Cannon Sports Podcast

A former Division-1 defensive back at Washington State, Aire Justin has dedicated his post-playing career to ensuring young athletes have the technical skills, character and mentality to succeed in football and far beyond. An influential voice throughout the football community at all levels, Justin serves both as Director of Football at DNA Prep Academy and defensive coordinator at Calabasas High School, all while specializing in p...

Already among the nation's most-accomplished high school basketball coaches, Josh Giles led the 2022 Corona Centennial Huskies to a California Open Division state championship and was named MaxPreps' national coach of the year. On the Cannon Sports Podcast, Coach Giles breaks down the year-to-year adaptations necessary for sustained success and the mentality it takes to play for a nationally-ranked program with a constant...

Matt Sargeant's Sherman Oaks Notre Dame basketball teams have consistently ranked among the top programs in the state and nation since assuming control in 2017. On the heels of the Knights' first ever CIF Open Division playoff experience, Notre Dame is poised for even greater heights, having landed high-impact transfers Caleb Foster and Mercy Miller to team with Dusty Stromer on what Sargeant calls the most talented roste...

Born and raised in Southern California's San Fernando Valley, Paul Tait has both witnessed and contributed to the region's rich basketball history – coaching future NBA stars Jrue Holiday and Spencer Dinwiddie at previous stops, and now leading the wildly-successful Heritage Christian program. 

A former assistant at Springfield College, the "birthplace of basketball," Tait has a deep appreciation for th...

Scott Altenberg has collected three state titles and more than 200 wins in 23 years at the head of the Gardena Serra football program, while helping more than a dozen players to the NFL. On the Cannon Sports Podcast, Altenberg talks about the similarities between current Cavaliers defensive back Rodrick Pleasant and Serra alum, ex-USC star and former NFL first-rounder Adoree Jackson, and breaks down the culture and brotherhood cons...

Evan Yabu took over a Thousand Oaks football program that had gone winless over the 2018 and 2019 seasons, quickly transforming them into a Conejo Valley power. The Lancers are undefeated and leading the Canyon League in Yabu's third season as head coach, largely thanks to a 21st century "holistic" approach to coaching – one that relies on science, analytics, and spiritual and emotional health. 

More from th...

Newbury Park High School Football is off to an undefeated start in its first season under Panthers alum Joe Smigiel. On the Cannon Sports Podcast, the first-year head coach discusses coaching his son and freshman QB phenom Brady Smigiel, the changes to the program he sought to make on day one, and the dividends they've been paying ahead of league play.

More from this episode:
• The importance of football in the No...

Dean Herrington's coaching career has produced nine CIF titles, two state championships and handful of NFL quarterbacks in Kyle Boller and Matt Moore. In his second season at the helm of the St. Francis Golden Knights football program, Herrington seeks to add to that championship legacy, as well as to continue the legacy of longtime personal friend and St. Francis' coach of 20 years, Jim Bonds, who died of cancer in 2020....

A former member of the undefeated 2007 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football program, Adam Leonard knows a thing or two about winning big games. Now defensive coordinator at Warren High School and a top assistant to head coach Kevin Pearson, Leonard takes an active role in influencing program culture, and has a front row seat to the nation's No. 4 recruit, Nico Iamaleava.

More from this episode:
• Early season outlook ...

LA Daily News prep sports writer Tarek Fattal gives his early season takes on the Southern California high school football landscape. On the Cannon Sports Podcast, Fattal breaks down quarterback stock risers Ryan Staub and Ty Dieffenbach, predicts with North LA teams can "mix it up" with Trinity League programs down south, and shares his opinion on NIL at the high school level and the changing nature of amateurism.

One of the more distinguished backgrounds of any coach in Southern California, Charlie Collins' career stems from All-American roots and a stint in the CFL before settling into coaching, among his early successes helping to mold Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson and Steve Smith Sr. into two of the most dominant NFL receivers in a generation. The head man at Oaks Christian since 2018, Collins' programs have boasted star p...

Romeo Pellum has achieved what many of his athletes at Long Beach Millikan strive for – a Division-1 college football career and an opportunity to compete in the NFL. Himself a North Long Beach native, the Rams head coach further serves as a mentor to those who share a similar upbringing, his personal story of triumph over adversity providing a message of hope throughout his team and community. 

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Jon Ellinghouse has led Sierra Canyon football to a meteoric rise since assuming control of the program in 2007, when the Trailblazers were a member of the 8-man Alpha League. A short while later, Sierra Canyon had made the jump to the 11-man ranks, taking home its first of five CIF titles and two California State Championship in 2011. Now a member of the prestigious Mission League, and having ascended to the CIF's Division 2 ...

When longtime head coach Ed Croson retired from Chaminade College Prep football following the 2021 season, David Machuca was quickly elevated to assume the program's top role. On the Cannon Sports Podcast, Coach Machuca discusses his expectations for the Eagles and for himself in his first season as head coach, the high-level competition in the San Fernando Valley's Mission League, and the value of forging strong relation...

In his first season back with the Orange Lutheran football program, Rod Sherman led the Lancers to the CIF Southern Section Division-2 championship, capped off by a second-half comeback against Alemany in the title game. 

On the Cannon Sports Podcast, Coach Sherman revisits the 2021 championship and its most rewarding aspects, discusses the need for perspective and support for athletes, parents and coaches alike, and remem...

A 28-year veteran of the Newport Beach Police Department, including a stint as lieutenant in the department's narcotics division, JSerra football coach Scott McKnight's background is unique compared to his peers in the Trinity League. On the Cannon Sports Podcast, Coach McKnight discusses his law enforcement background and its parallels to his coaching career. More from this episode:

-Emphasis on special teams an...

Troy Thomas led Servite to the 2021 CIF Southern Section Divison-1 Championship game – the first time since 2015 a team other than St. John Bosco or Mater Dei played for the title. On the Cannon Sports Podcast, Coach Thomas discusses how his Friars program could help usher in a new era of parity in the Trinity League. More from this episode:

-Coaching in high school vs. coaching in college
-Managing the college recruit...