SoCal/NorCal Players of the Week

Two of this week’s NorCal/SoCal honorees are QB Tim Tague from Miramonte of Orinda and DB Mehki Ware of Culver City. Photos: Harold Abend & Bailey Holiver/Culver City HS.

Note: For purposes of this feature, we are considering the CIF Central Section to be in the north.

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Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Offensive Player of the Week

Will Olvera (Palm Springs) Sr.

We don’t often select someone for this honor in a blowout romp, but it still seemed like a perfect time to point a spotlight on an under-sized quarterback with big-time leadership and skills.

In a 70-0 win last Friday vs. Coachella Valley of Thermal, Olvera completed 21 of 23 passes for 536 yards and eight touchdowns. The yardage and TDs are single-game records for the Palm Springs area, according to our own Cal-Hi Sports state record book, and both get Olvera’s name into the all-time lists.

Still, it’s more impressive what the 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior did during his junior season in leading Palm Springs (13-1) to the CIF Southern Section Eastern Division title. He passed for 3,405 yards with 40 TDs and just six interceptions.

It’s also the fourth year that Olvera’s been on the Palm Springs varsity. He’s certainly shining so far with 1,572 yards and 12 TDs for the season.

Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week

Mekhi Ware (Culver City) Jr.

Almost every one of Ware’s three interceptions from last weekend’s game against Channel Islands of Oxnard was chronicled on Culver City’s Facebook page, which had to be checked since it’s hard to believe that someone already has nine interceptions this season.

That’s the total for Ware according to the team’s MaxPreps’ stats and whenever we see totals that are hard-to-believe we look for additional verification. Not only did Ware get the three picks last week, but one was returned for a touchdown as the Centaurs topped Channel Islands 54-30.

Ware, who also scored in the game on a 75-yard TD reception, also had three interceptions in Culver City’s previous game. His nine for the season actually ranks first in the nation among schools that report stats to MaxPreps. Is he really leading the nation? Some states have been playing even longer than California and in many of them the number of schools that use MaxPreps for stats are not nearly as high. Still, nine already is an amazing total.

Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Special Teams Player of the Week

Tysen Delkener (Atascadero) Jr.

It was quite the week for several juniors around the state and Delkener was one of them as he returned a punt for a touchdown for the second week in a row during a 31-14 win by the Greyhounds over Pioneer Valley of Santa Maria.

Delkener returned the punt 53 yards for six points to kickstart which at the time was a low-scoring matchup.

Making the most of his chances to return kicks, he also returned a kickoff for a touchdown earlier this season with a 99-yarder during a 26-23 win over Stockdale of Bakersfield.

For the season, Delkener is averaging 30.3 yards per return on kickoffs and 31.3 yards per return on punts.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week

Tim Tague (Miramonte, Orinda) Jr.

While it wasn’t his highest passing performance this season. Tague became is the first reported quarterback in the state to pass for over 2,000 yards this season after passing for 379 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions during a 43-13 win over Las Lomas of Walnut Creek.

Twice breaking the 400-yard passing mark this season, the 6-foot junior opened the year with his season-best performance with 473 yards and seven touchdowns during a 52-42 win over Pinole Valley.

For the season, he has 2,116 passing yards and 23 touchdowns with just three interceptions for the undefeated Matadors.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Defensive Player of the Week

Richard Fedelin (Piedmont Hills, San Jose) Jr.

The junior linebacker had not just one but two interceptions that he returned for touchdowns when the Pirates remained undefeated with a 49-33 win over Willow Glen of San Jose.

To make the night sweeter, Fedelin’s second interception return TD went the length of the field (100 yards) and prevented Willow Glen from making a big comeback. His first came from a distance of 60 yards.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Special Teams Player of the Week

Nathan DeJager (Bakersfield Christian) Sr.

After making four field goals the first three games of the season, this senior matched that in one game last Friday when he kicked four field goals with a long of 37 yards during a 41-21 win over Kennedy of Delano.

Someone we first saw play in person two years ago as the kicker for the team that lost to Central Catholic of Modesto in the CIF Division IV state bowl game, DeJager is a perfect 10 for 10 on extra points this season and has made a field goal in three of the team’s four games this season.

For the season, DeJager is also averaging 37.5 yards per punt with six of his 12 punts pinning their opposition inside the 20-yard line.

Thanks to Stockton office assistant editor Paul Muyskens for contributions to this post. 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