What a year it has been for the Contreras High football team. Coach Manuel Guevara resigned in February when the school wouldn't allow him to do off-season training. He then returned after school officials changed their minds.
Summer has come ICE immigration raids this caused fear among players and parents, causing 20 people to miss practice alone.
“Children wrote to me that their parents didn’t want them to leave the house,” Guevara said.
Then on November 7, the team won its first City Section playoff game since the school opened in 2007. The Condors now find themselves in the City Section Division III semifinals against top-seeded Santee.
“It’s definitely been a rollercoaster year, to say the least,” Guevara said.
The team was led by two-way starters Alex Vasquez and Randy Jones, both playing linebacker and running back. Jones has 1,107 yards rushing and Vazquez has 720 yards. Jones, a defensive back, was “an animal. He runs a lot,” Guevara said.
The challenge this week is to find a way to handle All-City running back Darnell Miller, who rushed for 311 yards and three touchdowns in Santee's 44-35 win over Contreras on Sept. 12.
“He’s a special athlete,” Guevara said. “It goes from zero to full speed in one and a half steps.”
On Friday, Contreras defeated Jefferson in the dirt, 20-14. Contreras hopes the field will be dirty again this week, but now it's Guevara's turn to wash the jerseys. He'd like to go to the laundromat if it meant his team made it to the city's third division championship game.
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