Cal-Hi Sports Insider Blog

Quick-hitting, behind-the-scenes news and notes from the CalHiSports.com staff, including previews of upcoming content and events.

State CA FB HOF: Who’s In, Who’s Not

By Mark Tennis | Published October 22, 2026

What is presented below is a section-by-section list of those who were voted in among the first 100 into the California High School Football Hall of Fame at the Rose Bowl in 2023, plus those who have been added in the second class two years ago and those who were just voted in this year. As a guide for future deliberations, we also have added our own lists of those players and coaches who are still not included in this Hall of Fame. These are based on our own numerous lists of all-state teams and all-time state records that have been worked on for 48 years. These lists should be viewed as helpful for future research and inductions.

FOR FEATURE STORY BY LONGTIME CAL-HI SPORTS EDITOR MARK TENNIS ABOUT HIS DAY AT THE ROSE BOWL AND THIS YEAR’S INDUCTEES, CLICK HERE.

CIF CENTRAL SECTION

Derek Carr started high school in Texas but finished up at Bakersfield Christian. He retired after a very successful NFL career after the 2024 season. Photo: bakersfield.com.


Players Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
Derek Carr (Bakersfield Christian) QB*
Henry Ellard (Hoover, Fresno) WR
Frank Gifford (Bakersfield) RB
Jimmy Johnson (Kingsburg) DB
Daryle Lamonica (Clovis) QB
Tim McDonald (Edison, Fresno) DB
Don Mosebar (Mt. Whitney, Visalia) OL
Les Richter (Fresno) LB
Jeff Siemon (Bakersfield) LB
Charles Young (Edison, Fresno) TE
*Voted in for 2026.

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
John Baker (Kingsburg) OL
Jeff Buckey (Bakersfield) OL
Ron Cox (Washington, Easton) LB
Ryan Mathews (West, Bakersfield) RB
Kent Nance (Madera) RB
Lorenzo Neal (Lemoore) FB
Joey Porter (Foothill, Bakersfield) LB
Steve Wofford (Bakersfield) RB
Louis Wright (Bakersfield) DB
Note: Josh Allen (Firebaugh) QB may not yet be eligible to be voted on since NFL career is still going strong.

CIF CENTRAL COAST SECTION

Players Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
Steve Bartkowski (Buchser, Santa Clara) QB
Gary Beban (Sequoia, Redwood City) QB
Tom Brady (Serra, San Mateo) QB
Nello “Flash” Falaschi (Bellarmine, San Jose) RB
Dan Fouts (St. Ignatius, San Francisco) QB
Jim Harbaugh (Palo Alto) QB
Craig Morton (Campbell) QB
Jim Plunkett (James Lick, San Jose) QB
Ron Rivera (Seaside) LB
Lynn Swann (Serra, San Mateo) WR
Pat Tillman (Leland, San Jose) LB/DB*
*Voted in for 2026.

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
Davante Adams (Palo Alto) WR
Jared Allen (Los Gatos) DL
Andre Carter (Oak Grove, San Jose) DL
Trent Dilfer (Aptos) QB
Julian Edelman (Woodside) QB/WR
Herm Edwards (Monterey) DB
Trent Edwards (Los Gatos) QB
Mason Foster (Seaside) LB
Erik Howard (Bellarmine, San Jose) DL
Tut Imlay (Salinas) QB
Greg Jones (South San Francisco) RB
Deltha O’Neal (Milpitas) DB
Dan Pastorini (Bellarmine, San Jose) QB/P
John Paye (Menlo School, Atherton) QB
Tim Rossovich (St. Francis, Mountain View) LB
Tim Ryan (Oak Grove, San Jose) DL

CIF LOS ANGELES CITY SECTION

NFL all-time great QB John Elway wore No. 11 when he was playing at Granada Hills High in late 1970s. Photo: Twitter.com.


Players Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
Jon Arnett (Manual Arts) RB
Hal Bedsole (Reseda) WR
Ricky Bell (Fremont) RB
Ron Cuccia (Wilson, Los Angeles) QB
Anthony Davis (San Fernando) RB
Tom Fears (Manual Arts) WR
Gaston Green (Gardena) RB
John Elway (Granada Hills) QB
Mike Garrett (Roosevelt) RB
Jamelle Holieway (Banning, Wilmington) QB/RB
Michael Haynes (John Marshall) DB
Keyshawn Johnson (Dorsey) WR*
James Lofton (Washington) WR
Hugh McElhenny (Washington) RB
Freeman McNeil (Banning, Wilmington) RB
Warren Moon (Hamilton) QB
Joe Perry (Jordan) RB
James Washington (Jordan, Los Angeles) DB*
Kenny Washington (Lincoln) RB
Bob Waterfield (Van Nuys) QB
Charles White (San Fernando) RB
*Voted in for 2026.

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
Arnold Ale (Carson) LB
Michael Alo (Banning, Wilmington) RB/LB
Nnamdi Asumugha (Narbonne, Harbor City) DB
Roy Foster (Taft, Woodland Hills) OL
Darian Hagan (Locke) QB/RB
Jack Kemp (Fairfax) QB
Frank Manumaluena (Banning, Wilmington) LB
Rod Martin (Hamilton) LB
Ken Norton (Westchester) LB
Tom Ramsey (Kennedy, Granada Hills) QB
Malcolm Smith (Taft, Woodland Hills) LB
Steve Smith (Taft, Woodland Hills) WR
Steve Smith (University, Los Angeles) WR
De’Anthony Thomas (Crenshaw) RB/KR
Wendell Tyler (Crenshaw) RB
Wesley Walker (Carson) WR
Bob Whitfield (Banning, Wilmington) OL

CIF NORTH COAST SECTION

Players Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
Dick Bass (Vallejo) RB
Jack Del Rio (Hayward) LB
Zach Ertz (Monte Vista, Danville) TE
Jared Goff (Marin Catholic, Kentfield) QB
John Henry Johnson (Pittsburg) RB
Maurice Jones-Drew (De La Salle, Concord) RB
Gino Marchetti (Antioch) DL
Rey Maualuga (Eureka) LB
Ernie Nevers (Santa Rosa) RB**
Ron Pritchard (Antioch) LB
Jerry Robinson (Cardinal Newman, Santa Rosa) LB
Amani Toomer (De La Salle, Concord) WR
Gino Torretta (Pinole Valley, Pinole) QB
Norm Van Brocklin (Acalanes, Lafayette) QB***
D.J. Williams (De La Salle, Concord) RB/LB
Roy Williams (James Logan, Union City) QB/DB
**Didn’t graduate from Santa Rosa.
***Didn’t play senior season (World War II).
Note: Vallejo has been in both the NCS & Sac-Joaquin Section over the years.

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
Jahvid Best (Salesian, Richmond) RB
Vic Bottari (Vallejo) QB/RB
Bill Corbus (Vallejo) OL
Ken Dorsey (Miramonte, Orinda) QB
Tarik Glenn (Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland) OL
Mel Gray (Montgomery, Santa Rosa) WR
Matt Hazeltine (Tamalpais, Mill Valley) LB
Derek Landri (De La Salle, Concord) OL/DL
Jamir Miller (El Cerrito) LB
Ron Pritchard (Antioch) LB
Aaron Taylor (De La Salle, Concord) OL
Jim Turner (Swett, Crockett) PK/QB
Regan Upshaw (Pittsburg) DL

CIF NORTHERN SECTION

Player Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
Aaron Rodgers (Pleasant Valley, Chico) QB

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
Mort Kaer (Red Bluff) QB
Jason Seehorn (Mt. Shasta) DB
Jeff Stover (Corning) DL
Aaron Thomas (Weed) TE
Note: Kaer also won 189 games as a head coach at Weed for 30 years.

CIF OAKLAND SECTION

Players Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
John Brodie (Oakland Tech) QB
Marshawn Lynch (Oakland Tech) RB
Harold “Brick” Muller (Oakland Tech) WR/ATH

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
Chris Burford (Oakland) WR
Jackie Jensen (Oakland) QB

CIF SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION

Players Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
Dick Bass (Vallejo) RB
Tedy Bruschi (Roseville) DL/LB
Eddie LeBaron (Oakdale) QB
Ken O’Brien (Jesuit, Carmichael) QB

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
Robbie Bosco (Roseville) QB
Lance Briggs (Elk Grove) LB
Virgil Carter (Folsom) QB
Shante Carver (Lincoln, Stockton) DL
Don Doll (Grant, Sacramento) QB*
Tony Eason (Delta, Clarksburg) QB
Jason Fisk (Davis) DL
Aaron Garcia (Grant, Sacramento) QB
Dano Graves (Folsom) QB
J.D. Hill (Edison, Stockton) WR
Colin Kaepernick (Pitman, Turlock) QB
Logan Mankins (Mariposa County, Mariposa) OL
Bill Munson (Lodi) QB
Onterrio Smith (Grant, Sacramento) RB
Shaq Thompson (Grant, Sacramento) DB/LB
Paul Wiggin (Manteca) OL
Kevin Willhite (Cordova, Rancho Cordova) RB
*Known as Don Burnside in high school.
Note: Jake Browning (Folsom) QB may not yet eligible to be voted on as his NFL career is not over.

CIF SAN DIEGO SECTION

Players Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
Marcus Allen (Lincoln, San Diego) RB
Willie Buchanon (Oceanside) DB
Reggie Bush (Helix, La Mesa) RB
Lincoln Kennedy (Morse, San Diego) OL
John Lynch (Torrey Pines, San Diego) DB
Bill McColl (Hoover, San Diego) WR/TE
Darrell Russell (St. Augustine, San Diego) DL*
Rashaan Salaam (La Jolla Country Day) RB
Junior Seau (Oceanside) LB
Alex Smith (Helix, La Mesa) QB
Ricky Williams (Patrick Henry, San Diego) RB
*Voted in for 2026.

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
Eric Allen (Point Loma, San Diego) DB
Sal Aunese (Vista) QB
Donnie Edwards (Chula Vista) LB
Arian Foster (Mission Bay, San Diego) RB
La’Roi Glover (Point Loma, San Diego) DL
Wally Henry (Lincoln, San Diego) RB/KR
Deron Johnson (San Diego) ATH
Ted Johnson (Carlsbad) LB
Teddy Lawrence (Morse, San Diego) QB/RB
Mark Malone (El Cajon Valley) QB
Art Powell (San Diego) WR
Noel Prefontaine (El Camino, Oceanside) PK/P
C.R. Roberts (Oceanside) RB
Brian Sipe (Grossmont, El Cajon) QB
Robert Thomas (Imperial) LB
Pisa Tinoisamoa (Vista) RB/LB
Cotton Warburton (San Diego) HB

CIF SAN FRANCISCO SECTION

Players Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
Ollie Matson (Washington) RB/ATH
Bob St. Clair (Poly, S.F.) OL

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
Rod Franz (Galileo) OL
Mike Holmgren (Lincoln, S.F) QB
Note: No one seriously considered voting for O.J. Simpson (Galileo) RB for first class.

CIF SOUTHERN SECTION

Future NFL lineman and 1992 Mr. Football Travis Kirschke was proud of his team from Esperanza of Anaheim at 1992 magazine cover shoot. Photo: Student Sports.


Players Voted Into State Hall of Fame:
Frankie Albert (Glendale) QB
Matt Barkley (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) QB
George Buehler (Whittier) OL
Mark Carrier (Long Beach Poly) DB
Chris Claiborne (J.W. North, Riverside) LB/RB
Sean Cody (Los Altos, Hacienda Heights) DL
Randy Cross (Crespi, Encino) OL
Randall Cunningham (Santa Barbara) QB
Sam Cunningham (Santa Barbara) RB
Glenn Davis (Bonita, La Verne) RB
Morley Drury (Long Beach Poly) RB
Kai Forbath (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) PK
DeShaun Foster (Tustin) RB
Toby Gerhart (Norco) RB
Tony Gonzalez (Huntington Beach) TE/LB
Matt Grootegoed (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) RB/DB
Pat Haden (Bishop Amat, La Puente) QB
Edwin “Babe” Horrell (Pasadena) OL
John Huarte (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) QB
DeSean Jackson (Long Beach Poly) WR
Napoleon Kaufman (Lompoc) RB**
Joe Kapp (Hart, Newhall) QB
Billy Kilmer (Citrus, Azusa) QB
Travis Kirschke (Esperanza, Anaheim) DL*
Ronnie Knox (Santa Monica) QB
Matt Leinart (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) QB
Chris Lewis (Long Beach Poly) QB
Marcedes Lewis (Long Beach Poly) TE
Ronnie Lott (Eisenhower, Rialto) DB
Todd Marinovich (Capistrano Valley, Mission Viejo) QB
Bruce Matthews (Arcadia) OL
Daylon McCutcheon (Bishop Amat, La Puente) RB/DB
Willie McGinest (Long Beach Poly) DE/LB
John McKay Jr. (Bishop Amat, La Puente) WR
Mike McKeever (Mt. Carmel, Los Angeles) OL
Kory Minor (Bishop Amat, La Puente) DL
Ron Mix (Hawthorne) OL
Orv Mohler (Alhambra) QB
Donn Moomaw (Santa Ana) LB
Anthony Munoz (Chaffey, Ontario) OL
Carson Palmer (Santa Margarita, Rancho SM) QB
Jackie Robinson (Muir, Pasadena) QB/RB
Mark Sanchez (Mission Viejo) QB
John Sciarra (Bishop Amat, La Puente) RB/QB
Richard Sherman (Dominguez, Compton) DB
Dennis Smith (Santa Monica) DB
Dennis Thurman (Santa Monica) DB
Gene Washington (Long Beach Poly) WR/QB
Ed White (Indio) OL**
Russell White (Crespi, Encino) RB
Robert Woods (Serra, Gardena) WR*
Ron Yary (Bellflower) OL
Luis Zendejas (Don Lugo, Chino) PK
Gary Zimmerman (Walnut) OL
*Voted in for 2026.
**Lompoc and Indio are no longer in CIFSS; but both schools were in the section during years that Kaufman and White played at their schools.

Leading Players Not In State Hall of Fame:
Kermit Alexander (Mt. Carmel, Los Angeles) DB
Bryan Anger (Camarillo) P
Roy “Bullet” Baker (Long Beach Poly) RB/QB
Steve Beuerlein (Servite, Anaheim) QB
Kyle Boller (Hart, Newhall) QB
Lorenzo Booker (St. Bonaventure, Ventura) RB
Mark Brunell (St. Joseph, Santa Maria) QB
Vontaze Burfict (Centennial, Compton) LB
Jurrell Casey (Long Beach Poly) DL
Jimmy Clausen (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) QB
Kenyon Coleman (Alta Loma) DL
Mickey Cureton (Centennial, Compton) RB
Isaac Curtis (Santa Ana) WR
Sam Darnold (San Clemente) QB
Rick DiBernardo (Edison, Huntington Beach) LB
Tyler Ebell (Ventura) RB
Marv Fleming (Compton) WR
Mickey Flynn (Anaheim) RB
Tony Hill (Long Beach Poly) WR
Lawrence Jackson (Inglewood) DL
Adoree’ Jackson (Serra, Gardena) DB
Malik Jackson (Birmingham, Lake Balboa) DL
Ronney Jenkins (Hueneme, Oxnard) RB
Bret Johnson (El Toro, Lake Forest) QB
Kermit Johnson (Blair, Pasadena) RB
Norm Johnson (Pacifica, Garden Grove) PK
Rob Johnson (El Toro, Lake Forest) QB/WR
Travis Johnson (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) DL
Matt Kalil (Servite, Anaheim) OL
George Kunz (Loyola, Los Angeles) OL
Alex Mack (San Marcos, Santa Barbara) OL
Ken Margerum (Fountain Valley) WR
Chris McAlister (Pasadena) DB
James McAlister (Blair, Pasadena) RB
Earl McCullouch (Long Beach Poly) WR
Mike McKeever (Mt. Carmel, Los Angeles) OL
Randy Meadows (Downey) RB
Blaine Nye (Servite, Anaheim) OL
Mike Rae (Lakewood) QB
Chris Sailer (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) PK
Keith Smith (Newbury Park) QB/ATH
Tyron Smith (Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley) OL
Jack Snow (St. Anthony, Long Beach) WR
Eric Turner (Ventura) DB
Myron White (Valley, Santa Ana) RB
Tim Wrightman (Mary Star, San Pedro) TE

CALIFORNIA HS FB HALL OF COACHES

Head coach John Carroll of Oceanside is one of the most obvious missing names from the coaches already listed at the California High School Football Hall of Fame. Photo: OHSFoundation.org.


Mike Alberghini (Grant, Sacramento)
Dan Albert (Monterey)*
Marijon Ancich (St. Paul, Santa Fe Springs)
John Barnes (Los Alamitos)
Dick Bruich (Fontana & Fontana Kaiser)
Lou Farrar (Charter Oak, Covina)
Bill Foltmer (Middletown)*
Steve Grady (Loyola, Los Angeles)**
Dwight “Goldie” Griffith (Bakersfield)
Tom Hamilton (Pasadena)
Terry Henigan (Irvine)*
Mike Herrington (Hart, Newhall)
Bob Hitchcock (Temple City)
Bob Johnson (El Toro & Mission Viejo)
Bob Ladouceur (De La Salle, Concord)
Herb Meyer (Oceanside & El Camino Oceanside)
Bill Redell (Encino Crespi & Oaks Christian)
Bruce Rollinson (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Kevin Rooney (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks)
Gene Vollnogle (Carson)
Harry Welch (CC Canyon, St. Margaret’s & Santa Margarita)
*Voted in for 2026
**Grady also was one of the top players in the state during his years in high school in the 1960s.

Leading Coaches Not Yet in Hall of Fame
(Still current coaches not included)

Randy Blankenship (6 schools, last one Aptos)
(313-118-6, won largest class titles in Sac-Joaquin, Central & San Diego sections)
John Carroll (Oceanside)
(252-101-6, CIF state champions 2007 & 2009, all-time best 13 CIF San Diego Section titles)
Butch Cattolico (Los Gatos)
(264-62-7, 16 league titles & 12 CIF Central Coast Section titles)
Mark Loureiro (Escalon)
(282-67-1, 2010 CIF D3 state champions, 80.7 win percentage highest among coaches not yet in)

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He is now a member of the California High School Football Hall of Fame & CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in media category. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle:

1,000 Win Club Grows By One

By Mark Tennis | Published October 8, 2026

One state record coaching category we track at Cal-Hi Sports for all sports combined are those coaches who have reached 1,000 career wins.

Rocklin girls volleyball coach Bret Almazan-Cezar made history by collecting the 1,000th win of his career last weekend at a tournament. Photo: RocklinHighVolley.com.


There have been two from boys basketball in recent seasons who have done it — Mike LeDuc from Damien of La Verne and Harvey Kitani of Rolling Hills Prep (San Pedro) — and one for girls hoops who is closing in on it — Kevin Kiernan from Troy of Fullerton.

Last weekend, the milestone win was recorded by Rocklin High’s Bret Almazan-Cezar for girls volleyball. He is the winningest girls volleyball coach in state history and is one of just 12 coaches in state history covering all combined sports who has a 1,000th win.
Read more…

Gunfire halts game in Manteca

By Mark Tennis | Published September 12, 2026

Some people were running, other were walking toward the exits after gunfire outside the stadium halted Friday’s football game between Manteca High and Chavez of Stockton. Photo: Mark Tennis.


The plan going into Friday’s matchup in Manteca between two of the top-ranked teams in San Joaquin County (where we live) was to see the celebration ceremony before it began surrounding the 100th season of Manteca High football and get some info about the possible name change of Cesar Chavez High of Stockton.

FOR OUR GAME REPORT OF MATER DEI’S BIG WIN OVER CORONA CENTENNIAL, CLICK HERE.

Both teams are upper level for sure as Manteca (11-1 last season) was looking to bounce back from season-opening losses to St. Francis of Mountain View and Buchanan of Clovis while Chavez (10-1 last season) was looking to play a much tougher opponent than it’s been used to.

We’ll have separate posts with those two topics coming up later, but the night ended with just under five minutes left in the third quarter. Manteca had the ball and a 29-7 lead and our thought was to see if Manteca RB Nikko Juarez might score one more touchdown (he earlier had become the school’s all-time leading career rusher), perhaps get a photo and then head home early to start going over the scores from other games around the state.

I didn’t hear anything standing on around 25-yard line on the Manteca side and on the south side of the field. But there was a commotion in the other grandstands, then kids and others started running to the south. The same began on the Manteca side. From having been at another game before back in 2019 at Edison of Stockton I knew pretty quickly that someone had heard a gun shot. The players on the field unfortunately know the drill — drop to the ground and lay down and so did others. Since there was no other indication of any other shot or shots fired, I just stood there on full alert.

After perhaps 10 seconds, someone on the PA system told everyone to exit the stadium to the south. At that point, I thought the panic among some in the crowd might cause more injuries than anything else. Still with no other indications of more shots fired, the panic became the most indelible images of the experience I’ll remember. In that game at Edison, the PA announcer did a great job of keeping the crowd more stable. Maybe the police officers there that night and staff that night also knew that the shots were not actually at the school but across the street at at an apartment complex.

After a few minutes, the panic was starting to wane, but one woman was noticeably screaming to see her daughter. Others we saw were in tears. Getting that way in today’s world where we do have mass shootings in America all the time, seeing that type of panic is understandable but it could have been lessened by a different approach from the press box.

Officials from the two schools met after that and it became obvious that the game would be called. That clearly was the correct decision. As of Saturday morning, there was no decision decided on the game’s result but Manteca should get the win. Way more than half the game had been played and I’m pretty sure the Buffaloes were going to add to their lead when the game was stopped.

Before the game, we chatted for awhile with Manteca Bulletin sports editor Jonamar Jacinto. He had to switch gears after the gunfire but was in a good place to become the newspaper’s on-scene reporter.

According to Jacinto’s report, he talked to police chief Stephen Schuler, who said there were two or three shots fired into the air near the school’s gym, which is located just east of the stadium’s entrance area.

“We heard two pops. (It) sounded like a firecracker, and then we saw kids running, so we immediately got on the microphone, and said go to the nearest exit,” Manteca High Principal Megan Peterson told Jacinto. “We met with the officials and the police. I called my boss (Clara Schmidt) and she said, ‘Call the game. We’re not messing around.’ The refs were asking us, do we want to finish the game? And that was the right call. That’s what I wanted to do; I just wanted to verify.”

Three juveniles also were reported to have been involved and one was reported in custody. Upon leaving the stadium, there was an area taped off by the police in which officers had their flashlights looking at the ground, one would assume looking for bullet casings. It also required several detours for people like myself who were in the school’s east parking lot to finally get out onto the street to get to our cars.

It’s unfortunately not the first time of reported gunfire ending a game early this season in California. In one of them, during a game at Independence High of Bakersfield, 17-year-old Levi Brown was killed when he was shot in the parking lot by a 15-year-old. We’re pretty sure that last night’s experience is not going to be the last but for someone who’s been going to Friday night football games for 48 years it’s another reason to stop going and just do the old boring approach of covering it at home and on the laptop.

Girls BB: Pre-Pre Season Top 8

By Harold Abend | Published August 27, 2026

We sent a questionnaire out to all eight teams on this list and one thing is pretty obvious, and that is the transfer bug is more prevalent in Southern California where a majority of the teams have been impacted by transfers. Once again, this is a pre-pre season list and is predicated on the transfer bug. As mentioned previously, this order could change for the full Preseason State TOP 40 Rankings and likely will.

FOR A LOOK AT OUR FINAL GIRLS OF SUMMER PLAYER RANKINGS (MORE THAN 180 PLAYERS LISTED), CLICK HERE.

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
If all the all the transfers come through for head coach Jody Wynn, one prominent analyst told us, “Mater Dei should be unbeatable as long as everyone is cleared to play.” The list includes Tati Griffin from Ontario Christian and Addison Archer from Rancho Christian.

Kaleena Smith led Ontario Christian to the CIF Open Division state title and was a runaway winner in final Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year evaluations. Photo: Scott Kurtz / Cal-Hi Sports.


2. Ontario Christian (Ontario)
The Lady Knights have “Special K” Kaleena Smith back and she is clearly establishing herself as one of the all-time California high school greats, and although they lose Tati Griffin they have additions including Aliyah Phillips coming over from Etiwanda and Ava Washington from Saint Joseph. Because of that, we’re not going to drop the defensing CIF Open Division state champions any lower than No. 2 and for the real pre-season rankings they very likely will be on top of the state.

3. Windward (Los Angeles)
The Wildcats won the NCAA Certified Scholastic Section VII title in June in Arizona where Ontario Christian and Archbishop Mitty were in the field. We were originally going to have them on top when we did the first Girls of Summer post with Amel Cook coming back strong along with a host of other returnees and a formidable freshman class, but a lot has changed since then.

4. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)
Cal-Hi Sports State Senior of the Year Jerzy Robinson is off to college but Sierra Canyon will still be formidable with who it returns. Transfer Aliyah Mack from Fairmont Prep, a force inside and the runner-up for Cal-Hi Sports State Freshman of the Year, will join junior inside-out big Rosie Oladokun to give the Trailblazers a formidable 1-2 punch. Sierra Canyon has some other solid returnees, but according to Head Coach Alicia Komaki that will be all the transfers the Trailblazers are going to add to the mix.

5. Centennial (Corona)
The Huskies bit the transfer bug big last year but according to head coach Matt Tumambing he “declined 3-4 transfers because I have eight girls with D1 offers. We didn’t see junior 6-foot-7 Sydney “Bean” Douglas this summer since she did not play at Girls California Live 2026, but we did see senior guard Armanyie Reed, and she looked better than she did in the CIF D1 state championship where she shined. We also saw several other Centennial players, including junior Princess Poialii-Hunkin, and she looked like a woman amongst girls at the HER event.

6. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
We realize head coach Sue Phillips and her Monarchs finished higher in the final expanded rankings last season, but unlike the Southern California teams they really didn’t benefit from the transfer bug, and the top team from Northern California doesn’t have quite as much returning firepower as the SoCal teams ahead of them. They do have inside presence with junior Maliya Hunter and based off her showing at USA Basketball she comes in near the top of the rankings and looks significantly improved. Phillips has a deep and very talented roster including senior guard Zion Patterson, and as things shake out they could be higher for the real preseason rankings.

7. Etiwanda
There are some who say that head coach Stan Delus and his Eagles girls could be higher, and as we get closer to the real preseason ranking they very well may be. Besides losing Arynn Finley to graduation they also lost senior F/C Aliyah Phillips to transfer, but according to Delus they are still loaded. The top returners are senior guards Chasity Rice, Andrea Alamo and Sydney Roberson, plus senior forwards Tess Oldenburg and Jaylee Moore. He also got an Arizona transfer, senior guard Dashia Richardson, who was one of the state’s top players. He also got another transfer, sophomore guard Aniyah Lindsey, from Lakewood.

8. St. Mary’s (Stockton)
Head coach Alle Moreno and her Rams girls would like nothing more than to supplant Mitty as the top team from Northern California and after a disappointing finish to last season they will have a shot at it this season. Three St. Mary’s players are close to the top of the rankings led by senior guard Kori Rodgers. She is followed by sophomore guard Anya Hardy and sophomore wing Dylan Horton, but there are several others we liked a lot if you check the list.

TOP 5 CIF Northern Section FB Players

By Mark Tennis | Published August 19, 2026

While we are not able to provide an extensive CIF Northern Section preseason first and second teams this year, we do have a list of top five players at the start of the season. This is based on projected team success, stats from last year, recruiting service player rankings and more.

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


For a look at our most recently posted preseason all-section team, CLICK HERE.
For a look at the first 25 teams in our Preseason State TOP 50, CLICK HERE.

1. Koby Johnson
(Enterprise, Redding) 5-10, 185, RB, Jr.
The younger brother of recent Enterprise QB standout J.J. Johnson (now at Shasta College) has an offer from Sacramento State. Koby had a breakout soph season as he rushed for 1,673 yards and 14 TDs. He was more of a receiver as a freshman with 32 catches for 381 yqrds and four TDs.

2. Jaret Bridwell (Red Bluff) 5-11, 205, DB, Sr.
He led the section in reported tackles as a junior with 173, including 23 for loss, and he was our NorCal Defensive Player of the Week at one point. Bridwell, a three-sport athlete, also rushed for 10 TDs on offense.

3. Wyatt Shaw
(Redding Christian, Palo Cedro) 6-3, 190, QB, Sr.
He’s returning to lead the Lions after passing for 3,231 yards and a massive 55 TDs. They won the CIF D7-AA state title with a 30-21 triumph over Woodbridge of Irvine. Wyatt went 21 of 30 for 205 yards in that game. The team will take a 15-game win streak into this season after finishing 15-0 after the final win.

4. Adan Rodriguez (Red Bluff) 6-1, 295, OL, Sr.
He’s been a four-year mainstay with the Spartans and has been on the All-Northern Section team all three years so far in his career. Adan was a first team all-section pick the past two seasons.

5. Darren Goodman (Redding Christian, Palo Cedro) 6-4, 210, TE/DE, Sr.
Based on their schedule and the players they have back like QB Wyatt Shaw, Goodman and more, the Lions are likely to go 10-0 in the regular season, win another section title and then sit back and wonder how high the CIF might place them in the regional/state playoffs. Goodman has been a TE/DE monster the past two seasons. Last season, he had 42 receptions for 865 yards and 15 TDs plus 85 tackles and 12.5 sacks on defense. The year before that, Darren had 17 sacks and caught 59 passes for 930 yards and 14 scores.

Some Others We Almost Wrote Up

John Bernardez (Chico) QB Jr.
Karter Brooks (Enterprise, Redding) LB Jr.
Wyatt Gillett (Los Molinos) RB/LB Sr.
Andrew Ortiz (Chico) LB Sr.
Nolan Shirley (Gridley) DL Jr.
Micah Skinner (Redding Christian, Palo Cedro) DB Sr.
Brayden Wynkoop (Pleasant Valley, Chico) QB Sr.

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

TOP 10 San Diego Section FB Players

By Mark Tennis | Published August 19, 2026

While we are not able to provide an extensive CIF San Diego Section preseason first and second teams this year, we do have a list of top 10 players at the start of the season. This is based on projected team success, stats from last year, recruiting service player rankings and more.

For a look at our most recently posted preseason all-section team, CLICK HERE.
For a look at the first 25 teams in our Preseason State TOP 50, CLICK HERE.

1. Honor Fa’alave Johnson
(Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) 6-2, 195, RB/DB, Sr.
The returning State Junior Player of the Year for his exploits on both sides of the ball for the Dons has committed to USC. He’s a candidate to be Mr. Football State Player of the Year if his two-way dominance continues. His team also is looking to win a second straight SD Section Open Division title. Honor rushed for 1,265 yards and 21 TDs last season on offense. He also caught 35 passes for 564 yards and seven scores. Regarded as one of the top DB prospects in the nation, Fa’alave-Johnson had 38 tackles and two interceptions.\

2. Zac Benitez
(Granite Hills, El Cajon) 6-2, 210, QB, Sr.
It’s just as easy to rank Zac as the No. 2 player on this list as it is for Fa’alave-Johnson to be No. 1. He’ll be starting for the fourth straight season for the Eagles and has that very, very rare chance of being a CIF San Diego Secton champion for all four years. That freshman season is when Benitez helped Granite beat Carlsbad in the SD Open final. He had comparable stats that night to Carlsbad senior at the time and current Heisman Trophy candidate Julian Sayin. Benitez, who has committed to San Jose State, passed for 2,410 yards and 27 TDs as a junior.

Gaige Weddle of Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) is one of the state’s most highly regarded juniors. He stars on both sides of the ball. Photo: FOX 5 San Diego.


3. Gaige Weddle
(Rancho Bernardo, San Diego) 6-2, 180, RB/DB/QB, Jr.
All-State first team sophomore from last season now ranks among the top juniors in the nation as a college prospect. Gaige projects to be a DB like dad Eric, a six-time Pro Bowl player in the NFL. Eric Weddle also is RB’s head coach. Gaige passed for 1,115 yards and 12 TDs and he rushed for 695 yards and nine TDs last season on offense. On defense, he racked up 90 tackles plus one interception.

4. Paisos Polamalu
(St. Augustine, San Diego) 5-9, 190, RB/DB, Sr.
Son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu is one of three major two-way stars from the CIF San Diego Section this season (along with Honor Fa’alave-Johnson and Gaige Weddle). Paisos also is an all-state grid-hooper. He had the most success for Saints last season as a running back with 1,530 yards rushing and 19 TDs. He also had 108 tackles and six picks playing defense. Polamalu has committed to Stanford.

5. Dax Labrum (Santa Fe Christian, Solana Beach) 6-3, 190, QB, Sr.
Speaking of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dax worked with just inducted legend Drew Brees last season at Santa Fe Christian and will do so once again this season. Drew’s son, Baylen, is one of the Eagles’ receivers. Labrum was a major reason SFC went 13-1 last season with a D2 section title and with the only loss to Rio Hondo Prep of Arcadia in the CIF D2-A regional final. The Cornell commit passed for 3,106 yards and 36 TDs.

6. Jaeveyion Allen (Lincoln, San Diego) 6-2, 165, WR/DB, Sr.
There’s no doubt that Lincoln is going to once again have one of the top teams in the San Diego Section this season (we started the Hornets at No. 24 in the state and third in the section) but it’s hard to determine one player or several who may emerge as the top honors candidate. Allen is a returning standout with a pair of interceptions on defense. He’s getting D1 college interest. He also may be counted on to make plays on offense.

7. Lincoln Mageo (Oceanside) 6-4, 280, OL, Sr.
He’s the top returning offensive lineman in the section. Mageo also has moved up to the top 25 interior offensive linemen in the nation by 247Sports. He has committed to Michigan.

8. Furian Inferrera (Mission Hills, San Marcos) 6-3, 210, QB, Sr.
The replacement for Penn State’s Troy Huhn as the Grizzlies’ QB comes to them from national powerhouse Mater Dei of Santa Ana. Furian was a back-up there the past two seasons, but got into games during both of them. He has received major D1 interest despite being a back-up at Mater Dei (which is not unusual there). Inferrera had committed to Minnesota before he transferred to Mission Hills and that is still what is being reported for him.

9. Kaleb Runkle (Christian, El Cajon) 6-3, 185, QB, Sr.
Highly productive QB for Patriots is looking to have a huge senior season. Runkle, who also has a 4.0 GPA, passed for 2,870 yards and 28 TDs as a junior. He added 572 yards rushing and three scores.

10. Ma’kahi Fields-Cook (Canyon Hills, San Diego) 5-7. 170, RB, Jr.
He’s the top returning RB in the section according to yards from last season and the second-highest is more than 500 yards less. Fields-Cook, an all-state sophomore, rushed for 2,092 yards and 16 TDs.

Some Others We Almost Wrote Up

Dareyen Bridges (Lincoln, San Diego) WR
Kevin Clark (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) LB
Isaac Cook (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) WR
Kye Cooper (San Diego) DB/WR Sr.
Jeremy Davis (Helix, La Mesa) LB Sr.
Jackson Fader (Mission Hills, San Marcos) OL Sr.
Dane Larson (Bishop’s, La Jolla) WR Sr.
Ezekiel McIntyre (San Marcos) WR/DB Sr.
Courtney Miller-Thompson (Granite Hills, El Cajon) WR Sr.
Taylon Sheriff (Canyon Hills, San Diego) WR/DB Jr.

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

All-State Baseball Patch List 2

By Mark Tennis | Published July 25, 2026

Our all-state patch for the 2026 baseball season is similar to the ones we’ve offered in previous years through our partners at BillyTees.com.


For those just wanting to check to see about a particular player on this year’s All-State Second and Third Teams for baseball without being a subscriber, here is a simple alphabetical list. If you want the full presentation and are not Gold Club, please check out getting a membership today.
Read more…

All-State Baseball Patch List

By Mark Tennis | Published July 20, 2026

Our all-state patch for the 2026 baseball season is similar to the ones we’ve offered in previous years through our partners at BillyTees.com.


For those just wanting to check to see about a particular player on this year’s All-State Underclass Teams for baseball without being a subscriber, here is a simple alphabetical list. If you want the full presentation and are not Gold Club, please check out getting a membership today.
Read more…

All-State Softball Patch List 2

By Mark Tennis | Published July 19, 2026

Our all-state patch for the 2026 softball season is similar to the ones we’ve offered in previous years through our partners at BillyTees.com.


For those just wanting to check to see about a particular player on this year’s All-State Second and Third Teams for softball without being a subscriber, here is a simple alphabetical list. If you want the full presentation and are not Gold Club, please check out getting a membership today.
Read more…

All-State Softball Patch List

By Mark Tennis | Published July 15, 2026

Our all-state patch for the 2026 softball season is similar to the ones we’ve offered in previous years through our partners at BillyTees.com.


For those just wanting to check to see about a particular player on this year’s All-State Underclass Teams for softball without being a subscriber, here is a simple alphabetical list. If you want the full presentation and are not Gold Club, please check out getting a membership today.
Read more…

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