Mr. Football State Player of the Year Trent Mosley scores a touchdown for Santa Margarita (left) at the Rose Bowl. At right, Mosley is scoring the only TD of the game in a win vs Mater Dei. Photos: Scott Kurtz / Cal-Hi Sports.
The last two performances for the senior standout from Santa Margarita Catholic of Rancho Santa Margarita wound up being the difference in a close call over two others. Mosley is the first-ever winner of the state’s longest-running player of the year honor from his school, but he’s the eighth in the last 10 years from the CIF Southern Section’s Trinity League. He just moved into his dorm room this week at USC where he’s being compared to former Trojan and current NFL star Amon-Ra St. Brown.
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Just a few seconds after first-year head coach Carson Palmer was presented the CIF Open Division state championship trophy for his team at Santa Margarita of Rancho SM defeating De La Salle of Concord last month, he was asked about the team’s leading player, wide receiver and Wildcat formation running back Trent Mosley, and exclaimed quickly with no prodding: “He’s the best player in the nation.”
That statement can be debated from other parts of the nation, but for California, and especially after the last two games that Mosley played for the Eagles in their state title run, not so much. Today, Trent caps his season with one of the biggest honors that any player from California can attain and that is to be named as the Mr. Football State Player of the Year.
“It’s such an honor and blessing to be recognized for this award,” said Mosley earlier this week, just before he was scheduled to report to his new home at USC and just before he was moved into the dorms. “I am grateful to my coaches that I had a chance to play for and my teammates that I had a chance to play with. It’s a team game and none of this would be possible without them.”
Trent Mosley raises CIF state title trophy after he led Santa Margarita to win in Open Division final vs De La Salle. Photo: Scott Kurtz.
Mosley also of course has to thank the school’s medical and training staff since he was able to return to the lineup after missing five games during the season with a foot injury. There is a point when a player can miss too many games to be eligible for major postseason honors. If Santa Margarita had only played 10 or 11 games, missing five would be too much. But the team was strong enough that that didn’t happen and it set itself up nicely for the final two games. It is never a cliche that these honors are team-based as much as individual-based and for Mosley that is especially true.
After the Eagles advanced to the CIF Southern Section D1 final with earlier playoff wins over Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth (which was 10-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state at the time) and then Lutheran of Orange (which had upset top seed St. John Bosco in the quarterfinals), they faced Centennial of Corona in the title game at the Rose Bowl. Centennial had just beaten two-time defending state champ Mater Dei in the other semifinal and was looking to avenge an earlier loss in overtime to the Eagles.
That Rose Bowl game showcased Mosley from the team’s first possession as he took a slot pass for a 65-yard gain and then scored himself on a 2-yard run. Mosley then caught an 80-yard TD pass from teammate Trace Johnson for a 14-0 lead. There also was a 91-yard TD reception in the second half. When the night concluded with a 42-7 win, he had 10 receptions for 292 yards. The yards total will be high enough for the all-time state single game record list, but to have it come in a game as huge as the CIFSS D1 final makes it more special.
In the CIF Open Division state final vs unbeaten De La Salle, Trent had a 7-yard TD run and a 34-yard TD reception from Johnson for a 13-0 lead. The Eagles went on to post a 47-13 triumph and Mosley had 11 catches for 183 yards and two TDs. He didn’t have any more TDs rushing, but had two punt returns for 21 yards.
“We, the team and I, were obviously excited to get Mosley back after his injury,” Palmer said. “We surely missed him those five games. From that point, we played our best football and peaked going into the postseason.”
Mosley has become Santa Margarita’s first-ever State Player of the Year in football. Palmer, the former Heisman Trophy winner and longtime NFL QB, was considered the runner-up back in 1997 to running back DeShaun Foster of Tustin. While Palmer and his team got past Foster and his team in a legendary 1997 CIFSS title game in a matchup when both teams were 13-0, Foster broke the state scoring record with 59 touchdowns and he rushed for 3,398 yards (third best in state history at the time). There are no ties or co-players of the year in any of the Cal-Hi Sports team or individual honors.
Mosley also is the eighth Mr. Football honoree coming out of the Trinity League and CIF Southern Section D1 playoffs in the last 10 years. The only ones who didn’t come from the league have been RB Roderick Robinson of San Diego Lincoln for 2022 and QB Brady Smigiel of Newbury Park for last season.
Smigiel was a junior last season, but did not get a chance to play that many games as a senior due to a knee injury that he suffered in early October. He missed the rest of the season. Returning quarterback Ryder Lyons of Folsom, who was the State Sophomore Player of the Year two seasons ago and was the State Large Schools Player of the Year as a junior, played enough games this season, but was sidelined for part the team’s regional title game win vs Archbishop Riordan and only played a few snaps in the team’s CIF D1-AA state title game win vs Cathedral Catholic. Lyons also had a tough outing in a 53-14 loss to Mission Viejo and its senior quarterback, Ohio State-bound Luke Fahey.
For this cycle, we considered Fahey the runner-up to Mosley, but Lyons had the type of career that merited acclaim as well. The Orange County Register recently chose Fahey as its Offensive Player of the Year, but the L.A. Times chose Mosley as its Player of the Year.
Mosley’s big plays in the state final came even though he was often matched up with another of the state’s top senior athletes, De La Salle’s Jaden Jefferson. Photo: Scott Kurtz / Cal-Hi Sports.
Mosley is often compared as a receiver to former Mater Dei standout and current NFL star Amon-Ra St. Brown. While he didn’t play defense like some other Mr. Football winners of the past such as Adoree’ Jackson of Gardena Serra (2013) or Desean Jackson of Long Beach Poly (2004), Mosley displayed multi-purpose skills as Santa Margarita’s Wildcat formation quarterback over all three of his varsity seasons. It wasn’t just final two TD runs that he had in that role but there were 30 other rushing touchdowns that he posted in his prep career.
“Everyone understands how dangerous he is,” Palmer said. “Mosley is blessed with the ability to help the team physically dominate opponents. He is a player who can ‘go the distance’ at any moment he has the ball.”
Playing behind older brother Emmett when he first came on to the scene at Santa Margarita, Trent emerged as a major talent in his sophomore season. In 11 games, he caught 81 passes for 1,282 yards and 11 TDs and he rushed for 270 yards and 15 scores. He was the Trinity League Player of the Year, a rare feat for a sophomore in the super league. This season, he had 58 catches for 831 yards and he rushed for 204 yards.
Despite the games lost this year and several others from last season, Mosley still rang up career totals of 228 receptions for 3,430 yards and 28 touchdowns. Both the receptions and yards will make it into the all-time state lists. The 228 catches are sixth in Orange County history, just behind the 234 for La Mirada/Los Alamitos star Makai Lemon (2020-2022), who is just leaving USC for the NFL and is projected to be a first round pick. The 3,430 yards also is sixth-best in OC history.
Older brother Emmett missed his senior year at Santa Margarita with injury, but played well in his freshman year at Stanford in 2024. Emmett transferred to Texas for this season and he had a game-winning TD catch for the Longhorns in an overtime game vs Mississippi State. Trent’s younger brother, Grant, played as a sophomore on this year’s team at Santa Margarita. He had 22 catches for 306 yards and two TDs in six games, but he couldn’t come back from an injury himself.
“I’m blessed to have their guidance,” Trent said of his family that also includes older sister Jayln (played soccer at Iowa) and father Emmett (played football at Notre Dame) and mother Cindy (played soccer at Notre Dame).
“The gifts I’ve been given by God, working out in the offseason, speed training and playing lacrosse two years ago — all of that comes together and produces what I can do now and in the future.”
Let’s hope for an injury free season coming up at USC for Trent and for his two other brothers at their schools, too. There’s no telling what they might do with completely healthy seasons.
MR. FOOTBALL STATE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
ALL-TIME LIST OF HONOREES
(All selected by Cal-Hi Sports but done retroactively based on research prior to 1975 by our late founder, Nelson Tennis):
Newbury Park head coach Joe Smigiel stands with his son, 2024 Mr. Football State Player of the Year Brady Smigiel. Photo: Harold Abend.
2025 — Trent Mosley
(Santa Margarita, Rancho SM) WR/RB
2024 — Brady Smigiel (Newbury Park) QB (Jr.)
2023 — Elijah Brown (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) QB
2022 — Roderick Robinson
(Lincoln, San Diego) RB
2021 — Tetairoa McMillan
(Servite, Anaheim) WR/DB
2020 — Raesjon Davis
(Mater Dei, Santa Ana) LB*
2019 — DJ Uiagalelei
(St. John Bosco, Bellflower) QB
2018 — Bru McCoy
(Mater Dei, Santa Ana) WR
2017 — JT Daniels
(Mater Dei, Santa Ana) QB*
2016 — Wyatt Davis
(St. John Bosco, Bellflower) OL
2015 — Najee Harris (Antioch) RB (Jr.)
2014 — Jake Browning (Folsom) QB
2013 — Adoree’ Jackson
(Serra, Gardena) WR-DB
2012 — Michael Hutchings (De La Salle, Concord) LB
2011 — Deontay Greenberry (Washington Union, Easton) WR-DB
2010 — Dano Graves (Folsom) QB
2009 — Dillon Baxter (Mission Bay, San Diego) QB-RB
2008 — Tyler Gaffney (Cathedral Catholic, SD) RB
2007 — Milton Knox (Birmingham, Lake Balboa) RB
2006 — Aaron Corp (Lutheran, Orange) QB
2005 — Toby Gerhart (Norco) RB
2004 — Desean Jackson (Poly, Long Beach) WR-DB-KR
2003 — Sean Norton (Hart, Newhall) QB
2002 — Whitney Lewis (St. Bonaventure) WR-RB
2001 — Derek Landri (De La Salle, Concord) OL-DL
2000 — Tyler Ebell (Ventura) RB
1999 — D.J. Williams (De La Salle, Concord) RB-LB
1998 — Kyle Boller (Hart, Newhall) QB
1997 — DeShaun Foster (Tustin) RB
1996 — Rod Perry (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) WR-DB
1995 — Chris Claiborne (J.W. North, Riverside) RB-LB
1994 — Daylon McCutcheon (Bishop Amat, La Puente) RB-DB
1993 — Keith Smith (Newbury Park) QB
1992 — Travis Kirschke (Esperanza, Anaheim) OL-DL
1991 — Amani Toomer (De La Salle, Concord) WR
1990 — Napoleon Kaufman (Lompoc) RB
1989 — Ryan Hancock (Monta Vista, Cupertino) QB
1988 — Tommie Smith (Antelope Valley, Lancaster) RB-DB
1987 — Bret Johnson (El Toro) QB
1986 — Russell White (Crespi, Encino) RB (Soph.)
1985 — Terry Rodgers (Sweetwater, National City) RB-KR
1984 — Aaron Emanuel (Quartz Hill) RB
1983 — Ryan Knight (Rubidoux, Riverside) RB
1982 — John Paye (Menlo School, Atherton) QB
1981 — Kevin Willhite (Cordova, Rancho Cordova) RB
1980 — Michael Alo (Banning, Wilmington) FB
1979 — Kerwin Bell (Edison, Huntington Beach) RB
1978 — John Elway (Granada Hills) QB
1977 — Marcus Allen (Lincoln, San Diego) QB
1976 — Freeman McNeil (Banning, Wilmington) RB
1975 — Charles White (San Fernando) RB
1974 — Myron White (Santa Ana Valley) RB
1973 — Frank Manumaluena (Banning, Wilmington) LB
1972 — Wally Henry (Lincoln, San Diego) RB
1971 — John Sciarra (Bishop Amat, La Puente) QB
1970 — Pat Haden (Bishop Amat, La Puente) QB
1969 — James McAlister (Blair, Pasadena) RB
1968 — Jesse Freitas (Serra, San Mateo) QB
1967 — Calvin Jones (Balboa, San Francisco) RB (Jr.)
1966 — Mickey Cureton (Centennial, Compton) RB
1965 — Greg Jones (South San Francisco) RB
1964 — George Buehler (Whittier) LB-OL
1963 — Tim Rossovich (St. Francis, MV) LB
1962 — Steve Grady (Loyola, Los Angeles) RB
1961 — Mike Garrett (Roosevelt, Los Angeles) RB
1960 — Kent Nance (Madera) RB
1959 — Willie Brown (Poly, Long Beach) RB
1958 — Daryle Lamonica (Clovis) QB
1957 — Jim Josephson (Bellarmine, San Jose) FB
1956 — Randy Meadows (Downey) RB
1955 — Mickey Flynn (Anaheim) RB (Jr.)
1954 — Dick Bass (Vallejo) RB
1953 — C.R. Roberts (Oceanside) RB
1952 — Ronnie Knox (Santa Monica) QB
1951 — Marty Keough (Pomona) RB
1950 — Charley Powell (San Diego) E
1949 — Paul Larson (Turlock) HB
1948 — Johnny Olszewski (St. Anthony, Long Beach) FB
1947 — Hugh McElhenny (L.A. Washington) FB
1946 — Al Pollard (L.A. Loyola) HB
1945 — Paul Haynes (Pasadena) HB
1944 — Jackie Jensen (Oakland) HB
1943 — Don Burnside (Grant, North Sacramento) QB
1942 — Glenn Davis (Bonita, La Verne) QB
1941 — Billy Agnew (Piedmont) HB
1940 — Tommy Fears (L.A. Manual Arts) E
1939 — Johnny Petrovich (Alhambra) QB
1938 — Jim Jurkovich (Fresno) FB
1937 — Frankie Albert (Glendale) QB
1936 — Mike Klotovich (San Francisco Mission) HB
1935 — Kenny Washington (L.A. Lincoln) QB
1934 — Doyle Nave (L.A. Manual Arts) HB
1933 — Vic Bottari (Vallejo) QB
1932 — Nello “Flash” Falaschi (Bellarmine, San Jose) HB
1931 — Larry Lutz (Santa Ana) T
1930 — Charles “Chili” Bertoli (Berkeley) HB
1929 — Ervin “Cotton” Warburton (San Diego) QB (Jr.)
1928 — Orv Mohler (Alhambra) QB
1927 — Gus Shaver (Covina) HB
1926 — Erny Pinckert (San Bernardino) FB
1925 — Francis Tappaan (Los Angeles) T
*Davis was a senior and played in five-game spring season in 2021. Daniels played as a junior during the 2017 season, but reclassified to senior status after the season.
Note: List continues back to 1890 in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book & Almanac.
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
