Two of this week’s NorCal/SoCal players of the week are Isaac Ruelas (left) of Quartz Hill and Aidan Verba-Hamilton of S.F. Riordan. Photos: Twitter.com & Willie Eashman.
One QB from Newport Beach ties a state record for going 23-for-23 in a single game while another from North Highlands (near Sacramento) makes the state record book for surpassing 4,000 yards of rushing and passing. Addional honorees are from Vacaville, San Francisco, Quartz Hill and Murrieta.
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 Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Isaiah Tenette (Highlands, North Highlands) Sr.
Earlier in the season, Isaiah created headlines when he rushed for 465 yards in one game – as a quarterback – and he’s continued to shine as a rusher and passer for the Scots.
In a 57-35 victory over Vacaville Christian, Tenette ran for 265 yards on 15 carries and scored three TDs. He also completed 15 of 29 passes for 193 yards and two scores.
For the season, Tenette went over 2,000 yards rushing in that game and also went past 4,000 yards for combined rushing and passing. After this week’s game in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs against favored Capital Christian, he should go past 2,000 yards passing as well.
While it’s true that 4,020 yards and 54 TDs of total offense is impressive, there are several Folsom quarterbacks that have had much higher total offense stats because their passing alone has been so high. Still, Tenette’s total offense already cracks the barrier for inclusion into the Cal-Hi Sports state record book.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Jordan Boyd (Wood, Vacaville) Sr.
The senior linebacker has been a tackling machine this season for the Wildcats and now has 180 total tackles this season.
For the third time this season, Boyd recorded 21 total tackles in a game when he did it during a 49-25 win over arch-rival Vacaville.
His highest tackle total this season came during a 49-45 win over Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland as he record 17 solo tackles and finished with 23 total. During Wood’s 9-1 record during the regular season, he had 109 solo tackles.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Special Teams Player of the Week
Aidan Verba-Hamilton (Archbishop Riordan, San Francisco) Sr.
Playing like he knew we had someone in attendance (it was photographer Willie Eashman), Aidan returned a kickoff and a punt for scores during a 42-7 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco.
It also was his fourth kickoff return for a score this season, although his best game still probably was when he caught eight passes for 205 yards and four TDs in that 66-42 win over Serra.
With the win, the Crusaders (7-2) won the Stanfel Cup for the third year in a row while also clinching a spot in the postseason with one game left to play in the regular season.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Chase Garbers (Corona del Mar, Newport Beach) Jr.
According to Martin Henderson and OCSidelines.com, Garbers now has a school record with 28 touchdown passes on the season but that’s not the performance last week that will earn him a spot in the Cal-Hi Sports state record book.
Passing for five touchdowns in the first half is a great night but during Garber’s lone half of play in a 58-13 win over Irvine he was a perfect 23 for 23 throwing the football with those completions going for 335 yards.
Garbers, in fact, tied the state record of best perfect passing performance in a game set in 2012 by Tucker Mendonca from Mt. Whitney of Visalia. He also set a CIF Southern Section record for most consecutive completions during a game. The previous record was 20 set in 1978 by Paul Gagliardi of La Canada and tied in 2000 by Hudson Gossard from Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta.
Just a junior, Garbers (6-2, 190) has passed for 2,345 yards to go along with his 28 touchdowns while throwing just two interceptions. Last season as a sophomore he passed for 1,356 yards.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Isaac Ruelas (Quartz Hill) Sr.
Contributing on both sides of the ball, it was Isaac’s play on defense that helped him earn this honor.
Ranked as one of the leading tacklers in the CIF Southern Section according to MaxPreps, Ruelas had a team-high four solo tackles and 13 total tackles during a 33-7 win over Knight of Palmdale.
In the same game, he also recorded a sack, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble while for just the second time this season the Rebels handed their senior captain linebacker the football for a touchdown run.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Special Teams Player of the Week
Kyle Williams (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta) Sr.
Both of our special team player of the week honorees earned the honor in identical ways since Williams also returned a punt and a kickoff back for touchdowns during a 55-20 win by the state-ranked Broncos over Temecula Valley of Temecula.
It was described in the Riverside Press-Enterprise that Williams’ kickoff return for a score was inches from being a touchback before he caught it and took it 99 yards. In addition to the TD on the punt returns, he added three catches for 43 yards.
The Arizona State commit finished the regular season with seven touchdown runs, seven touchdown catches, three punt returns for scores, three kickoff returns for touchdowns and two touchdown passes.
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
