Jordan Crisp of Tulare (left) is on track to end his career as one of the most prolific passers in CIF Central Section history. At right, Oxnard Pacifica’s Taylor Lee throws one of the 33 passes he made during game last Friday vs Newbury Park. Odds are that it was completed. Photos: X.com.
This is one of those weeks where we cover all the bases. Not only have we uncovered some hidden talent that might only get local recognition, which is one of the goals of this feature, but we also have entries to track for the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, and that’s the other purpose of the feature. In a bit of a twist, both entries for the record book are from the same team, and the player that wasn’t honored could have been if it wasn’t for his teammate. This week the stops are in Tulare, Petaluma and Bakersfield in Northern California, and in Southern California we visit Oxnard, Los Angeles and Downey.
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Notes: We will continue to have flexibility to one of the honorees by calling it Multi-Purpose/Special Teams. Multi-Purpose is already a category for All State honors. For these honors, we also consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate anyone, email markjtennis@gmail.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan Crisp (Tulare) Sr.
The CIF Central Section or “the Valley” as the locals like to affectionately call the Central Section is where we head for this week’s NorCal offensive honoree.
We land just around halfway between Fresno and Bakersfield and just west of Highway 99 in Tulare, and it’s at Tulare Union where we find this week’s winner via a nomination from Central Section and longtime Cal-Hi Sports friend and contributor Bob Barnett in his weekly “Milestones” column.
During his first three years as a varsity quarterback for Tulare Union, Crisp has been made the weekly Stat Stars feature more than once, but now after a record-setting performance and crunching the numbers, Crisp gets a statewide honor to go with local kudos from Barnett and others.
Last week, in a nail-biting thriller that resulted in a 49-42 Tulare victory over Redwood of Visalia, Crisp was pretty sharp after going 25-of-32 passing for 481 yards with five touchdowns. Jordan also had two TDs rushing which meant the 5-foot-10, 200-pound senior signal-caller accounted for all seven TDs the Tribe registered.
By our account and after adding up his stats for the three games for a now 3-0 Tulare Union, Crisp has passed for 962 yards and 10 TDs with only one interception. He’s also rushed for six TDs on short runs.
Crisp is already in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book on the Football Individual Records: Single Season Pass Yards (Overall) list when he passed for 4,288 yards as a sophomore. Jordan also has already qualified for the Most Yards (Career) list for passing, which takes 7,572 yards. Now, with 8,534 yards so far and with a whole chunk of this senior season still remaining, and if he stays healthy, Crisp will almost assuredly join an elite group of quarterbacks who have passed for 10,000 yards in their career.
On a final note. We’re sure Jordan would like to give a shout out to his favorite target that helped him set the record and also help seal the deal since senior wide receiver Braden Stevenson had a career high with 291 yards with 11 receptions, three of which went for TDs. Stevenson (committed to Nevada) also sealed things with a game ending interception. The 291 yards receiving earns Stevenson a spot in the record book on the Most Yards (Game) list in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Receiving section.
The recruitment of St. Vincent de Paul LB Brody Breen also has been picking up in the last two months. Photo: X.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Brody Breen (St. Vincent de Paul, Petaluma) Sr.
The search for the Northern California Defensive Player of the Week takes us back to the Redwood Empire portion of the CIF North Coast Section and to what used to be called “the chicken capitol of the world,” now better known as Petaluma, and we find our honoree just north of downtown and just off Petaluma Boulevard North at St. Vincent de Paul.
This isn’t the first time Breen has graced a Cal-Hi Sports feature. However, this time he snags an individual statewide honor.
For the Preseason North Coast Section Redwood Empire Football team, the four-year varsity starter was one of four linebackers chosen first team, and last week the 6-foot-1, 192-pound senior showed the choice was right on, although for the preseason write-up St. Vincent de Paul head coach Trent Herzog had said he was going to use the versatile Breen at defensive back as well, and it appears from his recent performance he did a little of everything, and very well.
In a matchup of the defending CIF Division 4-AA Bowl Game state champion Mustangs on the road at defending 5-A Bowl Game titlist American Canyon last week, Breen picked off two passes with the second one sealing a 27-21 victory. He also had seven tackles and also got into the act on offense with one pass reception.
Two weeks ago, Brody was big again on defense in another close contest after registering 14 tackles in a 43-41 victory over a Woodland Christian (Woodland) team that made it to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division 6 semifinals last season.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week
Michael Smith II (Bakersfield Christian) Jr.
We make a second stop in the CIF Central Section only this time its at the far south part of what the locals like to call “The Valley.”
We find this week’s Northern California Multi-Purpose/Special Teams award winner in the far western part of Bakersfield and just south of Stockdale Highway and a little over a mile west of CSU Bakersfield at Bakersfield Christian.
When we decided to expand this category to include multi-purpose along with special teams, it was for the very reason we get to honor Smith with a statewide award to go with local recognition, because for this week Michael is mister multi-purpose.
Last week, in a 42-3 rout on the road at Central Valley Christian of Visalia that got Bakersfield Christian to 3-0 to start the season, Smith scored three TDs two different ways.
The 6-foot, 170-pound senior free safety and wide receiver picked off two passes and took both to the house for touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 36 yards and one touchdown. For good measure, Michael made four tackles as well.
In a win earlier this season over Faith Lutheran of Las Vegas, Smith (who has an offer from Sacramento State) had three catches for 118 yards and two TDs on offense while on defense he had an interception and seven tackles.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Taylor Lee (Pacifica, Oxnard) Jr.
Ventura County is our destination in search of the Southern California Offensive Player of the Week and we land a little over a half mile south of Highway 101 at Pacifica High in Oxnard.
In a classic match-up of two outstanding quarterbacks, Lee and 2024 Mr. Football State Player of the Year and Michigan-committed senior Brady Smigiel of nearby Newbury Park, Smigiel had some solid numbers after passing for 321 yards and five TDs, however, it was Taylor who was the player of the game after the junior signal-caller with offers from Sacramento State, Portland State and Northern Arizona with Fresno State starting to show interest, came out on top in a 56-35 Pacifica victory. Lee went a pinpoint 29-of-33 for 484 yards and seven TDs passing, plus he added 38 yards rushing the ball.
The seven touchdowns falls one short of making the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, but the 484 yards passing makes the grade and gets Lee a spot on the Most Yards (Game) list in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Passing section.
This season, the accuracy of Lee has been off the charts. So far in a 3-0 start that now sees Pacifica crack the Cal-Hi Sports State TOP 50 rankings after coming in this week at No. 44, Lee is 54-of-61 for 990 yards and 14 TDs with no interceptions. That translates into an astronomical 167 quarterback rating. Taylor has also scampered for 92 yards and two TDs rushing.
It still early in the season, but the 990 yards passing is the No. 3 mark in the CIF Southern Section and No. 6 in the state, while Smigiel comes in at No. 6 in the Southern Section and No. 9 in the state.
Downey’s Damani Porras has 10 listed D1 college offers, one from where his QB is committed to (Arizona) and another from where his QB used to be committed to (Purdue). Photo: X.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week
Damani Porras (Downey) Jrr.
To find the Southern California Multi-Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week we head around 15-miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles on the I-5 and land a little less than two miles west of where it intersects with the I-605 in Downey and it’s at Downey High where we find this week’s award winner.
Last week, in a 55-7 win over Long Beach Millikan that gets the Vikings to 3-0 to start the season, Porras, a 5-foot-11 junior, was truly multi-purpose.
The favorite target of Arizona-committed senior quarterback Oscar Rios hauled in nine passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Porras had a pass interception and three tackles, and on special teams Porras returned a kickoff 55 yards.
It was the second-straight week Porras had a lot to celebrate. Two weeks ago, in a 35-34 victory over Orange Vista of Perris, Damani had 166 yards receiving and three touchdowns on offense, he had two interceptions and took one of them to pay dirt for a score, he had two kickoff returns for 79 yards and added three tackles.
As a receiver, Damani’s 410 yards receiving comes in as the No. 4 reported leading receiver in the CIF Southern Section and No. 10 in the state.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Tareq Abdul (University, Los Angeles) Jr.
Our final stop this week is at a school more than 100 years old on the west side of L.A. on the border of Santa Monica near where Santa Monica Boulevard meets the 405. It’s there where we highlight a 5-foot-10, 160-pound defensive back who is out to a hot start picking off passes for a team that has also started 3-0.
It’s possible that Cal-Hi Sports editor Mark Tennis might have met Tareq last May as Uni assistant coach Jason Robinson brought some players up to the Elite 11 Northern California regional camp held in El Sobrante. Robinson, whose brother Bryan is the team’s head coach, introduced several of the young players he was with.
Abdul certainly is introducing himself to opposing quarterbacks so far this season. He had two interceptions to go with 10 tackles to help the Wildcats get a 43-7 win last week over Santee of South Gate. Tareq also had a pair of interceptions in the first game (a win vs Los Angeles Lincoln) and one interception in the second game (a win vs L.A. Fremont). His early season total of five is tied for the reported state lead.
In the same game vs Santee, Abdul also had two rushing attempts for 33 yards and one TD. He also returns kicks and had four catches for 46 yards in another game. The 2024 All-L.A. City Section D3 selection as a sophomore also has a 3.5 GPA.
Something’s brewing at Uni and Tareq is right in the middle of it.
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
