Two of this week’s honorees also are in line for major postseason recognition. We just hope colleges will take a closer look at both Eddie Allain (Norte Vista, Riverside) and Viliami Teu (St. Francis, Mountain View). Photos: Hudl.com & Willie Eashman / Cal-Hi Sports.
Besides using this feature to track entries for the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book we also like to profile players that don’t get a lot of spotlight time or are under the radar on the recruiting scene. This week we have some of both scenarios. We start in Riverside with a player that qualifies for both, then head to Compton, with Tustin our final stop in Southern California. Our first stop in Northern California is in Mountain View, then Rocklin, and finally east of Bakersfield in the mountain town of Tehachapi.
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Note: For these honors, we consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate anyone, email markjtennis@gmail.com. We are picking the winners on Monday nights for the rest of the spring season.
FOR UPDATED SINGLE-GAME STATE PASSING RECORDS THROUGH LAST WEEKEND (GOLD CLUB), CLICK HERE.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Eddie Allain (North Vista, Riverside) Sr.
The Inland Empire is where we find this week’s Southern California Offensive Player of the Week, and it’s a 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior running back who despite putting up some huge numbers for the now 10-0 Braves, and being a preseason All Inland Empire selection, Allain is absent from the recruiting lists.
Last week, in a CIF Southern Section Division D6 27-25 upset by the No. 13 seed on the road at No. 4 seed Monrovia, and in a classic matchup between the mostly rushing Braves and the Wildcats’ preference to pass, Allain and the North Vista running game was a real pain for the Monrovia defense.
Like he has been all season, Eddie was more than ready and finished with 259 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. It wasn’t his season high. That came in a blowout of Temecula Linfield Christian when Allain went for 286 yards and four TDs, but it was his sixth 200-plus yards performance and it came in the most important game of the season (so far). He also was a contributor on defense at linebacker with eight tackles.
Despite getting limited carries in several blowouts, and the Braves have had a few, Allain has still run for 2,011 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also has one TD receiving, and one each on a pick six, a punt return and a kickoff return. Eddie also has 68 tackles on defense.
The 2,011 yards rushing is the No. 5 reported mark in the state and No. 3 in the Southern Section.
Allain would probably have a lot more yardage but North Vista has another talented running back that Eddie would surely want to give a shout out to, Jessie Carvajal. He had 154 yards rushing and two TDs against Monrovia, including one that gave the Braves a 27-19 lead late in the game. Carvajal has 1,331 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns.
We’re pretty sure Allain also likely would like to give some kudos to his coach, Ken Batdorf. According to local reports, if the Braves can win their second round matchup with visiting Temecula Valley of Temecula this week, Batdorf will reach the 200 coaching wins plateau (which is what gets a coach into the state record book).
On a final note, for his four-year varsity career, Allain has 6,302 yards rushing and 91 touchdowns. The yardage mark already makes the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book Most Rushing Yards (Career) list.
Possibly now that he’s won a statewide honor and his feats have been more widely exposed, Allain will start getting some recruiting interest.
Takhari Carr also has been an all-league basketball player at Dominguez. Photo: MaxPreps.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Tahkari Carr (Dominguez, Compton) Sr.
For our Southern California Defensive Player of the Week choice, we visit the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs just as we did for the offensive honoree.
We land about 15-miles south of downtown Los Angeles just on the other side of the Los Angeles River from the 710 Freeway in Compton. At Dominguez, we find a 6-foot, 175-pound defensive back who has been a problem for opposing offenses all season.
Last week, in a 56-22 upset victory by the No. 11 seeded Dons over sixth-seeded Yucaipa, Carr was never far from the football on defense. Tahkari had three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, he batted down a pass, and had eight tackles including one for loss. Carr also had a 42-yard reception as a wide receiver.
So far this season for a 9-2 Dominguez team that will move on to play No. 3 seed Santa Ana this Friday, Carr has nine interceptions, 10 batted passes and 37 tackles on defense. On offense, he has 246 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Tahkari has also scored once each on kickoff and punt returns.
Of note is the nine interceptions by Carr, who has an offer from Idaho, is the top reported mark in the Southern Section and No. 4 in the state.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Special Teams Player of the Week
Jon Fobear (Foothill, Tustin) Sr.
We head to the heart of Orange County, and in Santa Ana at Foothill, just north of the border with Tustin, where we find our Southern California Special Teams Player of the Week.
Last week, in a 35-14 CIF Southern Section Division 3 victory by the second-seeded Knights over No. 15 seeded Ayala of Chino Hills, Fobear bore down with his foot. He made is lone field goal attempt after splitting the uprights from 40 yards out, and he connected on all four PAT attempts. He also had four punts with a longest of 50 yards, plus he kicked off as he’s done well for the Knights all season.
So far for 10-1 Foothill, who will take a bubble placement in the latest Cal-Hi Sports Top 50 weekly rankings into its second round game with seventh-seeded Serra of Gardena, Fobear has made 7 of 8 field goal attempts with a longest a 41-yarder and he’s converted on 42 of 44 PAT attempts.
College coaches need to open their ears and eyes and take a close look at St. Francis running back Viliami Teu, who is setting records in one of the strongest leagues in the state. Photo: Mark Tennis / Cal-Hi Sports.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Viliami Teu (St. Francis, Mountain View) Sr.
Just around 15-miles west of downtown San Jose in Mountain View is where we find our NorCal offensive honoree and man what a doozy he is indeed.
Last week, in the first game in over 30 years involving the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in Northern California without De La Salle playing, Teu had a game for the ages in leading the then No. 2 Lancers to a 44-21 victory over a West Catholic Athletic League rival Serra that was NorCal’s top team coming into the game (based mainly on having a 49-7 win over St. Francis in the spring).
There was lots of Polynesian food, plus music and dancing performances at Serra on the Padres’ annual Polynesian Day, however, on the field, and in front of a packed house of over 4,000, the Polynesian that did most of the feasting and prancing in leading St. Francis to the road victory that clinched the WCAL title was Teu.
Every one of the fans in the stands and watching on cable TV, all the assembled media, and all the Serra coaches and players knew what “Juju,” as his Lancers teammates call Teu, was going to do, just like he’s done all season. It’s just that Serra couldn’t stop him.
The powerfully built 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior running back of Tongan ancestry, turned in a school record and WCAL regular season rushing record after carrying the ball a whopping 45 times for 344 yards and two touchdowns. The carries were also a school record.
On the Lancers’ final scoring drive of 15 running plays for 89-yards, Teu amazingly carried the ball 14 times for 80 yards, culminating when he bowled over the final Serra defender on a 6-yard TD run.
The game’s rushing yardage and carries don’t quite make the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, but the carries is a WCAL record and the rushing yards are No. 2 all time in one of the toughest leagues in the state and against the highest quality of competition.
This wasn’t the first time this season Teu has had a big game against a state-ranked team. Three weeks ago he had 276 yards and four TDs in a 44-24 victory over No. 43 Bellarmine. When St. Francis became the first team north of Fresno to defeat No. 7 De La Salle in 30 years with a 31-28 home victory, Teu rushed for 185 yards and one touchdown. So far this season, and including blowout games where his carries were limited, his 1,736 yards and 20 TDs is the top reported mark in the Central Coast Section by almost 300 yards and in one less game than the next closest player.
The buzz among many media at the game and Bay Area football aficionados in general, is no one can understand why Viliami doesn’t have a single D1 offer. According to some inside recruiting sources, Teu is being looked at by several mid-level colleges and maybe this statewide honor will help him land an offer. In watching games from teams like Sacramento State and UC Davis this season, Teu certainly belongs on that level if not higher.
Teu and his Lancers’ teammates now have the NorCal top spot in the latest rankings at No. 6 and move on to the CCS Division I playoffs as the top seed.
On a final note, during the post game meeting with reporters, the humble Teu couldn’t heap enough praise on his offensive line, but we’re pretty sure he’d also want to give a shout out to teammate Matthew Karic.
We never have two Players of the Week from the same team in one season let alone the same game, but if we did Karic would qualify. In the Serra game, he made all three field goal attempts, with a 42-yarder the longest, on PATs he made all five attempts, and on nine kickoffs Karic had three touchbacks.
Roman Floyd of Whitney (Rocklin) has been making highlight plays on a weekly basis for his team this season. Photo: whitneyupdate.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Roman Floyd (Whitney, Rocklin) Sr.
We head northeast on Highway 80 about 20 miles from the state capitol in our search for the Northern California Defensive Player of the week.
In Rocklin at Whitney we find a 6-foot-2, 187-pound defensive back who had a lot to do with a 35-0 blanking the Wildcats put on Sacramento Inderkum last week in the opening round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs.
Floyd does a lot of everything for Whitney on both sides of the ball.
On defense, for which he is being honored, Floyd had two interceptions, one of which he returned 98-yards to the house for a pick six. He also had a couple of tackles.
Floyd also had his best game as a wide receiver after getting 123 yards receiving with two TDs on six receptions. He rushed once for nine yards, and he even attempted one pass that was incomplete. Roman is also the punter and put one of three punts inside the 20.
So far this season for the 6-5 Wildcats, and heading into a second round matchup with Antelope, on defense Floyd has six interceptions and two batted passes.
On offense Roman has 363 yards receiving and five TDs, 86 yards rushing and one score, and as an occasional quarterback he’s passed for two TDs and 167 yards. Finally, as a punter, Floyd has put 10 of his 26 punts inside the 20.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Special Teams Player of the Week
Rashad McElroy (Tehachapi) Sr.
For our Northern California Special Teams Player of the Week we head east of Bakersfield on Highway 58 into the mountains where we find our honoree from the CIF Central Section, and so we remind readers that for all our weekly award winners in all sports the Central Section is considered Northern California.
Last week in the Central Section Division IV playoffs, and in the 49th meeting between mountain rivals Tehachapi and Bishop Union of Bishop, the No. 15 seeded visiting Warriors went on a nearly 400-mile round trip and came home with a 28-14 upset victory over the second-seeded Broncos – and McElroy was a big part of the surprise victory.
On special teams, for which he’s being honored, and after the hosts scored to take a 14-9 lead, Rashad had an 85-yard kickoff return that gave Tehachapi a 16-14 lead it would never relinquish.
McElroy also had a 27-yard TD reception and 22 yards rushing on offense. On defense he had four tackles but more importantly Rashad had two interceptions, the second one coming on Bishop’s final drive.
Heading into a second round game with seventh-seeded Roosevelt (Fresno) for the 5-5 Warriors, McElroy now has eight TDs three different ways, three on kickoff returns, three rushing and two receiving. Earlier in the season, he even did some kicking and split the uprights on both field goals he’s attempted, and on 5 of 8 PAT attempts.
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
