Kennedy Catholic football coach Sheldon Cross returning to Division I level

Kennedy Catholic High School football coach Sheldon Cross, after guiding the Lancers to a Class 4A state championship game appearance last fall, is returning to the Division I level.

Following seven impressive seasons with the Lancers, Cross is set to join the Cal Poly staff as the program’s offensive coordinator, where he will reunite with Paul Wulff, who was announced as the Mustangs’ new head coach in December.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Cross said Wednesday. “It’s a really, really big-time university. It’s a beautiful area. After seven years of wonderful memories, and things I’ll never forget at Kennedy, I felt this was a good time to get back into college football, and go work with someone that I’ve known and I’m friends with and I trust. I think it’s the right time, and I’m excited about it.”

Cross first coached at the Division I level as a graduate assistant at Washington State back in 2010 when Wulff was the program’s head coach.

“I’m really excited to work for someone that I believe in and do everything that I can to help him and the Cal Poly program win football games,” Cross said.

Cal Poly is in San Luis Obispo, California.

Cross will also begin a second stint in the Big Sky Conference, continuing a football coaching career that began more than a decade ago.

A former quarterback at Stadium High School in Tacoma, Cross went on to play in college at Iowa Wesleyan and two seasons professionally in Europe.

He started coaching as a high school assistant at Interlake in Bellevue in 2006, eventually becoming the head coach for three seasons and leading the program to the 2A state playoffs in both 2008 and 2009.

Following his season as a graduate assistant at WSU, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Division II New Mexico-Highlands in 2011, then coached tight ends at Illinois State in 2012.

Cross then spent three seasons at Idaho State from 2013-15, including one as the program’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2015.

He became Kennedy Catholic’s head coach in 2016 and compiled 55 wins in seven seasons, including leading the program to the 4A state playoffs twice.

“We announce Coach Cross’ leaving with a mixture of joy and sadness,” Kennedy Catholic president and principal Matthew Mohs said in a release from the school Tuesday. “We are grateful for where Coach has taken the football program during his tenure and we are sorry to lose him; however, we are happy for this new opportunity and wish him and his family well. He will always be part of the Lancer Family.”

Cross also posted a farewell message Tuesday afternoon on social media, thanking the Kennedy Catholic community.

“These past seven years have been an absolute blessing,” Cross wrote. “I am honored to have been the fourth Head Football Coach for the historic Kennedy Catholic High School Football Program.

“Words cannot express how grateful my family and I are to be welcomed into the Lancer Family. Kennedy Catholic is a high school unlike any other. The soul and essence of what it means to be a Lancer is something I will never forget.”

Cross was named The News Tribune’s All-Area offensive coordinator of the year last fall after leading the Lancers to a 12-2 record and appearance in the 4A state title game — the best finish in program history.

Kennedy Catholic piled up 594 points — averaging 42.4 per contest — to lead all of 4A in scoring during the 2022 season. The Lancers’ offense averaged 412.8 yards per game and scored 72 total touchdowns during the historic run.

Cross was also named the 4A NPSL coach of the year after the Lancers locked up a fourth consecutive undefeated league title. Kennedy Catholic has not lost a league contest since 2018.

Three Lancers — running back and linebacker Xe’ree Alexander, offensive and defensive lineman Micah Banuelos and all-purpose standout Mason Hayes — were TNT All-Area picks and all-state selections during Cross’ final season.

Banuelos (USC), Alexander (Idaho) and wide receiver Maclane Watkins (Hawaii) signed with Division I programs in December.

Kennedy Catholic consistently produced college-bound players during Cross’ seven seasons, including several Power Five signees.

Both wide receiver Justin Baker (California) and edge rusher Sav’ell Smalls (Washington) signed with Pac-12 schools in 2020.

After breaking the state passing record in his final game running Cross’ Air Raid, five-star quarterback Sam Huard, who was also TNT All-Area player of the year and state Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2021, signed with UW.

Huard’s top receivers, Lonyatta Alexander Jr. (Arizona State, UW) and Jabez Tinae (UW), also signed with Pac-12 schools after completing historic careers with the Lancers.

“We had an amazing group of people play for us at Kennedy for seven years,” Cross said. “Awesome people that wanted to go be the best that they could be, and go on and play in college.

“This (2023) class, by the time all of these guys sign, we will have ended up with 30-plus players that have gone on to play in college.”

While Cross now begins this new chapter back at the Division I level, he said having coached at Kennedy Catholic the past seven seasons “means everything.”

“There’s so many memories that I’ll have forever, and I’m just so proud of what we were able to accomplish,” he said.