CdM Coach Dan O’Shea cherishes state title and looks ahead to next season

Coach Dan O’Shea (center) guides the Sea Kings Saturday night. (Photo Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)

After the pictures with the championship trophy had been taken and many hugs with his players and coaches, Corona del Mar football coach Dan O’Shea reflected Saturday night on what his team had accomplished.

His Sea Kings had just completed a perfect 16-0 season with a 35-27 victory over Serra in the CIF State 1A championship game at Cerritos College.

“Championships like this are not about me, it’s about this coaching staff that did the job and the players who earned it,” O’Shea said. “Going into this game we knew were facing an incredible foe in Serra High School and we have so much respect and Patrick Walsh (Serra coach) is my new best friend in the coaching profession.

“But it’s about the kids, they have the desire to play at the highest level they can play within their ability and hats off, and the joy in their face to be able to prove it to everybody. in California.”

O’Shea praised his offensive coordinator and co-head coach Kevin Hettig.

“Kevin Hettig, in my opinion, is the single best offensive coordinator in the country,” O’Shea said. “And it’s not even close. I don’t think guys understand what he does from a communty of 1,600 students. We’re never the biggest, we’re never the strongest and we’re never the fastest.

“But what he does schematically to put our guys in position to be successful is unprecedented and hats off to him to be able to manipulate a defense and get that type of production every week.”

O’Shea was also happy to see the game finish as it did with Tommy Griffin intercepting a pass with two seconds left to seal the win.

“It was a dogfight to the finish, but Tommy Griffin closing it out with the interception …. his family is the royal family of Corona del Mar football,” O’Shea said. “There’s no one I’m happier for….than Tommy Griffin to win it. He was out with mono last week, he comes back and rightfully should be the hero because nobody in this entire program’s history has ever done more for than the Griffin family for Corona del Mar football. The kid is a player.”

After the game, O’Shea said he was looking forward to spending time with his wife Elizabeth, 2-year-old son Peter and 4-year-old son Jack.

“Number one, I look forward to seeing my family, but it’s time to celebrate tonight with our family and friends and enjoy beating a tremendous opponent that we have a lot of respect for,” he said.

Eventually, planning will begin for next year and CdM will move on without its talented trio of Ethan Garbers, John Humphreys and Mark Redman, who will sign their national letters of intent Wednesday. Garbers and Redman are expected to sign with Washington and Humphreys with Stanford.

O’Shea said he believes all three have promising futures.

“I don’t think there are any limits of those three achieving excellence on Saturday’s with potentially playing early in their career, and having the unique skill sets to possibly play on Sunday’s one day,” O’Shea said.

CdM will try and keep the standard of excellence going next season. He will welcome a number of players from a JV team that went 8-2.

“We have not thought too much about next year, but are thrilled with the returning starters or rotating starters from this year as the future foundation,” he said.

Those players include running back Jason Vicencio, linemen Thomas Bouda and Hunter Schimm and tight end Scott Giuliano on offense and linemen Brock Preston, Connor Brooks and Charlie Mannon, linebackers Kevin Ledezma and Mikey Wein and defensive backs Griffin and Ryder Haupt on defense.

But O’Shea indicated the focus this week is about recognizing what the 2019 squad accomplished.

“A storybook season and awaiting the 48 minute season highlight video and a seven minute video state game highlight video for our banquet tonight,” he said Monday before the banquet. “Can’t wait to celebrate tonight with our football families.”

RELATED: More photos from Saturday’s state title game

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com