A 2018 record of 9-3 may not directly indicate it, but JSerra Catholic is one of the top high school football programs in all of California. They play the highest level of competition every single season as a member of the Trinity League. In 2018, the Lions made the state playoffs and won their first-round matchup against Long Beach Poly before losing a heartbreaker to Oaks Christian, the final 35-34.
After the 2016 season, head coach Jim Hartigan announced he was going to be resigning due to personal reasons. He was one of the highest-paid high school coaches in Southern California at the time. The move took the school and area by surprise and left JSerra with no choice but to look for a new head coach. Pat Harlow, the team’s offensive line coach, ended up winning the job and will be going into his 3rd season this fall. In 2017, he led the Lions to a modest 7-4 record. In 2019, Coach Harlow will be trying to win double-digit games for the first time as the JSerra head coach and hopefully, some of those wins can come in the postseason for the Lions. His current playoff record is 1-2.
Key Losses
Dual-threat quarterback Caden Bell (6’0, 185 lbs) orchestrated the Lions offense all season. He threw for over 2,000 yards and tossed 25 touchdowns in 2018. He is now playing his college ball in the Ivy League at Columbia. Munir McClain (6’4, 210 lbs) led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He elected to stay close to home and will be playing his college ball at USC. Tarik Lockett is going to Colorado. He caught 25 passes for 487 yards and 7 touchdowns as a senior. Jack Harlow will attend Montana State and Caden Blyth is going to Idaho State. Tyler Shimomura was the second leading wide receiver last year with 34 catches for 525 yards and Justin LeBeauf (6’5 265) were both unsigned; two huge misses for college coaches.
Outside linebacker Calvin Mouisset (6’2, 195 lbs) was the defensive captain for the Lions and his play matched his title. He led the team in tackles with 85. He has signed to play at UC Davis. On the defensive line, Shawn Nielsen (6’2, 255 lbs) bulldozed his way in pursuit of opposing quarterbacks. The defensive end tallied 9 sacks on the season, tied for the team best. He will be playing this fall at San Diego State University. Another key contributor lost is linebacker Victor Clanton (6’0, 210 lbs). He racked up 79 tackles and 14 tackles for loss for the Lions defense. Grant Ristoff will attend the University of Pennsylvania and Quantraill Morris-Walker will be joining Blyth at Idaho State.
One of the biggest losses was Jasper Lott. Jasper is a 6’6 240-pound class of 2021 tight end that came on strong during his sophomore season. He transferred to Argyle, a private powerhouse high school in Texas, and already has offers from TCU, LSU, Colorado, and Vanderbilt.
Offense
The JSerra offense averaged an impressive 39 points per game last season and scored over 40 points in 8 of their 12 games. Taking the majority of handoffs in the JSerra backfield was class of 2020 prospect Chris Street (5’11, 205 lbs). Street racked up over 1,300 rushing yards and reached the end zone 17 times. He will be a huge lift for JSerra’s offense. He also led the team in all-purpose yards and will most likely have more of a role in the passing game as well. The 3-star recruit has committed to play at California.
Sammy Green is a 5’9 160-pound running back and offensive weapon in the class of 2021. He had a great sophomore season rushing for 404 yards and scoring 6 touchdowns. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry and is also the return man on special teams.
A strength for JSerra Catholic’s offense in 2019 is their offensive line. The top offensive lineman returning for the Lions is Jeffrey Persi. Persi is a 6’7 265-pound left tackle that is a standout in arguably the top conference in the country. He has received 26 Division 1 offers and committed to the University of Michigan.
The Lions really improved up front with getting transfer Mason Murphy from Martin Luther King high school in Riverside. Murphy is a 6’6 280-pound right tackle in the class of 2021 that has huge potential. He is hands down a Power 5 player and should have 20+ offers before the end of the season. He is a great addition to the team and the Lions will now have two future Power 5 players at each tackle position to lead the way for Street and Geen and to protect the quarterback.
Addison Barrette (6’1 260), William Cvar (6’3 270), Brandon Fleiss (6’1 260), and Tevita Moala (6’1 283) will all contribute on the offensive line this season and give the Lions size and strength in the trenches. A few of these guys will play both ways on the defensive line.
The biggest question to the offense will be at the quarterback position. Dartanyon Moussiaux was expected to step in as the starter. He is a 6’4 180-pound class of 2021 prospect that is an accurate passer and excels rolling out and throwing on the run. This is now up in the air because JSerra got two quarterback transfers in the offseason.
General Booty, a 6’3 180-pound class of 2021 quarterback transferred in this offseason from Cornerstone Christian high school in Texas. He is originally from California and played at Corona Del Mar as a freshman. He had an outstanding sophomore year and can really spin it. In 2018, he threw for 2,300 yards and 18 touchdowns. His uncle Josh Booty played for LSU and his other uncle, John David Booty, played for USC and was drafted in the 5th round.
Jack Ruff, a 6’2 175-pound class of 2022 quarterback, transferred in from St. Margaret’s Episcopal. Ruff is a nice young signal-caller that has college potential.
All 3 quarterbacks will have to settle the debate in training camp leading up to week 1. Pat Harlow will have a tough decision to make naming his starter. He has 3 good options and all of them are underclassmen.
Whichever quarterback wins the job, he will have some talented receivers to throw the ball to this season. Keyan Burnett is a 6’5 200-pound tight end and big receiver that got some quality time as a freshman. His role will expand in 2019 and he will be a key player in the passing game this year. Earnest McDaniel (5’9, 170 lbs) is a slot receiver that caught 16 passes for 143 yards and 1 touchdown as a sophomore. He will be an important weapon for the Lions this season.
Zamajay Duncan, a 5’10 180-pound junior is a 2-way star at corner and receiver. He turned a lot of heads in the Trinity League on defense last season but look for him to be used on offense this year, possibly as the #1 option.
Street, Green, and even fullback Jaden Genova (6’0, 190 lbs) are all threats coming out of the backfield as receivers in the passing game.
Defense
The defense was solid last year only giving up 21 points per game and playing one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Lions lost a few key players on this side of the ball but they still have several elite defensive stars returning in 2019.
Zamajay Duncan is a difference-maker at corner and has the talent to compete with anyone in the Trinity League. He has offers from Oklahoma, Utah, and Arizona State.
Jaden Genova, the class of 2021 All-State outside linebacker, had 78 tackles and 9 sacks and is quickly coming into his own as an all-around athlete and playmaker for JSerra. Another notable underclassmen who made an impact is Malaki Te’o (6’0, 220 lbs). As a freshman, Te’o made an impressive 66 tackles playing inside linebacker. JSerra will also have Uiti Moe, a 5’10 225-pound linebacker that transferred in from Moreno Valley high school. He recorded 66 tackles as a sophomore last season. This trio will be fun to watch the next two years as they make up one of the strongest linebacking corps in the state.
The defensive line will be led by class of 2022 defensive tackle Siale Suliafu. The 5’11 260-pound sophomore had 43 tackles and 5 sacks as a freshman last year. Champion Johnson (6’1 215 lbs) is a 2021 prospect that should start at defensive end. Addison Barrette (6’1 260) will help Suliafu on the interior of the defensive line.
New Zealand Williams (6’2 175), Brodie Garrett (5’10 160), Logan Bredek (6’2 180), Garrett Geoghegan (6’0 155), and Storm Seeley (5’10 172) should all contribute in 2019.
2019 Schedule
JSerra will take the show on the road to Salt Lake City, Utah to start the 2019 season. They will play East high school, a team that finished 7-3 last year and a team that has some nice talent. In week 2, they will host the 2018 New Jersey state champions, St. Joseph Regional. In week 3, they will have another tough non-conference game against Bishop Amat. Week 4 will be their hardest game before the Trinity League play starts. They play the 7A Georgia state champions, Milton, in the Trinity League vs the USA Football Showcase event at St. John Bosco. It doesn’t get any easier from Week 5 to the end of the regular season, playing all the powerhouse teams in the Trinity League.
2019 Outlook
The future is bright for this football program. They do not shy away from any opponent in any state, and this year they play top teams from Georgia, New Jersey, and Utah, and they always battle the best in California.
Offensively, Chris Street and Sammy Green give the Lions a solid 1-2 punch in the running game. Jeffrey Persi and Mason Murphy are two amazing Power 5 offensive tackles. Booty is the favorite to win the starting quarterback job and he showed last year that he can really pick apart defenses. Burnett will blossom this season and McDaniel is an underrated slot receiver. If Zamajay Duncan gets reps on offense, he could be the big play weapon needed to take down some of the elite teams they will face.
Duncan, Jaden Genova, Malaki Te’o, and Siale Suliafu are all big-time players that make up the core of the defense. Uiti Moe will be another huge addition for this defense that will have a major impact. They definitely need some of the younger guys to step up big and play at a high level.
The Lions have a killer schedule and every week will bring a playoff-type atmosphere. The stakes are high. The competition is off the charts. The intensity level is boiling over. JSerra Catholic is ready to improve on their 9-3 2018 record and take the next steps as being a national powerhouse football program.
