Kaimana Tufaga from La Serna of Whittier (left) has four punt return TDs this year and makes a ton of tackles on defense. At right, Elliott Lewis of Oakland Bishop O’Dowd fights through a blocker probably to make one of the many tackles he had in a game two weeks ago. He had 16 more last week. Photos: Crean Lutheran shutterbugs / For OC Sports Zone & X.com.
Despite the fact all the remaining teams in CIF section playoffs were halved last week with one week to go, we accomplished both goals of this feature, uncovering hidden talent that might only get local recognition, and tracking entries for the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book. This week we visit Madera, Oakland and Winters in Northern California, and in Southern California the stops are in Rialto, El Cajon and Whittier.
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Notes: This will be the next-to-last week of football players of the week before we switch to basketball (boys & girls). After this weekend’s games will be the last chance for any football players to get one of these honors. 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
Defensive Player of the Week
Elliott Lewis (Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland) Sr.
The Oakland Hills just west of the I-580 freeway from the Oakland Zoo, and to a school with a beautiful view of San Francisco Bay is where we’re headed, and it’s at Bishop O’Dowd where we find this week’s Northern California Defensive Player of the Week.
Lewis has been a defensive dynamo for the Dragons all season but in his most recent performance the 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior linebacker came up huge just when returning first-year head coach and NFL all-time great linebacker standout Hardy Nickerson needed him most for his defense. Lewis got into the act on offense as well.
The bus for the ride to Brentwood to face top-seeded Liberty was late to arrive, there was a driving rainstorm the entire game, but nothing could slow down Lewis on defense in a 23-15 victory last week by visiting Bishop O’Dowd in a CIF North Coast Section Division 2 semifinal contest.
Lewis finished with 16 total tackles with one for a loss including a half sack, plus he forced a fumble on the opening kickoff O’Dowd recovered that led to the Dragons first score that gave them a 7-0 lead they never relinquished. Lewis also had 53 yards rushing and receiving combined.
Two weeks ago, in a quarterfinal 31-28 victory over Monte Vista of Danville, Lewis had a season-high 21 tackles with five for losses including a sack. Kicking stats were not reported for the Liberty game but against Monte Vista Elliott had a 60-yard punt and three kickoffs for touchbacks.
Heading into an NCS D2 title-game matchup with No. 2 seed Amador Valley (Pleasanton) for the fourth-seeded Dragons, Lewis, who sports a 3.6 GPA and is also a lacrosse player, has 113 total tackles with 17 for losses, 6.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Joel Arellano had 606 total offense yards for Madera last week and in the same game he went 8-for-8 kicking PATs. Photo: Hudl.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California Offensive Player of the Week
Joel Arellano (Madera) Sr.
The CIF Central Section is our destination in search of the Northern California Offensive Player of the Week, but before we tell you how we arrived in “the Valley” as the locals like to call the Central Section, we remind readers that for all player of the week features for all sports, boys and girls, the Central Section is considered Northern California.
As is often the case when we’re sent to the Central Section it’s because historian and longtime Cal-Hi Sports friend and contributor Bob Barnett sends us there by nominating someone in his weekly Milestone missives. This week he makes Madera our destination, and it’s around 25 miles north of Fresno and just west of Highway 99 at Madera High where we find this week’s honoree, who now gets a statewide award to go with his local kudos.
The old comic book expression “he’s here, he’s there, he’s everywhere” could not be more appropriate in describing Arellano in what he accomplished in his most recent performance. He would have been a hand’s down top candidate for the Special Teams/Multi-Purpose honors, but because Joel earns a spot in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book for his passing, it’s the offensive honors he snags this week.
In a scoreboard lighter upper 56-49 victory by No. 2 seed Madera over sixth-seeded Kennedy of Delano in the CIF Central Section Division III semifinals, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Arellano passed for 551 yards and six TDs and he rushed for 55 yards and two additional scores.
That translates into Joel having a hand in all eight of the Coyotes touchdowns, including the game winning TD pass that came in overtime after Madera had fought back from 13-0 and 28-14 deficits. For good measure, Arellano was 8-for-8 as a kicker on PATs.
The 551 yards passing earns Arellano a spot in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book on the Most Yards (Game) in the Football Individual Records: Single-Game Passing section. Arellano’s 606 yards of total offense also will go on to the all-time state list and is No. 2 all-time in the Central Section, trailing only the 631-yard game posted last season by Fowler’s Jerod Bubba Smith.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week
Lane Brown (Winters) Jr.
The CIF Northern Section is our destination in search of the Northern California Multi-Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week, and we land in the southernmost part of the section off the I-505 about halfway between Davis and Lake Berryessa and around 15 miles north of Vacaville at Winters High to locate this week’s award winner, who now gets a statewide honor to go with local recognition.
When we were sent to Winters, we were told it was going to be about a “ringleader at quarterback of a dominant small school team in the Northern Section” and dominant the 12-0 Warriors have been, including last week when Lane was anything but lame in leading Winters to the Northern Section Division 4 championship with a 45-7 victory over East Nicolaus of Nicolaus.
His numbers weren’t off the charts, but the 6-foot-3 Brown, who also plays down low for the Winters basketball team, was a pinpoint 14-of-18 for 268 yards and three TDs with an interception. He also rushed for 46 yards and a fourth score.
So how dominant has Winters been? It has outscored its opponents 472-50 in 11 games not counting a forfeit win. The team is now off to the CIF Northern Regional playoffs, and for sure will be playing a team at a higher level than it has since the first game vs Dixon (31-21 win). Brown will enter the game having passed for 1,799 yards and 14 TDs with only for interceptions, and rushed for 862 yards with 12 touchdowns.
A ringleader, for sure.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Special Teams/Multi-Purpose Player of the Week
Kaimana Tufaga (La Serna, Whittier) Sr.
We head to near the eastern border of Los Angeles County where it meets Orange County and land a little less then a mile north of Whittier Boulevard at La Serna High in Whittier to find this week’s Southern California Multi-Purpose/Special Teams Player of the Week who adds a statewide award to getting some local recognition.
Last week, in a 34-22 CIF Southern Section Division 5 victory by fourth-seeded La Serna over Summit of Fontana, Tufaga shined on special teams and defense as well.
On special teams, Kaimana returned a punt 77-yards to the house, he had another 22-yard punt return, and a 21-yard kickoff return. On defense, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior defensive back had 10 tackles, and two passes defended.
The punt return for a touchdown was his fourth of the season. It takes five to make the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book on the Most Punt Return Touchdowns (Season) list and Tufaga will have another chance on Friday when La Serna meets Palos Verdes of Palos Verdes Estates for the Southern Section Division 5 championship.
Going into the title game Tufaga also has 99 total tackles, four pass interceptions, and six passes defended. The San Diego State-bound recruit also was one of the best players on defense for the Lancers last season when they defeated Grant of Sacramento to win the CIF D2-AA state championship.
Jordan McKinney has rushed for 11 touchdowns and well over 500 yards in the last two CIFSS playoff games for Carter of Rialto. Photo: Carter HS / MaxPreps.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan McKinney (Carter, Rialto) Sr.
To find the Southern California Offensive Player of the Week we head to the Inland Empire and land just west of San Bernardino and north of Riverside, and a mile south of the I-210 freeway at Carter High in Rialto.
The high-scoring Lions have been putting up a ton of points this season but their CIF Southern Section Division 12 semifinal win over Wilson of Hacienda Heights was the high-water mark scoring-wise, and McKinney did most of the heavy lifting.
Last week, in a 70-48 victory that blew some lights out on the scoreboard, McKinney carried the ball 26 times for 283 yards rushing and six big touchdowns. He also had a 25 yard pass reception. It was the second big outing for Jordan in the CIFSS playoffs, following the 256 yards rushing and five touchdowns he had in a 57-32 win over Canyon Springs of Moreno Valley.
With the victory by the second-seeded Lions, they will now for their first-ever CIF Southern Section championship when they face fourth-seeded Palmdale.
McKinney will enter the title game with 1,378 yards and 20 TDs rushing and 75 yards and one TD receiving. On defense he had three tackles against Wilson and has 46 on the season to go with three interceptions.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Defensive Player of the Week
Parker Vance (Granite Hills, El Cajon) Sr.
The search for the Cal-Hi Sports Southern California Defensive Player of the Week takes us to the East County portion of the CIF San Diego Section and we end up finding this week’s award winner in El Cajon just south of the I-8 at Granite Hills High.
In last week’s CIF San Diego Section Division I semifinal matchup between No. 3 seed Granite Hills and second-seeded host Carlsbad, Granite Hills had a 22-16 lead late in the game, but Carlsbad was in Granite Hills territory with a TD and PAT needed to win the game.
Carlsbad attempted a long pass, and the receiver was behind the defensive back trying to defend the pass play, and it looked like it might go for the winning score, but out of nowhere came the Eagles’ free safety, and the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Vance leaped in front of the would-be receiver and intercepted the pass to seal the victory. Besides the pick that sealed the deal, Vance also had a team-high 12 tackles.
So far this season, Vance has eight interceptions, 69 total tackles and two forced fumbles. The eight interceptions is one of the top reported marks in the state and tops in the San Diego Section.
With the win, Granite Hills will now meet top-seeded San Marcos on Saturday for the D1 title. Granite Hills will be going for its third straight CIFSDS championship, and Vance has been on all three teams.
Last year, when the Eagles won the CIFSDS Open title they were sent to the 1-AA Division for the CIF Southern Regionals where they had a solid outing before falling 49-21 to Mission Viejo. Two years ago, after winning the CIFSDS D2 championship they went on to win the CIF Division 2-A state championship with a 31-24 overtime victory over San Ramon Valley of Danville. In that game as a sophomore, Vance had eight tackles with four for losses including two sacks.
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
