by Jack Turner

The St. John Bosco Braves are recognized as one of the best football teams in the nation, and at the forefront of this athletic powerhouse this season was the starting quarterback of the Braves, senior Caleb Sanchez, a leader on and off the field who has emerged as one of high school football’s best quarterbacks.

The story of St. John Bosco’s star quarterback begins with humble origins. Growing up locally in Carson, he displayed an early passion for football. Starting flag football at five years old and then continuing his love for the game to tackle football around the age of 12. Peyton Manning was one of Caleb’s biggest inspirations and favorite NFL quarterback growing up. Nowadays, Caleb is a fan of Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

“I can definitely see some similarities between us, and I know I can take some things from him,” said Caleb.

Caleb has had nothing but a supportive family to lean on during his football career, since he was a kid all he can remember was having many people in his corner showing their love and care. 

“Even to this day, I always have a lot of my family supporting and cheering for me at games, and that always makes me feel good,” Caleb said. “I can’t thank them enough for the support they’ve had for me.”

Caleb credits his dad for building his passion for the game of football. He believes that without his father he would have never reached his full potential on and off the field.

“The biggest challenge growing up playing football was just putting in the extra work. My dad would always have me doing the extra workouts, and I wouldn’t really understand. But now I see why and can tell that all that extra work sets you apart from everyone else,” said Caleb.

The quarterback’s ascent to prominence was not without challenges. The competitive landscape of high school football demands resilience and commitment to improvement.

Caleb did not receive the starting spot until his senior year. With Bosco being a national powerhouse for football, Caleb was behind talented quarterbacks every year, but with constant determination, Caleb trusted the process, kept his head down and worked. 

“Just learning from those guys that I was playing behind and just seeing how they operate and the level they were at just helped me really learn and prepare [to be a starter].”

In addition to learning from players that came before him, coaches also played a role in Caleb’s development throughout the years in the program. Caleb gives praise to all his coaches on helping him on and off the field.

“I’ve had a great relationship with the coaching staff and have learned a lot throughout the years here at Bosco,” he said.

However, there are two coaches who Caleb highlighted that have heavily impacted him throughout his high school career. 

“Coach Reyes and Coach Lo are the coaches I’m closest with. They’ve both been with me since I was a freshman, so I’m with them all the time – every part of practice and meetings. They’ve just helped me every step of the way, even if it wasn’t about football,” Caleb said.

Staying at the same high school for a high level athlete has almost become a rarity nowadays, but Caleb showed his patience, perseverance and hard work through the time working for his starting job. Caleb earned everyone’s respect throughout this process and formed into a natural leader on the team. 

Perhaps as much as anything, Caleb values the bond he has with this team and the seniors he has played with for four years. It meant a lot to him to finish out at Bosco with his guys.

“The bond we all have is crazy, especially the seniors that have been here all four years. Man, I love them. Playing with these guys my senior year, I wouldn’t want it any different,” Caleb said. “Even the young guys, you know, I was a young guy once and know how it feels to be in their place, so I like to mentor them and overall show them how to get ready for their opportunity when it comes.”

With Caleb’s high school career coming to an end and him being one of the best uncommitted QBs in the country, a college decision will likely be in the near future. Caleb now has two FCS offers from Fordham University and Houston Christian, and although he is unsure where he will be going to further his football and academics, he is keeping his trust in God and continuing to work hard knowing things will fall into place.