Two of this week’s honorees are Kolbe Bufardeci of Willits in the Redwood Empire and A.J. Stowers from Mt. Miguel of Spring Valley in the CIF San Diego Section. Photos: Ava Dockins-Kline / Willits HS Facebook & Andy Bartotto / The East County Californian.
Besides uncovering hidden talent as one of the goals of this feature, we track entries for the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, and this week we have a bit of an anomaly or a twist as we like to call it. We have plenty of hidden talent in our six State Football Players of the Week, but we also have more than one entry for the record book. In one of the categories not only do we have a record book entry, but a teammate that also cracks the book, and in another category, we have a winner that doesn’t make the record book, but a teammate that does in a strange week indeed. This week we visit Spring Valley, Brea and Mission Viejo. In Northern California, the stops are in Willits, San Mateo and Palo Alto.
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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
Kolbe Bufardeci (Willits) Sr.
When we saw a social media post by Santa Rosa Press Democrat prep sports scribe Gus Morris that referenced the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, a credit that does not always happen when media refers to state records, it piqued our interest, and we thought Willits might be a nice place to visit before winter sets in and snow hits the ground in this small Redwood Empire community just north of Ukiah and around 135 miles north of the Golden Gate.
As it turns out, indeed it’s in Willits where we find this week’s Northern California Offensive Player of the Week, and in a bit of a twist Bufardeci is not the only player from the Wolverines’ most recent outing to make the record book.
Last week, in a 46-39 victory on the road at Clear Lake, Bufardeci, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound senior slotback that also plays baseball for Willits, had 19 receptions for 354 yards and five touchdowns. As was correctly reported by Morris in his post on X/Twitter, the 354 yards will earn Kolbe the No. 7 spot all-time in the record book on the Most Yards (Game) in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Receiving section.
Earlier this season, Bufardeci hauled in 11 passes for 231 yards and two TDs in a 49-32 loss to St. Bernards of Eureka.
So far this season for 7-2 Willits and heading into a North Central I League matchup with visiting Upper Lake, Bufardeci has 66 receptions for 1,301 yards and nine TDs. Kolbe didn’t have any rushing yardage or punt and kickoff return yardage against Clear Lake but on the season he’s rushed for 536 yards and five touchdowns. Add in the 85 yards he’s had on returns and Bufardeci has compiled 2,054 total yards this season.
Kolbe’s defense is worth noting as well. Against Clear Lake, Kolbe had 14 tackles and so far this season he has 88 total tackles, a sack and four interceptions.
Obviously, Bufardeci would like to give a shoutout to his quarterback Corey Rockey, not only because he delivered those 19 passes Kolbe caught, but because his 470 yards passing on 30-of-48 attempts plus five TDs, also will get the Wolverines signal-caller a spot in the record book as well. The 470-yard total just makes the threshold to getting included in the Most Yards (Game) list in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Passing section.
On a final note. The 1,301 yards receiving for Kolbe is the top reported mark in the CIF North Coast Section and checks in at No. 2 in the state.
Hillsdale High’s Jack Haywood celebrates during game earlier this season vs Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton). Photo: Nathan Mollat / San Mateo Daily Journal.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Jack Haywood (Hillsdale, San Mateo) Sr.
To find the Northern California Defensive Player of the Week, we head to the heart of “The Peninsula” and land a little less than halfway between San Francisco and San Jose and around a half mile west of the El Camino Real at Hillsdale High.
It’s been a bit of a tough season for a Hillsdale team that was 2-5 overall and 0-2 in the Peninsula Athletic League – De Anza Division going into its matchup last Friday night with a visiting Kings Academy of Sunnyvale team that was 2-0 and in first place in league. But you guessed it, the Fighting Knights pulled off a 34-14 upset and Haywood had a huge hand in the outcome.
In a first quarter that saw Hillsdale bolt out to a 20-0 lead, Haywood, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior, blocked a punt and caught a pass for a touchdown, but that isn’t even what he’s being honored for.
Besides his first quarter heroics, Jack had two tackles for losses and forced a fumble, and the biggest reason he’s being given a statewide honor to go with some local write-ups, is because of the two pick sixes the Fighting Knights registered. Haywood had one of them plus he had a second interception as well.
In a performance that will be remembered by the Hillsdale faithful for a while, it was quite a night’s work for Haywood, whose two interceptions matched the team’s total for the season prior to the game.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Multi-Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week
Sam Dellenbach (Gunn, Palo Alto) Sr.
The search for the Northern California Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week takes us about a mile south of Stanford University and a half mile west of the El Camino Real, and it’s at Henry F. Gunn High in Palo Alto where we find this week’s honoree.
There’s been a buzz on the Gunn campus about a football team that is 8-0 under head coach Dethrick Slocum after suffering through 0-10 and 3-7 records his first two seasons at the Titans’ helm, and Dellenbach has been a big part of what Bay Area News Group correspondent Glenn Reeves called “a turnaround season for the ages” in the opening of his game story on the 41-13 victory last Friday over visiting brand new school San Jose MacDonald.
In a game of big plays that saw Gunn score on three running plays of over 45 yards, Dellenbach, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior, had two big plays of his own after returning two kickoffs for touchdowns.
After MacDonald had closed to 13-6 late in the first quarter, Dellenbach took the ensuing kickoff to the house and after a 2-point conversion Gunn had a 21-6 lead.
By halftim,e MacDonald had closed to 21-13 but Sam pretty much slammed the door shut when he took the second half kickoff 84 yards to paydirt and with a 2-point conversion and a 29-13 lead the Titans pretty much coasted home from there.
Reported stats for Gunn were not complete but we do know that Dellenbach also had a kickoff he returned for a touchdown the week before in a win over San Jose Lynbrook, meaning he has three in two weeks.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Offensive Player of the Week
A.J. Stowers (Mount Miguel, Spring Valley) Jr.
The CIF San Diego Section and the East County area around 7-miles east of downtown San Diego is where we head in search of the Southern California Offensive Player of the Week, and it’s in Spring Valley just off Highway 125 where we find our honoree at Mount Miguel High.
Last week, in a 57-35 victory over crosstown Steele Canyon, Stowers towered above everyone after going 28-of-35 for 361 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 27 yards and a seventh score.
The passing yardage is far short of making the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, and the six TDs is two short of making the Most Touchdown Passes (Game) list in the record book, but A.J. is still partially responsible for a record book entry because five of the TD passes he tossed went to senior wide receiver Ezelle Buchanan, and five TD receptions in a game hits the threshold it takes to make the Most Touchdowns (Game) list in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Receiving section.
Heading into a Friday matchup for the 7-2 Matadors with host Scripps Ranch of San Diego, Stowers, a 6-foot, 205-pound junior, has passed for 2,486 yards and 28 TDs with only seven interceptions. He’s also rushed for 190 yards and three more scores. It’s that kind of production all season is why A.J. was the honoree for this week. His teammate also may have had the five TDs but did it on just six catches for 104 yards.
The 2,486 yards passing by Stowers also is the No. 13 reported mark in the state and No. 3 in the CIF San Diego Section.
Jake Brooks rushes the passer for Brea Olinda during game earlier this season vs St. Margaret’s. Photo: @BOHSFootball / X.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Jake Brooks (Brea Olinda, Brea) Sr.
To find the Southern California Defensive Player of the Week we visit the northern Orange County area and we find our honoree just east of Highway 57 at Brea Olinda High in Brea.
The Wildcats are off to a 9-0 start and while they’ve scored 374 points, the defense, with Brooks as a linchpin, had only given up 86 points.
Brea Olinda did give up a few points last week, but after only leading 14-12 at halftime, Brooks and the rest of the defense took charge in a 30-18 victory over Santa Ana Segerstrom.
Brooks, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound senior who can play on the edge or at linebacker, had 10 tackles with five of them sacks, three quarterback hurries and he forced two fumbles. To top it off, and in the only pass reception Jake has had this season, he hauled it in for a 31-yard touchdown.
While five sacks in a game is something we take notice of, it falls one short of making the Most QB Sacks (Game) list in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book.
Heading into a Kappa League showdown for 4-0 and first place Brea-Olinda this Friday night with second place and visiting Esperanza of Anaheim, Brooks has 51 total tackles with 40 solo and an amazing 25 for losses including 13 sacks.
The 13 sacks are tied for the No. 10 mark in the state and is No. 6 in the CIF Southern Section.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Multi-Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week
Alex Kiernan (Trabuco Hills, Mission Viejo) Sr.
Southeastern Orange County is our destination in search of the Southern California Multi-Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week and we find this week’s award winner just off the 241 toll road in Mission Viejo at Trabuco Hills.
We don’t have a special teams player this week to honor, and part of the reason we included multi-purpose was for this very occasion, but we do have an honoree who turned in a two-way, multi-purpose performance and it’s a dandy.
Last week, in a 42-28 victory over Cypress, Kiernan hauled in six passes for 220 yards and three TDs, including a 74-yard TD reception. On defense he might have only had three tackles, but the 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior wide receiver and defensive back had three interceptions and a batted pass.
So far this season and heading into a Delta League showdown this Thursday on the road at Western of Anaheim, Kiernan has 48 receptions for 1,055 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 1,055 yards receiving is the No. 12 reported mark in the state and No. 5 in the CIF Southern Section.
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
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