Coach Negro 2nd Q&A

[PrepGridiron]

Hi Everyone,

Coach Negro will be joining us for his second Q&A today at 11AM PT

As always, we'd like to welcome Coach Negro to Prepgridiron.com.

As a refresher and in case you didn't already know: Coach Negro is the head coach at St. John Bosco. A 1991 graduate of St. John Bosco, Coach Negro began his coaching career at St. John Bosco under Kiki Mendoza holding several positions on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Negro left SJB to go to Trabuco Hills where he was an assistant before becoming a head coach. Coach Negro was 52-33 at Trabuco Hills where he won several Sea View League championships. In 2010, Coach Negro was named the head coach of St. John Bosco where he has built a national power. After a 5-5 first season, Coach Negro has had nine consecutive winning seasons winning Open championships in 2013, 2016 and more recently in 2019 (guess he likes them every third year). He was received national championship accolades in 2013 and 2019. He has a record of 113-24 at St. John Bosco where his teams compete in the always difficult Trinity League and have consistently played out of state powers. 

In collaboration with PrepGridiron Logistics, coach has been kind enough to give us some of his time and answer several questions posed by the members of this board. As we have done in the past, we will be asking coach the questions and he will be responding in the thread. We will be asking coach five questions and expect to open up the floor to members. Feel free to respond and ask questions, note, however, that it will be at Coach's discretion whether he responds further. Lastly, we ask that you keep your responses civil and on topic. The thread will be heavily moderated so that we can encourage other coaches to come on in the future. Thanks again, Coach, and everyone enjoy. 

The first question will be asked at 11AM PT

[PrepGridiron]

We really want to thank coach for coming on on Christmas Eve. 

First question, coach:

Was there anything in your regular season loss to MD that helped your team win in the SS championship game?

[Coach Negro]

Merry Christmas Everybody!  Happy to be here on this Christmas Eve to talk a little football with all of you!

 

[PrepGridiron]

 

1 minute ago, Coach Negro said:

Merry Christmas Everybody!  Happy to be here on this Christmas Eve to talk a little football with all of you!

 

Thanks, Coach! First question:

Was there anything in your regular season loss to MD that helped your team win in the SS championship game?

[Coach Negro]

I think that we came away from the first game with a lot of confidence.  We started the first game poorly, much like the second game, however we were able to come away with some faith and belief that if we were to play them again we could play with them and make some small adjustments and get the victory but it wasn't going to be easy.

Ultimately we wanted to do two things specifically in the second game.  First we have to take Kody Epps and make him a non-factor and force others to make plays.  Secondly, we needed to contain Bryce Young and not let his scrambling and ability to extend plays hurt us.  We were successful in this and were able to win the game as a result.

That was the big things we came away with from game one.

[PrepGridiron]

Just now, Coach Negro said:

I think that we came away from the first game with a lot of confidence.  We started the first game poorly, much like the second game, however we were able to come away with some faith and belief that if we were to play them again we could play with them and make some small adjustments and get the victory but it wasn't going to be easy.

Ultimately we wanted to do two things specifically in the second game.  First we have to take Kody Epps and make him a non-factor and force others to make plays.  Secondly, we needed to contain Bryce Young and not let his scrambling and ability to extend plays hurt us.  We were successful in this and were able to win the game as a result.

That was the big things we came away with from game one.

That's great insight. Your battles with Mater Dei over the last few years have been incredible and I can probably spend a long time talking with you just about those games. Second question, though:

This season you scheduled five (5) OOS opponents. Will you be doing the same in 2020? Is visiting TX a top priority?

[Coach Negro]

We have a difficult time scheduling game locally here in California and we are always trying to be aggressive in our scheduling.  We love competing against some of the best programs in the country so yes we will be doing some of the same in 2020.  We are in the process of working on our 2020 schedule.  We will probably travel out of state at least once and maybe twice depending on the weeks that we have available and if we have the necessary funds to travel.

In terms of Texas.....yes we would be open to play Texas teams and have tried to do so in the past.  The first hurdle is that Texas teams do not frequently travel outside of the state.  Secondly, traveling to Texas is a little challenging because they play by different rules than we do here in California and we have to make sure we keep our kids safe.  We most recently tried to play in Texas and contacted a very prominent team and they responded with "thank you but we would have to decline because we are looking for a lesser opponent".  

But the options are always there.  We would love to come to Texas and play in front a Texas crowd against a quality opponent.

[Coach Negro]

We have something lined up for the week of August 28th, 2020 that will be really exciting and something that Nike Football is getting behind and supporting so when that is ready to announce we will certainly do that.  I think people will be really excited about what is in the works for this event. 

 

[PrepGridiron]

1 minute ago, Coach Negro said:

We have a difficult time scheduling game locally here in California and we are always trying to be aggressive in our scheduling.  We love competing against some of the best programs in the country so yes we will be doing some of the same in 2020.  We are in the process of working on our 2020 schedule.  We will probably travel out of state at least once and maybe twice depending on the weeks that we have available and if we have the necessary funds to travel.

In terms of Texas.....yes we would be open to play Texas teams and have tried to do so in the past.  The first hurdle is that Texas teams do not frequently travel outside of the state.  Secondly, traveling to Texas is a little challenging because they play by different rules than we do here in California and we have to make sure we keep our kids safe.  We most recently tried to play in Texas and contacted a very prominent team and they responded with "thank you but we would have to decline because we are looking for a lesser opponent".  

But the options are always there.  We would love to come to Texas and play in front a Texas crowd against a quality opponent.

That must make it really difficult; unable to find games from CA or from TX.

Question 3:

How do you expect to replace DJ? Who is in the running for QB next season?

[PrepGridiron]

1 minute ago, Coach Negro said:

We have something lined up for the week of August 28th, 2020 that will be really exciting and something that Nike Football is getting behind and supporting so when that is ready to announce we will certainly do that.  I think people will be really excited about what is in the works for this event. 

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS

[Coach Negro]

Replacing  DJ will be impossible!  You cannot simply replace somebody of his athletic abilities and persona but we will always have quality QB's at St. John Bosco.  Our last six QB's have been Division 1 guys and I think the future ones will be as well.  

In terms of next year the competition is wide open.   We have some really talented young kids in our program.  I am confident in my coaching staff that the kids that we have developed are prepared and will give us a great chance to be successful.  Our JV team won the Trinity League and went 9-1 overall and our Freshman team was equally as talented and had a really skilled QB by the name of Pierce Clarkson (son of Legendary QB Coach Steve Clarkson).  Pierce already has Division 1 offers from San Jose State, FIU, and Ole Miss.

The future is bright at Bosco at the QB position.

[PrepGridiron]

Just now, Coach Negro said:

a really skilled QB by the name of Pierce Clarkson (son of Legendary QB Coach Steve Clarkson). 

Wow! Didn't know this. If Pierce is anything like the other QB's Steve has worked with, he should be something to see. 

Question 4: Last weekend’s Geico Bowl would’ve been perfect if SJB was involved. Do you know if the CIF will revisit permitting its teams to participate?

[Coach Negro]

Pierce is very talented and is very football savvy.  He has good size and has a super quick release.  He's a football junkie and will ultimately have to compete and win the job but he as a bright future.

[Coach Negro]

I do not foresee the CIF allowing us to participate in the Geico Bowl Series because it is so late in the season and we are already playing 15-16 games in our section.  This is just too many for high school students.  We would love to have a chance to play in this for sure and wouldn't run from it if we were allowed to play in it.  

I will say that knowing that we cannot participate in it at the end of the season I try to front load our schedule at the beginning of the season.  That is why we played DeMatha, Don Bosco, Good Counsel, Mililani, and Liberty, NV.  Two of which were state champs.  Don Bosco played for the state title as did Mililani.  So front loading our schedule is paramount for us and we will continue to do this.  

Then we have one of the toughest leagues in the country followed by the playoffs in California that are as competitive as anywhere in the country.  One thing that cannot be debated is that we didn't earn our accolades this year.  We were battle tested and we finished with a great stretch run.

[PrepGridiron]

Not sure if you are aware of this coach, but you are winning a state title every 3 years. Which leads me to the question: How does this state championship compare to your previous runs?

[Coach Negro]

This one was one of the most special because of the difficulty of the schedule that we had to play during the season.  Having to play the #1 Ranked team in the country (MD) TWICE and beating 9 of 13 opponents ranked in many top 100 ranking services was pretty daunting and we were able to do it.  Finally defeating the storied program at De La Salle to complete the season is always a huge accomplishment.  They had a really good team with lots of talent and they are always of the most talented coached teams in the country year in and year out.

This one was big for DJ too.  He finished his career off beating Centennial of Corona, Mater Dei, and De La Salle.  This is ridiculous and an amazing feat so I am proud of that for him as well.

[PrepGridiron]

Coach, that was last question, but I know there is a topic that many of our members want to know about. So if you will indulge me, I'd like to ask one other question: What do you think about the current transfer situation/phenomenon that exists in SoCal? It seems that it has really exploded in the last couple of years and has changed the landscape of both Southern California and National high school football. 

 

[Sammyswordsman]

Coach, Speaking of DLS, they had more success offensively in the SBG than most people thought they would.  What did they do differently that may have caught SJB off guard?

[PrepGridiron]

Coach, again, we really appreciate you taking the time during this holiday season to share some insight with us. The members may want to ask a few questions, so if you have a few minutes to spare, we'd be indebted. That said, we are on your time and we know its Christmas Eve if you have to run. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you, your family and the Braves.

[BUFORDGAWOLVES]

Sammy May piss his pants with excitement, so I’m posting these on his behalf in case Sammy forgets a couple  

Questions.

1.  Which what were your thoughts on the OOS opponents you played this year?  What impressed you about them

2.  Do you believe that teams will seek more high profile OOS games in the coming years?

3.  Which programs are on your top 5 wish list to play at some point.

4.  What did DLS do offensively in the SBG that surprised you?

5. What are your thoughts on the Trinity League vs USA format, and how would you improve it.

BGW

[Coach Negro]

Transferring is a sign of the times and is very evident in the collegiate game as well with the new "Transfer Portal".  Transferring has been going on for years and years and isn't going anywhere.  I do not have any issues with transferring in our out of a school.  Who am I to tell or judge parents on what they think they should do for their children?  Kids come and go and they have every right to do so.  If they are in a situation they are not fond of and they want to come to a program like Bosco and challenge their skill set against some of the stiffest competition then by all means I'm for that.

As a program you can either embrace it or not.  We need enrollment at St. John Bosco so if we are providing a service for the young men in southern Californian they want to be part of then I am proud to say that we are doing our jobs as coaches and educators.

This probably can be said about many programs all over the country.

[imaGoodBoyNow]

@Coach Negro is there any NJ BNU schools you would consider playing in the following years?

[Coach Negro]

5 minutes ago, Sammyswordsman said:

Coach, Speaking of DLS, they had more success offensively in the SBG than most people thought they would.  What did they do differently that may have caught SJB off guard?

They are very unconventional offensively.  We held them to 28 pts. which was about 22 pts below their season average.  We know that they could score we just wanted to hold them to 7pts a quarter and limit the big plays.  We made them drive the ball and that is what we wanted and only gave up one big play that I can think of so I was pretty pleased.  

At some point you have to credit coach Alumbaugh and his offensive staff they are pretty good.

[Coach Negro]

5 minutes ago, BUFORDGAWOLVES said:

Sammy May piss his pants with excitement, so I’m posting these on his behalf in case Sammy forgets a couple  

Questions.

1.  Which what were your thoughts on the OOS opponents you played this year?  What impressed you about them

2.  Do you believe that teams will seek more high profile OOS games in the coming years?

3.  Which programs are on your top 5 wish list to play at some point.

4.  What did DLS do offensively in the SBG that surprised you?

5. What are your thoughts on the Trinity League vs USA format, and how would you improve it.

BGW

1.  I think that Good Counsel was the most talented team that we played.  Along with DeMatha.  Solid teams and very well coached.  Don Bosco is going to be really good in the future with Coach Sabella at the helm.  Mililani and Liberty were very scrappy teams but we just had too much depth and wore them down.

2.  I hope people challenge themselves and play tougher opponents.  We have traveled out of state like 10-12 times in the last 7 years.  We are willing to do it so should others and come to California.

3.  I would like to play teams from Texas..Duncanville, North Shore, Katy, South Lake Carrol.  I would love to play the south Florida schools like STA, Miami Central, Booker T, Northwestern.  Wouldn't mind playing some teams out of the midwest or Chicago or Detroit area.   Always open.

4.  DLS was just unconventional and the switching between the veer and the spread is brutal to prepare for so I guess the way they switched things up so quickly was most difficult. 

5.  I love the Trinity League format.  I would like to make it all six teams playing at some point over the same weekend.  This year we are adding Servite on Thursday, we will play Friday and then JSerra and MD will play on Saturday.

[Coach Negro]

8 minutes ago, imaGoodBoyNow said:

@Coach Negro is there any NJ BNU schools you would consider playing in the following years?

Love playing the teams out of New Jersey.  They are really good programs that are exceptionally well coached.  We've played Don Bosco and St. Peter's Prep thus far.  We are 2-0 vs. those guys but we got lucky with this being Coach Sabella's first year and we played St. Peter's the year after Windbush and Fitzpatrick left so I'm sure they want another crack at us.  

I don't know what you mean by BNU.....sorry.