Tristan Phillips (left) reacts after making one of the sacks he had for Ventura in its win vs St. Pius X-St. Matthias in CIF Southern Section D6 championship. At right, RB Makai Smith led Balboa to another San Francisco section title. Photos: Ventura Football / X.com & X.com.
This week it’s the final narrowing of the funnel, as traditionally it’s also the last week for the Cal-Hi Sports State Football Player of the Week honors with all of the CIF section championship games. We’re switching to basketball (boys & girls) next week. For our final week, not only did we uncover some hidden talent which is one of the goals of this feature, we had multiple Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book entries and that is the other goal of the feature. Our stops this week are in Roseville and twice in San Francisco in Northern California, and in South California we visit South Gate, Ventura and San Diego.
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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
Special Teams/Multi-Purpose
Mekai Smith (Balboa, San Francisco) Sr.
To search for the Cal-Hi Sports State Football Northern California Special Team/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week takes us to old historic Kezar Stadium in San Francisco where we find this week honoree, and this is another contest that we saw live on the NFHS Network.
In the 101-year history of the “Turkey Day” Academic Athletic Association/CIF San Francisco Section title game, the contest has always been held, with four rare exceptions, on Thanksgiving Day, and while there have been some high-scoring games, none can match the 54-42 victory by two-time defending champion Balboa in the highest scoring affair in Turkey Day history.
Smith, this week’s honoree, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound running back and middle linebacker was the big star, and quite literally a one-man wrecking crew. Mekai also set some Turkey Day records, although only one will qualify for the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book. Smith rushed 19 times for 245 yards and scored what is believed to be a AAA/San Francisco Section title game record six touchdowns as he helped the Buccaneers overcome 35 penalties for 294 yards and five turnovers. Rushing wise, Smith scored on runs of 31, 23, 28, 3 and 16 yards, and then to top it off he scored his sixth TD on a short squib quick he took 71 yards for a touchdown, breaking multiple tackles along the way.
So far this season, Smith has 46 total TDs and that qualifies for our Record Book on Most Touchdowns (Season) list in the Football Individual Records: Single-Season Scoring sections. It also put Mekai in a position with two more TDS to tie Jahvid Best (Salesian, Richmond) for the Bay Area record.
The victory by Balboa was the 11th AAA/San Francisco Section title for the Buccaneers and advanced them the the state CIF Northern Regional Division Division 7-A title game at home this Saturday afternoon against San Jose Piedmont Hills. Smith comes into that game with 2,146 yards rushing, and the Balboa faithful are hoping that not only can break Best’s Bay Area season TD mark, but that he has enough in the tank to lead the Buccaneers to victory and a potential second straight state championship.
Josiah Melendez from Woodcreek of Roseville was beseiged by media after his big outing in Sac-Joaquin Section D3 final. Photo: Mark Tennis.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Josiah Melendez (Woodcreek, Roseville) Sr.
We didn’t have to go very far to find the the Cal-Hi Sports State Football Northern California Offensive Player of the Week winner because Cal-Hi Sports co-founder and executive editor Mark Tennis was live and on hand at Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City College for three of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championships contested last Friday so he saw the performance Melendez is being honored for.
Last week, in a 56-52 scoreboard lighter-upper of a game victory over Oakdale, that also turned into a battle between Woodcreek quarterback Melendez and one of the state’s top statistical running backs, Wes Buford of Oakdale, it was the Timberwolves’ signal-caller that came out on top after completing 20-of-26 passes for 365 yards and four TDs and rushing for 151 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns. That means that while Buford ran the ball 42 times and had 174 yards and five touchdowns, plus four two-point conversions, it was Josiah that led top-seeded Woodcreek to its first section title after accounting for 516 yards and six TDs of total offense.
The final score doesn’t qualify for the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book but the combined point total of 110 by the two teams is believed to be the most in any CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoff game.
“That line over there played the perfect game,” Melendez said amidst a crowd of journalists. “We made school history and it feels so amazing.”
“I’m so happy for him,” said Woodcreek head coach Jason Stowers. “He got to put his skills on display on this big stage. We’ll enjoy this tonight, but tomorrow we’ll turn the page.”
Now, Melendez and his Timberwolves’ teammates, whose only loss so far in a 12-1 season was to Inderkum of Sacramento (a D1 quarterfinalist) with a win against Jesuit of Carmichael (which had a win against SJS D1 finalist Oak Ridge), will need everything they’ve got in their arsenal to top host and 13-0 Sonora on Saturday night in the Mother Lode to move on to a state championship. That will be in D2-A so the winning team will play at Saddleback College the following week on the same field that and on the same day that De La Salle and Santa Margarita will play for the Open Division title.
Coming into that game, Melendez has passed for 2,421 yards with a 74.2-percent completion percentage and 21 TDs with only one interception, and that translates into a whopping 152.2 QB Rating. He’s also rushed for a team-leading 748 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Charlie Ball (St. Ignatius, San Francisco) Sr.
We didn’t see the performance live and in-person that earned St. Ignatius of San Francisco defensive star Ball the Cal-Hi Sports State Football Northern California Defensive Player Week award and a statewide honor, but we saw his exploits live on the NFHS Network and it was just as impressive.
With 5:47 left in the CIF Central Coast Section Division 2 title game between two of San Francisco’s longest rivals with a 130-year history of playing football, and both members of the West Catholic Athletic League, and with Sacred Heart Cathedral leading 21-14 and driving for what could likely have been a score that could have sealed the deal, Ball stepped in front of the would be Fightin Irish’s wide receiver and weaved his way 62 yards to pay dirt that knotted the game at 21-apiece.
There were plenty of other heroes for the the St. Ignatius Wildcats, like a defense that after the Ball pick-six stopped Sacred Heart of fourth down to set up a 40-yard field goal ball by Thomas McKeon to win the game 24-21, but none of that would likely have happened without ball-hawk Ball’s heroics. Charlie was also credited with three tackles for losses in the game, and it wasn’t the first time he has come up big in the oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi. In early November, and in the WCAL 23-14 league match-up with Sacred Heart Cathedral, Ball, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior linebacker, was credited with a team-leading 13 tackles with two for losses plus a sack.
Ball and his Wildcats teammates now move on to the CIF Northern Regional Division 3-AA Bowl Game championship at home on Friday night against Monte Vista of Danville.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Tristan Phillips (Ventura) Sr.
The search for the Cal-Hi Sports State Football Defensive Player of the Week takes us to Ventura County and the city of Ventura, and it’s just a little over a mile north off Highway 101 at Ventura High where we find this week honoree, who now adds a statewide award to local kudos, which over his four-year varsity career the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Oregon-bound inside linebacker has gotten lots of.
Last week was almost like another day at the office for Phillips in a 63-28 victory in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 title game over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy of Downey, the first Southern Section championship in 25 years for Ventura. For the game, Tristan had 10 tackles with eight solo, and six for losses, all sacks. He also forced a fumble and had a batted pass. The six sacks also is enough to put Phillips’ name into the state record book. It’s one short of the Ventura County record of seven set in 2000 by Leo Reed from Westlake of Westlake Village in a game vs Hart of Newhall.
So far this season for 12-2 Ventura and heading into a CIF SoCal Division Division 3-AA Bowl Game championship on the road in Arroyo Grande, Phillips has 107 tackles (61 solo) with 12 for losses including eight sacks.
South Gate’s Michael Gonzalez says everything he does is for his mom. Photo: X.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Michael Gonzalez (South Gate) Jr.
To find this week’s Cal-Hi Sports State Football Southern California Offensive Player of the Week, we head to the Los Angeles City Section and we land around seven miles west of downtown Los Angeles and we find this week’s award winner just west of the I-710 to the east and just north of the I-105 to the south in South Gate at South Gate Hill.
Last week, in a 63-58 victory by South Gate over Marquez of Huntington Park in the LA City Section Division 1 championship, it was a back-and-forth affair that blew some lights out on the scoreboard. Gonzalez, who is one of the top passers in the LA City Section, needed a miracle to pull the game out, and he made it happen.
With time running out and South Park trailing 58-56, Gonzales dropped back to pass and heaved a Hail Mary toward the end zone, and like manna falling from heaven, the ball came straight down and fell right into the hands of a South Park receiver that didn’t even jump to make the catch. Game over for South Gate and now the Rams move on to the CIF Division 5-A Southern Regional Bowl Game championship. The game will be Saturday at home against Bishop Union of Bishop (Central Section).
In the Marquez win, Gonzalez was 25-for-35 passing for 484 yards and five TDs, but none more important than the last heave-ho. The 484 yards passing also qualifies Gonzalez for a spot in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book on the Most Yards (Game) list in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Passing section. The 484 yards is a career high for the 5-foot-10 junior quarterback and going into the Bishop Union game he has 3,503 yards passing with 40 TDs and seven interceptions. The 3,503 yards passing is the No. 11 reported mark in the state and leads the LA City Section.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Special Teams/Multi-Purpose
Superior Garrar (Morse, San Diego) Sr.
The CIF San Diego Section is our destination in search of the Cal-Hi Sports State Football Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week and we land just about six miles east of downtown San Diego pretty much smack dab in the middle of the I-805 to the west, Highway 125 to the east, Highway 94 to the north and Highway 54 to the south at Morse High.
Garrar is a two-way standout and the top player for Morse that won the CIF San Diego Section Division 4 title last week with a 45-30 win versus crosstown Hoover.
On offense, Superior was superior at running back after rushing for 258 yards on 27 carries with three touchdowns. Garrar also is a return specialist for Morse and he had one short kickoff return, but also returned two punts for 99 yards, one of which he took all the way to the house for a 54-yard touchdown. Garrar also got into the act on defense as the Tigers’ senior defensive back had four tackles.
So far for the 9-4 Tigers, and heading into a CIF Southern Regional Division 6-A Bowl Game championship on the road at Grace of Simi Valley this Saturday, Superior has rushed for 1,836 yards and 25 touchdowns, plus six two-point rushing conversions. He didn’t pass against Hoover but on the season he has 298 yards and four TDs passing. He also didn’t have any pass receptions against Hoover but on the season he has 684 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. Garrar also has one kick-off return TD this season. On defense, Superior has 95 total tackles, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three passes defended.
We would have to say that Superior is definitely multi-purpose.
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
