ORANGE, Calif. – “Evil, wicked, mean and nasty” is the self-described mantra St. John Bosco two-time state champion senior offensive lineman* Drake Metcalf has lived by. In 2019, his personal ethos helped him guide his team to another title, that of national champion.
“I really, really think about all the hard work and dedication that came into becoming a national champion, and a state champion and the whole nine yards. It was definitely a very, very tough road but it was so worth it in the end," Metcalf said.
At almost 6’3” and 285 pounds, he’s huge compared to most of us. But he’ll fit right in on the notoriously “jumbo” line at Stanford, where he's headed this fall.
Training in the midst of this pandemic, he’s grateful his senior season even happened. As a fall sport, football was one of the last sports to finish the full season. Some of his friends weren’t as lucky.
“It was really tough to see that they weren’t going to be able to have their season they wanted so badly, their senior season. And we weren’t going to be able to show up and support and give our best feelings out there to them on the field and in stands," Metcalf said. "It’s a tough thing that’s happened with COVID-19 going around right now. And it sucks to see that these players are getting robbed of their senior season."
The run the Braves went on in 2019 was a story filled with beating some of the most storied programs in California. Highlights include a last-second win over Mater Dei to win the Southern Section and then clinching the state title beating the historic De La Salle.
If there were any doubts before, Drake and his star-studded team put them to rest, making Bosco the brand-name in high school football and cementing the Trinity League’s status as one of, if not the toughest conference in the nation.
“We always predict that we’re going to make it back to that game against Mater Dei just because of how strong our rivalry ties are in CIF and how good and how high-caliber both our players are on both teams. But just being able to come back and have redemption and show that we were the number one team in the country, and we persevered through those tough times is the greatest feeling ever,” Metcalf said
As an offensive lineman, having the brute strength to flip over a 650-pound tire is important, but so too is the brainpower that engineers the start of each play.
He exercises his mind by playing the bagpipes, which he picked up to honor his late grandfather.
As he reflects on his senior year, it’s his commitment to both team and family that he cherishes most. Finishing his senior year amid a pandemic has helped him to gain perspective on both football and life.
“It definitely does put into perspective how lucky I was to be able to finish off my high school career at St. John Bosco as a football player and my season,” Metcalf said.