it can get after finishing with a 2-8 overall record, and going 1-4 in Golden Coast Conference play in 2025.
Going into this 10th year coaching, Romero said as far as he can remember the goal has always been to chase a conference title — something the Seahawks haven’t done since 2012.
“We’re chasing a conference championship, we want to go and compete every week and get to late in the season where we’re still fighting for that,” Romero said. “Every week’s going to be a challenge, but we’re up for it.”
Cabrillo College football 2026 schedule
Aug. 29: at Chabot, 1pm
Sept. 5: Feather River, 1pm
Sept. 12: Contra Costa, 6pm
Sept. 19: at San Joaquin Delta, 1pm
Sept. 26: Los Medanos, 6pm
Oct. 10: at Coalinga*, 1pm
Oct. 17: Hartnell*, 6pm
Oct. 24: at Gavilan*, 1pm
Oct. 31: Merced*, 1pm
Nov. 7: at Shasta*, 1pm
*Golden Coast Conference game
