By: Cody Abney and Erik Rico
As the football season comes to a close, Redwood coaches give their points of view on how the season has been going. The coaches have made huge adjustments from last year to this year, and some new coaches have been brought in.
Head Coach Kevin Scharton began his tenure in 2019 after coaching for the Dinuba High School Emperors. Scharton, like the rest of the coaching staff, have made huge adjustments that lead to turning Ranger Football around. Scharton says “This year’s team put in a full year of off-season training in the weight room. We took a trip to Hume Lake football camp, had spring practice, and summer workouts and competitions. Last year’s team was unable to put in a full year due to Covid.”
Scharton is very confident in his team this year, saying “If we do enter division one playoffs I think we will be ready to compete and take one game at a time.” Redwood has clinched their share of the East Yosemite League (EYL) championship and has a high chance of playing Division 1 playoffs.
New Wide Reciever/Offensive Coach Isaac Leppke is part of a new coaching staff for Redwood’s JV (Junior Varsity) team. When asked about the positives of going from a college player to coaching, Leppke says, “I get to focus more on the mental part of the game, instead of focusing on the physical part like running and staying in shape.”
Leppke was a former player at Wyoming where he played with NFL superstar Josh Allen and eventually transferred to Fort Lewis in Colorado. For Cowhide, Leppke also says, “I’m excited, I’ve heard a lot about it, and I’m very excited for the whole week, not just the game.” He looks to win his first of many Cowhides as a coach at Redwood.
A former player for Coach Kevin Scharton and Current Defensive Back (DB) and Special Teams Coordinator, Coach Michael Wright ll, says, “This year feels a lot more like our standard at Redwood High School.”
Wright often posts pictures and videos of his DB crew, saying how “They have been awesome this year, I think I hold them to the standard of being perfect, which is really hard.”
Redwood is currently scheduled to play Division 1 for CIF Playoffs. Wright says, “It goes back to our standard, we have 4 stars on our uniform for the 4 Division 1 Championships.” Wright always expects the most out of his team and his players and they deliver.
When Wright needs to adjust on Defense, he says, “It’s moving guys around, like you see Kai Preisendorf at defensive end, you see him at defensive tackle. You’re going to move around the Rio Sanchez’s and let him do different things that some other guys can’t do.”
Scharton ends it off by saying, “This year’s team is a tight-knit group and works really well together. I’m very proud of all the players and coaches that put in many days of hard work for one common goal.”
Cody Abney
Cody Abney '25 is a second year writer for the Redwood Gigantea. He is interested in writing for the Sports and Arts and Entertainment. Abney is a very dedicated writer and specializes in feature pieces.
Tags: Cody Abney, Erik Rico, football, sports