Central Catholic football releases 2022 preseason schedule. Who’s on tap?
Central Catholic’s 2021 preseason schedule earned it a No. 1 seed in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II. The Raiders ended the season with section and NorCal regional titles.
Last year’s nonleague opponents were tough, but after scheduling the Raiders’ first five games for 2022, head coach Roger Canepa won’t be surprised if some people call him crazy. Every team on their preseason schedule made deep playoff runs, with two playing in CIF State Bowl Games.
“There’s a fine line between smart and crazy and I’m right on that line,” Canepa said. “I’ve got one leg on the side of people think I’m crazy and I got another leg on the side of ‘man, that guy is pretty sharp.’”
Next season, Canepa searched out the best of the best in Northern California, putting together arguably the section’s toughest schedule.
The Raiders will play two of the top 20 teams in 2021, 15th-ranked Saint Francis (Mountain View) in Week 2 and No. 10 and open division runner-up Serra in a Saturday afternoon contest.
After the Raiders traveled to St. Mary’s for the 2021 Holy Bowl, the Rams, who finished Tri-City Athletic League play undefeated and nearly beat Rocklin in the Division I section semifinals, come to town in Week 3.
The following week, the Raiders play arguably their biggest opponent in recent memory. They travel to San Mateo to play Serra, the 2021 Open Division runner-up, on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m.
They close out the regular season after a bye, playing the Division 3-AA state runner-up Windsor.
“This would be the toughest schedule Central Catholic has had since I’ve been here,” Canepa said. “At our school, I want our kids to understand what it’s like to play big-time football.”
The Raiders finished the 2021 season 13-2 overall and an undefeated 6-0 in the Valley Oak League and were ranked the 34th best team in the state.
In their four nonleague games, the Raiders hosted Merced and San Ramon Valley and traveled to St. Mary’s and Bellarmine College Prep. They went went 3-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of Bellarmine.
An extra preseason game was added to next year’s schedule after Weston Ranch left the Valley Oak League for the San Joaquin Athletic Association.
Though they’ll lose dynamic running backs Aiden Taylor and Julian Lopez, Canepa said the Raiders will return at least six players on offense and defense. Combine the returners with players expected to step up next season and the Raiders should be able to compete with the gauntlet that is the 2022 preseason.
“We’ll be playing in big games every week,” Canepa said. “If you’re a football player, you can tell your friends, ‘Hey, man, we got St. Mary’s at home in the Holy Bowl. You know, we just went to Saint Francis, and they beat De La Salle, and then we go to Serra, and they played Mater Dei.’
“I want to play the best and then I want my team to be that way. We don’t dodge anybody. We played everybody they’ve asked us to play.”
Central Catholic 2022 Preseason Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | 2021 Record |
| 8/19 | Merced | at Merced | 9-4 |
| 8/26 | Saint Francis (Mountain View) | at Saint Francis | 11-1 |
| 9/2 | St. Mary’s (Holy Bowl) | Home | 10-3 |
| 9/10 | Serra | at Serra | 11-2 |
| 9/16 | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 9/23 | Windsor | Home | 11-2 |
