Category Archives: Football

Chaminade College Preparatory High School Head Football Coach Ed Croson Retires; Associate Head Coach David Machuca Named Successor

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Chaminade College Preparatory announces the retirement of high school head football coach Ed Croson.

Coach Croson first began his career at Chaminade in 1989 after coaching at Southern Utah State University, Los Angeles Pierce College, Notre Dame High School, and St. Genevieve High School. He served as Chaminade’s athletic director from 1993-1998 and became head football coach in 1998. Coach Croson left Chaminade in 2000 to coach at Birmingham High School. In 2009, he returned to Chaminade, taking over a program that had only won two games the previous year.

In the 13 years since Coach Croson’s return, the Eagles have earned the MaxPreps designation of All-Decade 2009-2019 and California State Top 20 (ranked #17). They played in the CIF-SS quarterfinals in 2009 (7-5-0) and the semifinals in 2010 (11-3-0) and 2011 (10-3-0). Chaminade won the Mission League title and reached the CIF-SS finals in 2012 (12-2-0). In 2013, the program won the CIF-SS and California State title (14-2-0). Recently, the Eagles qualified for the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs in 2015, 2017, 2018, the Division 1 quarterfinals in 2016, and the Division 2 finals in 2019. They also won Mission League titles in 2017 and 2020.

Every year since 2010, Chaminade has finished in the California State Top 50 (out of 1,100 competing high schools). Los Angeles Daily News has ranked the Eagles in the Top 10 every week since September 2009, including #1 in 2012 and 2013, and #2 in 2016 and 2020. Cal-Hi Sports named Coach Croson the 2013 California State High School Coach of the Year, and on October 1, 2021, he netted his 200th career win with Chaminade against Cathedral High School.

Mindful of Chaminade’s Catholic, Marianist mission, Coach Croson implemented a team Mass and meal before every game. He is proud to have sent 83 Eagles to play for Division 1, 2, 3 schools, as well as Ivy League colleges. “Chaminade is immensely thankful to Coach Croson for his shepherding of hundreds of young players over the years, and indebted to him for putting Eagle football on the map,” said Chaminade high school Principal Luis R. Guerra.

David Machuca, current associate head coach, will take over for Coach Croson. Coach Machuca has enjoyed two stints at Chaminade: between 2009-2011, when he helped the Eagles to back-to-back semifinal appearances; and since 2017, during which the Eagles were CIF-SS Division 2 finalists (2019) and won the Mission League title (2020). Coach Machuca and his wife Kristen have two young sons, Shane and Dylan, and a newborn daughter, Reagan. Mr. Guerra expressed that, “Chaminade is excited and blessed to welcome Coach Machuca into his new role as head coach. His passion for Chaminade football, and desire to build upon Coach Croson’s legacy of developing young players for lives of service, will tremendously benefit our program. With his strong understanding of Chaminade’s mission and culture, and reputation as a relationship-builder, Coach Machuca will work in partnership with his players and their families to advance the tradition of Eagle excellence.”

Health and Safety are Top Priority As Athletes Return to Campus for Summer Workouts.

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By Tommy Smeltzer

Chaminade’s student-athletes have never been happier for those hot summer football workouts to be underway. After a lengthy prohibition of any athletic activity on campus, the CIF State office last week released guidelines for restarting athletic activities, and the Chaminade athletics department was ready for the green light. Coaches implemented optional summer training programs that allow students to prepare for the upcoming year of sports while employing all state, county, and local health and safety protocols. Social distancing is easily achieved on the Deep Blue C and on the adjacent baseball field as athletes spread out in smaller groups with plenty of space between them. The program is set up so that students remain with the same cohort in pods of 5-10 students to limit overall exposure. 

As students arrive, they are greeted in their cars to receive temperature checks at the main entrance and must answer screening questions before being allowed on campus. Gone are communal water stations, as students now must bring their own water bottles to practice and must keep any backpacks or equipment separated in an area to the side of the field. Masks are worn during stretching and non-exertion skill drills, but athletes are allowed to work without masks during high exertion drills as long as distances are maintained. Partner stretches, passing, and contact drills are not allowed in Phase I. 

“We are allowed to do about a third of what we would normally do,” said Coach Ed Croson, “But the important thing is that we are able to train individual skills and prepare our players for the rigor and collision that is unique to football, all while learning to comply with the guidelines.” The coach noted that this is a big adjustment for students, so we must reinforce the importance of taking safety protocols seriously, both on and off the field. While it is challenging to change habits, he assures us, “The kids are getting it down.” 

Back on the Deep Blue C, groans of exertion emanate from the drills amid the summer heat. However, it is clear by the smiles and laughter after practice that these students are thrilled to reclaim a piece of life before quarantine and declare, “Eagle football is back!”

Calling All Volunteers!

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Homecoming is coming up on Friday, September, 28. Chaminade Eagles will face Bishop Amat Lancers. The annual festivities include a midway of food booths and Boosters spirit wear sale.

Chaminade needs parent volunteers for food booth ticket sales, set-up, and clean-up. Click here to sign-up today for booth volunteer opportunities.

Additionally, volunteers are needed for Boosters clothing sales during Homecoming. Please sign-up here to help Boosters.

 

Stadium Club 2018-2019 Registration Deadline Approaches

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Become a Stadium Club member today! Membership gives you an enhanced Eagle fan experience during the football and varsity basketball seasons. Annual membership for two members is $500. Click here to register today!

All members receive the following benefits:

  • Two member passes and two guest passes for the regular season, home football games at Booster Stadium*
  • Two member passes and two guest passes for the regular season, basketball games at Uribe Sports Center*
  • One reserved parking space in the Stadium Club area for each regular season, home football game
  • Invitation for four people to Stadium Club tailgate on September 7 (alcohol is not permitted)
  • Invitation for four people to Stadium Club End of Season Party on October 19 (alcohol will be served, and any person under 21 will not be permitted entry)
  • A Stadium Club gift will be distributed at the game on September 7
*Stadium Club passes are for regular season football and girls’ and boys’ basketball games only. All playoff and CIF games are excluded and must be purchased separately.

 

Registration ends at 11:59 p.m. August 31, 2018.

For more information please contact
Office of Advancement at (818) 360-0615 or
advancement@chaminade.org.

Center for Excellence Registration is Open

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Registration for Chaminade College Preparatory’s Center for Excellence (CCE) is now open. It is the perfect place for students to spend their summer learning and growing. With classes in the morning and afternoon, CCE offers programs, for students entering grades 1-12, designed to inspire, engage, and empower young minds.

Students entering grades 1 through 12 will enjoy expanding their horizons through the Center for Excellence summer programming. For students entering Chaminade’s 6th grade, Eagles Take Flight will prepare them academically and introduce them to Chaminade’s middle school community; while students entering high school grades can acquire valuable skills in High School Study and Success Skills, and students entering 12th grade can prepare for college applications in the College Application Bootcamp. CCE also offers robotics programs on both campuses with a brand-new class on the West Hills campus focusing on electronics and programming.

This year, CCEs summer Ste[+a]m Academy, for grades K-5, will once again be powered by STEMscopes. With a different curriculum each week, there is no repetition. Each STEMscope module engages students in cross-disciplinary activities that build knowledge and skills in areas including computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. Students can come for one week, or all five weeks.

The Great Books Academy, for grades K-5, is one of CCEs most popular programs aimed at educating the whole child. The Great Books curriculum is the cornerstone of the academy and is specially designed to help students become independent readers and thinkers by focusing on reading comprehension, critical thinking, vocabulary, and writing.

Summer is also an excellent time for students of all ages to pursue their creative passions in visual and performing arts. And children ages 5 to 15 can join CCEs Sports Camps and explore athletics from football to basketball as well as soccer, baseball, volleyball, fencing, and more. The West Hills campus also hosts Varsity Camps, which gives students the chance to work with Chaminade’s varsity head coaches, players, and former athletes with college and professional experience.

For more information visit chaminade.org/centerforexcellence or click here to register today.