Corona del Mar football feels at home at CIF press luncheon

LONG BEACH —  Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco knew what table he was going to sit at during Monday’s CIF Southern Section football press luncheon.

Telesco was the keynote speaker at the luncheon at the Grand, which featured all 32 of the 11-man and 8-man football team finalists in the section. Before he spoke, he found himself sitting at the Corona del Mar High football table next to his son, CdM senior safety Thomas Telesco.

The moment was not lost on the elder Telesco.

“I’ve probably given hundreds of these talks over the last 10 years,” said Tom Telesco, 50, who joined the Chargers in 2013. “If you would have told me way back when that I’d be speaking at this and my son would be on the team representing, it’s pretty special. It’s a good family moment. As a parent, you never know what your kids are going to want to do when they grow up. I certainly didn’t push football ... but yeah it’s pretty neat.”

CdM attended the annual event ahead of Friday night’s Division 4 title game, when the No. 4-seeded Sea Kings (8-5) will travel to play No. 2 Whittier La Serna (10-3) at California High.

Thomas Telesco was one of five CdM senior captains present, along with quarterback Kaleb Annett, receiver Russell Weir, linebacker Christian Brooks and linebacker/kicker Colin Pene. The quintet helped the Sea Kings get back to a CIF title game for the first time since the storied 2019 state championship team went 16-0.

CdM football senior captains, left to right, Russell Weir, Kaleb Annett, Thomas Telesco, Christian Brooks and Colin Pene, attend Monday’s CIF Southern Section football press luncheon.

(Matt Szabo)

CdM got a reminder of that 2019 team on Saturday, as Ethan Garbers, that team’s senior quarterback, threw three touchdown passes to help UCLA earn a 38-20 win over rival USC.

But these Sea Kings got here — their ninth CIF title game overall — on their own accord. They have a first-year head coach in Kevin Hettig, but that’s misleading, as Hettig is in his 13th season at CdM. He was offensive coordinator for six of the program’s previous title game appearances, including three straight crowns from 2011-2013.

This year’s squad competed during a tough preseason schedule but saw a 10-game winning streak against rival Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay game end. As a result, it was the Sailors who got third place in the Sunset League and an automatic berth into the playoffs, while fourth-place CdM had to rely on an at-large bid.

“These kids fought through a bunch,” Hettig said. “They inched and scratched and clawed their way back to the CIF final. It’s a credit to them and their ability to overcome tough spots this year.

“There was a good chance we wouldn’t get in, and we knew that. I think having that kind of flash in front of you, having the realization that it was now out of your hands and that practice before [the league finale against] Huntington Beach could have been our last, I think that changed our perspective. It kind of got us right in a hurry.”

Los Angeles Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco, left, speaks at Monday’s CIF Southern Section football press luncheon.

(Matt Szabo)

La Serna, also making its first final since 2019, boasts a high-powered offense averaging more than 42 points per game. Running back Owen Long has 1,207 rushing yards, including six 100-yard games, and 20 touchdowns for the Lancers.

But the Sea Kings are coming off shutting down another potent ground game in last week’s 28-14 Division 4 semifinal win over Yorba Linda.

“That was probably the most fun, connected I’ve seen one side of the ball play in my whole time being here,” Pene said. “It was amazing. Honestly, I just felt like I was playing with family friends and family members. They’re all my brothers.”

Thomas Telesco, who was the longtime vice president of football operations for the Indianapolis Colts before joining the Chargers, brought his Super Bowl XLI championship ring from the 2006 season to Monday’s banquet.

Now he’ll get to see his sons — Nick Telesco is also a junior defensive back for CdM — play for their own ring on Friday night. He said he’s only missed one Sea Kings game this season, when the Chargers had a Friday night preseason game at San Francisco.

Thomas Telesco smirked a bit when asked what it meant to see his dad give Monday’s keynote speech.

“It’s cool,” he said, “but I’ve heard all of those speeches before.”