#18 Cardinal Newman Cardinals Football Preview
Cardinals Have a Star in QB Dunsford
By Chris Jackson Monday August 12, 2012
SANTA ROSA-A new season emerges at the private school in Santa Rosa, and this season
looks to be no different than their previous seasons.
They have talent, especially in senior quarterback Keaton Dunsford.
Dunsford, the 6’4,” 225 lb. pro-style quarterback, has a tremendous arm and is flying
under the radar. He seems a bit underrated and should prove this season why he
should get more credit than he deserves. Although he only has an offer from
Harvard, expect more to come his way.
Cardinal Newman always fields talented squads. Last season they finished the season 11-2
advancing to the NCS Division 3 semifinals, where they lost to Marin Catholic,
who advanced to the state championship and had quarterback Jared Goff, and ESPN
300 quarterback, now at Cal, and Nevada commit Andrew Celis.
The semifinals have been where the Cardinals have faltered the past few seasons. As
we mentioned in 2012, they lost to Marin Catholic in the semifinals. In 2011,
they lost to Campolindo in the semis, and couldn’t capture the NCS championship,
which is something they are able to covet a lot.
2010 was the last time the Cardinals won the NCS Championship. They beat Encinal in
the championship in Dunsford’s freshman year, but he was only able to watch the
magic unfold since he wasn’t on the varsity team then.
Now Keaton wants to be able to hold the trophy and place the title banner in the
gym. He’s never gotten to experience it as a varsity player, and this is the
last chance he’s got at it. There’s no one that wants the title more than he
does. He will do whatever it takes to capture the crown, and with the type of
arm he’s got, that wouldn’t be surprising if they manage to get to the championship.
Division 3, however, is phenomenal this year. El Cerrito has a stellar defense while
Marin Catholic has an electric offense led by quarterback Morgan Mahalak, an
Oregon commit, and athlete Andrew Celis, a Nevada commit. El Cerrito has a
loaded defense with USC commit DJ Calhoun at linebacker and Adarius Pickett at
cornerback, who has yet to commit. El Cerrito also boasts receiver Jalen Harvey,
a Cal commit.
Head coach Paul Cronin’s Cardinals will likely have to face one of those two teams in
the playoffs before the championship game. They already take on El Cerrito on
September 14th, in Santa Rosa, and that game has implications of a
thriller and will most likely show who will compete for the North Coast Section title.
Casa Grande the final week of the season will be another gridiron game. Casa Grande
features dual-threat quarterback JaJuan Lawson, and the Cardinal Newman defense
will need to stop his passing and running abilities if they want to come out
with the W. That matchup will likely determine the North Bay League champions.
Paul Cronin is a legendary coach in Santa Rosa. Cronin always fields great teams
there and the best players in that area flock to play at the private school
there to be able to play under him. In 11 seasons at Cardinal Newman, he fields
a 104-23-2 record.
The sky is the limit this season for the Cardinals this season. Quarterback Keaton
Dunsford is a proven playmaker and is looking to lead him and his teammates to
the NCS Division 3 championship game after a two year title drought.
Top Players: QB Keaton Dunsford, Sr.
Key Losses: OL Nolan Nagle; TE/LB Phil Wright
Team Strengths: Passing game, coaching, team chemistry
Team Weaknesses: O-Line experience, no proven run game
Last Season: 11-2 (6-1 North Bay, 2nd Place), NCS Division 3 Semifinals
Schedule
8/30 @ Modesto Christian
9/6 Novato
9/14 El Cerrito
9/27 @ Ukiah
10/4 Montgomery
10/11 @ Santa Rosa
10/18 Maria Carrillo
10/25 @ Windsor
11/1 Rancho Cotate
11/8 Casa Grande
SANTA ROSA-A new season emerges at the private school in Santa Rosa, and this season
looks to be no different than their previous seasons.
They have talent, especially in senior quarterback Keaton Dunsford.
Dunsford, the 6’4,” 225 lb. pro-style quarterback, has a tremendous arm and is flying
under the radar. He seems a bit underrated and should prove this season why he
should get more credit than he deserves. Although he only has an offer from
Harvard, expect more to come his way.
Cardinal Newman always fields talented squads. Last season they finished the season 11-2
advancing to the NCS Division 3 semifinals, where they lost to Marin Catholic,
who advanced to the state championship and had quarterback Jared Goff, and ESPN
300 quarterback, now at Cal, and Nevada commit Andrew Celis.
The semifinals have been where the Cardinals have faltered the past few seasons. As
we mentioned in 2012, they lost to Marin Catholic in the semifinals. In 2011,
they lost to Campolindo in the semis, and couldn’t capture the NCS championship,
which is something they are able to covet a lot.
2010 was the last time the Cardinals won the NCS Championship. They beat Encinal in
the championship in Dunsford’s freshman year, but he was only able to watch the
magic unfold since he wasn’t on the varsity team then.
Now Keaton wants to be able to hold the trophy and place the title banner in the
gym. He’s never gotten to experience it as a varsity player, and this is the
last chance he’s got at it. There’s no one that wants the title more than he
does. He will do whatever it takes to capture the crown, and with the type of
arm he’s got, that wouldn’t be surprising if they manage to get to the championship.
Division 3, however, is phenomenal this year. El Cerrito has a stellar defense while
Marin Catholic has an electric offense led by quarterback Morgan Mahalak, an
Oregon commit, and athlete Andrew Celis, a Nevada commit. El Cerrito has a
loaded defense with USC commit DJ Calhoun at linebacker and Adarius Pickett at
cornerback, who has yet to commit. El Cerrito also boasts receiver Jalen Harvey,
a Cal commit.
Head coach Paul Cronin’s Cardinals will likely have to face one of those two teams in
the playoffs before the championship game. They already take on El Cerrito on
September 14th, in Santa Rosa, and that game has implications of a
thriller and will most likely show who will compete for the North Coast Section title.
Casa Grande the final week of the season will be another gridiron game. Casa Grande
features dual-threat quarterback JaJuan Lawson, and the Cardinal Newman defense
will need to stop his passing and running abilities if they want to come out
with the W. That matchup will likely determine the North Bay League champions.
Paul Cronin is a legendary coach in Santa Rosa. Cronin always fields great teams
there and the best players in that area flock to play at the private school
there to be able to play under him. In 11 seasons at Cardinal Newman, he fields
a 104-23-2 record.
The sky is the limit this season for the Cardinals this season. Quarterback Keaton
Dunsford is a proven playmaker and is looking to lead him and his teammates to
the NCS Division 3 championship game after a two year title drought.
Top Players: QB Keaton Dunsford, Sr.
Key Losses: OL Nolan Nagle; TE/LB Phil Wright
Team Strengths: Passing game, coaching, team chemistry
Team Weaknesses: O-Line experience, no proven run game
Last Season: 11-2 (6-1 North Bay, 2nd Place), NCS Division 3 Semifinals
Schedule
8/30 @ Modesto Christian
9/6 Novato
9/14 El Cerrito
9/27 @ Ukiah
10/4 Montgomery
10/11 @ Santa Rosa
10/18 Maria Carrillo
10/25 @ Windsor
11/1 Rancho Cotate
11/8 Casa Grande
