Lenny Vandermade has been busy since leaving St. Ignatius in January.

The offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Santa Margarita High has moved his family back down to his home of Southern California, built a new culture with head coach Carson Palmer and settled into his role with aplomb.

That success has led Santa Margarita to the CIF Open Division state championship game, where the Eagles will face De La Salle at 8 p.m. Saturday at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

But that doesn’t mean Vandermade hasn’t been keeping up with the Wildcats. Though his new job pulls him in a different direction, he’s stayed apprised of the latest at SI.

Under new coach JaJuan Lawson – Vandermade’s offensive coordinator during his tenure – the Wildcats won the Central Coast Section Division

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