Central Catholic’s two-way star is The Bee’s football player of the year

Not many high school quarterbacks turn around and also play defense. If they do, chances are they do not line up at two different positions and lay punishing, game-impacting hits.

That’s where Central Catholic’s TP Wentworth is different.

Wentworth, who played in 44 career football games for the Raiders, is more than just a quarterback. In his senior season, he lined up in the defensive backfield at safety and rushed the opposing team’s quarterback as a defensive end.

“I love playing defense, I love getting after it and being physical,” he said after a nonleague game against Serra. “Rushing the quarterback is my favorite thing to do apart from throwing touchdowns.”

Statistically, Wentworth did it all for the Raiders, who reached the Division I semifinals for the second straight season. Many times, spectators left games thinking the same thing: TP was the best player on the field on both sides of the ball.

Wentworth as a senior passed for 2,069 yards with 25 touchdowns and just seven interceptions, rushed for 386 yards with 10 scores, led the team in sacks (4) and finished tied for best on the team in tackles for loss (2), interceptions (2), fumble recoveries (2) and caused fumbles (1). He was named Valley Oak League co-Outstanding Offensive Player as a junior and league MVP as a senior.

After finishing his high school career with a section championship, state championship appearance and a pair of deep Division I playoff runs, TP Wentworth is The Bee’s Football Player of the Year.

Wentworth was thrown into the starting quarterback role as a sophomore after a season-ending knee injury to senior Dominic Perino during the Holy Bowl against St. Mary’s. After the two competed for the job during Wentworth’s freshman year, a year later, he led the Raiders to a win against their rivals.

“I felt ready. I was competing with Dominic for that whole summer and was there every day before practice, after practice getting extra reps,” Wentworth said. “Him going down was super unfortunate. But I think we made each other better. That was the best part about it. My dream has always been to play varsity for four years.”

As a sophomore, Wentworth mainly handed the ball off to a pair of dominant running backs: Aiden Taylor and Julian Lopez. The Raiders won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title and advanced to the CIF D-II state championship.

During his next two years, he took control of the offense. As a junior, his passing yards, attempts and touchdowns increased, and as a senior, his stats and control over the offense increased once again.

This season, with the addition of quarterbacks coach Tim Garcia, the Raiders’ offense was truly a dual-threat outfit. It still boasted a 1,000-yard rusher, but Wentworth posted career highs in passing yards, completion percentage, average yards per completion, passing yards per game, passing touchdowns and quarterback rating.

“He (coach Roger Canepa) was able to put the ball in my hands, which I was super appreciative of,” Wentworth said. “Central Catholic is known for their great running game and the running backs they’ve had in the past are just legends. I think being able to mix it up and pass and run at the same time just hurts the defense and makes it more of a challenge for them.”

The defensive highlights were impressive as well. From a one-handed interception against St. Mary’s to chasing down some of the state’s best quarterbacks for sacks or a big hit on a Manteca receiver to seal a VOL title as the time expired, Wentworth made sure his impact was felt.

Central Catholic’s dominance through every section is well documented and during his time as a Raider, Wentworth and his teams laid the finishing touches.

After winning the 2021 Division II section title, the Raiders jumped to play the section’s toughest teams in Division I because of the section’s continued-success rule. During his career, he played against the best schools in California and the surrounding states. In his junior year, the Raiders played nationally ranked St. John Bosco and California’s best in Serra, St. Francis and eventual Division I section champion Folsom. His senior season, they took on Serra once again and beat Bishop Manogue, which won the 2023 NIAA Football Playoffs Class 5A Division II state title.

“Central’s had great programs for years, so they’ve slowly moved up every single year and I’m super grateful that I got to be at the end part of that where I got to play in Division I,” he said. “That’s how I’m wired. I want to play against the best. That’s how you really see where your game is at.”

Safe to say, competition runs through his veins. Literally and figuratively.

Wentworth’s father, Kevin, was a three-sport athlete at Manteca High, playing basketball, football and golf. He went on to become a three-time First Team All-American golfer at Oklahoma State and played professionally on the PGA Tour.

TP, a three-sport athlete who also plays baseball and basketball, says he learned a lot from his dad.

“Since I was in probably fifth or sixth grade, that’s been my goal,” said TP who like his dad is left-handed. “Listening to his stories and how he went through each season really helped me realize I could totally do this. And I love all three sports.

“A lot of people don’t see the hours and hours of work that he’s put in. He used to be on the range at the Manteca golf course and he picked the balls up by hand so he could play the golf course for free at the end of the day. So just those kinds of things, I think, are what really separated him.”

Wentworth’s mother, Diane, was a two-sport athlete — volleyball and track — at the University of Nevada. “She sometimes is put in the background but she’s just as good an athlete as me and my dad. She’s a competitor in anything we do.”

Wentworth is a difference maker on the gridiron but could have a future in another sport. While he also received All-VOL honors in basketball, he is a national baseball recruit as a pitcher and outfielder. He is committed to play at Clemson.

He says he has a new appreciation for football after a successful high school career and has not completely shut the door on playing in college.

“I love them both,” he said of baseball and football. “So I just don’t want to close the door just yet. So I’m just gonna see what’s available and what my options are.”