SOQUEL — Anyone who has seen, played against, or coached Cade Petersen on the football field can tell you he can play at the next level. His speed, power, talent and motor are undeniable.
And, he’s solid academically. Really solid. Petersen represented Santa Cruz County at the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame awards, where he received a $1,000 scholarship, and graduated with a 4.30 weighted grade-point average.
But when the 6-foot-1, 230-pound star lineman on Soquel High’s CIF 4-AA State Championship football team graduated from high school in June, he did so without a scholarship offer.
He applied to 15 universities, including Stanford University, where his mom played soccer, and several Ivy League schools, and didn’t get accepted to any of his top picks.
“That’s what I was so shocked about,” said Petersen, a first-team selection on the All-Gabilan Division football team, who also shined on the school’s basketball and lacrosse teams. “I got good grades and participated in a lot of extracurricular activities. I was really active. It’s just super competitive now.
“I want people to know how hard it is (to get into college) now.”
Petersen planned to attend University of Colorado Boulder and walk on to the school’s football team. Not because the Buffaloes are coached by NFL legend Deion Sanders, because he liked the beauty surrounding the campus and had a chance to walk on to the football program.
But a few months back, former NFL defensive back Reggie Stephens, a Santa Cruz High alum who provides personal training for Petersen and some of the area’s top athletes, reached out to some of his connections in an effort to help his student out.
Not too much later, Petersen received a phone call from UC Davis tight ends coach Taylor Chapatte, who informed him that the Aggies had a walk-on spot available.
Petersen responded like he does greeting a running back behind the line of scrimmage. He accepted the offer with fervor.
“I got super lucky with that phone call,” said Petersen, who will play linebacker in college. “Of course, I want to go to in-state, to a UC.”
Petersen will sit out the 2024 season, but will have access to the team’s training facilities. He’ll take part in the school’s corral program and help out the team in other capacities, like filming games.
Though he’ll miss being back on the field this fall, he believes the temporary break will benefit him academically as he makes the jump to the quarters system.
“I think the success of Cade is due to his character and who he is at his core,” said Soquel football coach Dwight Lowery, a former NFL defensive back. “He has a good balance of physicality and intelligence that is hard to find in young athletes. He will be close enough to home to get any support that he needs but I don’t have any doubts about him being successful in whatever he chooses to do.”
Petersen hasn’t yet declared a major, but Petersen believes he’ll major in bio technology. He has dreamt of becoming a doctor since watching the 2015 Will Smith hit, “Concussion.”
Petersen knows plenty about tackling and hitting opponents hard. As a senior, he made 68 tackles, including 15 for a loss of yards. He had 8.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries for the Knights (13-2, 5-1), who finished second in the prestigious Gabilan Division, the top tier of of the Pacific Coast Athletic League, and won the Central Coast Section Division II title, CIF 4-AA NorCal Regional and 4-AA State Championship.
Count Stephens, who is an assistant coach at Scotts Valley, among those impressed.
“When we played them (the Knights),” we couldn’t block him,” he said. “He was unstoppable.”
Stephens also trains athletes from throughout the county in the offseason, courtesy of his nonprofit, the Reggie Stephens Foundation. Petersen was among the 30-40 athletes who showed up and trained religiously.
“He’s done nothing but work,” Stephens said. “He really deserves an opportunity. And he’s a good kid.”
The Aggies went 7-4 last season, 5-3 in the Big Sky Conference under coach Dan Hawkins, who stepped down after seven seasons at the helm.The school hired Tim Plough, an Aggies alum, as his replacement.
UC Davis’ conference schedule includes a pair of in-state foes, Sacramento State University and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.
“I’m super excited to play in their conference and against that schedule,” Petersen said. “Their linebackers get to blitz a lot, which is what I’m all about.”
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