Kathleen MacDonald High School has announced its arrival in the sporting landscape in jaw-dropping fashion. The newest high school in Santa Clara, which can still be considered in its infancy, having been in operation for less than 18 months, is already able to boast about having an undefeated sports season.
Led by Head Coach Burt Codera, the 2023 MacDonald Condors JV football team went undefeated in its first full season of games. After playing a limited schedule in year one with only a freshman class, the second-year program ran the table, finishing a perfect 10-0 in just its second season in existence.
“Our number one guy was our quarterback Moussa Fall; he grew probably like three inches from last year and he has a really good arm. On top of being a talented kid, he really took it upon his shoulders to be the vocal leader and organizer of our team,” praised coach Codera on his sophomore signal caller. “He did a really good job maturing in that way and taking on that leadership role.”
“Another guy that has been a staple in our program is JR Leonard, playing linebacker and running back,” continued coach Codera. “Ethan Bugarin at wide receiver probably caught like 10 touchdowns for us, really good explosive receiver for us. Nathan Pulickal was great for us too, just a lot of guys. I could keep going on and on.”
The impressive season may have had a small advantage in that some of its star players would probably have been on varsity had there been MacDonald had a varsity team, but that alone shouldn’t take anything away from the tremendous accomplishment of going undefeated.
“I’ve been around the game a long time and I’ve never gone undefeated,” added coach Codera. “That was my first time and so I don’t think the guys have fully grasped yet what they just accomplished.”
“Burt needs to give himself and his coaches more credit,” chimed MacDonald Athletic Director Darrin Garcia. “He downplays it, but it was very special. From all components of the program, the coaches keeping everything in line and not let the margin of victories go to anyone’s head. It was always the need to work.
“The coaches kept the team focused and they showed it on the field. They did what they were supposed to do,” continued Garcia. “If, in fact, we were in a better position than our opponent, you have to show that and they did. They deserve a lot of credit, the kids and the coaches. These kids are 14 and 15 years old and a lot of things can go sideways, but to stick with it, all involved deserve credit for it.”
In addition to its historic football season, the Condors also saw development with its other fall sports teams. Girls tennis, girls volleyball and co-ed cross country all saw improvement in their second seasons.
Kate Sato led the tennis team as head coach, while Richard Lumactod did the same for volleyball and Garcia handled head coaching duties for cross country, which saw runners compete at the varsity level for the first time in school history.