Almaden dad to coach son and other standout seniors in 34th annual classic

Besides being the seminal event for high school football, the 34th annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School all-star football game will place a coaching father on the same team as his son for the first time.

Pioneer High School's head football coach Mark Krail has "watched" his son Kevin play football as a receiver for Leland High School for the past four years and before that in Pop Warner, but until about a week ago he had never coached him.

"This is a dream come true," the elder Krail told the Times. For the past four years Krail has "been more of Kevin's fan than his coach and it's exciting and great to coach your own son."

Krail has never coached his son in football, although he did coach him in baseball through Little League and into juniors and seniors, he said. "Football is his thing. I'd sit in the stands and root for him for nine weeks and I enjoyed that, but it was tough when Pioneer played Leland. That's a big rivalry."

In addition, the coach noted that Kevin "is a talented athlete and we're very proud of him. But it's great to coach your own son. As his father I want him to do his best and have a good time, just like the rest of the team. I probably go a bit overboard the other way, so I may be harder on him," Krail said.

But in the same breath he mentioned the talent of the other players that he's known for quite a while including six others from Leland and Pioneer. Leland players Nate Jones, a wide receiver and Ricky Battipede, a quarterback, are also part of the team. "I've known them since they were boys and watched them grow into men. They are working hard to prepare for the game, they are all three good students and good citizens."

Four players from Pioneer are on the South team including running back Shane Murray, who was Pioneer's MVP. Defensive linemen Stanley White and Enrique Martinez and offensive linebacker Tyler Chase who have worked with Coach Krail for the past several years. He says linemen are the heart and soul of the team. The offensive linemen make holes for the runners to get through, while defensive linemen close those holes to halt plays.

This game is a chance for all of these graduates to shine, Krail said. There are 45 young men on his team and he had nothing but good things to say about them. "We've taken the best high school seniors and given them something to remember," he said. "I hope this becomes a lasting memory for all these boys to look back on and smile."

So far, he notes, they are working hard together and despite the short period of practice have developed a camaraderie that will help them play together as a team. "We've played some tough games against Oak Grove," he added, "and I'm glad to see some of their players on our team and see all the boys pulling for each other."

The team started practicing last Saturday and will play the game on Wednesday, July 23 at Spartan Stadium. "We only get 10 practices and that's not a lot of time. In fact it's a real challenge. But these young men are all confident and able to put their egos aside and work as a team," Krail said.

Besides, Leland, Pioneer and Oak Grove, the South team contains graduates from Lincoln, Willow Glen, Bellarmine, Piedmont Hills, Gilroy, Valley Christian, Live Oak, Mount Pleasant, Andrew Hill, Sobrato, Yerba Buena, Santa Teresa, Evergreen, San Jose, Gunderson, Silver Creek and San Jose High Schools.

Krail also noted that the 10 days of practicing are good for the young men, many of whom will begin their college workouts in mid-August. In fact, the younger Krail and Jones hope to play football for Chapman University, while Battipede will be at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Incidentally, all three also play baseball.

This is Krail's third time as coach. The other two teams won their games and Krail is hoping for a three-peat!