Auburn Journal boys athlete of the year: Del Oro's Caden Pinnick shines in three sports

In a world where parents and coaches are encouraging kids to specialize in one sport, Del Oro's Caden Pinnick stands out. Pinnick, who just completed his junior year, has caught the attention of NCAA Division I institutions in not one, not two, but three sports. Pinnick's only offer on the table right now is to play football at Brown University, but he has interest from Nevada, Boise State, Eastern Washington, Sacramento State, Utah State, and more going into his senior year. Pinnick is also on the radar of some Division I programs in basketball and baseball but no official offers have come in yet. He wants to go somewhere he can play multiple sports. "It'll unravel itself. I'm letting it come to me and not trying to jump the gun and decide where I want to go or what I want to play too early," said Pinnick. "I know God has me in his hand so whatever his plan is for me is what I will do." Pinnick's junior year didn't get off to as good of a start as his season statistics would have you believe. Despite an impressive showing at camp, he was not named the starting quarterback to begin the season and was platooning with senior Jake Hamilton. "I was obviously thinking that I was better QB while the competition was happening, but until I could prove that was the case, I was more focused on getting wide receivers onto my page and getting into the o-line to know what kind of quarterback I am," said Pinnick. "I was just being a good leader." While many players would feel sorry for themselves, complain, or even transfer schools, Pinnick stayed the course and eventually on the road against Clayton Valley Charter, he got his chance and ran with it. Pinnick stormed onto the scene with 264 passing yards and three touchdowns, giving the Golden Eagles an impressive 31-27 victory. From then on, he was named the starter. "That game really just gave us that confidence because years prior, I think a lot of people kind of thought Del Oro was down in football from what they used to be," said Pinnick. "But after that game, we got this sort of confidence that we can hang with anybody. We went on the road and beat a really good team." Pinnick led the Golden Eagles to a 7-0 start that included big wins over rivals Rocklin and Granite Bay. Del Oro finished its season 9-3 after falling in the D-II section semifinals, finishing with 22 passing touchdowns against just five interceptions. He was named offensive MVP of the Sierra Foothill League. Less than a week after the football season ended, he joined his teammates on the hardwood and scored double figures in his first five games of the season. Pinnick's junior year was his second varsity season after emerging as a key starter as a sophomore. "I was focused on football until the final whistle but being a multi-sport athlete, I know that you don't always have a lot of time with the transition into another sport," said Pinnick. "I really had a lot of great trainers and coaches around me to help me get ready. Coach Broyles always opens the gym and he's open to help. So that definitely played a part in me being ready for the season." Pinnick averaged a team-best 19 points per game, 3.2 assists per game, and nearly two steals as he helped lead the Golden Eagles to a second place SFL finish and first team all-league honors. Just like football however, the Golden Eagles were sent home earlier than expected as they were stunned by No. 14 Rodriguez in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. Pinnick said that the playoff losses add more fuel to the fire as he trains for his senior year. "There's a chip on my shoulder. Being a senior, I want to leave my legacy at Del Oro so even if it's winning a section championship, by all means we're gonna go get it in football and for basketball," said Pinnick. "There has not been a lot of success for their basketball team as in previous years, so I'm definitely trying to get back to what it was." Pinnick wouldn't be the only member of his family to leave his legacy with the black and gold. His cousin Stone Smartt was the quarterback for the Golden Eagles when they won the state championship in 2015 and was under center for their NorCal championship and state title defeat in 2016. Smartt, who now plays tight end for the Los Angeles Chargers, offered Pinnick advice all year and helped him overcome the adversity that he faced. "Stone has definitely helped throughout the season," said Pinnick. "He was constantly in my ear and kind of reminded me to continue to be a great leader because besides athletic abilities and what you can do on the field or off, it doesn't matter. It's what you can do with your teammates and as a good leader, so he's always put that into my head and I try to take that with me." As he prepares for his senior year, Pinnick said there is not one set sport he is focusing on. He spent his memorial day weekend at an AAU basketball camp and will be at Del Oro beginning summer football workouts this week. He is also a member of two MLB scout teams. "If I have a campone week, I'm flying back out to go home and I'll be home for one day," said Pinnick. "I guess that's what you can call my rest day but that's really to get prepared for the next week that I'm getting ready to go for. So yeah, for me there's not really a lot of rest days and I'm just constantly on the grind." Pinnick said that his goal is to lead Del Oro to section championships in football, basketball, and baseball this upcoming season.