NorCal/SoCal Players of the Week

Two of this week’s NorCal/SoCal Players of the Week are Khalil Tate from Serra of Gardena (left) and Kaden Voges of Sacramento. Photos: StudentSports.com & Mark Tennis.

Note: For purposes of this feature, we are considering the CIF Central Section to be in the north.

To nominate a player for next week, email markjtennis@gmail.com by Monday at 12 noon and be sure to include a photo that we can use (which means it’s not from the local newspaper or from another web site).

It’s also a great time to sign up for our Gold Club to see all of our great content. The yearly rate is going up possibly as early as next week. For details, CLICK HERE.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week

Caden Voges (Sacramento) Sr.

He’s had bigger games, even this year with 442 yards passing in a 42-28 loss to Vista del Lago of Folsom, and it wasn’t against solid competition, but Voges accomplished something after he completed 16 of 27 passes for 338 yards and three TDs in a 63-0 win over Laguna Creek of Elk Grove that only five others in state history have done before.

Those yards put the senior above 10,000 yards for his career as a starter with the Dragons. Heading into this week, it’s 10,271 to be precise. Before last season, there were only three on the Cal-Hi Sports all-time state list above 10,000 – Michael Herrick of Valencia, Jimmy Clausen from Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and Jake Browning of Folsom (who still had his senior season left to play). Joining last year were Sam Metcalf of Farmersville (who passed Herrick for second on the all-time list and currently sits in second at 11,913 well behind Browning at 16,775) and Brady White from Hart of Newhall.

Voges, who also is a standout catcher in baseball, may pass Herrick’s total of 11,202 but it doesn’t look like the Dragons are strong enough this season to go deep into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs so getting close to Metcalf’s total isn’t likely.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Defensive Player of the Week

Austin Martins (Orestimba, Newman) Sr.

In a 49-21 win by Warriors over Mariposa County of Mariposa that improved their record to 6-0, Martins once again stood out, this time with 10 tackles and a pair of interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.

The 5-11, 190-pound senior, like many others for small school teams, also of course does a lot on both sides of the ball. Against Mariposa, he also rushed for 166 yards on 29 carries and scored twice.

For the season, Martins is up to six interceptions and is averaging nearly 11 tackles per game on defense. On offense, he has 880 yards rushing and 11 TDs plus an 85-yard kickoff return TD that was instrumental in Orestimba’s closest win of the season (49-43) vs. Ripon Christian.

Matt Blair of Campolindo has been adept at making long field goals and booting kickoffs out of the end zone. Photo: kohlskicking.com.

Matt Blair (Campolindo, Moraga) Sr.

The preseason all-state second team kicker is having a spectacular season so far for the 2014 CIF Division III state champions.

In a 47-20 victory last Friday vs. Alhambra of Martinez, Blair broke his own school record by making a 46-yard field goal. He also was 5-for-5 on PATs, 6-for-6 on kickoff touchbacks (four went through the back of the end zone) and had a punt that pinned Alhambra at its own 15-yard line in the fourth quarter.

For the season, Blair has only had the opportunity to make one other field goal, but he is 27-for-28 on PATs and 29-for-33 on kickoff touchbacks.

Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Offensive Player of the Week

Khalil Tate (Serra, Gardena) Sr.

Showing why he is a big-time recruit and heading to Arizona next year, this dual threat quarterback has had some big weeks all season long and we felt that now would be a great time to pick him as one of our players of the week.

In Serra’s 41-38 win over Bishop Amat of La Puente that matched two top 10 teams in the state, Tate not only passed for over 200 yards but also rushed for over 200 yards at the same time and for the second time this season. He completed 10 of his 15 pass attempts for 208 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries, including a highlight reel game-winning 50-yard touchdown run in the closing two minutes. To see this run, CLICK HERE.

Despite missing Serra’s loss to Corona Centennial due to a player ejection from the previous game, Tate has passed for 1,081 yards and seven touchdowns on the season while rushing for 1,083 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week

Liam Buhl (San Clemente) Sr.

Despite being listed at just 5-8 and 165 pounds, Buhl blew his way past Capistrano Valley’s offensive line and recorded five sacks and forced a fumble during a 42-6 win for the Tritons.

Mentioned as a player to watch on the Triton roster before the season started, Buhl also had four solo tackles and two assists against Capo Valley. So far this season, Buhl has greatly contributed to a team that has been among the best in Orange County despite the graduation loss of OC Player of the Year Sam Darnold.

Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Special Teams Player of the Week

Asa Fuller (Servite, Anaheim) Jr.

While Fuller wasn’t part of Servite’s game-winning two-point conversion or the preceding touchdown in the final seconds that allowed the Friars to beat JSerra of San Juan Capistrano 39-38 last Friday, it’s easy to see that his 46-yard field goal earlier the game was very important as well.

Fuller, just a junior, also went 4-for-4 on PATs against JSerra. In addition, the 46-yard field goal kept him perfect on the season at 5-for-5 on field goal attempts. He’s also 14-for-15 on the season on PATs.

Thanks to Stockton office assistant editor Paul Muyskens for contributions to this post. Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports