San Diego Program Preview: Cathedral Catholic Dons

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Cathedral Catholic had a down year by their program's standards finishing 6-6 with three losses to San Diego opponents (Lincoln, Madison, Mater Dei Catholic). Coming into 2023, the Dons have a second-year starter at QB and a talented group of juniors with playing experience. They'll look to avenge their 2022 season-ending14-9 loss to Mater Dei Catholic in the D-I Section Playoffs with a home matchup this Friday. Other important games on the schedule include Helix, Liberty (#2 in NV), Lincoln, and Madison. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong> QB [player_tooltip player_id='398444' first='Jack' last='Stevens'], RB Ethan Ford, RB Rocco Balistreri, OL [player_tooltip player_id='969703' first='Sam' last='Bjerke'], OL William Buck, ATH [player_tooltip player_id='723760' first='Anthony' last='Taylor'], WR Charlie Abts, WR Thomas Gruytch, DL [player_tooltip player_id='1338410' first='Luke' last='Westfall'], LB Jonathan Solomon, DB [player_tooltip player_id='683668' first='Ty' last='Cortes']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Schedule</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8/18 vs. Mater Dei Catholic&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8/25 <strong>@</strong> Chaminade&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/1 vs. Brophy Prep (Phoenix, AZ)&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/8 <strong>@ </strong>St. Ignatius (San Francisco)&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/15 vs. Helix&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/22 <strong>@ </strong>Liberty (Henderson, NV)&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10/6 vs. Lincoln&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10/13 <strong>@ </strong>Madison&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10/27 vs. St. Augustine&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Offense </strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Second-year starting QB [player_tooltip player_id='398444' first='Jack' last='Stevens'] added offers from Appalachian St., UC Davis, Arkansas St., Georgetown, Lehigh and UNLV this offseason. He's extremely mobile from the pocket and excels at rolling outside the tackles finding receivers on the run. He can improvise, make plays with his legs, and has a fluid release as a passer. Senior RB <strong>Ethan</strong> <strong>Ford</strong> is likely to handle significant touches out of the backfield. He's a quick, elusive back with natural burst and agility. Fellow senior <strong>Rocco</strong> <strong>Balistreri</strong> should compete for carries as well. Leading the way up front is senior LT <strong>Sam</strong> <strong>Bjerke</strong> who's added offers from Marshall and Georgetown since June. Bjerke's a towering LT at 6'6”/310 that excels as a pass-blocker with refined footwork and technique. He'll be one of the top senior OTs in San Diego this season. The OL unit added senior <strong>William</strong> <strong>Buck</strong> from Inderkum (Sacramento) in the summer. Bucks' an extremely physical presence on both sides of the ball (OT/DT) that just picked up an offer from USD in July. <strong>Charlie</strong> <strong>Abts</strong> (Sr.) and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='723760' first='Anthony' last='Taylor'] and <strong>Thomas</strong> <strong>Gruytch</strong> are WRs to watch for this offense.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/KUSIPPR/status/1687198865899024384?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KUSIPPR/status/1687198865899024384?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Defense</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defense features three rising juniors that offer potential to be breakout players among their positions this season. Junior DE <strong>Luke</strong> <strong>Westfall</strong> is one of the most underrated 2025s in San Diego- he plays great with his hands/length over OTs and uses an effective swim move to beat OGs off the snap. OLB <strong>Jonathan</strong> <strong>Solomon</strong> should be another junior to watch- he was a contributor on defense and special teams last season. CB [player_tooltip player_id='723760' first='Anthony' last='Taylor'] played both ways as a sophomore (WR/CB) and is one the most athletic skill guys on the roster. He plays with great speed, fluidity, and ball skills at both positions. Senior S [player_tooltip player_id='683668' first='Ty' last='Cortes'] has been a major stock-riser this offseason picking up offers from Penn, Utah St., Army, Air Force, and Stony Brook. Cortes is an extremely versatile and instinctive defender in coverage that can play single-high S, two-deep, shallow/flat, and nickel. He's a physical downhill hitter that can close space quickly and tackle in space. Cortes is one of the top senior safeties in San Diego heading into the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/tycortes_05/status/1661221979377270784?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/tycortes_05/status/1661221979377270784?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->