What didn’t Lenny Vandermade do in his second season at St. Ignatius?
Central Coast Section Open Division championship? Check. Co-West Catholic Athletic League championship with St. Francis? Check.
The Wildcats won 10 games and finished the season with an impressive showing in a 33-23 loss to Central-Fresno in the CIF NorCal 1-AA regional championship game. And all this from a team picked to finish fifth in the WCAL before the season.
For turning SI into a regional power, Vandermade has been named the Bay Area News Group coach of the year.
“We look like we’re down and out, but we keep swinging, keep battling,” Vandermade said after his team beat St. Francis in the CCS Open Division title game. “Keep going to the next play and doing our job the best we possibly can, and we find ways to win at the end.”
The Cardiac Cats had to go to the second-half well several times during the season to pull out big wins. Against Serra, SI trailed by 13 in the fourth quarter before rattling off back-to-back touchdowns to win 21-20.
The next week against Archbishop Riordan, the Wildcats spotted the Crusaders a 21-0 lead before coming back to win 31-28. Three weeks later, the Cats trailed Valley Christian 13-3 at the half but rallied to win 20-13.
Then, to cap it all off, SI overcame a 7-3 halftime deficit to take down St. Francis 10-7 and win its first CCS Open title since 2012.
“I’m proud of these guys that keep fighting and keep battling,” Vandermade said after the championship-clinching comeback. “It’s hard. They’re young people. Young people can very easily get sideways, but they don’t. They keep fighting, keep believing. So I’m just grateful for that. I’m grateful to the seniors, the seniors and the coaches that keep reiterating belief. Not only belief, but working it into reality.”
At the center of it all was Vandermade, who instilled faith in his players that they were never out of a game.
“We were all taught by our coach that if the scoreboard is not zero-zero, then the game still continues,” said running back Jarious Hogan, who ran in game-winning touchdowns in victories over Serra and St. Francis. “So we just kept executing until the clock hit zero and we got what we wanted.”
– Christian Babcock
Honorable mention
Oscar Caballero, Willow Glen: Led the San Jose school to undefeated regular season and outright Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa-Valley Division championship.
Rae Jackson Sr., Ygnacio Valley: The third-year coach helped break Ygnacio Valley’s five-year, 35-game losing streak. The Wolves went on to win four games this season under Jackson’s leadership.
Keith Minor, Moreau Catholic: Only coach from Bay Area News Group coverage area to win a state title. Yes, it was D-7A. Still, he accomplished what no other BANG did this season.
Jeffery Pride, Arroyo: Pride led Arroyo to its first winning season since 2012 and its first NCS playoff appearance since 2010.
Paul Rosa, Wilcox: Led Wilcox to first win over Los Gatos in five years, outright PAL Bay title and CCS Division II championship. Lost to Twelve Bridges-Lincoln 28-27 in CIF NorCal 2-A final.
Dethrick Slocum, Gunn: Completed a remarkable three-year rebuild, going from 0-10 in 2022 to a 10-0 regular season record and PAL Lake Division title in 2024. Mastermind of a defense that allowed just 31 points during the regular season. This included six shutouts, with five of them coming in league play.
All-BANG football publication schedule
Monday, Jan. 6
Kickers/punters
Defensive line
Linebackers
Tuesday, Jan. 7
Defensive backs
Utility players
Offensive line
Wednesday, Jan. 8
Running backs
Wide receivers/tight ends
Athletes
Thursday, Jan. 9
Quarterbacks
Coaches of the year
Players of the year
Those eligible for all-BANG honors come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The news organization’s high school sports staff chooses the players and coaches.
