1970 Lynn Swann Long Jump Title:
Serra's Lynn Swann leaped 24 feet 10 inches to beat Fresno Edison's Randy Williams by one-quarter of an inch to win the long jump at the 1970 CIF State Track Meet. Williams would later go on to win an Olympic gold medal in 1972. Swann became a consensus All-American football player at USC, won four Super Bowls while being named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl X for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
1991 State Baseball Title:
Serra was voted by the coaches poll of Sacramento as the State’s top ranked baseball team. With high school baseball having no regional or state competition available beyond section play, the Padres were voted to the top spot based on their 26-5 record during Coach Pete Jensen’s WCAL and CCS championship season. League MVP Matt Bazzani, the WCAL Triple Crown Winner (leader in batting average, home runs and RBIs) led the way, while pitchers Mike Wolger (10-1) and Dan Serafini (9-1) anchored a stellar pitching staff.
1998 State Baseball Title:
Cal High Sports selected Coach Pete Jensen’s Padres as the top Division II baseball team in the state. Catcher Geoff Comfort led the way for the 27-5 Padres being selected as the San Mateo County Baseball Player of the Year by the San Mateo Times. Serra earned a WCAL Co-championship and a CCS title along the way with significant contributions by Jimmy Lintt, Josh Berta, Patrick Peavey and Bryan Williams.
2016 State Basketball Champs:
During the 2015-2016 basketball season, the Padres set new school records for most wins with 26 and best season winning percentage at .839 (26-5) on their way to their first state basketball championship title. A hard fought 48-43 final game win by Coach Chuck Rapp’s Padres over perennial powerhouse Long Beach Poly was led by WCAL MVP Jake Killingsworth who finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds. In a post-game celebration, Coach Rapp enthused, “It’s like getting to the top of Mount Everest and planting the Serra banner . . . and doing something that can never be taken away from us and something truly significant and something that’s never been done before. So, it’s a truly historic day, and it’s a great day to be a Padre.”
2017 State Football Champs:
In a season filled with so many “firsts,” Coach Patrick Walsh’s Padres strung together 12 consecutive victories culminating with a 38-14 win over Cajon High School of San Bernardino to win the D1-AA State Football Championship in Sacramento. Serra went undefeated in WCAL play for the first time since 1969, extending their winning streak over league opponents to 18 consecutive games. Numerous team and individual school records fell throughout the championship run including Isiah Kendrick with most career touchdowns and career points, Shane Villaroman with most career receptions and career yards receiving, and quarterback Luke Bottari with records for completions, passing yards and attempts.
2021 Will Denning Triple Jump Title:
A few weeks following graduation, Will Denning bested all participants in the unofficial 2021 CA State Track Championships to win the triple jump with a personal best jump of 46 feet 3.5 inches. Will had earlier won this year’s WCAL and CCS championships in the triple jump. CIF had canceled the official state meet as multiple sections throughout the state had canceled their seasons early due to Covid-19 restrictions. The unofficial meet, held in Arcadia, still drew some of the state’s top athletes and provided championship caliber competition.
