After years of coaching turnover, Napa looks to gain momentum with newfound consistency
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Don Lex (LuckyDuckImages.com)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
With a new coach leading the way in the spring, things could’ve been tough.
However, the first season that Askari Adams led the way was successful all things considered. Now, Adams will have a full season to work with as the first coach to return to lead the program since 2016.
“It feels really nice to know that you have someone that’s going to be there. It’s not going to be rotating every couple of years,” Napa senior Thomas Hatton explained. “It’s going to be the same structure, same place, same movements and stuff that we’re doing.”
“It’s just good to be here,” Adams said. “I enjoyed being here and enjoy the school, enjoy the kids. It’s just good to be able to give the kids some consistency.”
In the short spring season, the Grizzlies went 2-3 overall in their Vine Valley Athletic League schedule. They didn’t play a non-league game to get to six games in the spring.
Napa lost some of their top players from last season to graduation. However, they will have a few starters returning this season. Anthony Tubridy, Hatton, Christoph Horton, Raul Castellanos, and Carlo Deianni are all back.
“(The) Older kids that we do have they’ve been the leaders in the weight room,” Adams pointed out. “They make our jobs a lot easier. We have good leadership on this team. I may not have a lot of kids, but we have enough kids that they’re teaching the young kids.”
Tubridy will assume starting quarterback duties as just a junior. He’s been on varsity since he was a freshman.
“He brings the team together,” Hatton said of the junior signal-caller. “He’s a really good leader. He’s a natural leader. He gets along with everyone and he helps everyone.”
Like every program, they have also had to deal with a swift and timely turnaround from spring to fall.
“It’s almost like we never left. We never left because it just ended in April, and then we started back up in May,” Adams said of the turnaround. “It was just a quick turnaround and I liked it. I don’t like all that time in between, so it was good. It was just a quick turnaround and easy adjustment.”
Another thing that players and coaches alike are looking forward to is the return of normal crowds. The return of normal crowds means student rooters back in stands and the energy they bring.
“Watching some of the Major League Baseball games and listening to the players a lot of the players are saying how nice it is and how they took it for granted and how it’s such a big difference,” Adams said of the return of fans. “It’s such a big difference with the way the kids play. They feed off the crowd.”
Return of non-league competition
Last spring, Napa played a league-only schedule. That means it will be nice to have some non-league games back to see where you are before the league season starts.
When the season begins, the Grizzlies will be the only team to play a home game on August 27th when they host De Anza-Richmond.
After that home game, they will face a pair of former Monticello Empire League rivals in back-to-back weeks. On September 3rd, they’ll travel to Vacaville for a meeting with Wood.
Then, they’ll come home on September 10th to face Rodriguez-Fairfield.
“It’s definitely cool because (of) growing up around it and being there and finally being able to play in that it’s like ‘okay, I want this really bad,’” Hatton said of the rekindled rivalries with Wood and Rodriguez. “It’s helping me motivate other kids.”
The last time Napa faced Wood was in 2017. They last faced Rodriguez in 2016.
Their final non-league contest will come on September 17th when they travel to Windsor.
Napa will have a bye week before starting league play starts on October 1st. It will be a welcome bye week.
“I think that’s a good thing because it’s going to give our newer kids and our returners time to recover,” Hatton said the bye week before VVAL play.
A full league schedule is back
Last spring, Napa didn’t play a full league schedule like most of the league.
The Grizzlies will open the VVAL schedule on the road in back-to-back weeks. On October 1st, they’ll visit American Canyon. Last spring, American Canyon beat Napa 14-7.
On October 8th, they’ll have another close road game when they visit Justin-Siena. In their meeting earlier this year, Napa won 27-14.
They will play their first league home game on October 15th when they host Casa Grande-Petaluma. In the meeting in the spring, Petaluma beat Napa 14-13.
Next, they will have their final road game of the year when they visit Petaluma on October 22nd. In the meeting earlier this year, Napa beat Casa Grande 40-14.
The Grizzlies will end the year with back-to-back home games. On October 29th, it will be Big Game L (50) where Napa is the home team. This is the first time Napa will be the home team in an even-numbered Big Game. It’s also the first time two Big Games will be played in the same calendar year in series history. Vintage won the meeting in the spring 35-7.
“That is a little weird,” Adams explained of Big Game being the second-to-last game of the season. “I questioned that one throughout the whole offseason, like ‘why are we not playing that game last.’ But hey, it is what it is. Obviously, it doesn’t matter when that game is. It’s big game here in town.”
Finally, Napa will end the regular season with a game against Sonoma Valley. It will be the first time the teams have met since the fall of 2019. The teams didn’t meet in the spring because six out of seven teams played a five-game league schedule. It will be the first time Adams has faced Clay Jackson. In the fall of 2019, they coached together at Napa.
“I love Clay and he’s been a good friend of mine,” Adams said of the meeting with the Dragons. “He’s been a good friend of mine since I’ve been up here. I got to Napa two years ago and yeah it’s going to be good to finally be across the sideline from him and coach against him.”
Coaching staff changes
It’s a new season, which always means there will be plenty of coaching staff shakeups.
New to the coaching staff this season is 2010 Napa High graduate Juan Martinez. Also new to the staff are Gil Ramirez and Johnny Pelfini.
