Seniors lead way for a balanced Santa Rosa football team

Nick Welty, shown here making a tackle last season, is back to help lead the Rangers. (File photo by Rick Rowell)

By Paige Mendez, Correspondent

The Santa Rosa Academy football team is preparing for its season opener Friday with a group of seniors larger than head coach Perry Jones has ever coached before.

On top of the size of the group, every returning senior has at least three years of starting varsity competition under their belt and a commitment to those coming after them that they feel is unique. The Rangers appear to be in good shape heading into Friday’s home game against Grace Brethren.

“It’s absolutely a luxury to have this many seniors,” said Jones. “It really allows us to advance things schematically.”

For one of those seniors, Nick Welty, this season will be the culmination of all his years in school, as he is playing with teammates he has known most of his life.

“I’ve been with these people for four years and I've known them since elementary school,” Welty said of his team. “So seeing everyone grow and have such a strong foundation, it makes everyone go harder because we know everyone.”

Though the senior class itself is close-knit, Welty and the other leaders on the team have made it a special point not to separate themselves from the younger athletes on their team.

Brendan Quesada, another senior, said the group of them got together at the beginning of the year to discuss how they wanted to lead, and a decision they came to centered around making sure they expanded their brotherhood to those newer to the team.

“We mainly want to just have this family culture. We want to get rid of the stereotypical ‘seniors on top and do it our way,’” Quesada said. “Obviously we have more experience, but we don’t want to use that as a knock. We want to use that as a teaching point, so we want the younger kids to ask us questions so we can build them up on that level playing field.”

Part of that level playing field is played by juniors whom Quesada said will be fun to watch this season, including Dominic Thomas, Joshua Park, Justin Webber and Ryan Peterson.

Sean Finn, senior right tackle, said this team is a family for him more than just a group of teammates.

“I love the team, especially this year. I have so many friends. There’s this close brotherhood between everyone. It’s not isolated by class or position or anything like that,” Finn said.

Caleb Delgado said his coaches’ unique practice setup was partly to credit for that brotherhood.

“Our coaches having our practices all together with the younger kids has helped because we’re not only practicing but teaching the new kids about the game,” said Delgado. “There was not separation by classes and I think that’s changed me.”

Another significant change is the new bleachers and stadium seating that represent the growth of the Rangers football program. Many of the seniors remember playing under portable lights a few years ago, and now they get a heightened play experience because of the improved field.

The team is looking forward to the first game against Grace Brethren, a team they fell just short of defeating last year.

“It’s a great chance to immediately prove ourselves in that first game and I’m excited to see where we are in comparison to these new schools in our league,” said Finn of the schedule that will follow the season opener.

But the first game is just one step in their plan to take this season all the way, according to William Schoch.

“I think people should know we’re coming out hitting this year. We want that league banner and we want to win CIF,” he said.

Overall, the senior-led team is looking to go out on a high note and continue the growth of the Santa Rosa football program.

““I remember going out places [my freshman year] and I wore my Santa Rosa football shirt and people didn’t know where I was from. Now our hard work has put us on the map and people know us,” said Quesada. “We’re ready to play, leave it on the field and even put ourselves bigger on the map.”