This week’s two offensive players of the week — Hudson Herber of El Cajon Grossmont and Bo Coronado of Colusa — combined for 943 yards passing and 13 touchdowns in their two games last week. Photos: daygofootball.com & Jennifer Correia.
This is a week in which not only do we fulfill one of the reasons we do this feature, and that is to track potential entries for the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, but we also use it to uncover hidden gems that might otherwise only get local attention. This week we have one record book entry and five diamonds in the rough as we stop in Colusa, Ripon and Bakersfield in Northern California, and in Southern California we visit El Cajon, Downey and San Diego.
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Notes: We will continue to have flexibility to one of the honorees by calling it Multi-Purpose/Special Teams. Multi-Purpose is already a category for All State honors. For these honors, we also consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate anyone, email markjtennis@gmail.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Bo Coronado (Colusa) Sr.
We visit the CIF Northern Section for the first time this season, and coincidentally, just like last year, this time we land not far from the banks of the Sacramento River a little less than halfway between the state capitol and Redding. It’s in Colusa where we find the Northern California Offensive Player of the Week award winner.
When we talk about one of the purposes of this feature is uncovering hidden talent that might only get local props, Coronado is a perfect example because now he has a statewide award he can cherish for a lifetime to go along with a write-up for his feats in the Appeal-Democrat from nearby Marysville.
Last week, in a 57-21 victory over visiting Paradise that got the Red Hawks to 5-0 heading into the Sacramento Valley League where they are the favorites, Coronado was 18-of-26 for 391 yards and seven touchdowns.
While the seven TDs falls one short of making the Most Touchdown Passes (Game) list in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, it ties a record going back to 2015 for the most TD passes in a game in the Northern Section (according to section historian, longtime MaxPreps contributor and former Cal-Hi Sports correspondent Kevin Askeland).
So far this season, Bo also has passed for 1,115 yards and 16 TDs with only two interceptions. The passing yards are the No. 3 reported mark in the Northern Section.
Richard Gooden played on the team at Independence of Bakersfield as a sophomore in 2021 that won the CIF Central Section D4 title and played for a state title. Photo: Hudl.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Multi-Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week
Richard Gooden (Independence, Bakersfield) Sr.
The Valley as the locals like to call the CIF Central Section is where we head to honor the Northern California Multi-Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week, and that gives us an opportunity to remind readers that for all player of the week honors, in any sports, boys or girls, the Central Section is considered Northern California.
When we visit Bakersfield we’re going to the very southern edge of our definition of Northern California, but we find ourselves there for the second time in three weeks after Gooden, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior cornerback in the Falcons’ secondary, joins the NorCal offensive honoree from two weeks ago, Gunter Golla of Garces Memorial.
Gooden is another example of a player from a team that got to 3-3 last week due in large part to his heroics in a 21-20 victory over visiting crosstown Highland, that now gets statewide recognition to go along with a local write-up that referred to him as the player who “with the game hanging in the balance…the Falcons knew who to turn to.”
After Highland scored to close to 21-20, its coaches decided to go for a deuce, but Gooden stepped in front of the would-be receiver and intercepted the pass with less than minute remaining allowing Independence to run out the clock after recovering the ensuing onside kick. It was the third pass defended of the night for Gooden.
Prior to the play that saved the game, Richard had a 66-yard romp to the house that gave the Falcons the lead for good. Plus, he opened the scoring with an 18-yard TD run and for good measure Gooden took the second half kickoff for a touchdown. He finished with 127 yards rushing and the two scores. Last but not least Gooden had five tackles. He played as a sophomore on the Independence team that won the CIF Central Section D4 title.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Amos Cady (Ripon Christian) Soph.
The destination in the search for the Northern California Defensive Player of the Week takes us just north of Modesto on Highway 99 to a school visible from the freeway where it’s in Ripon and at Ripon Christian where we find the honoree. Question is how do you get a pick-12? Answer? Ask Amos Cady.
Last week, in a 54-0 rout of Waterford that pushed the Knights to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Southern League, for Cady it was kind of like taking candy from a baby after he got the pick-12 with a pair of pick-sixes on 38- and 64-yard romps to the house for pay dirt.
The two pick-sixes falls one short of making and tying the record in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book on the Most Pass Interception TDs (Game) list, but it’s still a formidable accomplishment and gets this small school star some statewide attention to go along with local accolades.
The 5-foot-11, 160-pound sophomore defensive back also forced a fumble and on offense he didn’t score but Amos led the team with 71 yards rushing.
Of note is that Cady now has five interceptions this season and this is the third one he’s taken all the way for a score. The five interceptions is tied for the third reported mark in the state and tops in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, and while we believe they may be but can’t confirm his three pick-sixes are the most in the state this year.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Offensive Player of the Week
Hudson Herber (Grossmont, El Cajon) Sr.
The Southern California Offensive Player of the Week award saga comes with more than one twist.
To uncover it, we head to the East County portion of the CIF San Diego Section and land in El Cajon. It’s at Grossmont where we honor a quarterback from a school that produced NFL and USFL star quarterback Brian Sipe, whose story we told 20-years ago when he was honored while the head coach at Solana Beach Santa Fe Christian. The second twist is Herber, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior, threw for more yards in a
game than Sipe ever did, and the total ends up making the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book.
The third and maybe the most interesting twist, is lining up as the opposing signal- caller was his little brother, Joshua Herber of Steele Canyon of Spring Valley, who came up on the short end of the stick.
Last week, in a 39-36 road victory, Hudson was the winning Herbert son and his 552 yards passing with six TDs not only set a school record it makes the record book on the Most Yards Passing (Game) list and checks in as the No. 5 mark in San Diego Section history.
Joshua passed for 172 yards and a TD and ran for a score for Steele Canyon.
So far this season for 4-2 Grossmont who won its Grossmont – Hills League opener in the Steele Canyon victory, Herber has passed for 1,813 yards and 23 TDs with seven interceptions.
The 1,813 passing yards is the top reported mark in the San Diego Section and No. 6 in the state. Herbert will get a chance to pad those numbers this week but it won’t come easy as the Foothillers travel to neighboring La Mesa to face a Helix team that checked in at No. 16 in this week’s Cal-Hi Sports state rankings.
Oscar Aguilar and his teammates at Downey High will be lining up in two weeks looking to get sacks on the same field that Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack get them in the NFL. Photo: Downey High football / MaxPreps.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Oscar Aguilar (Downey) Soph.
Around 15-miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles and on Lakewood Boulevard at Downey High is where we find our Southern California Defensive Player of the Week, and the 6-foot-4, 200-pound sophomore linebacker who occasionally lines up as a tight end had a huge night on defense in his most recent performance.
In a 35-10 victory last week over neighboring Norwalk that got the Vikings to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in the Gateway League, Aguilar registered 16 tackles with two for losses that were both sacks. He also had a forced fumble.
Aguilar was the defensive star of the game but we’re sure he would want to give a shout out to fellow sophomore teammate and Vikings quarterback Oscar Rios. He put up numbers worthy of recognition after passing for 241 yards and two TDs and rushing for 147 yards and third score.
Oscar played a freshman last season for the Downey varsity and he had a sack on defense in the CIF Southern Section D4 championship game 40-7 victory over Cypress.
It was announced last week that Oscar and the Vikings will be playing the first-ever high school football game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Oct. 13 with a matchup against arch-rival Warren of Downey.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Multi-Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week
Trey Coleman (Del Norte, San Diego) Jr.
We stick around the CIF San Diego Section to find our Southern California Multi- Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week only this time the stop is in the northernmost portion of the city of San Diego.
Del Norte is where we find our honoree and this week we don’t need the expanded criteria that added multi-purpose to this award last season because this week we’ve selected a kicker.
In the overall picture for a high school kicker to have a 40-yard field goal on his resume is a benchmark. To have more than one in a season or even a career is not the norm for thousands of kickers throughout the nation.
However, for a kicker to split the uprights on two in one game is an anomaly forsure, but you guessed it, that is exactly what Coleman did last week in a wild 49-43 four overtime win over nearby Rancho Bernardo.
To get Del Norte into overtime ,Trey nailed a 48-yarder that tied the score, and then in one of the overtimes, he canned one from 40-yards out. There was a third field goal Coleman made in the game and on PATs he made all three attempts. He also had five kickoffs and five touchbacks and punted three times with 42 yards the longest
Coleman, a 247Sports three-star recruit who is ranked among the top six kickers in the class of 2024 by more than one ranking service, and who holds offers from Brigham Young and San Diego State, has kicked 13-of-13 PATs and 7-of-10 field goals so far this season with the 48-yarder the longest.
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
