MLL Preview: Bradley Canepa hopes to add to family’s Sonora football legacy

Bradley Canepa comes from a rich bloodline, one forged in the foothills and celebrated on the gridiron.

His uncle, Roger Canepa, is the coach at Central Catholic, a three-time defending CIF state champion and the team that thwarted Bradley’s Sonora Wildcats in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV final last fall.

His older cousin, Billy Kiriluk, was the engine in the Wildcats’ charge to its first Mother Lode League title. As a senior last season, Kiriluk played both ways exceptionally well, anchoring Sonora from his fullback and middle linebacker positions, and was named the league’s MVP.

Bradley’s older brother, John Canepa, was a member of Sonora’s 2005 Sac-Joaquin Section finalist team. John has returned to his alma mater to coach defensive ends and slot backs.

And then there’s Bradley’s father, Ricky, the master motivator. Bradley credits Dad with holding him accountable throughout the offseason.

When the Canepas and Kiriluks get together for dinners or holidays, the topic of football is never far behind.

“I love football like everyone else in my family,” said Bradley, a junior who was one of the team’s leading tacklers as a linebacker last season. “I’m glad it’s in my life.”

That family has grown to include his teammates and coaches, a group determined to build on the successes of the 2014 season. Sonora cruised to the MLL title in its debut and won 11 games for the first time in at least 11 years, according to MaxPreps, which began keeping records in 2004.

“The summer went good,” Bradley said. “Our coaches pushed us hard to be better than we were last year, and I think to this point, at this moment, we have been better than we were last year.”

High praise, considering Sonora shook off a season-opening loss to Oakdale, the eventual D-III section champion, and won their next 11 games to reach a section final for the first time in nine years.

There, the Wildcats met the team that replaced them in the Valley Oak League. The game divided the Canepa/Kiriluk clan, and the 42-35 loss to Central Catholic still stirs up emotions in Bradley.

The Wildcats proved to be Central Catholic’s toughest out; the margin of victory was the slimmest of the Raiders’ five postseason games.

“When you lose, especially when it’s that close, you think, ‘We could have won. If we would have given a little more, we could have beat those guys.’ After that game, we were all really emotional,” Bradley said. “We lost as a family and we won as a family. It hasn’t changed much.”

His position and stature have.

Bradley will do his best to follow in Kiriluk’s footsteps. His cousin paced the Wildcats with 684 rushing yards and 95 tackles during the regular season. In the D-IV final against Central Catholic, Kiriluk carried the ball 24 times for 113 yards.

Kiriluk measured 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds. Now imagine the damage Bradley, built like a wrecking ball at 5-8 and 220 pounds, can inflict.

“Playing the fullback and middle linebacker positions at Sonora, I think they’re some of the toughest spots to play,” Bradley said. “You have to be in good shape and strong for the team.

“It puts pressure on me to be better than (Kiriluk) was. I hope I can be better than he was and maybe get the MVP award like he did. If I can do that, then that means the whole team is working together. I’m going to give nothing but my best to my teammates and everyone else.”

Rhythm and continuity shouldn’t be a problem for a team that returns a bulk of its talent.

Three of the Wildcats’ top six rushers are back, including Wyatt Faughnan (601 rushing yards, 860 total yards) and Jayden Estrada (354 yards). Left-handed quarterback Sammy Page (1,058 passing yards, 524 rushing) will orchestrate the tricky triple-option offense. Bradley had 254 yards on the ground and registered 77 stops.

The Wildcats’ bonds have been strengthened by team dinners and summer camps. For the sixth consecutive year, Sonora co-hosted the Mountain Misery football camp with Central Catholic.

“The coaches think we can be better than we were last year,” Bradley said. “We had a lot people coming back – a lot of family – so I think we can get back there and get it done.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 1:08 PM with the headline "MLL Preview: Bradley Canepa hopes to add to family’s Sonora football legacy."