CSM football getting out the vote

But it has expanded its education model to include the entire person and implemented several years ago its “Built for Life” program.

“It’s a holistic approach to the whole person,” said CSM head coach Tim Tulloch.

That includes learning to be leaders in their communities and that comes in many ways, including taking advantage of having their voices heard with their vote this coming November.

Monday night, the CSM coaching staff, along with local political dignitaries, will be educating the football team about why it’s important to vote, and just as important, how to vote.

“We’re going to have all 130 of our football players register to vote,” Tulloch said. “We’re going to talk about why voting is important. These are mostly 18-, 19-year-old kids and this is their first big election.”

Tulloch said many of the players on the roster are people of color and are the first in their family to attend college. While registering to vote and doing the research to make a reasonable choice are second nature to older adults, many of the players on the CSM team have never been told how it all works.

“We got guys who think they don’t even deserve to be in college, then they’re on the dean’s list,” Tulloch said. “You have to educate them (about voting). These guys are important. Their voice matters. If they set the example, they’re going to bring 15 people with them (to the polls).”

This is not about telling the players who to vote for. This is about getting them registered and then teaching them how to go about learning about the candidates and the issues.

And it’s not just about the upcoming presidential election. Tulloch wants to give the players the tools necessary to critically think about how issues impact them at the local level, as well.

Tulloch said there used to be more of this kind of training at the four-year level, but that has fallen off recently as college athletics have evolved.

“There was a day when DI schools did focus on (people) development. But I don’t think most DI schools are doing this. It’s just too chaotic (at that level),” Tulloch said. “I think there is an awareness among young people about how to get out there and be involved. Our young men are leaders in our community. These guys can and need to be in those rooms where decisions are being made, or at least have a voice in that room.”

Back when I registered to vote, you went down to the post office to pick up a registration card that you filled out and mailed back to the election office.

Now, you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your home. Simply go online to registertovote.ca.gov and follow the prompts. You do need to have a state-issued California identification and a Social Security number. But other than that, it’s as simple as clicking some boxes and hitting “send.”

There is no easier way to participate in our democracy than simply voting. All voices matter — whether you’re 18 or 80.

This is a two-step process, however. It’s not enough to register, but you must make sure that you actually get out and cast your ballot. Whether by mail-in ballot or actually going to you local voting place — and if this is your first time, I recommend doing so. Just for the experience — you must take the time to do your research and physically cast your vote for it to count.

While the Central Coast Section football season doesn’t kick off until Thursday, many areas around the state and country had their season openers this past weekend — and some are even on to Week 3 of the season.

Suffice to say, if the rest of the season is anything like the first couple of weekends, high school football fans are in for a wild ride.

Let’s take a look at what happened around the country, starting with IMG Academy’s 35-34 upset loss at Corner Canyon in Draper, Utah. IMG-Florida, a sports performance factory that essentially prepares athletes for the collegiate and professional ranks, is one of the top-five teams in the country annually. The Ascenders are at such a different level, however, the California Interscholastic Federation won’t allow California schools to play games against IMG.

But others can and last Thursday, Corner Canyon pulled off the biggest upset of the young season.

It was an “upset” in name only because Corner Canyon was a top-20 program in the nation, as well. The win propelled Corner Canyon up the rankings, with Calpreps.com having it ranked No. 2 in the country, behind Mater Dei, with IMG now sitting at No. 3 nationally.

In a sign of the times, the two quarterbacks combined to throw for 590 yards and seven touchdowns. The run game, however, was an afterthought as the two managed just 119 yards on the ground.

In a couple of games that have more immediate ramifications, two of the teams Serra will face in the first three weeks of the season kicked off their seasons with wins.

The Padres will face Folsom in San Mateo Friday in their opener, taking on a Bulldogs team that whacked perennial power Long Beach Poly, 63-20 last Friday.

Serra’s Week 3 opponent — St. John Bosco, which is now ranked No. 8 in the Calpreps.com rankings — was in a much higher-profile game Saturday night, as the Braves went across the country to take on No. 9 Chaminade-Madonna of Hollywood, Florida. In a back-and-forth contest, Bosco came away with 34-27 victory.

And then there was Pacifica-Oxnard quarterback Dominic Duran, throwing for more passing yards in one game than some quarterbacks will throw all season. In a 42-6 win over West Ranch-Valencia, Duran completed 29 of 41 passes for 501 yards and six touchdowns, setting and tying school records, respectively.

Duran’s favorite target was Savion Taylor, a highly recruited player who was injured last season and saw offers dry up.

Well, Taylor’s phone is probably blowing up again after he had 19 catches for 326 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 17 yards a catch.