Reprinted from SFGate – By Mitch Stephens
This surprise act in Moraga is getting stale.
Four seasons with a record of 48-4 and one CIF State Division III Bowl bid qualifies the Campolindo football program as a powerhouse.
The current crop of Cougars is 13-0, has scored 638 points (seventh in the state) and is playing for a North Coast Section Division III title Saturday against Marin Catholic-Kentfield (10-3) at Diablo Valley College.
As has been the case the past four seasons, head coach Kevin Macy just shrugs. Sort of like when Michael Jordan hit six first-half three-pointers in the 1992 NBA Finals opener.
Macy, in his 19th year, nicknamed this team “TBA” during the summer because he didn’t know who was going to be playing where, especially along the offensive front.
“Honestly, this caught me totally off-guard,” Macy said. “These things typically run in cycles, but this is lasting a little longer than normal.”
Right, coach.
In 2011, the Cougars were picked to finish last in their six-team Diablo Foothill Athletic League, but went 14-0 before losing in the state bowl to Washington Union-Fresno 21-16. That team beat an undefeated Marin Catholic squad 20-18 in the NCS final on the game’s final play at the Oakland Coliseum.
“Everyone called that our miracle year,” Macy said.
Considering that team lost 19 starters to graduation, the next season’s 10-2 team was perhaps more unlikely. There were no college football-bound seniors on last year’s 11-1 team, either.
Without vast speed or brawn, the natural explanation for their success is superior coaching, which Macy won’t consider. Instead, he offers this: “The program has built itself up. I think we’ve done a good job of building a culture that kids buy into.”
Said Marin Catholic coach Mazi Moayed: “They’ve got it rolling over there. Kevin does a great job. They have a combination of everything: great coaching, good athletes, strong culture, and a belief system.”
What sets this team apart from past teams are two players: running back Nick Fadelli (1,643 yards rushing, 10.2 yards per carry, 30 touchdowns) and Duke-bound tight end/defensive end Tyler Petite (27 catches, 29.0 yards per catch, eight TDs).
Fadelli, who also averages 29.5 yards per his six catches, is the best running back Macy has coached at Campolindo, which has been a pass-first team.
Petite is the 12th-ranked tight end in the country, according to 247Sports. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder has been clocked at 4.59 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
Jack Stephens (2,791 passing yards, 28 TDs) is the third and last brother to play quarterback for the Cougars. He played linebacker last year and at first didn’t want to play QB. “He didn’t want to be compared to his brothers,” Macy said. “Now he loves playing the position. …His numbers are as good or better than his brothers’. He hasn’t buckled at all in big games.”
Neither has junior receiver/safety Max Flower (40 catches, 777 yards, 10 touchdowns), who sealed Friday’s 62-46 win over Analy-Sebastopol with a 43-yard pick six.