In the grand scheme of things, preseason rankings don’t amount to much.
However, there is a certain respect factor that comes along with being listed as one of the top-ranked teams, especially in the case of the Los Gatos High School football team. The No. 3 Wildcats are the only public school team to crack the top five in Max Preps’ Central Coast Section preseason rankings, sandwiched in between top-ranked Riordan, No. 2 Serra, No. 4 St. Francis and No. 5 St. Ignatius.
While it’s a nice distinction to be the only non-West Catholic Athletic League squad in the top five, Wildcats coach Mark Krail has reminded his players to keep things in perspective.
“It’s obviously a nice honor somebody thinks highly of us,” said Krail, who enters his 13th season as the Los Gatos coach. “It feels good, but any coach would say we’ve accomplished nothing in 2025. So, we’re anxious to see what we’re going to be about. We talked about potential in practice and how potential has never won a game and never won a championship.”
The Wildcats are coming off another tremendous season in which they finished 10-3 and nearly ran the WCAL gauntlet in the CCS Division I playoffs, edging Serra and Riordan by a touchdown each before falling to St. Francis 27-7 in the championship game.
It was a sour ending to an otherwise fine season, albeit one that ended without a title of any kind. In the regular-season, Los Gatos saw its four-year reign as De Anza Division champions snapped when it lost to rival Wilcox, 19-14.
“It was a pretty darn good football team that went away at the end of the year with no championships and nothing to hang a banner on,” Krail said. “But that being said, it was a pretty positive and great season. And we’re looking forward to having a lot of guys returning who played meaningful minutes last season. It’s exciting to have a good nucleus coming back.”
Los Gatos has plenty of playmakers returning at the offensive skill positions, including its top two wide receivers in Beau Musser and Max Thomas. Musser was the 2024 De Anza Division Receiver of the Year and often came up huge in the biggest games.
Musser had touchdowns against Riordan and Serra and is particularly potent in the slot, while Thomas consistently manages to get separation from defenders and is spectacular in gaining yards after the catch.
“Beau and Max complement each other really well, which is great,” Krail said. “And that being said, we’ve got a couple of other guys who can provide depth at the position.”
That includes Kai Jordan and Shane Harmer, two of the four members of last year’s boys 4×100 meter relay team that ranked in the top five in the CCS for most of the track and field season.
“I think our team speed is as good as it’s been since I’ve been at Los Gatos,” Krail said. “Kai is kind of in the Max Thomas mold and Shane in the Beau Musser mold. Shane is blazing fast and really good with the ball in his hands.”
Big things are expected from senior quarterback Callum Schweitzer, who has received an offer from San Jose State. In 2024, Schweitzer split time with Scotty Brennan before the latter took the reins in the latter part of the season.
This season, Schweitzer has made the quarterback slot arguably the least competitive spot in terms of guys fighting for playing time on a team where competition runs fierce at nearly every position.
‘He’s the unquestioned leader on the team,” Krail said. “He works his tail off and has the respect of every guy on the team. He’s got an offer to play at San Jose State and I gotta believe he’s going to get more offers as the season goes on.”
Krail said what makes the 6-foot-1, 194-pound Schweitzer particularly effective is the signal-caller’s ability to turn potentially negative yardage downs into positive yardage.
“He’s very agile with his feet and can extend plays,” Krail said. “He’ll turn plays that kind of break down into positive gains. He’s got the size and is also great in the pocket with his movement.”
The Wildcats have one of the top returning running backs in the CCS in Grayson Doslak, a rugged 6-2, 194-pound senior. In 2024, Doslak led the team with 16 touchdowns while averaging 76 yards rushing per game. Throw in senior running back Hayden Benjamin—another member of the 4×100 meter relay team—and Los Gatos features a potent 1-2 punch in the backfield.
“Hayden is a great complement to Grayson,” Krail said. “There’s going to be times they’ll be on the field together. Our plan is to play them both a lot. Hayden has gotten so strong and if he gets in the open field, he’s gone. Grayson is a different runner, a physical, in between the tackles guy, and very seldom if one guy ever takes him down.”
Senior tackles Garrett Bertsch and Rowan Merrick anchor the offensive line. Both players epitomize the typical Los Gatos linemen: physical, tough and fundamentally sound. Bertsch has accepted an offer to play at Cal Poly next year, the same college that 2025 LGHS graduate and lineman Leo Cocchiglia currently calls home.
“Garrett is a force and Rowan is going to be solid for us as well,” Krail said.
Center Ryan Burg and guards Nathaniel Vorobeichik and Walter Crafford round out what should be an outstanding offensive line. Defensively, the team’s strength lies at linebacker, where Krail and the coaching staff feel confident they have up to six players who can get the job done.
Tyler Purcell and Austin Krug are impact middle linebackers, while Mason Wend and Andrew Sandoval can play defensive end or outside linebacker, depending on the team’s needs and situations.
“We lost some guys on the defensive line, so that’s an area we’re trying to restock,” Krail said. “Mason is a candidate there and Andrew has got really good speed and a great motor. Jared Newman has kind of played his way into a starting role as well.”
The Wildcats are also strong at defensive back, led by returning safety Gavin Jordan. Last season, Jordan was always near the ball, making plays via forced fumbles, fumble recoveries or tackles. Jordan will play alongside fellow senior safety Hudson Schrader.
“You look at Gavin and Hudson who are both 190 pounds and can attack the running game really well,” Krail said. “So we’ll do a lot of different things with those guys. Sometimes, they’ll be in the box as a run-force safety and sometimes they will sit back in center field, so we have some flexibility there (to change up looks and be versatile defensively).”
Bryce Novinsky returns at cornerback while Cristian Zisa and Devonte Troutt are in competition for the other starting cornerback slot.
“The other wild card is Beau Musser can play corner as good as any of them if he has to,” Krail said. “He won’t be an every down corner if we can stay healthy, but he’ll play some defense as well.”
Krail hopes the defensive line—which lost the majority of its starters due to graduation—jells fast. Nick Studley had a solid summer camp, while Miguel Lezama, Marcus von Klemperer and Merrick figure to be among a half-dozen linemen to see plenty of action.
“We’re praying for health here on the D line,” said Krail, whose team opens the season at home against Soquel on Aug. 29 at 7pm. “It’s all kind of a mystery right now until we line up and play another team, but it’s exciting.”
