Football:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

There are many high school football players in the San Gabriel Valley that work their butts off from the first practice of their freshman season to the moment he see’s triple zeros on the scoreboard, which signifies the end of that prep career some four years later.

But it would be difficult to find an athlete that dedicates more time on the practice field, in the weight room and in the classroom like St. Francis senior Tanner Tomko.

Over his time at the La Canada school, Tomko has also competed for both the Lacrosse and baseball programs.

But Tomko’s true passion is football and that’s where he made his name and earned the unanimous respect of his peers, teammates and coaches.

The only thing more impressive than Tomko’s work ethic and raw athletic ability is the character that defines who he is.

The 2019 football season was a perfect example of Tomko’s character and selflessness.

In spite of continually fighting through nagging injuries and playing hobbled, Tomko had as big a smile after wins, whether he was on the field contributing or unable to play and watching from the sidelines.

He was all about ‘us’ and not ‘I’, which is rarely the case, regardless of sport or level of play.

Along with fellow Golden Knights Devan Bell, Aidan Flynn and Kevin Armstead, Tomko helped guide St. Francis to its first Angelus League title since 2014.

Even though he missed a few games, Tomko still found a way to make major contributions to the eight-win season for St. Francis.

His 57 tackles was second best to Matthew Cortes,’ who led the Golden Knights with 71 tackles.

He caught 20 passes for 285 yards and Tomko was second to Bryson Reeves with seven receiving touchdowns.

In the biggest game of his senior year, Tomko was hobbled, but he found a way to pick off a pass and bring it back a ways to set up a field goal from Jake Smith in the 38-0 beatdown of arch rival Cathedral.

He did all that, while maintaining a 3.9 grade-point average.

It’s because of all he accomplished and who he is as a person and student-athlete that made it possible for Tomko to sign his letter of intent on Wednesday to compete next season at the University of San Diego.

His parents, Tim and Tammy Tomko were at St. Francis Wednesday morning to watch their son see his hard work pay off.

Aside from his senior year and all he did, Tomko had a very solid junior season and even got in on defense for that special 2017 team that made an appearance in the CIF-SS Division 3 title game.

In 2018, Tomko led St. Francis in catches (40) and receiving yards (791) and he was second to Bryson Reeves with his seven TD catches. Reeves had eight that year.

Tomko’s 72 tackles at linebacker was second to Will Stewart’s 73 tackles.

He and Jacob Buntich had a team-high four sacks apiece that year.

And in 2017, Tomko had 27 tackles as well as one sack and an interception.

Lastly, we asked Tomko to comment on why he chose San Diego and what St. Francis, the football program, his teammates, coaches and family have meant to him and the role they played in his success.

Said Tomko: “I would like to thank my parents for everything they’ve done to help me succeed. From driving me to 6 am practices to coming to my games to cheer me on. Without their help, support, and encouragement, I wouldn’t be able to be the person I am today. They’ve taught me to keep fighting and never give up when times get tough. Although they might not have taught me the skills portion of the game, they taught me character. Their role has played a huge part in making me the player I am and I can’t thank them enough for that.

I really wanted to play at the Division 1 level. I initially considered Bucknell University on the in Pennsylvania, however, after thinking about it for a couple of weeks, I decided I wanted to stay on the West Coast. I had an opportunity at UC Davis, but after I visited the University of San Diego, I knew that was the place for me. A beautiful campus with a very strong academic reputation. Most importantly, they have a history of winning, having won the last six or seven league championships. The coaching staff really made me feel at home and I enjoyed hanging out with the guys on the team, as well as my fellow recruits during my official visit weekend.

I’m most excited about the opportunity to join a winning program at a school in a fantastic city. Plus it is close enough to home that my parents can easily get to games to see me play. I am anxious to get started and plan on working really hard this spring and summer in the hopes of earning significant playing time as a freshman, although I know it will be tough.

St. Francis has been a great experience for me and one I would recommend for anyone looking for a great high school. I came into high school never having played tackle football. My freshman coaches (Strazeri and Durfee) really gave me a solid foundation. When I moved to varsity my sophomore year, Coach Bonds Coach Gibbons, and the entire staff really worked with me and showed a lot of faith in my abilities. I cannot thank Coach Bonds enough for believing in me, along with my position coaches (Coach Traver-Linebacker and Coach Carrol-Tight End). Those two coaches really spent a lot of time working with me during my three years on varsity. I was very raw and they really taught me everything I needed to know about all of the positions I was going to play.

As for my teammates, I cannot thank them enough for their support. I know everyone says it, but we truly formed a bond with each other. Maybe it was being at an all boys school, but the friendships and memories I made will last a lifetime. I am really going to miss Friday nights at Friedman Field, as there is no better place in Southern California to play football. The student body, faculty, and parents truly make it a great place to play. It will be a hard place to leave behind.”