Here’s what kept Central Catholic successful in a season of uncertainty
When Central Catholic hosts Lodi on Friday in the second round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Football Championships, the Raiders will be the most well-rested and well-prepared they’ve been since Week 1.
Head coach Roger Canepa said the team used the bye week that came with securing the top seed in Division II to treat nagging injuries and gameplan for their upcoming opponent.
They also might be as close a group as you’ll see in the area because of what they have been through this season.
It’s not often a team loses two stars and continues to roll through opponents, but after losing quarterback Dominic Perino and running back Julian Lopez in the second game of the season, the Raiders hit another gear and haven’t looked back.
The Raiders started the season with a narrow win over Merced and had their sights set on the Holy Bowl on the road against St. Mary’s.
In the first quarter of that game, Perino scrambled for a red zone touchdown on the team’s first possession.
As he dove for the right pylon, he was hit in the knee, tearing multiple ligaments and ending what promised to be a big season for the senior.
“The first thing on my mind was ‘What’s going on out there? How are my boys doing?’ I just wanted to be out there.” Perino said.
Just when the offense started rolling again, running back Julian Lopez went down with a knee injury in the second quarter, leaving the Raiders without two of their main offensive weapons. But they didn’t fold.
“It was just one of those things where, after seeing all those things happen, everyone just kind of clicked even more, which I feel like kind of helped our team chemistry a lot.” said running back Aiden Taylor.
Canepa called on Taylor and then part-time quarterback Tyler Paul Wentworth to pick up a lot of the extra workload in their absence. They beat the Rams 41-27.
Perino and Wentworth shared snaps during the spring and Canepa’s plan was to have that continue on through this season.
He said the friendly competition between the two helped them make each other better. When it was Wentworth’s time to step in as the full-time starter, there were some things to learn, but he felt he was ready.
“I have been thinking about that scenario, being in that big game being at St. Mary’s for a couple of years now,” Wentworth said on taking over in a big game. “Being in that moment was actually pretty normal and we were able to control the game.
“(Starting) is definitely a little change in mindset. There’s times where I need to learn to throw it away, maybe I take my six yards and get out of bounds instead of maybe go try to get eight yards and get pressure.”
Perino is a worker. He hasn’t let the injury affect the way he approaches getting back to full strength. He has an ambitious goal of trying to be back for baseball season.
“Every day I’m just getting better and better mentally and physically,” Perino said. “It’s just great to see progressions, especially after my injury. We (went from) ‘I might not ever play sports again’ to ‘Let’s get back out there.’”
Lopez’s injury didn’t seem serious until halftime. He thought it was something minor, but the hyperextension turned out to be worse.
“I thought I was gonna go back in after halftime,” said Lopez. The trainer wrapped it up and then my knee ended up being like a ball. So I took the brace off and gave it to Aiden near the fourth quarter.”
Taylor, also known as Pony, went on a five-game tear, averaging 119 yards with 10 total touchdowns.
Even though both players were out, they still brought something to the team.
“He told us what he saw (in the games), he told us what he saw on the film,” Taylor said. “Even though they weren’t able to help us physically they were still able to help us like prep.
Lopez came back after nearly a month of rehabbing his knee and didn’t miss a step. The senior carried the ball 14 times for 102 yards and four touchdowns in a 55-16 thrashing of Kimball.
Before the season, Canepa spoke highly of his team’s unselfishness. That showed itself in the season opener.
He called a run play, but didn’t know his two star backs would make an audible.
“I called the play for one of them and the other one carried the ball. And I said ‘What happened out there, why’d he carry the ball?’ He goes, ‘I scored a touchdown already. I wanted him to score.’”
Taylor and Lopez play fullback and tailback, making the switch a no-brainer.
“We’re not playing selfish,” said Taylor. “It’s just a switch off and then the numbers end up working out in the end. But for us, it’s not really about numbers. It’s just getting the win and doing the best for our team.
Said Lopez: “In the game, if coach doesn’t see it, we might see something or the linemen see something in the huddle, we’re talking about it and we’ll change it.
“It’s kind of relieving having both of us in the backfield so we’re not constantly getting the bar every play and getting (hit) all the time.”
They’re a close group. Not only on the field, but off it as well.
In the weeks leading up to Perino’s knee surgery, the team went out of their way to spend time with him. They went to his house after practices and before games.
“It was really cool to have all my brothers at my house, showing support and texting me every day,” Perino said. “It’s one of the reasons right now that I’m so determined to get back … that’s a big part of my recovery process.”
They created a team group chat where they check in and talk with each other even when they’re not at practice.
“We just needed to be more together,” said Wentworth on the text chat starting. “We all kind of came together and we’re like, you know what, man, let’s make this big group chat. We just express our thoughts, how we’re doing different things like that, which totally helps.”
The chat started with just varsity team members, but when Canepa called up junior varsity players for the playoffs, they were immediately added.
This team came out of the regular season with a 9-1 record. They are closer than ever and in high-intensity playoff moments, the togetherness of a team can be the difference between winning and losing.
“In order to be a great football team, you have to play as a team. You have to not worry about yourself as much as the team,” Canepa said. “One guy goes down, the next guy steps up, it’s not about individuals. … When you do something you’ve got to always understand your part of a team and this group has done a great job of that.”
