State Football Players of the Week

There was probably a lot of shouting that Koa Regalado of Colton (left) did in game last Friday in which he passed for nine touchdowns. At right is reigning Santa Maria area player of the year Nick Evans of Nipomo. Photos: X.com & Santa Maria Times.

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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

Koa Regalado (Colton) Jr.

The Inland Empire is our destination in search of the Cal-Hi Sports SoCal Football Offensive Player of the Week and we land just north of the I-10 and a little mile west of where it intersects with the I-215 in Colton.

However, besides finding this week’s honoree at Colton High, we also make a visit to the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book because Koa boasts one entry and his Yellowjackets’ teammates, while winning the game, gave up another entry to the losing team in last week’s victory.

In a 73-53 CIF Southern Section Division 12 victory over visiting Ganesha of Pomona last Friday, Regalado completed 21-of-28 passes for 393 yards and nine touchdowns. He also was the team’s leading rusher with six carries for 69 yards and a 10th TD rushing. For good measure, Koa also ran for two 2-point conversions.

The nine TD passes earns Regalado a tie for third most all time and a spot on the Most Touchdown Passes (Game) list in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Passing section. His total of nine also is a new record for the Inland Empire.

Speaking of the Inland Empire, which is home of Jayden Daniels of Cajon, the greatest total offense QB in state history, Regalado also tied a local record with 10 TDs accounted for in the game. He tied the record set in 1994 by Jonas Lewis of Beaumont, who had 10 TDs rushing in one game. Koa’s 66 points accounted for also is a tie for third in state history, but instead of nine with nine TD passes the only other one with 66 points is Joe Silva of Gustine (Sac-Joaquin Section), who had 66 points accounted for in a game way back in 1952.

Colton and Ganesha came up six points shy of the 132 combined points it takes to earn a spot in the Record Book on the Most Points By Two Teams (One Game) list in the FB Team Records: One-Game Scoring section, but in its loss Ganesha earns a spot on the Most Points by Losing Team (Regular Length Games) list.

So far this season for 6-5 Colton and heading into a Southern Section D12 quarterfinal matchup this week on the road at Bellflower, Regalado, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound junior and a starter since his freshman season, has completed 71.3 percent of his passes for 2,866 yards and 41 TDs with a lone interception, and that translates into a pretty formidable 151.2 quarterback rating.

The 2,866 yards also is the No. 20 reported mark in the Southern Section and No. 28 in the state.

Oceanside linebackers like the current standout, Ezaya Tokio, will always bring up memories of the legendary Junior Seau. Photo: daygofootball.com.

Ezaya “EZ” Tokio (Oceanside) Sr.

The search for the Cal-Hi Sports State Football Defensive Player of the Week takes us to the CIF San Diego Section and the North County area where we land in Oceanside and find this week’s award winner at Oceanside High, a school that boasts the late Junior Seau as its most notable football alumnus.

EZ, as he’s known as, has a long way to go to catch Seau, but at 6-foot-4, 220-pounds he’s of similar height and a little lighter than Seau, but he’s also a linebacker and shares a penchant for tackling like the former Pirates’ and NFL star, and his most recent performance was a perfect example.

Last week, in a 35-14 San Diego Section Division I victory over Holtville, and with Tokio and his Oceanside teammates matched up against senior running back Enrique Armas, who came into the game as the state’s reported leading rusher with a 243 yards per game average, the Pirates did give up 144 yards to Armas and his season now ends with him still leading the state rushing race. However, according to a game report by San Diego Union Tribune correspondent John Maffei, the gang tackling led by EZ didn’t make it easy and took its toll on the Holtville running game and Oceanside came away with an EZ win.

For the game. Tokio equaled his season high with 14 tackles (10 solo). He also had a sack, forced a fumble and recovered it, and rumbled 79 yards with the pigskin although he didn’t score.

So far this season for No. 6 seed and 7-4 Oceanside and heading into a CIFSDS quarterfinal contest on the road in Spring Calley at Mount Miguel, in nine games played, the Washington-committed Tokio has 76 total tackles with 43 solo and 11 for losses including eight sacks, a pass interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. The eight sacks is tied for the No. 16 reported mark in the San Diego Section.

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

Azari Warren (Chino Hills) Sr.

A nomination from Eric-Paul Johnson of the Riverside Press Enterprise takes us to the foothills separating the Inland Empire and Orange County and its at Chino Hills High where we find this week’s SoCal Football Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week who now garners a statewide honor to go with local kudos.

In an opening round 42-35 CIF Southern Section Division 3 victory over visiting Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach, it was the special teams performance of Warren that was one of the deciding factors in the game. Azari had two kickoff returns for touchdowns with the first coming to open the second half when Warren took it 93 yards to pay dirt to give Chino Hills a 28-14 lead. Then, after Mira Costa closed to a 35-28 deficit, Azari took the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for his second kickoff return TD that gave the Huskies a 42-28 lead late in the third quarter.

Mira Costa would register the game’s final tally, but the return TDs by Warren provided the cushion Chino Hills needed to secure the win. Azari also had a third kickoff he returned but he didn’t score on that one but it did give him 237 yards in returns for the night.

Warren also fielded a punt with no return, and on defense at defensive back the 6-foot-1, 168-pound Warren, a senior who transferred from Servite (Anaheim), had four tackles with one for a loss.

Heading into a Southern Section D3 quarterfinal matchup on the road in Sherman Oaks at Notre Dame, the New Mexico-committed Warren has 322 yards and two TDs on kickoff returns, and 236 yards and three TDs on punt returns.

With Chino Hills still in action, and with its win last week allowing the Huskies to crack the Cal-Hi Sports latest state rankings at spot No. 47, Azari still has a chance to make the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book on the Most Kick Return Touchdowns (Season) list, but he needs two more since the threshold for combined returns for TDs is seven.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week

Nick Evans (Nipomo) Sr.

We head to what used to be the CIF Southern Section but is now part of the CIF Central Section and its around 25-miles south of San Luis Obispo and 10-miles north of Santa Maria in Nipomo where we find this week’s Cal-Hi Sports NorCal Offensive Player of the Week.

We were sent to Nipomo by longtime Cal-Hi Sports friend and contributor and Central Section historian Bob Barnett, who nominated Evans via his weekly “Milestones” missive, but in our never ending journeys we’ve personally visited Nipomo High to cover girls basketball, and Nipomo is home to Jocko’s, one of our favorite steak houses and a place we visit quite often when in the SLO area.

After his performance last week, and what he’s done all season for the Titans, the Nipomo faithful might want to take Evans to Jocko’s for a steak dinner to celebrate what he’s done.

In a 35-34 double overtime victory over visiting Atascadero in the Central Section Division IV playoffs opening round, Evans, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound senior running back, carried the ball 40 times and registered a season and career high 342 yards rushing with three TDs, including one in the second overtime that gave the Titans a 35-28 lead. Even after Nick scored, the Nipomo community had to hold its breath after Atascadero came back to score but the Titans stopped a 2-point conversion to pull out the victory.

It was the third straight game in which Evans has rushed for over 200 yards and the 10th time in 11 games he’s gone over 100 yards for 7-4 Nipomo.

With Nipomo now moving on to the Central Section D4 quarterfinals this week in Reedley at Immanuel, Nick, who after rushing for 1,203 yards and 14 TDs last season was named the Santa Maria Times Player of the Year, will get a chance to add to his 2,066 yards and 17 touchdowns rushing so far this season. Currently the 2,066 yards is the No. 8 reported mark in the state and is No. 2 in the Central Section.

Jaret Bridwell of Red Bluff has been a tackling machine during his junior season for the Spartans. Photo: Red Bluff High School Football / Facebook.com.

Jaret Bridwell (Red Bluff) Jr.

The CIF Northern Section is our destination in the search for the NorCal Football Defensive Player of the Week and we find our honoree, who now secures a statewide award to go with local recognition, around 30-miles south of Redding and just west of the I-5 at Red Bluff High.

Bridwell could well have been a multi-purpose winner, but after what the Spartans’ 5-foot-10, 202-pound junior tackling machine did in his most recent performance, and all season for that matter, we’re honoring Jaret for his defensive prowess.

Last week, in a regular season ending Eastern League 31-19 victory over visiting Chico, the Red Bluff strong safety had 19 tackles (10 solo) and it wasn’t even his season high as Bridwell has gone for over 20 tackles twice this season, with a high of 22 tackles in a win over Lassen of Susanville.

We hinted that Jaret could have been multi-purpose because as a running back he rushed for all three Spartans’ TDs in the victory.

So far this season, and after a bye this week for 8-2 and No. 2 seed Red Bluff in the first round of the Northern Section Division 2 playoffs, Bridwell has amassed a whopping 155 total tackles with 85 solo and 23 for losses, plus he has one pass interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

The 155 tackles is the No. 11 reported mark in the state and tops the Northern Section.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week

Ryan Eddy (Laguna Creek, Elk Grove) Sr.

In a bit of a twist, this is the second straight week we head to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section and the city of Elk Grove to find the NorCal Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week, and this week we find our honoree at Laguna Creek.

Talk about doing a little bit of doing everything and you’re talking about Eddy, who seems ready for the challenge.

In a Sac-Joaquin Section Bowl Game 64-41 victory on the road for 5-6 Laguna Creek in Stockton at Stagg High, on offense, Eddy, a 6-foot, 205-pound senior wide receiver, had eight pass receptions for 162 yards and three touchdowns. He also had three rushes for 38 yards, and he even completed his lone pass attempt for 55 yards.

On defense at middle linebacker, Ryan had 12 tackles with six for losses, including three sacks. And finally on special teams, Eddy returned two punts for 27 yards combined.

After the Stagg win, Eddy put his final season totals at 907 yards receiving with five TDs, 382 yards rushing and six touchdowns on offense. On defense, Ryan had 68 total tackles with 18 for losses including five sacks, plus a forced fumble and a recovery. None of the winning teams in the SJS bowl games advanced to any games this week.

On a final note, Ryan is also a star on the Laguna Creek baseball team where he is a catcher and was second on the team last season with a .368 batting average.

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