The Tulare County high school football season is underway.
With that comes a nearly 70-year tradition in Visalia.
The Visalia Quarterback Club will hold its weekly meeting every Thursday this season at Cafe 210 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. The club brings together Visalia's football community — coaches, players, members and fans from all five of the city's high schools and College of the Sequoias.
The Visalia QB Club was formed in the early 1960s and the first head chair leader was John Monson.
The club went on hiatus for several years in the mid-2000s before being revived by local businessman Stan Simpson and others in 2010.
Tony Casares, a former Mt. Whitney and COS athlete, is now the head chair leader and the entertainment/emcee.
The Golden West administration organizes each event, led by athletic director John DeLong and communications specialist April Costa.
At its meetings, the club highlights each school's star player of the week. Coaches, one by one, also share their football stories and thoughts on the games. Lunch is provided for players and two guests. The meetings are open to the public, including non-members. QB club membership fees are $110 for the season, which is tax deductible.
Delong first attended the Visalia QB Club as a player in the 1980s. He took over as one of the club's main organizers in 2016.
"The older I get, the more proud I am of it," Delong said. "You have a good time and an appreciation for it. It's just really a Visalia thing. It's just unique. It's the coolest thing."
More: Tulare County football: Everything you need to know for the 2024 season
Casares joined the club's festivities in the 1980s after earning player of the week honors as a player three times at Mt. Whitney and COS in the '70s.
In 1983, former club president Drew Sorenson approached Casares to be the head cheerleader, leading the club's cheer team. He was also the club's vice president at one time. The club used to meet in the mornings.
Casares was also behind the club revival about a decade and a half ago, and was also one of the men responsible for expanding the club to include Exeter, Farmersville, Lindsay and Woodlake.
This year, Exeter, Farmersville, Strathmore and Woodlake formed their own Orange Belt QB Club, which launched its first meeting on Aug. 22. That club meets every Thursday morning at 6:30 a.m. in Exeter.
Casares, a retired teacher and coach, has been involved with Visalia football at one point or another for nearly 50 years.
"Visalia football is something that's been in my life forever, including at COS," Casares said. "For me, it's a very special thing, even for my family. My wife, my children, my two boys and my daughter, they all got involved.
"They were going with me because I would take them to school right after quarterback club. They would go with me to quarterback club on Thursday mornings and then I would take them to school. My daughter still lives in Visalia. She's 39 years old and she can remember as a 4- or 5-year-old kid still going down there and just hanging out and doing cheers with her dad in front of everybody. I still have men talking about those days. It's a really special thing for me."
How has the club been able to stay alive?
"Even though we're a large community, we still have an organization that celebrates an individual achievement by their child with their families involved," Casares said. "A lot of organizations, the kid just goes. It's not a big thing for the families. But we think it's a huge thing for the families, so we encourage them to bring little brothers and sisters, grandmas, grandpas — you name it — whoever is involved. It really is fun because you get to see families."
What makes football in Visalia special?
"Our coaches have always gotten along despite being extremely competitive," Casares said. "Going all the way back to when I was a kid and in high school. The coaching staff knew each other and they all got along. That fostered positive relationships and they did things together.
"Even though they were competitors on the football field, they went to coaching clinics together, so they really fostered a relationship that was really special for us. I saw those relationships and I thought, 'Wow, this is really cool.' I think that's really what helped and fostered the relationships now. Although they all had their egos, they were still friends. That friendship evolved, and I think that has continued."
COS athletic director Brent Davis still attends the Visalia QB club meetings when he can.
"It's great," Davis said. "You can't get another host or emcee better than Tony Casares, who's a former COS student-athlete who played football here. It's great. It's just something that keeps the community together. You get to recognize young people for the work that they put in. It's a lot of fun."
More: 'They proved it': Tulare Western defense stands tall in win over El Diamante
Performances of the week
Every week, the Times-Delta/Advance-Register will recognize the top football performances of the week (Coaches, email your top impact players to vyang2@gannett.com ).
Here are this week's top performers:
- Andrew Alvarado, El Diamante: Alvarado scored a touchdown on a two-yard run.
- Case Anders, Golden West: Anders rushed for 23 yards and also grabbed seven passes for 92 yards and a receiving touchdown.
- Juan Arroyo, Lindsay: Arroyo had two tackles and three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.
- Isaiah Colunga, Strathmore: Colunga passed for 97 yards and also rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown.
- Jose Cortes, Lindsay: Cortes erupted for 175 rushing yards on 23 carries.
- Jordan Crisp, Redwood: Crisp accounted for four touchdowns, including three passing.
- Jace Desoto, Porterville: Desoto piled up a dozen tackles.
- David Flores, Woodlake: Flores finished with five catches for 118 yards and a touchdown.
- Noah Gomez, Woodlake: Gomez had two interceptions.
- Abee Hernandez, Strathmore: Hernandez added 45 yards rushing and a touchdown. He also had 13 tackles on defense.
- Malachi King, Mission Oak: King found the end zone on a 53-yard touchdown scamper.
- Aaron Medina, Woodlake: Medina intercepted two passes.
- Caden Lawrance, Golden West: Lawrance scored on a five-yard touchdown reception.
- Jayden Najera, Golden West: Najera completed 22-of-33 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns.
- Isaac Oceguera, Golden West: Oceguera found the end zone on a 22-yard touchdown snag.
- Cadillac Pina, Golden West: Pina had three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.
- Aldo Rodriguez, Woodlake: Rodriguez threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
- Jose Rodriguez, Woodlake: Rodriguez hit paydirt on a 29-yard touchdown catch.
- Ramon Rodriguez, Strathmore: Rodriguez had a rushing touchdown and 47 yards rushing.
- Enrique Segura, Redwood: Segura racked up a team-high 16 tackles.
- Achilles Sierra, Mission Oak: Sierra rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown and also rifled a 76-yard touchdown pass.
- D.J. Shimer, Monache: Shimer ran for 127 yards and a touchdown. He also added 121 yards on kickoff return.
- Amarion Taylor, Tulare Western: Taylor hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass.
- Aubrey Taylor, Tulare Western: The Mustangs' free safety picked off three passes.
- Dominic Wilson, Tulare Union: Wilson led the defense with nine tackles.
Tulare County Cream of the Crop Power Rankings
Overview of the top five teams in Tulare County:
1. Tulare Union (1-0): Quarterback Jordan Crisp accounted for four touchdowns (three passing, rushing) in the Tribe's season-opening 34-21 win over St. Joseph.
Up next: El Diamante (0-1)
2. CVC (0-1): The Don Arax era began with a 27-12 loss at Clovis.
Up next: Tulare Western (1-0)
3. Mt. Whitney (0-1): The Pioneers are coming off a 34-23 defeat at San Luis Obispo.
Up next: Morro Bay (1-0)
4. Redwood (0-1): The Rangers dropped their season against Centennial, falling 31-21.
Up next: Clovis North (1-0)
5. Porterville (1-0): The Panthers topped Wasco 40-12 in their season opener.
Up next: Cesar Chavez (0-1)
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: The Visalia QB Club: A Tulare County tradition since the 1960s. Plus top performers, power rankings
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