Two of the finest players from the SJS include Spencer Sheff (left) of Elk Grove and Jared Rice from Central Catholic of Modesto. Photos: Mark Tennis.
This is the 12th preseason all-section or all-area football team we have compiled and covers schools from the entire CIF Sac-Joaquin Section from Yuba City to Merced and including Napa and Solano counties. Folsom is the heavy preseason favorite and has the most preseason all-section players as well.
Attention all Sac-Joaquin Section football fans: We have just posted the most complete, up-to-date all-time state football team records ever compiled. It is for Gold Club members only. This is the best time of the year to sign up for a one-year subscription so you can check out everything we do. To sign up, CLICK HERE.
MORE PRESEASON HONORS SQUADS: CIFSS/Inland Empire | Central Section | L.A. City Section | Central Coast Section | San Diego Section | Northern Section | |CIFSS/San Fernando Valley | CIFSS/South Bay & Long Beach | CIFNCS/Redwood Empire | CIFNCS/East Bay (plus Oakland) | CIFSS/SLO-Ventura-Santa Barbara | CIFSS/San Gabriel Valley (last one still to come)
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Jake Browning (Folsom) 6-3, 190, Sr.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to see him listed here as he was our No. 4 ranked QB in the state as a recruit and is the preseason first team all-state QB. The Washington committed senior has already passed for over 10,000 yards in his high school career and should go over 11,000 after his first few completions in the first game.
RB Beau Bisharat (Jesuit, Carmichael) 6-3, 210, Jr.
Our second-highest rated running back in our state running back rankings from the Sac-Joaquin Section at No. 19, Bisharat was the MVP among all running backs at last spring’s NorCal Nike Football Training Camp. Last season, he rushed for 1,119 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Jesuit’s Beau Bisharat rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore and was MVP among running backs at the NorCal Nike Football Training Camp. Photo: Student Sports.
RB Marcel Brown (Rio Linda) 5-11, 190, Sr.
Despite many great options, we went with this school record holder as our first choice at running back as he rushed for 2,031 yards and 26 touchdowns last season to earn all-state underclass honors. He is among the top five running back prospects in the state from just about every recruiting service.
WR Austin Aaron (Napa) 6-5, 205, Sr.
Committed to Cal back in April, our No. 10 WR/TE in the state used his great hands and superb route running to catch 48 passes last season for nearly 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns.
WR Josiah Deguara (Folsom) 6-2, 190, Sr.
In the high-powered Bulldogs’ offense, there is plenty of balls to go around and the hands that should connect with Jake Browning the most once again this season should be from Deguard. The talented wideout caught 104 passes for 1,354 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
WR L.J. Reed (Tokay, Lodi) 6-3, 205, Sr.
The big surprise with this two-sport standout isn’t that he is on this team but that after missing the start of the season he will be playing for the Tigers after transferring from Cosumnes Oaks of Elk Grove where he was a part of a terrific ball catching tandem with Alex Van Dyke Jr.. He will rejoin Van Dyke Jr. next season as he is also committed to UCLA.
OL Johnny Capra (Placer, Auburn) 6-6, 288, Sr.
With the Hillmen offense centered around the running game last season, it was this Cal committed big man who led the way up front creating holes for a rushing attack that gained over 3,700 yards and scored 49 touchdowns.
OL Cody Creason (Folsom) 6-4, 285, Sr.
Ranked at No. 13 overall in our statewide OL player rankings, he will be the main guy up front blocking for Bulldogs’ QB Jake Browning this season before heading to Arizona next season. Like Browning, Cody also will be a three-year starter.
OL Darrin Paulo (Grant, Sacramento) 6-6, 300, Sr.
In our recently released state OL player rankings, he was the highest from the Sac-Joaquin Section at No. 7 overall. Cal, USC and UCLA are among those that have already offered this Pacers’ big man who was also a CIF state meet participant in the discus.
OL Tristan Taylor (Stagg, Stockton) 6-7, 310, Sr.
Playing right down the street from our Stockton office, Taylor is hard to miss as he plays left tackle for the Delta Kings, who had just over 6,000 yards in offense last season. Many colleges stopped by in the spring to check him out.
OL Soape Tupou (Grant, Sacramento) 6-4, 300, Jr.
Just missing out on joining Pacers teammate Darrin Paulo in our top 20 OL state player rankings was this talented junior. Tupou should also help form what should be one of the top offensive lines in Northern California this season.
PK Max O’Rourke (Rocklin) 6-2, 160, Sr.
Doing a bit of everything last season for the Thunder, O’Rourke passed, ran and caught the ball but as a kicker is how he makes this team. He kicked 10 field goals and 37 extra points last season. He also had 42 of his kickoffs go into the end zone for touchbacks.
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL Kori Collons (Jesuit, Carmichael) 6-6, 205, Sr.
With the ability to also line up at linebacker, he also already received offers from schools like Fresno State, Nevada and San Jose State. In our recently released statewide position player rankings, Collons was our No. 17 defensive linemen.
Granite Bay’s Cameron Smith has committed to USC and has been among section’s best since he was a sophomore.
DL N.J. Falo (Inderkum, Sacramento) 6-3, 230, Sr.
Choosing where to put him than if to choose him was the main decision for Falo. He could also be at linebacker but we have him as our No. 13 defensive lineman in the state. The younger brother of San Jose State DL Nate Falo has committed to Colorado.
DL Jonah Williams (Folsom) 6-5, 270, Jr.
One of the newcomers to the Bulldogs this season, Williams should make a big impact after transferring from Davis. He is also one of the top shot putters and discus throwers in the state. Already with offers from Cal and Washington, he was our No. 20 ranked DL in the state in our recently released player rankings and is moving up fast as more and more college assistants check him out.
LB Jermon Cook (Merced) 6-1, 215, Sr.
He is prepared to have himself another big season of tackles for the Bears this season. Cook had a team-best 131 total tackles last season to go with 7.5 sacks during an undefeated year in Central California Conference league play.
LB Frank Ginda (Pacheco, Los Banos) 6-1, 230, Sr.
He tested out with a 104.22 SPARQ Rating back in May and has impressed enough to receive D1 college offers. Ginda also is effective for the Panthers at fullback.
LB Lonny Powell (Sacramento) 6-1, 220, Sr.
Yet another guy who can play all over the field, Powell has committed to Cal back after rushing for 951 yards and 10 touchdowns last season for the Dragons. On defense, he had 118 tackles and an eye opening 23 sacks, which is why we decided to put our No. 31 ranked senior in the entire state on the defensive side of the ball.
LB Cameron Smith (Granite Bay) 6-3, 227, Sr.
Another no doubt selection to this team and possibly the section’s top college recruit (even ahead of Jake Browning), Smith has been turning heads since his sophomore season with the Grizzlies. He should anchor their defense once again this season before he heads to USC next year.
DB Damarrio Hammonds (Patterson) 5-11, 160, Sr.
Our good friend at Black Hat Football, Rich Estrada, earlier this month did his Top 20 players in the region for both sides of the football and Hammonds was in the top spot for the defensive side of the field. He had nine interceptions last season, which has helped him already receive an offer from Weber State.
DB Shaunard Harts (Elk Grove) 5-10, 175, Sr.
This effective tackler and run stopper was a mainstay for the Herd’s defense last season. He also led the team with six interceptions. He should have a much bigger role on this year’s team.
DB Jared Rice (Central Catholic, Modesto) 6-5, 215, Sr.
He is also among the top tight end targets in the section, despite just catching 17 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ run heavy offense. Rice really stood out in the postseason last year, however, on the defensive side of the ball as he scored on a fumble return in the D4 state finals and finished the year with seven interceptions.
DB Justice Shelton-Mosley (Capital Christian, Sacramento) 6-0, 175, Sr.
Listed by some recruiting sources as just a WR, he has the ability to play all over the field and on the defensive side was the best way to get him and other talented players listed on this team. In our Cal-Hi Sports Hot 100 player rankings for seniors, he was at No. 57 after last year in which he rushed for over 1,500 yards and 25 touchdowns, caught eight touchdown passes and had eight interceptions on defense.
P Brice Farrell (Summerville, Tuolumne) 6-2, 175, Sr.
Leading the section last season, according to MaxPreps.com stats, Farrell averaged 44.9 yards per punt with a long punt of 56 yards. He also handled kickoff duties, played some defense and was the Bears’ quarterback.
Senior running back Nate Jones of Tracy was the section 100-meter dash champ last spring and helped the Bulldogs go 10-2 and win league title. Photo: Mark Tennis.
FIRST TEAM MULTI-PURPOSE
QB/RB Ian Book (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills) 6-1, 175, Jr.
One of the top rated junior signal callers in the state, we used multi-purpose to get him on our all-state sophomore first team last season and that is what we will do again here. Last season, Book passed for 2,558 yards and 30 touchdowns and we ranked him at No. 12 overall in our Class of ’16 Hot 100 player rankings.
QB/RB Matt Jimison (Vista del Lago, Folsom) 6-2, 200, Sr.
With many great quarterbacks in the section, it was his running ability that helped him get listed here as he rushed for six touchdowns to go along with 3,238 yards and 37 touchdown passes last season. Starting since his sophomore year, Jimison has passed for 5,830 yards and 74 touchdowns while running for 439 yards and 11 scores so far in his career.
RB/LB/KR Nate Jones (Tracy) 5-9, 185, Sr.
Averaging more than 10 yards per carry last season, Jones rushed for 1,174 yards and 19 touchdowns on just 113 carries. He also returned kicks and was in on 32 tackles while playing defense. Jones, the section 100-meter dash champ as a junior, probably will play more on defense this season.
LB/FB Bailey Laolagi (Folsom) 6-1, 205, Sr.
While his numbers aren’t as impressive as others, he did lead the Bulldogs’ defense with 67 tackles last season while also rushing for 615 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 66 carries. He also caught 33 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns during a season that was cut short due to an injury.
RB/LB Spencer Sheff (Elk Grove) 5-10, 192, Sr.
Leading the Thundering Herd’s defense in tackles last season, Sheff recorded 100 total tackles while also intercepting one pass. On offense, he chipped 791 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns.
WR/RB/DB/KR Lester Williams (Stagg, Stockton) 5-6, 150, Sr.
He may be one of the smaller guys on the field but he does a bit of everything and he does it well. Williams caught 43 passes for 914 yards and 13 touchdowns while recording 15 tackles and an interception on defense. He also returned kickoffs, punts and had three pass attempts.
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE, DEFENSE & MULTI-PURPOSE
(35 who almost made it)
WR Isaiah Bailey (Jesuit, Carmichael) 6-2, 215, Sr.
LB/RB Montell Bland (Central Catholic, Modesto) 6-0, 180, Soph.
OL Joseph Botsch (Cosumnes Oaks, Elk Grove) 6-6, 300, Sr.
QB Jaden Brisendine (Vanden, Travis AFB) Sr.
QB Brad Bussard (Ceres) 6-0, 170, Sr.
DB Justin Burrage (Del Oro) 5-9, 160 Jr.
RB Jabar Byrd (Merced) 5-10, 180, Sr.
LB Jim Carter (El Camino, Sacramento) 6-1, 200, Sr.
DB Michael Chisley (American Canyon) 6-0, 180, Sr.
RB/LB Darren Chism (Pleasant Grove, Elk Grove) Jr.
RB Mike Green (Grant, Sacramento) 6-0, 195, Jr.
QB/DB Chris Guillen (Christian Brothers, Sacramento) 6-3, 195, Sr.
RB/ATH Mister Harriel (Antelope) 6-0, 190, Sr.
QB Chad Hekking (Vacaville) 6-4, 200, Sr.
TE/DE Lukas Hendricks (Folsom) 6-5, 225, Sr.
LB Khalil Hodge (St. Mary’s, Stockton) 6-0, 225, Sr.
RB Evyn Holtz (Rocklin) 5-8, 185, Jr.
QB/RB Lamar Jackson (Franklin, Elk Grove) 6-3, 205, Sr.
FS/WR Hunter Johnson (Sierra, Manteca) 6-4, 205, Sr.
DB/RB Damon Lewis (Wood, Vacaville) 5-6, 165, Jr.
DE/TE Jordan McMiller (Lincoln, Stockton) 6-2, 205, Sr.
QB Hunter Petlansky (Central Catholic, Modesto) 6-2, 200, Jr.
OL Steven Ponzo (Granite Bay) 6-3, 280, Sr.
OL/DL Kooper Richardson (Folsom) 6-5, 270, Jr.
DB Andre Sherman (Buhach Colony, Atwater) 5-10, 175, Sr.
LB West Simpson (Sacramento) 6-0, 200, Sr.
CB/WR Malcolm Thomas (Woodcreek, Roseville) 6-1, 200, Sr.
LB Drew Tonda (Granite Bay) 6-1, 210, Sr.
WR/CB Trey Udoffia (Del Oro, Loomis) 6-0, 165, Jr.
RB Demetrius Vinson (Gregori, Modesto) 6-0, 180, Jr.
QB Caden Voges (Sacramento) 6-0, 160, Jr.
LB Mykal Walker (Vacaville) 6-3, 195, Sr.
DL Sam Whitney (Folsom) 6-3, 225, Sr.
RB Deondre Whittington-Grays (Grant, Sacramento) 5-10, 235, Sr.
QB Tyrone Williams (Merced) 6-4, 195 Sr.
Paul Muyskens is the Stockton office assistant for Cal-Hi Sports and will be working games this season for Comcast’s Home Network as well as for PlayOn Sports. 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
