Blanton To Lead 'New Era' of Jesuit Football

When athletic director Chris Fahey was conducting a national search last month to replace legendary football coach , he liked Marlon Blanton of St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in Vallejo.

Fahey called Bob Ladouceur, the coach at national powerhouse De La Salle in Concord, where Blanton played in high school and later coached at the freshman and junior varsity levels, for a recommendation.

"I asked 'would you hire him?' and he just said 'absolutely'," Fahey said. "If it's good for Bob, it's good for us."

and on Wednesday he met with alumni from the Carmichael private school at Fete at 1801 L St. in Sacramento.

"I am humbled, I am grateful that you have given me this opportunity," Blanton said. "You guys want to win... I'm one of those guys who hates to lose."

Blanton will be tasked with taking over a Marauders team that unexpectedly but that alumni and fans have said has underacheived in the past decade or so.

"This is a new era of Jesuit Football," Fahey said. "(Marlon) is a person of tremendous passion and energy... we think he's going to do a tremendous job."

Blanton said he will use the run-heavy veer offense at Jesuit.

"If we get everybody on the same page, the system doesn't matter," he said.

One area Blanton, Fahey and school president The Rev. David Suwalsky said they would like to address as soon as possible is renovating Jesuit's football stadium, upgrading the field and track. Right now, because of the older stadium and neighborhood concerns, instead of the traditional Friday nights.

Jesuit officials considered American River College but Fahey said officials there have expressed reservations. Sacramento State and Sacramento City College were ultimately considered venues too large for high school football. Fahey said Jesuit doesn't want to play "home" games at another high school as .

"It's going to happen, at Jesuit or someplace else," he said.

Another challenge Jesuit has faced athletically in the past decade has been the rise of nascent programs such as Folsom, Granite Bay and Elk Grove schools including , in areas where Jesuit traditionally recruited quality players.

"I'm excited about getting a new coach," said Josh Ehlers, a 1997 JHS graduate who played linebacker and fullback under Carmazzi and is now a CHP lieutentant in San Andreas. "I hope we can regain that prominence and success we've had as a program."

Blanton will be responsible for all football operations at Jesuit including oversight of the three competition teams and will play a supporting role with the for area students ages 6-14.

“We are very excited to welcome Coach Blanton,” Scott Brownholtz, president of the Junior Marauders, said in a released statement. “He has a track record of
success both on the football field, and in developing young men to achieve their potential.”

Blanton said he spoke with Sean Morris, a varsity assistant at Monterey Trail in Elk Grove and a former coaching colleague, who sold him on Jesuit.

"He said 'Jesuit is where we want to be,'" Blanton said. "It's a wonderful opportunity; anytime you're in a place for 31 years (as Carmazzi was) that's awesome and it means you're doing something right."

Blanton said he and his wife Jennifer are in the process of moving to the Sacramento area, preferably close to the Jacob Lane campus.

"We use the word 'brotherhood' and the slogan 'Men For Others' is what Jesuit is all about," he said. "I have the feeling this is going to be something special."

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