Sonora football remains physical without ‘wrecking ball’ Canepa

Bradley Canepa won’t play another down for the Sonora High School football team this season.

Canepa suffered a small tear on his kidney in a 54-26 victory over Amador on Oct. 23. Coach Bryan Craig said the junior captain could possibly return if the Wildcats make a run at regional and state bowl games, but he doesn’t believe the risk is worth the reward.

Top-seeded Sonora (10-1) will host No. 4 Orestimba (11-0) on Friday in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division V semifinal.

“Depending on how far we go, there’s a slight possibility he could come back, but I don’t want to risk it,” Craig said of Canepa, who has a team-high 10 rushing touchdowns and 66 tackles. “I’m thinking we’re going to go the rest of the way without Bradley. You know, the players are sad that Bradley can’t be there, but they want to step up and continue the season even though we’ve lost one of our best players.”

Sonora’s defense remains as physical as ever with a new “Mike” linebacker in place: senior Blake Graham, who has paired with linebacker Killian Rosko to create a blockade across the middle. Graham and Rosko double as Sonora’s starting offensive guards.

“If anyone were to go down, he was prepared to come in and replace them,” Craig said of Graham. “He’s done well. Our defense is still really physical up the middle. Teams have a tough time running the ball in there. He’s still learning the nuances of being a two-way player all the time, but he’s doing quite well.”

The Wildcats will meet their physical match in Orestimba, which thunders up the hill following defining victories the last two weeks. The Warriors toppled traditional rival Gustine 21-13 in the Battle for the Chief, completing the first perfect regular season in school history. Last week, Orestimba edged Hughson 42-35 for its first playoff win.

Quarterback Joe Sheldon plunged across the goal line for the winning touchdown in the final seconds.

On Friday, the Warriors – one of three unbeaten teams left in the Stanislaus District – will bring that magic to the Mother Lode.

“We’ve talked about history each and every week this season,” Orestimba coach Aaron Souza said. “To be playing in a 12th game, which hasn’t been done at this school, no doubt our guys will be emotionally prepared to play this game.

“We’re four quarters from playing for a section title. Getting amped up will not be an issue whatsoever.”

The Wildcats have tried to distance themselves from the buzz building around the Warriors. Sonora has won 10 consecutive games since its season-opening loss to Oakdale, the No. 2 seed in Division III.

“If they’re a team of destiny like the media and they are saying, I guess that will show up on the scoreboard Friday,” Craig said. “We just have to worry about our team and doing our thing between the white lines.”

Forget the white lines. This game promises to be settled between the hash marks, where Graham (6-foot-2, 245 pounds) and Rosko (6-4, 220) face their toughest assignment yet.

In another bit of history for Orestimba, running back Austin Martins is on the verge of the school’s first 2,000-yard season. He has rushed for 1,969 yards and 23 touchdowns.

In this era of speedy, shifty running backs, Martins is a throwback. He relies on vision, force and conditioning to move the chains.

“Austin is a hammer,” Souza said. “He’s arguably the best pure football player that has worn the purple and gold. If you look at what this team has done, it’s a valid argument. For a guy that plays all snaps on defense and to have a combined 67 carries in two weeks … that’s unbelievable.”

Craig can appreciate that style of play. In Sonora’s triple-option offense, Canepa was “the hammer.”

Nate Gookin has inherited that role. He has rushed for 702 yards and eight touchdowns on 93 carries through 10 games. In his first start at fullback, Gookin gut-punched Bret Harte, totaling 166 yards and three touchdowns.

The Wildcats’ depth and across-the-board talent scare Souza.

While Canepa is often looked at as the face of the program, Souza says there’s a reason the Wildcats have reached this point without him: Graham, Rosko and Gookin are every bit as good.

“They do a great job of staying disciplined,” Souza said. “They don’t have a marquee guy. They got a bunch of dudes. They got a bunch of playmakers.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Sonora football remains physical without ‘wrecking ball’ Canepa."