SAN JOSE — In the shadows of the massive Cisco Systems complex in north San Jose, a fledgling Bay Area high school football program is taking flight.
MacDonald High School, established in 2022, is fielding a varsity football team for the first time this season. The Bay Area News Group spent several days behind the scenes with the Condors as they prepared for the first game of their inaugural varsity season against Santa Clara High.
Much like their mascot, the endangered largest wild bird in North America, the Condors are rising from precarious origins as they attempt to multiply. MacDonald features no seniors and has pulled up a number of sophomores to help out on the varsity squad. Even some freshmen are getting into the game.
What does it take to build a varsity football program from scratch? Here’s an inside look, starting from the early days of training camp in August.
MacDonald High School varsity and JV practice at MacDonald High School in San Jose, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Pads go on
The cupboard wasn’t entirely bare for the Condors. After all, they returned every player from a team that went 10-0 in junior varsity competition in 2023.
But one of these things is not like the other. Varsity competition demands a massive step up, one that won’t be easily scaled by a team whose oldest players are juniors matching up against seasoned and stronger seniors.
“We’re definitely going to be the underdogs this season,” said MacDonald coach Burt Codera. “That’s going to be a theme. We’re going to be obviously inexperienced. We’re going to be young. We’re going to be a little bit on the smaller size, but I do have some talented kids who can really play the game.
“Having worked with varsity staff for the last two and a half years has benefited them a lot. So their IQ has definitely grown a lot faster than had we not had them for three years. So I expect us to be competitive, but there’s definitely going to be some struggles.”
Codera came over to lead MacDonald after three years at Santa Clara High, where he coached the Bruins from 2018-2020. He was recruited to MacDonald by athletic director Darrin Garcia, with whom he had worked at Santa Clara.
“I’m trying not to focus so much on the end result, winning or losing, versus just getting them to focus on the process and getting better every single day,” Codera said
That additive process began on Aug. 5 during the Condors’ first practice. It continued on Aug. 12, when MacDonald put on pads for the first time as a varsity program.
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
