Presented by ATHLETETRAX, this week’s best includes several from two of the wildest games in state history, a 78-74 win by Western Christian of Upland over Whittier Christian and a 68-55 win by Cathedral City over Coachella Valley of Thermal. El Toro QB Trey Tinsley also goes bonkers once again.
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Thanks to Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend, Ronnie Flores and CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett for contributing items this week. This honor roll is for games played from Sept. 25 to Sept. 27.
PASSING
Trey Tinsley (El Toro, Lake Forest)
With the Chargers trailing 27-14 after three quarters, he led a fourth quarter comeback in a 34-33 win over Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo. Tinsley finished the night 35 of 55 for 548 yards and four touchdowns. In one game last year, Tinsley set state records by completed 50 of 75 for 512 yards and six TDs against Villa Park.
Darius Hulsey (Coachella Valley, Thermal)
There were several stat stars from the wild-and-wacky 68-55 win by Cathedral City over Coachella Valley and we’ll begin with this junior QB from Coachella. Hulsey completed 25 of 51 passes for 460 yards and three TDs. As a team, Coachella Valley had 755 yards while Cathedral City had 586.
Nick Brown (Rancho Alamitos, Garden Grove)
Before watching the second half from the sideline, Brown completed 21 of his 34 pass attempts for 417 yards and six touchdowns as the Vaqueros led 55-0 at halftime in a 55-21 win 55-21 over Santa Ana Godinez. Brown earlier this season had 481 yards and seven TD passes against Savanna of Anaheim.
Anthony Gordon (Terra Nova, Pacifica)
It’s been hard to Terra Nova to get wins this year due to a tough schedule (one loss was by just 27-24 to St. Ignatius) but Gordon has continued to post huge passing totals. Last week, he completed 27 of 45 passes for 411 yards and three TDs in the team’s first win, which was 38-28 over Salinas. It was Gordon’s third 400-yard game of the season and he’s only thrown two interceptions compared to 12 TDs.
Cooper Hughes (Whittier Christian, La Habra)
Despite Hughes helping Whittier Christian to a 74-63 lead in the fourth quarter, the Heralds allowed the game’s final two touchdowns, including one in the final minute, to lose 78-74 to Western Christian of Upland. Hughes went 31 of 32 for 399 yards and six touchdowns while also rushing nine times for 62 yards and three touchdowns. According to our own Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book, the 78-74 score is the second most points by two teams in state history. The record total of 86-79 was set two years ago in a victory by Porterville over Tulare.
Adam Blythe (El Camino Real, Woodland Hills)
Completed 24 of 34 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns in ECR’s 28-27 non-league victory over Banning of Wilmington.
Sheriron Jones (Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley)
Helping the team bounce back from a loss to Redlands East Valley, Jones hit on 15 of 17 passes for 348 yards and three TDs in a 56-21 triumph against West Valley of Hemet. Jones, who also ran for a score, completed 14 straight passes at one point, an accomplishment that is two short of making it into the state record book.
Jake Browning (Folsom)
We were there on Friday night as he completed 17 of his 22 pass attempts for 345 yards and five touchdowns as the Bulldogs defeated Granite Bay 63-0. For Browning, who is used to hitting 500 yards and seven TDs in a game, that’s a pedestrian night.
Jordan Wiley (Independence, Bakersfield)
He accounted for six touchdowns in a 41-21 win over Mira Monte of Bakersfield. Jordan passed for 338 yards, completing 20 of 38 with three TDs and he also rushed for 103 yards and three TDs on 17 carries.
Josh Love (Long Beach Poly, Long Beach)
Only playing in the first half, he completed 13 of his 20 pass attempts for 260 yards and six touchdowns as the Jackrabbits defeated Cabrillo of Long Beach 49-0.
Marcus Romero (Piedmont Hills, San Jose)
With his team trailing in the second quarter 15-0, Romero led a comeback by the Pirates against Gilroy as they dominated the rest of the game for a 40-17 triumph. Romero completed 17 of his 31 pass attempts for 289 yards and five touchdowns.
RECEIVING
Jordan Genato (Terra Nova, Pacifica)
With the Tigers finally picking up their first win of the season last week, Genato caught 12 passes for 247 yards and one touchdown during a 38-28 win over Salinas. Named as the San Mateo County Athlete of the Week by the San Jose Mercury News, he now has 39 catches for 776 yards and seven touchdowns through four games.
Josiah Deguara (Folsom)
It had been a fairly quiet first four weeks of the season for this standout receiver that we had among the best in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section but he broke out in a big way on Friday night as he caught nine passes for 219 yards and four touchdowns during a 63-0 win over Granite Bay. One of those catches was worthy of a Sports Center Top 10 Plays of the Week worthy as he reached back while in the air and caught a pass with one hand.
Kaleb Fossum & Taylor Dodds (El Toro, Lake Forest)
Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo couldn’t just focus on stopping one of them last Friday night as Kaleb caught 11 passes for 178 yards and one TD while Taylor caught eight passes for 158 yards and two scores in the 34-33 win against the Mustangs.
Devin Velez (Rancho Alamitos, Garden Grove)
Doing it all in the first half, Velez caught seven passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns as the Vaqueros blew out Godinez of Santa Ana 55-21. Through four games, he has caught 31 passes for 496 yards and nine touchdowns.
Justin Osborn (Whittier Christian, La Habra)
As Cooper Hughes’ leading target during a 78-74 loss to Western Christian of Upland, this sophomore caught five passes for 167 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing the ball 12 times for 106 yards and one score.
Reggie Davis (Lemoore)
The wideout had a career high of 10 catches for 146 yards and had three go for TDs as the Tigers topped Redwood of Visalia 28-14. QB teammate Cory Groathouse also was no goat as he completed 18 of 29 for 266 yards and four scores.
RUSHING
Orlando Wallace (Cathedral City)
The Palm Springs area was burning up with stat stars from a shootout game involving the Lions and Coachella Valley of Thermal. Wallace, a junior, was at the center of it. He shattered Cathedral City’s school record with 32 carries for 442 yards and seven touchdowns as the Lions won 68-55. According to the Palm Springs Desert Sun, Wallace broke the previous school record of 301 yards and had the most yards in a game from the Palm Springs area since Trae Riek had 458 yards last season against Cathedral City. Wallace also has now scored 20 TDs for the season.
Carlos Martin (La Habra)
Our SoCal Offensive Player of the Week, Martin carried the ball 31 times for 429 yards and five touchdowns during a 55-48 win over Colony of Ontario. Colony is a pretty stout team, too, with a win against Carter of Rialto on its grid log.
Armand Shyne (Skyline, Oakland)
Despite the game being at night and the sun being down, he shined bright with 18 carries for 357 yards and five touchdowns during a 56-40 win over San Lorenzo.
Sarkis Pasnossian (Western Christian, Upland)
In a game that came close to setting the state record for total combined points in regulation time, Pasnossian rushed for 295 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries as the Fighting Lancers fought their way to their first win of the season with a 78-74 victory over Whittier Christian of La Habra.
Greg Johnson (Hawkins, Los Angeles)
Rushed for 283 yards and two scores as Hawkins remained unbeaten on the field with a 37-21 Exposition League victory over Santee of Los Angeles.
Charles William (Bullard, Fresno)
The promising junior rushed for a career high of 277 yards on 36 carries and scored four touchdowns on runs of 6, 4, 2 and the clincher from 65 yards out to secure a 28-25 win by the Knights over Clovis West of Fresno.
Antoine Custer (De La Salle, Concord)
Facing one of the top teams in California, he showed why the Spartans are a serious threat to reclaim the CIF Open Division title this season as he carried 24 times for 274 yards and three touchdowns in the 47-24 win over Servite of Anaheim.
Gabriel Cabezuela (Wasco)
It only took four games for Gabriel to go over 1,000 for the season. Although Wasco lost 66-35 to Bakersfield Christian, Cabezuela stayed on pace with 31 carries for 263 yards and two scores.
Mark Paule Jr. (Sierra, Manteca)
Our NorCal Offensive Player of the Week rushed for 253 yards and six touchdowns on 25 carries as the Timberwolves improved to 4-0 with a 55-20 road win over Kimball of Tracy. Paule Jr. and his mates will get a huge test this week against Central Catholic of Modesto.
Ronnie Rivers (Freedom, Oakley)
Taking over in the backfield after the graduation of Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon, this sophomore who had rushed for a season-high 105 yards the week before broke out in a big way during a 37-28 win over Wood of Vacaville. He carried the ball 38 times for 239 yards and five touchdowns. Rivers also caught one pass for seven yards and even completed a pass for the third time this season.
Hakeem Mays (Willow Glen, San Jose)
Handed the ball 16 times during a 49-43 win over Lincoln of San Jose, he rushed for 239 yards and four touchdowns. Mays earlier this week was chosen as our Le Boulanger South Bay/Peninsula Offensive Player of the Week.
Connor Hamilton (Calaveras, San Andreas)
In a 42-7 win over Highway 49 rival Bret Harte of Angels Camp, Hamilton led a ground attack that had 484 yards and 632 total yards by rushing for 238 yards on 20 carries. According to The Record, Hamilton also scored on runs of 4, 45, 1 and 37 yards.
Edward Vander (JSerra, SJ Capistrano)
It only just seemed like every time he carried the ball he ended up in the end zone. In actuality, Vander went for 231 yards on 16 carries and scored six touchdowns to lead JSerra past St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs 52-0.
Carlos Medina (Coachella Valley, Thermal)
In the same game in which Orlando Wallace had 442 yards and seven TDs, Medina kept the Arabs close by churning for 229 yards, hauling in 10 catches for 122 yards and scoring five times.
Roger Rickman (Orange Glen, Escondido)
The 5-foot-9, 190-pound junior battered Calexico for 226 yards on 21 carries and scored three times as Orange Glen won 48-16. Rickman also had his fourth straight 100-yard game and the Patriots improved to 5-0.
Larry Hardy (Inderkum, Sacramento)
Hardy was hard to tackle for the Yuba City Honkers as he rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries while also catching three passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers clawed their way to a 35-19 win.
Grayson Dillon (Tokay, Lodi)
The son of former Lodi coach Todd Dillon scored five touchdowns and passed for two others to account for seven when the Tigers dispatched McNair of Stockton 61-28. Dillon also had 81 yards rushing on 11 carries and completed seven passes for 129 yards.
DEFENSE/MULTI-PURPOSE/ETC.
Darian Cohen (El Camino Real, Woodland Hills)
Tackle totals can be hard to verify, but Cohen was reported to have had 30 of them during the Conquistadors’ 28-27 triumph against Banning of Wilmington.
Andrew Nielsen (Hart, Newhall)
One of two kickers that earned No. 1 spots in their school record books with a long field goal last Friday night, Nielsen kicked a 54-yard field goal during a 57-35 win over Santiago of Corona.
Sebastian Valerio (Beckman, Irvine)
While he didn’t end up getting the nod for our SoCal Special Teams Player of the Week, Valerio was one we considered after he kicked a game-winning field goal from 51 yards out with 24 seconds remaining as the Patriots defeated Tustin 20-17.
D.J. Bailey (JSerra, San Juan Capistrano)
The Lions’ defense recorded a shutout and Bailey finished with 4.5 sacks during their 52-0 win over St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs.
Trevon McCray (Sierra, Manteca)
While teammate Mark Paule Jr. received more of the attention with big rushing numbers, Trevon was just as impressive on the defensive side of the ball as he recorded four sacks during the Timberwolves’ 55-20 win at Kimball of Tracy.
Adam Walter (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills)
He set the school-record with a 47 yard field goal while also going a perfect 5-for-5 on extra points during a 38-20 win over Woodcreek of Roseville. Walter was named earlier this week as our NorCal Special Teams Player of the Week.
Chris Murray (Lawndale)
With his team locked in a 21-21 tie against Peninsula of Rolling Hills Estates, Murray broke loose for TD runs of 30 and 8 yards to spark a 49-21 win. Murray wound up going 16 of 28 passing for 209 yards and two TDs and rushed for 135 yards on 12 carries with three TDs scored.
Brandon Jones (Bakersfield Christian)
The senior QB hit on 17 of 22 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns, and he also rushed for 99 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown in a 66-35 win over host Wasco in league play. Teammate kicker Nathan DeJager also made all nine extra points and a 27-yard field goal.
Gabe Watson (Piedmont)
A 99-yard touchdown run will put Watson’s name into the state record book and helped Piedmont beat Albany 59-7. He ended with five carries for 154 yards and two TDs and he had a 55-yard TD catch.
Ronnie Sallee (Eastlake, Chula Vista)
Our SoCal Defensive Player of the Week he had 14 tackles and blocked a punt out of the end zone for two points as the Titans shutout St. Augustine of San Diego 23-0.
Grayson Dillon (Tokay, Lodi)
The son of former Lodi coach Todd Dillon scored five touchdowns and passed for two others to account for seven when the Tigers dispatched McNair of Stockton 61-28. Dillon also had 81 yards rushing on 11 carries and completed seven passes for 129 yards.
Blake Schmeiderer (San Joaquin Memorial, Fresno)
Two weeks after reportedly getting six sacks in one game against Fresno Hoover, Schmeiderer collected three in last week’s 42-14 triumph over Sunnyside of Fresno. He is a 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior.
As has been customary for many years, we collect the state stat stars in support of the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book & Almanac. The book has been published seven times (the most recent, though, was 2009) and is as official as a state record book can be since no other exists. To report a State Stat Star of the Week of your own, please email details to markjtennis@gmail.com.
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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
2 Comments
Is there an updated list of recruits for Yale football at this time?
Sorry we have not seen it.