Cal Football

Bear Insider Video: Rancho Cotate Safety Sai Vadrawale

By Jim McGill

August 27, 2022

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6-0/170 Rancho Cotati (Rohnert Park, CA) High School safety Sailasa Vadrawale‍ was a revelation last night in his squad’s 42-16 win over Las Lomas. Though he didn’t see a lot of passes, he still had two TDs, where he dodged and dove his way into the end zone. Though they hardly threw his way on defense, he still had a goal-line interception. And though they never punted to him, he still had a 60-yard scoop and score TD off a punt block.

“I just do anything to win,” said Vadrawale. “The biggest thing for me is anything I can do to put points on the scoreboard and win the game at the end of the day, whatever I have to do to help us get there. I’ve been gifted by God to be blessed to be able to play football. All the glory to him.”

“He’s just like one of those special athletes that just comes along every once in a while,” said Rancho Cotati’s receivers coach Ryan Reese. “It’s almost like you don’t have to coach him, yet he’s so coachable, even though he can do whatever he wants on the field. But he still listens to detail and works on his craft. He looks like he’s just out there winging it but there’s really a lot of focus and concentration and work behind it.”

The 2-way star is certainly a threat on the offensive side of the ball but his future home at Cal on the defensive side of the ball is where his heart lies.

“I like to pride myself on my play on the defensive side of the ball,” said Vadrawale. As far as his preference between offense and defense: “Defense, for sure. I love tackling. Offense just gets points on the board.”

The talented 2-way player has established a strong bond with his future position coaches Tre Watson and Terrence Brown and keeps the communication lines open every day.

“I talk to Coach Tre and Coach Brown most every day,” said Vadrawale. “Good motivation every time they text me and talk to me. They send me positive into and stuff like that.”

With Memorial Stadium just 50 miles away, Vadrawale intends to be a frequent fixture at Cal games this season as he gets ready for his next step in his career.

“Oh yeah, I’m for sure going to abuse that,” said Vadrawale with a smile. “I’ll be using lots of tickets there this season.”