The562’s football coverage for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family.
There’s confidence growing on the Westside as the Cabrillo football team enters its second year under coach Malcolm Manuel.
The Jaguars start the season Friday night when they open the season on the road against Sonora.
Cabrillo returns senior quarterback Fernando Leanos who has grown more comfortable in Manuel’s system as he looks to lead a potent Jaguars’ offense. He’ll have plenty of weapons to choose from as senior Danny Lopez looks to finish his high school career on a high note.
Lopez will be joined by sophomores Zyair Hughes and Stephan Walker, a pair that showcased their game-breaking ability last season. In the backfield, Armon Lumpkin looks to showcase his versatility as he’ll be used in multiple ways to provide Cabrillo another weapon.
“We know strategically what they like to do schematically,” Cabrillo coach Malcolm Manuel said. “But I think as far as football culture goes, just in the Orange County area in general, I think our kids are going to see something a little bit different.”
Last season, Sonora went 1-9 finishing fifth in the Iota League. The Raiders return junior quarterback Levi Santos who threw for 1,000 yards last season. He’ll have junior Matthew Shaw on the outside who returns as one of his main options on the outside.
In the backfield, Sonora will lean on senior Gabriel Burgos who rushed for over 300 yards his junior season.
The message was simple for Manuel and his team as they prepare for their first game of the season.
“I just keep telling them, ‘Don’t focus so much on what’s going on outside of the game. Just play the game,’” Manuel said.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday.
