Andre Scott (left) from Saddleback of Santa Ana is shown during a workout before this season. At right, Chula Vista Eastlake’s JP Navarrete breaks loose to score one of two TDs in game early this season vs rival school Chula Vista. Photos: Fernando M. Donado / For OC Sports Zone & Jon Bigornia / Chula Vista Star-News.
This is a great week for the Cal-Hi Sports State Football Players of the Week feature. Two weeks ago we got a nomination from the dean of California prep journalists, Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times, and this week we got one from the top prep scribes in Northern California. Plus, there are a couple of other twists, and we have some absolutely solid performances, with even one making the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book. This week in Southern California our stops are in the heart of Orange County, Carson and Chula Vista. In Northern California we visit Rio Vista, McArthur (more on that later) and Oakland.
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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 Southern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Andre Scott (Saddleback, Santa Ana) Sr.
The heart of Orange County is our destination in search of the Cal-Hi Sports Southern California Offensive Player of the Week and it’s in the county seat of Santa Ana where we end up and it’s on South Flower Street at Saddleback High where we find this week’s award winner, who now adds a statewide honor to local kudos he’s been getting this season.
After transferring from Anaheim Magnolia for his junior season and leading Saddleback to its first league football championship since 1986 and first CIF Southern Section playoff appearance since 2015, and passing for 1,115 yards and seven touchdowns and rushing for 427 yards on 69 carries and 10 touchdowns, prior to the season Roadrunners’ head coach Rob Thompson told OC Sports Zone that he was looking for even bigger numbers this season from his 6-foot-2, 170-pound senior quarterback, and guess what, Scott has produced, and his most recent performance is the icing on the cake in a 6-2 start.
Last week, in a 60-21 swamping of Savanna of Anaheim, Andre drilled the host Rebels to the tune of a career-high 518 yards passing with five touchdowns, plus he rushed for 43 yards and a sixth score.
Two weeks ago, he passed for 312 yards and a career-high six TDs in a 52-14 victory over crosstown Godinez.
The 518 yards passing will earn Scott a spot in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book on the Most Yards (Game) in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Passing section.
So far this season, Scott is well past last year’s production with 1,748 yards passing and 22 TDs with only one interception, and 203 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Kingston Sula (Carson) Soph.
The CIF Los Angeles City Section is where we head in looking for the Southern California State Football Southern California State Football Player of the Week and where we find him is just east of the I-110 and south of the I-405 on Main Street in Carson.
We don’t have Carson in the state rankings but according to the computers the 4-3 Colts are the top-ranked team in the LA City Section and Kingston has been the king of the defense, and although his tackling numbers are not among the reported top leaders in the section, his sacks are and Sula is generally regarded as one of the top overall defensive players in the section, and his most recent performance is a perfect example.
Last week, in a 49-20 victory on the road at neighboring Gardena, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore who plays on the edge, had eight tackles but three were for losses including 2.5 sacks, plus he forced a fumble.
So far this season, the defensive king has 46 tackles with a whopping 15 for losses, including 11 sacks. The 11 sacks is tied for the No. 5 reported mark in the state and is No. 2 in the LA City Section.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week
JP Navarrete (Eastlake, Chula Vista) Jr.
To find the Cal-Hi Sports Southern California State Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week, we head to the far southern reaches of the state and locate our honoree in the CIF San Diego Section and in the eastern portion of San Diego just off Highway 125 and around seven miles north of the border with Mexico in Chula Vista at Eastlake High.
Talk about playing a big part of a win, and you’re talking about JP and what he did on special teams last week in the Titans’ 21-19 victory over Sweetwater of National City.
With the score tied 0-0 at the half, Navarette took the second half opening kickoff 85 yards to the house to give Eastlake a 7-0 lead. Later in the third quarter, and after Sweetwater had scored to cut the lead to 7-6, JP took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards once again to pay dirt to give the Titans a 14-6 lead.
Eastlake would score again near the end of the third quarter to take a 21-6 lead, but two fourth quarter touchdowns by Sweetwater put it in a position to tie the game in the waning moments if it could convert on a 2-point try, but Eastlake held and ran out the clock to secure the victory.
It’s pretty apparent the two kickoff return TDs turned the tide in the Titans’ favor. Navarette would end up with 180 yards on kickoff returns and he also got into the act on offense with 13 yards rushing and on defense.
The two kickoff returns for touchdowns fall one short of making the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record on the Most Kickoff Return Touchdowns (Game) list in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Special Teams section, but its still a major accomplishment and earns JP a statewide honor.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week
Yasser Jackson (Oakland) Sr.
The Oakland Athletic League CIF Oakland Section is where we find this week’s Cal-Hi Sports State Football Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week award winner who now snags a statewide honor to go with being nominated for the Bay Area News Group (San Jose Mercury News & East Bay Times) boys Athlete of the Week award.
Last week, in a 48-0 thrashing of crosstown OAL rival Skyline, the Wildcats’ fans were thinking more like “Yes Sir” when Yasser he got his hands on the pigskin, and he proved himself worthy by scoring TDs two different ways, plus more.
The Colorado State committed Jackson had two touchdown catches on offense and returned a punt 60 yards to the house for a third score.
On defense, Jackson had 11 tackles, a sack and a pass interception.
Quite a days work for Mister Yasser who this week is Mister Multi-Purpose/Special Teams.
Ethan Friedel of Rio Vista, just a sophomore, looks like he has a bright future as a running back. Photo: Rio Vista HS Athletics / MaxPreps.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Ethan Friedel (Rio Vista) Soph.
In the intro we referenced nominations we regularly receive, and many times they come from highly-respected high school sports journalists. This week’s nomination of Freidel for the Northern California State Football Offensive Player of the Week and subsequent awarding him the statewide honor to go with local Sacramento area kudos comes from veteran Sacramento Bee writer Joe Davidson.
To find this week’s award winner, Davidson sends us to the Sacramento River Delta town of Rio Vista, the home of late Cal-Hi Sports friend and record-keeping contributor Bruce McIntosh. We land around 45 miles southwest of the state capitol and that’s where we find Friedel, a 6-foot, 210-pound bruising sophomore running back at the school that bears the town’s name.
Ethan has been a consistent producer for Rio Vista both last season as a freshman and now as a sophomore. However, last week in a 65-32 scoreboard lighter-upper victory over Citrus Heights Mesa Verde, Friedel fried the Mavericks’ defense and had by far and away his best game and a career-high rushing mark after going for 356 yards on 30 carries with seven touchdowns. The 356 yards is more than double his next best career high that was set three weeks ago with 171 yards rushing in a 53-26 win on the road at Highlands of North Highlands. In that game, he also had 10 tackles playing linebacker on defense.
Both the 356 yards rushing and the seven TDs fall short of making the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, but regardless of that Davidson sent us a standout player and performance.
So far this season for 5-2 Rio Vista, Friedel has rushed for 881 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he also has 238 yards receiving and two more scores.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Raul Iniguez (Fall River, McArthur) Jr.
The search for the Cal-Hi Sports State Football Defensive Player of the Week takes us to the far north and the CIF Northern Section around 75 miles northeast of Redding on Highway 299 where we find this week’s honoree, who gets statewide recognition despite coming from the tiny community of McArthur and Fall River High.
In this feature we talk about visiting, searching for and finding our honorees at the various cities and towns and the schools they play for, but that’s because we’re weaving a story, and many times we haven’t really visited the places, however in the case of McArthur, in fact we have been through the town many times in our sojourns out to Surprise Valley at the very eastern end of Highway 299 near the Nevada border. As we pass through the town, Fall River High is a couple of blocks south of Highway 299 right next to the Pit River.
The reason we’re virtually visiting McArthur is because of Iniguez and his latest exploits, and that includes not just his most recent performance.
At many small schools, players play both offense and defense in football and multiple sports, and Iniguez, a 6-foot-1, 160-pound junior linebacker, is a perfect example. He also is a dual-threat quarterback and also plays basketball and soccer.
Last week, in an 18-6 win over Etna, a small community even farther north and west of McArthur, Iniguez came up with two pass interceptions plus five tackles. He also had 50 yards passing and 61 yards rushing on offense.
Two weeks ago and in a 28-20 win over Trinity of Weaverville, Raul had three interceptions and six tackles.
So far for 4-3 Fall River, Iniguez has eight interceptions, and that number not only leads the Northern Section but is the top reported mark in the state.
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
