The fall teams set the tone and the spring sports wrapped up a fantastic school year for Bishop O’Dowd across the 2018-2019 athletic seasons. Oh, and those winter sports added their own high levels of success as well, showcasing a well-rounded athletic program on the Oakland campus.

“Having football right out of the gate, we hope to inspire and create momentum for the rest of the sports,” said O’Dowd football coach Napoleon Kaufman. “We understand that role and we embrace it.”

The Dragons certainly lived up to expectations on the gridiron once again last season. O’Dowd edged Marin Catholic for the NCS Division II crown, beating the Wildcats 16-15 in the final game of the season to hoist a section championship plaque for the second time in the last three seasons. And yet, the football team might not have even been able to claim that it was the top fall team on campus.

The O’Dowd girls volleyball squad was every bit as impressive as the football team, not even dropping a single set during an unbeaten run through the WACC-Foothill Division and then doing the same during the NCS playoffs, sweeping all four opponents to claim the Division II title, with impressive 3-0 wins over Carondelet and Campolindo in the final two rounds, the latter erasing an early-season loss to the Cougars. The Dragons then ousted Saint Francis-Mountain View, California, St. Francis-Sacramento and Archbishop Mitty to claim the CIF Division I NorCal title before falling to Temecula Valley in the state title game.

“It’s like a theme on campus, ‘you did it, so let’s do it’,” Kaufman added. “That atmosphere creates momentum for all the teams.”

And yet, the accolades for the O’Dowd athletic department were just beginning to pile up. After capturing another WACC-Foothill in girls basketball, the Dragons stormed to another NCS title, defeating Miramonte for the Division II title. Then it was another run deep into the state playoffs, this time beating Bear Creek-Stockton for the CIF NorCal Division I crown before falling to Rosary Academy-Fullerton in the state title game. The boys nearly equaled the girls on the hardwood, falling by four points to Moreau Catholic in the NCS Division II title game and reaching the regional semifinals in the CIF NorCal Division I bracket, all after claiming a share of the WACC-Foothill title.

If that was not impressive enough, the Dragons also had outdoor success during the winter season. The O’Dowd boys soccer team claimed a section title of its own, beating Ygnacio Valley in the NCS Division III title game, while the girls fell to eventual NCS Division II champion Montgomery in the section playoffs.

Meanwhile, as winter turned to spring, the Dragons were far from done achieving success. The diamond was an especially successful venue for O’Dowd, as both the baseball and softball teams played on the same Saturday at Diablo Valley College for NCS championships. While the baseball team fell to Alhambra in its section title game, the softball team staged a late rally to defeat in the Division II championship.

“Having just completed my 15th year coaching at Bishop O’Dowd, and having had my own two children graduate from the school, I can say that our students go on to do great and a lot of that is because of their development on this campus,” said Dragons softball coach Mike Cobb. “O’Dowd provides the perfect culture for today’s young people to thrive and succeed at not only their athletic ventures, but in life.”

Cobb’s comments are echoed by current student-athletes at the school.

“The culture around campus is very supportive, and it challenges you to be your best self academically, spiritually, athletically and socially,” said football player Sterling Stokes, who is a major Division I recruit. “O’Dowd has always had a rich tradition in athletics, and being a student-athlete, you want to help continue that tradition. The coaches also have the knack of putting each student-athlete in the right situation to be successful.”

For its success across the entire athletic department, winning multiple league and section titles among both boys and girls sports and reaching multiple state title games, we are pleased to recognize Bishop O’Dowd as the Prep2Prep Northern California Private School of the Year for the 2018-2019 school year.