Jihad Stephens from Castlemont of Oakland turns the corner for some of the 267 yards he had during game vs. Burton of San Francisco. Photo: Willie Eashman.
Annual regular football feature returns with top reported single-game performances from around the state. This week’s best includes a 465-yard, 7-TD outing from a quarterback and that’s with his legs and not his arm. Among others featured are neighboring QBs Tristan Gebbia and Max Gilliam plus Chico’s Cameron Alfaro and more from Whitney’s Hunter Rodrigues.
Note: We will collect totals from MaxPreps, newspapers, tweets and from those sent in to us. We also will compile single-game highs from this post throughout the season and of course we use our weekly State Stat Stars collection as an aid for the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book. That is the only state record book anyone has ever done and we have published it seven times with full copyright protection. To report totals to us for this feature and for the record book, email markjtennis@gmail.com or call 209-463-9050. You can also text to 209-608-1317.
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(All players listed in alphabetical order)
(For games played through Saturday, Sept. 5)
To read about the six players featured as our NorCal/SoCal Players of the Week, CLICK HERE.
Jerrell Alberty (McClymonds, Oakland)
Guess the Warriors are still going to be able to run the ball despite graduation of 2013-14 standout Lavance Warren. In a 38-21 victory last week against Benicia, Alberty was more than alright with 31 carries for 292 yards and four touchdowns.
Cameron Alfaro (Chico)
The Panthers (1-1) overcame a 21-0 deficit in the second quarter to beat Liberty of Brentwood 41-34 and did it mostly behind Alfaro. He scored on runs of 8, 12, 73, 25, 1 and 33 yards and ended with 326 yards rushing on 32 carries. He had 80 yards and the one TD on eight carries by halftime, meaning he had 246 yards and five TDs on 24 carries in the second half. He even added a 2-point conversion after his 1-yard TD. He also was the strong safety, helping Chico limit Liberty to 58 yards rushing on 34 carries.
Chico High’s Cameron Alfaro scored six touchdowns in team’s triumph over Liberty of Brentwood. Photo: Joseph Shufelberger/Chico Enterprise-Record.
Jordan Antunez (Garden Grove)
Sprinting out of the starting blocks of the 2015 season, he rushed for 262 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries but the Argonauts suffered a 27-26 road loss against Westminster in their season opener.
Neville Bood (Monterey Trail, Elk Grove)
In contention to be named the athlete of the week by the Sacramento Bee, he had 15 solo tackles and 23 total tackles during a 24-7 win over Merced.
Joshua Brown (Long Beach Poly)
Making the opposition jerseys turn brown and get dirty, he has led the Jackrabbits’ defense so far this season with 34 total tackles. In the 20-17 win against Narbonne of Harbor City, the junior standout had 10 solo tackles and 15 total plus he blocked a punt.
Zach Chulak (Viewpoint, Calabasas)
Despite completing 23 of his 47 pass attempts for 482 yards and six touchdowns, the Patriots suffered their first loss of the season as they were on the losing end of a 60-46 final score against Chatsworth and fellow state stat star Tyler Goslin.
K.J. Costello & Dylan Crawford (Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita)
Costello to Crawford is a connection that fans should get used to hearing and seeing when following the Eagles this season. While Costello passed for 432 yards and four touchdowns in a 59-14 victory vs. Santiago of Corona, Crawford was on the receiving end of six passes that gained 176 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Mikey Dean (Chaffey, Ontario)
Hey, Mikey, we like it. During a 34-10 victory over Patriot of Riverside, Dean was responsible for gaining big chunks of yards. He carried the ball 24 times for 205 yards and scored four touchdowns.
Reshawn Fontenette (Oak Grove, San Jose)
Scoring both of the Eagles’ touchdowns during a 28-13 loss to St. Francis of Mountain View, he caught a 32-yard touchdown pass but it was the rushing attack that saw him do the most damage. Fontenette carried the ball 21 times for 235 yards and one score.
Tristan Gebbia (Calabasas)
It was a good week for quarterbacks that have their last name start with the letter g as he was one of two to pass for seven touchdowns in a game last week. For Gebbia, he passed for 474 yards and those seven scores during a 45-25 win over Burroughs of Burbank.
Max Gilliam (Thousand Oaks)
While we saw several different reported totals for his performance during a 53-26 win over Canyon of Canyon Country, the one number that didn’t vary was his number of touchdown passes as he tied the county record for touchdown passes in a game with seven. On the night, Gilliam also was a reported 19 of 25 for 351 yards while also rushing for 53 yards on five carries. The Cal commit has now passed for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns this season after passing for 2,920 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior.
Tyger Goslin (Chatsworth)
The Chancellors opened their season with a 60-46 win over Viewpoint of Calabasas last Thursday and as you would expect in a game that had 106 total points there were some stat star worthy performances, including one by this junior. Goslin completed 11 of his 19 pass attempts for 269 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 178 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
Derrion Grim (McNair, Stockton)
It’s only been two games, but Grim already has 10 touchdown catches after another big night in a 61-50 loss to Downey of Modesto. The recent NorCal Offensive Player of the Week had 12 catches for 225 yards and four scores. McNair QB Ossai Brown also passed for 322 yards and five TDs, but threw a pair of costly interceptions.
Romello Harris (Tulare)
The standout senior continues his march toward breaking the CIF Central Section career rushing record with a fine performance against Garces of Bakersfield. He rushed for 224 yards on 32 carries and scored three touchdowns. According to section historian Bob Barnett, that moved him into 8th on the section list and he now has 5,925 career yards. Harris’ 32 carries also gives him 832 for his career, which moved him into 2nd place. The game, however, was marred with 32 penalties for 313 yards, which is the second most yards in section history.
Ramses Hernandez (Fairfax, Los Angeles)
For the second week in a row, he is listed here after a big performance rushing the ball as he gained 207 yards on 23 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 34-31 win over Carson. It was the second week in a row he broke the 200-yard mark. Hernandez gained 202 yards on just 10 carries the week before.
Ryan Huston (Placer, Auburn)
The senior two-way standout was a candidate for NorCal Defensive Player of the Week with three interceptions during a 46-14 win by the Hillmen over Pioneer of Woodland. So far in two games, Huston also has three receptions and one TD catch on offense.
Bryan Ibarra (Godinez, Santa Ana)
Not making many friends on the road in Fountain Valley, he rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries as the Grizzlies opened the season with a 29-7 road win over Los Amigos.
Sean Kuenzinger (Clovis)
The senior QB passed for a career high of 336 yards on 19 completions in 30 attempts with two touchdowns in a 41-24 win over Lemoore. Seven of the completions went to J.J. Wills for 124 yards and one touchdown. Lemoore still leads in a series 9-6 that dates back to 1923.
Brandon LaMarche (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
It was another big win for the Monarchs and another big performance from this talented running back. LaMarche rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries during a 35-14 win over Tesoro of Rancho Santa Margarita.
Terrence Marsh (Natomas, Sacramento)
Giving Valley of Sacramento nightmares all night long, he made an impact on both sides of the football during a 42-24 road win for the Nighthawks as he rushed for 162 yards and scored three total touchdowns while also having 14 tackles and three sacks on defense.
Troy Martig (Bellarmine, San Jose)
Showing he is a threat with his legs and his arm he passed for 101 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 92 yards and two scores as the Bells defeated Franklin of Elk Grove 42-0.
Gunner Mefford (Rancho Cotate, Rohnert Park)
In a solid 55-19 season-opening win by the Cougars against Alhambra of Martinez, Gunner opened up his senior season going 19 of 25 for 255 yards with four TDs and no interceptions. Mefford is looking to have a big senior season while adding kicking and PAT duties.
Konrad O’Dailey & Connor Brown (Estancia, Costa Mesa)
Brown kept looking O’Dailey’s way and letting the ball soar. The receiver ended up with eight receptions for 221 yards and three touchdowns during a 37-14 season-opening win for the Eagles over Loara of Anaheim. Brown finished the night passing for 347 yards and three touchdowns.
Michael Pittman (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village)
The USC committed wide receiver helped the Lions jump out to a big lead before having to hold on for a 35-33 win over Cathedral Catholic of San Diego at the Honor Bowl. He caught 12 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Also playing on defense, he recorded a sack for the Lions who are now 2-0 on the year.
Elijah Preston (St. Augustine, San Diego)
He’s still short (listed 5-foot-5, 175 pounds) but Preston remains very tough to handle and had a strong night in the Saints’ 48-21 victory vs. Madison of San Diego. With TD runs of 21 and 41 yards to boot, Preston wound up with 28 carries for 280 yards and has been chosen as one of the San Diego Union Tribune’s Athletes of the Week.
Hunter Rodrigues (Whitney, Rocklin)
Scoring 55 points wasn’t enough for the Wildcats to open the season with a win but they made sure 56 would be enough last week during a 56-14 win over Enterprise of Redding. Rodrigues completed 18 of his 24 pass attempts for 359 yards and six touchdowns while also rushing for 91 yards and a score on four carries. After he had 459 yards passing plus 156 yards rushing in his first game, Rodrigues now has 1,065 total offense yards in just two games.
Junior RB Sultaan Sullivan has been a breakout performer so far this season for D2 state-ranked Serrano of Phelan. Photo: Hudl.com.
Clayton Stehr (Miramonte, Orinda)
Stehr was the star of Miramonte’s 58-41 triumph over St. Mary’s of Berkeley. This is a team that usually can throw the ball very effectively, so Stehr’s 25 carries for 272 yards and six TDs is a great sign. He scored on runs of 57, 1, 1, 2, 1 and 11 yards as the Matadors improved to 2-0.
Jihad Stephens (Castlemont, Oakland)
A junior running back who recently moved to Oakland from Houston, Jihad shined with 23 carries for 267 yards and five TDs to lead the Knights past Burton of San Francisco 45-26. He told our photographer, Willie Eashman, that his dream is to play college football. If he a few more games like that one and does well when the Knights play McClymonds, he has a chance.
Sultaan Sullivan (Serrano, Phelan)
With a gold-worthy performance during a 41-7 win over Silverado of Victorville, Sullivan carried the ball 24 times and rushed for 313 yards and five touchdowns. Serrano improved to 2-0 and to No. 15 in this week’s D2 state rankings.
Nate Sweat (Eastlake, Chula Vista)
Putting in tons of work to build up a big sweat during a 34-28 win for the Titans over El Toro of Lake Forest, he finished with a team-high 20 total tackles while also intercepting a pass.
Isaiah Tenette (Highlands, North Highlands)
We’ll have more on Tenette’s outing later this week in an edition of Prep Notes With A Twist for Gold Club members, but in a 84-43 win over Mira Loma of Sacramento he had 21 carries for 465 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s a total that gets him into the state record book, but the most interesting aspect of the performance is that Tenette is Highlands’ quarterback.
Tyler Thompson (Golden Valley, Bakersfield)
He rushed for 272 yards on 32 carries and scored all four touchdowns, on runs of 5, 5 and 1 yard and caught a pass for 13 yards for another score, as the Bulldogs edged Mira Monte of Bakersfield 28-20.
Kevin Todd (Patterson)
Just a junior, Todd showed off his passing touch during a 36-21 win over Ripon as he completed 17 of his 25 pass attempts for 318 yards and five touchdowns. Since Ripon came into the game after getting a win over Sierra of Manteca, it’s an effort that definitely will move up the Tigers in all of the various rankings.
Kyle Williams (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta)
Before being needed to step in at quarterback and completing four passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, Williams was on the receiving end of four passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns during a 71-32 win over Bullard of Seattle, Washington. His three touchdown catches came on plays of 82, 56 and 74 yards.
Adrarrus Wilson (Morningside, Inglewood)
The senior co-captain did a bit of everything to help the Monarchs get past University of Los Angeles 49-26. His most splashy stat was catching six passes for 210 yards and one TD. But Wilson also had a 70-yard kickoff return, ran 46 yards for another score and had eight tackles plus two fumble recoveries on defense.
FIVE OVERTIME GAME
Mission Oak of Tulare outlasted Washington Union in five overtimes last week 25-19, which is the second longest overtime game in CIF Central Section history. The score was 13-13 in regulation as Jeffrey de Macbalin scored on a one-yard run in the fifth overtime to win the game. Macbalin was the workhorse for Mission Oak as he had 31 carries for 107 tough yards and scored two touchdowns.
Paul Muyskens is the Stockton office assistant editor of Cal-Hi 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
