Two of this week’s SoCal/NorCal honorees are record-breaking receiver Jaheim Allen-Pompey from Mt. Miguel of Spring Valley (left) and sack specialist J.P. Murphy from San Ramon Valley of Danville. Photos: Hudl.com & Courtesy Pat Conrad / SRV Football.
We get to remind guests to our site that one of the purposes of this feature is to uncover players who don’t always get big-time coverage and also to help us track potential entries for the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book, and this week we have two players that will grace the record rook and others who are getting some well-deserved props. The stops this week are in Spring Valley, South Pasadena and Paramount in Southern California, and Paradise, Danville and Sacramento for the NorCal honorees.
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Note: For these honors, we consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate someone by 12 noon on most Mondays, email markjtennis@gmail.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Jaheim Allen-Pompey (Mount Miguel, Spring Valley) Sr.
The East County portion of the CIF San Diego Section is where we land for this week’s SoCal offensive honoree and we have a doozy in Allen-Pompey.
Second-year Mount Miguel head coach Troy Starr has had offensive success wherever he has been, recently and prior to taking the Matadors reins at nearby Helix (La Mesa), and first at Taft of Woodland Hills where he coached wide receiver Steve Smith, who has since been passed, but before he graduated and went on USC and an NFL career mostly with the New York Giants, he held the top spot in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book for Career Receiving Most Yards (4,486) and Most Receptions with 271.
At 5-foot-7, 130-pounds Jaheim is smaller than Smith in stature, but Starr has another player to add to the Record Book in the receiving categories with this week’s Southern California Offensive Player of the Week.
Last week, in a 49-26 must win for Mount Miguel (5-5) over San Diego Del Norte that qualified the Matadors for the playoffs, Allen-Pompey went nuts after catching 17 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns.
The single game marks fall just short of qualifying for receptions and yardage categories in the Record Book, but at this stage of the season, and with at least one playoff game guaranteed as the No. 7 seed in the CIFSDS Division IV playoffs, Jaheim has already secured some Record Book spots.
The reported state leader has 1,921 yards receiving, almost 600 yards ahead of No. 2 in the state, and that yardage will become No. 1 all-time on the Regular Season Receiving Yards list by 134 over the 1,787 yards from last season by James Odom (Workman, City of Industry). Odom broke the record before that of 1,767 yards by Derrion Grim of Stockton McNair but Grim only got to play nine regular season games.
Allen-Pompey also has a state leading 102 receptions that leads No. 2 by 21 catches, and that makes him only the eighth player to have 100 receptions on the Most Regular Season Receptions list.
Lastly, the 22 TD catches this season by Jaheim is the No. 2 reported mark in the state and will also qualify for the Record Book, but in that category his production next week and beyond will count, so he could add to that total. We’ll have to update all of the state receiving categories that Jaheim is going to be list in later this week.
Last but not least we know Allen-Pompey would want to give a shout out to Jacob Laverdiere, because you can’t catch passes unless a quarterback throws to you. Laverdiere had 365 yards passing with five TDs in the Del Norte victory and now has 3,099 yards and 30 TDs on the season.
Getting a No. 1 seed for the CIFSS D4 playoffs was big news at Paramount, but tying a state record with three punt return TDs in one game by Cleveland is something else. Photo: Twitter.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Special Teams Player of the Week
Willie Cleveland (Paramount) Sr.
While Cleveland’s performance came in a 58-0 rout that we usually tend to avoid picking players from, it was one of those jaw-droppers that was fun to watch and was an all-time great one in the special teams category. In fact, Willie’s three punt return touchdowns in Paramount’s victory vs. Gahr of Cerritos ties the state record, according to our own exclusive state record book.
The longest of Cleveland’s three punt return TDs against Gahr was 72 yards. He also grabbed a fourth punt on a return and in all for those four returns he had 232 yards. For the season, Cleveland has had modest totals on offense and defense for a loaded Paramount team that went 10-0 for the regular season and has been seeded first in the CIFSS Division 4 playoffs. He has two TDs rushing and seven TD catches. As a return man, though, forget about it. He’s taken two additional punts back for scores this season and has five overall.
The first player reported in the state with three punt return TDs in one game would be Ray Fullerton from Trinity of Weaverville in 1966. There wasn’t another one until 2008. Willie is just the sixth with the most recent to accomplish the feat being Manny Allen-Hooks from Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley in 2017.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Terrence Sweetman (South Pasadena) Jr.
For our Southern California Defensive Player of the Week we land around four miles northeast of Dodger Stadium where Sweetman came up with a pretty sweet performance to earn the award.
Last week, in a 40-10 victory over La Canada that earned South Pasadena a No. 15 seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 13 playoffs, Terrence, like he’s been all season, was not on the fence when it came to going for interceptions as the 6-foot junior defensive back and wide receiver had three picks.
So far this season for the 7-3 Tigers, Sweetman has 11 interceptions and that is the correctly reported top mark in the state. Defensively he has 28 tackles this season as well.
Terrence only caught one pass in the game but he has 14 receptions for 291 yards and five TDs on the season, and also has a sixth score on a punt he returned to the house.
Harrison is just getting stronger and stronger as a running back for unbeaten Paradise. Photo: Eddie Salzman / Paradise Post.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Tyler Harrison (Paradise) Soph.
We head north to the CIF Northern Section and the town of Paradise, yes that town of Paradise that was pretty much totally destroyed by the Camp Fire exactly one year ago this week.
The fire may have devastated Paradise and the surrounding communities, but it did nothing to dampen the spirits of the town or their beloved Bobcats’ football team that under the circumstances is having a Cinderella-like season.
Midnight has yet to strike for 10-0 Paradise and the belle of the ball so far this season has been Harrison.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound running back turned it up a notch last week in a 48-26 victory over Enterprise of Redding after rushing for 302 yards and three touchdowns of a whopping 476 yards and seven TDs by the team combined. It was the second-straight 300-yard performance by Harrison after he went for 327 yards and three TDs two weeks ago in a 59-7 trouncing of Red Bluff.
After a 10-0 start and entering the Northern Section Division III playoffs where defending champion and 10-0 West Valley of Cottonwood and a perennial power Sutter team with a lone loss to state-ranked Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) both loom, Harrison has amassed 1,837 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns. The rushing yardage is the leading reported mark in the section by almost 300 and the TDs are also the section’s top reported mark. The rushing yardage is top 10 and the TDs are top 20 among reported marks in the state.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Defensive Player of the Week
JP Murphy (San Ramon Valley, Danville) Jr.
The CIF North Coast Section and a town adjacent to majestic Mount Diablo is our destination where we visit the East Bay Athletic League – Mountain Division to select our Northern California Defensive Player of the Week.
When it comes to Murphy, the bottom line is what a week to have a career game as a defensive end for a player who previously has been known more as a tight end.
San Ramon Valley was hosting crosstown arch rival Monte Vista in a game that if it won would mean a co-championship for an EBAL – Mountain title De La Salle is not eligible to win despite being a member of the league. It would also almost assuredly earn the Wolves the No. 4 seed in the CIFNCS Division 1 playoffs.
At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds it’s hard to miss Murphy, or block and tackle him, and the visiting Mustangs weren’t able to do either in a 17-16 double overtime victory.
At defensive end, he had four sacks, with two coming in the overtime periods, one near the end of regulation that forced a Monte Vista field goal that tied the game, plus, besides the sacks, of his season-high seven tackles one was for a loss and came in the first half on fourth down.
“That’s sweet for sure,” Murphy said when told Cal-Hi Sports was recognizing his performance.
“Just to be in that game was crazy,” continued Murphy. “But to get four sacks was awesome.”
We said he’s more known for offense and on the recruiting sites JP has interest as a tight end from Cal, Duke, Oregon State, UCLA and Virginia Tech, so naturally he got into the act on offense with an 11-yard first half TD reception that gave San Ramon Valley a 7-0 lead.
According to Wolves head coach Aaron Becker, it could have been two TD receptions for Murphy since he and several defenders plus wide receiver teammate Jered Kenney were in the vicinity of a “sea of hands” touchdown reception tossed by sophomore quarterback Jack Quigley with tacklers all over him, and hauled in by Kenney in the second overtime that eventually won the game after Monte Vista scored but missed the extra point.
On the season, Murphy has 40 tackles, and all four of his sacks came against Monte Vista. On offense, JP is second in total receptions on the team with 21, but his 447 yards and eight TDs leads the Wolves.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Special Teams Player of the Week
Isaiah Bass
(Capital Christian, Sacramento) Jr.
Our final stop this week is in the state capital and just off Highway 50 around four miles due east of downtown and the Capitol Building itself. This is where we find a 5-foot-10, 170-pound junior wide receiver who was a multi-purpose performer but is being honored as the Northern California Special Teams Player of the Week.
With Capital Christian 8-2 and ranked No. 6 in the Sacramento Bee CIF Sac-Joaquin Section rankings, and debuting this week in the Cal-Hi Sports Medium School rankings, the 21-7 victory over Vista del Lago (Folsom) that secured the Capital Athletic League title for veteran head coach Casey Taylor and his Cougars was no cakewalk and closer than expected.
As for Bass, he was just too fast on a punt return and took it 80 yards to the house for a score and the game’s biggest play. Isaiah almost duplicated the feat but couldn’t quite get all the way to paydirt on a second punt he returned 65 yards.
Baas also rushed for 70 yards and had 19 yards receiving, and he had three tackles as a defensive back where he will be one of the top recruits next year in the Sac-Joaquin Section while starting to show up this year with interests on recruiting lists.
A bit of an amazing stat is of four punts Bass has returned this season, three have gone all the way for touchdowns and he has 275 total yards for an average of 68.8 yards per return.
On offense, Isaiah has rushed for 629 yards and five TDs, has 246 yards and two TDs receiving, and on defense he has 22 tackles and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a score against Patterson.
Bass will get to add to his numbers as he and his teammates move on to the CIFSJS playoffs where the Cougars are the top seed in the Division III bracket and earned a first round bye this week.
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
