Five-time CCS champ back to winning ways

Less than a month into the season, Sacred Heart Prep already matched its win total from each of the previous two years.

Better yet, the Gators (3-0) have yet to lose.

“For all the seniors, last season kind of left a bad taste in our mouth,” said SHP co-captain John Willard, who pulls double duty at fullback and middle linebacker.

It’s rare to see the 6-foot, 210-pound two-way player on the sideline.

As a junior, he led the Gators in rushing and finished second in tackles. Three games into his senior year, the 17-year-old now tops the team in tackles and ranks second in rushing yards.

“He’s just such a hard-working kid that is a great leader and a mentor to the younger players and a role model for, really, everybody,” SHP coach Mark Grieb said. “It’s how he carries himself, how he practices, how he treats other people. I just think he embodies what we want to be as a program.”

Part of what he embodies is a toughness and grittiness that most opponents fail to associate with a small, private school in Atherton.

“Absolutely,” Willard said. “I think every team we play pretty much does underestimate us, which if anything it just puts a bigger chip on our shoulder. More to prove, I guess.”

SHP, which won its first Central Coast Section football title in 2010 and four more in a row during a span that included NorCal titles in 2013 and 2015, struggled out of the gate the past couple of years.

It rallied to qualify for the postseason with a 2-8 record in 2016, but then got off to a 1-5 start against a demanding schedule a year ago.

Before pulling off a 16-7 upset against Terra Nova, which went on to finish as a CCS runner-up, Willard shared some personal news with his teammates.

“I just had a loss in my family and I felt that I had a second family in my team, so why not fall back on them,” Willard said. “Because they’ll support me through anything.”

The victory restored confidence for the Gators, who two weeks later triumphed 25-24 in the Valparaiso Bowl against rival and neighbor Menlo School.

“You could see the whole team rally behind him,” Grieb said.

Leadership seems to come naturally for Willard, who feels players inside the locker room currently hold themselves to a higher standard after a 3-0 start to the season.

Willard himself is quick to embrace the responsibility of getting everyone on the same page.

“I think football is the most unique in terms of the relationship you have with your teammates,” he said. “One play you might be getting on someone, telling them to do their assignment better — but not in a negative way. But the next play, you’re sacrificing yourself so they can do their job. And just knowing that the guy next to you has your back and you have his.”

After a 21-6 victory at Carlmont in the season opener, SHP avenged one of its losses from a year ago during a hard-fought 15-13 game against Burlingame.

“Even though it wasn’t our best offensive game, I think it was showing off our physicality and that we can play four quarters with a team like that,” said Willard, who noted how an influx of juniors helped to improve the team’s depth.

“Their impact is just so noticeable in practice and in games,” he added.

The Gators erupted on offense during a 54-18 rout at Saratoga last week, with junior running back Tevita Moimoi requiring only 10 carries to rush for 222 yards and three touchdowns, with another TD on a 6-yard catch.

Next up Friday night at Hillsdale is another opportunity to avenge a loss from 2017 as SHP continues to reestablish itself as a CCS contender.

“I think there’s known quantities and there’s unknown quantities,” Grieb said. “We’re starting to see how those things fit together and who we are as a team.”

Consider Willard a known quantity.

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