Monday Morning Lights: South Bay coach takes page out of ‘Coach Prime’s’ playbook

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MONTA VISTA: AGRONT’S STYLE IS PRIMETIME

Monta Vista coach Ceazar Agront wouldn’t typically be confused with Deion Sanders. But he does have at least one thing in common with the man widely known today as “Coach Prime.”

Agront can be seen sporting a pair of Sanders’ custom Blenders sunglasses on the sideline during the Matadors’ games. It’s a fashion choice that’s unique in the football world, to say the least.

“These guys buy me these Prime glasses, this and that,” Agront said. “So it’s pretty cool. I got like all of them. So I’m like, ‘Oh, man, am I gonna get another one? Is there another one that dropped or something?’ So it’s super funny. A couple of my guys, a couple of my assistant coaches, will be like, ‘Hey, here you go. Get your stuff on, get your strut on.’”

Agront sees the sunglasses as a natural extension of his program-building philosophy. At a school without a long track record of football success, he tries to make the game enjoyable for his players.

“It’s cool, man. I mean, we have fun with it,” Agront said. “I try to keep telling everyone, it’s all about having fun. Ever since I’ve been here, I’ll always wear sunglasses. These lights, you know? But I’m like, ‘Hey, might as well look good while you do it.’ Like coach Prime said, ‘If you look good, you do good, right?’”

Monta Vista didn’t have an abundance of fun on Friday night. The Matadors suffered their first loss of the season, a 28-0 home defeat at the hands of Gunn. 

But Agront kept things in perspective after the game. Monta Vista is still 3-1 with plenty of opportunities ahead to make noise in the wide-open Peninsula Athletic League Lake Division.

“Over here, we’re not known for being a football school,” he said. “These kids have been super committed. We’re super young. All our playmakers are juniors and stuff like that. So they needed to get more learning opportunities. And I feel like having learning opportunities helps our demographic a little bit more.

“They sometimes need to know what’s the next level and how to get there through repetition. And sometimes that comes with failure, and not letting failure linger, but using that to learn and grow. So I honestly think that it’s going to be better next week.”

– Christian Babcock

RIORDAN: QB COMMITS TO VANDERBILT

Archbishop Riordan has had an up-and-down start to the 2024 season, but one of its players shared some positive personal news on Saturday.

Junior quarterback Mike Mitchell Jr. announced on Twitter that he had committed to Vanderbilt. He led the West Catholic Athletic League in touchdown passes last season with 31. 

Vanderbilt is 2-2 this season, with the only losses being by four points at Georgia State and a 30-27 defeat at No. 7 Missouri in overtime on Saturday. Senior quarterback Diego Pavia has been one of the most exciting players in the nation. 

Mitchell Jr., a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, was named a preseason all-Bay Area News Group selection at QB and has had a strong start to his junior campaign. After throwing for 2,927 yards and 31 touchdowns as a sophomore, he has passed for 930 yards and nine TDs through three games this fall.

– Christian Babcock

OAKLAND: PERENON IS ‘MR. MIYAGI’

Paul Perenon may be done as a head coach after 25 seasons at Bishop O’Dowd and another 12 at Mt. Eden, but the 71-year-old can still be found on the sidelines this autumn.

The three-time North Coast Section champion with O’Dowd is now an assistant at Oakland High. 

The grizzled and no-nonsense Perenon, who Wildcats coach Terry Hendrix called the “Mr. Miyagi” of his staff, spent last season helping Piedmont win a league title as an assistant after stepping away from Mt. Eden. 

“I’m loving it, just loving it,” Perenon said, adding that it was his wife Lori who was adamant that he stay involved in coaching. “I’ve been given room to help the kids get better.”

– Joseph Dycus”

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR DEAF: ALABAMA TRIP

The California School for the Deaf experienced southern speed and hospitality this weekend as CSD’s eight-man football team traveled more than 2,000 miles to play the Alabama School for the Deaf. 

“This trip has been a great experience for our players,” athletic director Jeff Bibb told BANG on Saturday. “We have players who flew on a plane or left the state for the first time. Most of the team also got to experience the scenic countryside of the southern states. The school has been a gracious host.”

The Eagles, led by quarterback Jaden Dingle, running back Devon Miller and defensive back Aiden Shupe, went to Alabama and lost to ASD 22-16.

It wasn’t all business, though. The Eagles also got to experience Talladega’s world-famous attraction firsthand. 

“Yesterday, we visited Talladega Speedway and even rode around the track,” Bibb said. 

– Joseph Dycus

PITTSBURG: PIRATES TAKE TRIP TO WESTWOOD

Pittsburg’s trip to Southern California to take on nationally-ranked St. John Bosco wasn’t all business. 

On one day during the trip, the Pirates held practice at UCLA and were given a tour of the Southern California school’s athletic facilities. 

Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez said he used the time to build on the team’s strong chemistry. 

“It was team bonding more than anything else,” he said. “When you have a lot of college prospects and guys with a lot of accolades, it’s good for the rest of their teammates to be able to experience that as well. 

“For a public school like ours to make sure we’ve exposed our entire team to that level of college experience, it’s a treat for everybody.”

Two Pittsburg players will be seeing a lot more of UCLA as safety Jadyn Hudson and linebacker Jewelous Walls are committed to play for the Bruins next season.

— Nathan Canilao 

LIBERTY: SAFETY COMES FIRST

Liberty coach Mike Cable understands the fear parents have when putting their kids in football, and he wants to take every precaution necessary to mitigate any head injuries during the season. 

Since doing his own research about the effects of concussions a few years ago, Cable has mandated his players wear guardian caps during practices and encourages them to wear the protective gear during games. 

“This is just a simple thing that we can mandate that they have in practice to make sure we’re trying everything we can to keep our players safe,” Cable said. “So for me, it’s a no brainer.”

While he hasn’t had a player wear a guardian cap in game yet, Cable believes it’s only a matter of time before guardian caps become a norm on game day. 

“You’re seeing NFL players start to wear it now and it’s just gonna continue to evolve with the guardian caps and with advances in helmet technology,” he said. “I think player safety is still going to be an important factor in this game that we love.”

– Nathan Canilao

MONTE VISTA: STAR RB PLANS DINNER WITH O-LINE

Monte Vista and Washington-bound running back Julian McMahan said he owes much of his success to the Mustangs’ offensive line.

Apparently, he owes them a meal on his dime as well. 

McMahan told his run blockers that he would treat them to dinner before league play starts in three weeks, but cost will play a big factor as to where the running back will take his teammates.

“I’ll probably take them to In-N-Out or just somewhere not too expensive since I’m paying for it all,” McMahan said. “It’s gotta be a place I can afford. Maybe we will go to Chili’s or something like that. I personally have never been there.”

– Nathan Canilao

HERITAGE: RB IS TEAM’S HEARTBEAT

Unlike most of the top running backs in the Bay Area, Heritage’s Mekhi Adanandus didn’t play football at a young age. 

The 5-foot-5 speedster just started playing the sport two seasons ago as a sophomore. Four games into his senior season, Adanandus is already his team’s best offensive player. 

“We challenged him a couple of weeks ago to match and exceed the effort that we saw last year and he absolutely responded,” Heritage coach Dave Fogelstrom said. “He absolutely has responded.” 

Adanandus had 131 yards and three TDs in Heritage’s 56-0 homecoming game win over Terra Linda on Friday night. He has scored a touchdown in each of Heritage’s first four games. 

“It’s been a long journey,” Adanandus said after Friday’s win. “A lot of seven-on seven, a lot of work during the summer. The results are what led to tonight.”

– Nathan Canilao

ARROYO: SPECIAL TEAMS, SPECIAL PLAYS

While most coaches view special teams as a way to control field position, Arroyo coach Jeffery Pride uses his third unit as an extension of his offense. 

During Saturday’s 41-13 win over St. Mary’s-Berkeley, the Dons recovered back-to-back onside kick attempts in the second quarter that led to touchdowns on the ensuing offensive possessions. Arroyo would have recovered a third in a row if not for a penalty. 

“We actually worked on that,” Pride said. “Once you pay attention to the little things and execute them, you won’t screw up the big things. They just executed, that’s all.”

– Nathan Canilao

PEEK AHEAD TO WEEK 5

Thursday

Christopher (3-1) at Branham (3-1), 7:15 p.m.: Both teams enter this BVAL Mt. Hamilton opener on three-game win streaks.

Friday

De La Salle (4-0) at El Cerrito (4-0), 7:30 p.m.: El Cerrito was competitive on the road against DLS last season.

Half Moon Bay (4-0) at Foothill (3-1), 7 p.m.: Nice bounce-back season for both teams thus far.

Clayton Valley Charter (2-2) at Liberty (3-1), 7 p.m.: Big game here as both programs gear up for league play.

Heritage (3-1) at Livermore (3-1), 7 p.m.: Both sides lost their opener. Since then, each has won three in a row.

Serra (1-2) at St. Ignatius (2-1), 7 p.m.: SI showed quite a bit with a victory at Cathedral-San Diego.

Saturday

Archbishop Mitty (3-0) at Valley Christian (1-2), 6 p.m.: Mitty, picked by BANG to finish last in the WCAL, has had a great start.

— Darren Sabedra