State Stat Stars of the Week

Presented by ATHLETETRAX, this week’s best includes several from the highest tie game in state history, a 53-53 contest between Aquinas of San Bernardino and Brethren Christian of Huntington Beach. Max Gilliam also puts up more stellar passing totals for unbeaten Thousand Oaks.

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Thanks to Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend, Ronnie Flores and CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett for contributing items this week. This honor roll is for games played from Oct. 2 to Oct. 4.

PASSING

Kyle Spalding (McKinleyville)
Completing 24 of his 36 pass attempts for 466 yards and five touchdowns was not quite enough as the Panthers ended on the short side of a 39-38 final score against Fortuna.

Noah Davis (St. Bernard’s, Eureka)
He might not have had the highest passing performance of the week but Davis’ 24 of 34 for 461 yards and five touchdowns came in a winning effort as the Crusaders defeated Ferndale 54-20. You certainly don’t see Ferndale lose games by that score too often. Davis earlier this season had 614 yards and eight TDs when 4-1 St. Bernard’s topped McKinleyville.

Blake Green (Alemany, Mission Hills)
Recognized earlier this week as our SoCal Offensive Player of the Week, Blake completed 20 of his 25 pass attempts for a school-record 437 yards and three touchdowns in a big 55-38 win over Chaminade of West Hills. Those are exceptional totals in a game as big as that one.

Conner Miller (Brethren Christian, Huntington Beach)
In a game that will be remembered and go down in the history books, the Warriors played Aquinas of San Bernardino and the game ended in a 53-53 tie, which breaks the previous state record of 49-49 between Steele Canyon of Spring Valley and Canyon of Canyon Country (2012) for the highest scoring tie in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book. According to the stats posted on MaxPreps, Miller finished 25 of 38 for 422 yards and eight touchdowns.

Trey Tinsley (El Toro, Lake Forest)
No stranger to being listed here, he completed 24 of his 34 pass attempts for 408 yards and five touchdowns as the Chargers defeated Bell Gardens 52-7. Kaleb Fossum caught just three passes but those three catches went for 140 yards and three touchdowns while Colin Kentros caught eight passes for 150 yards.

Max Gilliam (Thousand Oaks)
Another unbeaten team in Ventura County that doesn’t have to worry about playing Oaks Christian, St. Bonaventure or Westlake in league games anymore is Thousand Oaks and Gilliam has been outstanding as the Lancers’ QB. In a 45-7 win last week over Agoura of Agoura Hills, Gilliam hit on 20 of 26 passes for 380 yards and three TDs. In his previous game, Gilliam went 29 of 42 for 437 yards and three scores when the Lancers edged Simi Valley 45-44.

Sam Metcalf (Farmersville)
The senior quarterback continues to re-write all the Central Section passing records, according to section historian Bob Barnett. Two weeks ago against Minarets, Melcalf passed for five touchdowns and 316 yards on 19 of 40 and set two more section records for completions & attempts in a career.
Last week against Caruthers, Metcalf passed for 344 yards and three TDs and ran 16 yards for the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter as Farmersville won 33-29. Teammate Joseph De La Cruz also had 10 receptions for 169 yards and three TDs against Caruthers.

Josh Gaudet (Horizon Christian, San Diego)
Keeping his team hot heading into a matchup this week against 5-0 Bishop’s of La Jolla, Gaudet shined in a 58-7 romp past Escondido. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 306 yards and five TDs.

Max O’Rourke (Rocklin)
Our NorCal Special Teams Player of the Week passed for 302 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for a score as the Thunder moved to 5-0 on the year with a 59-21 win over Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills. O’Rourke also was a perfect 8 for 8 on extra points, kicked a field goal and all 10 of his kickoffs went for touchbacks.

RUSHING

Jamar Williams-Sheppard (Sacred Heart Cathedral, San Francisco)
Doing all he could to prevent the 33-27 loss to Archbishop Mitty, the all-state sophomore multi-purpose pick from last year rushed for 303 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. Anybody with 300 plus rushing yards in any WCAL game is huge.

Tim Rawlins (Colfax)
With the Falcons focusing on their rushing attack during their 26-0 win at Wheatland, it was this senior back that set a school record as he rushed for 295 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Lameshio Hill (Bakersfield)
Taking over at the crucial QB position in the Drillers’ offense, the athletic Hill ripped off 280 yards rushing on 29 carries and scored three times in a 28-20 win over previously unbeaten Ridgeview. Hill also passed for 78 yards and one score.

Branden Rankins (Aquinas, San Bernardino)
He is just a freshman so he has three more years to put up big time performances but it will be tough to top his performance last Friday night as he carried the ball 26 times for 272 yards and six touchdowns as the Falcons tied Brethren Christian of Huntington Beach 53-53. It was the highest scoring tie game in state history.

Noah Magana (Santa Paula)
One of the state’s top reported rushing leaders, Magana stayed consistent with 28 carries for 270 yards and four TDs last week although it came in a 48-33 loss to Grace Brethren of Simi Valley.

Chance Trammell (Lodi)
In a 57-22 triumph over Bear Creek of Stockton, Trammell scored on runs of 55 and 65 yards after he’d only touched the ball three times. The senior finished with 15 carries for 253 yards and four scores as the Flames improved to 4-1.

Jonathan Briseno (Santa Ana)
Making the most of his 16 carries, he responded in a grand way against Bolsa Grande of Garden Grove as he ran for 205 yards and one touchdown as the Saints won their second game in a row with a 42-7 win over the Matadors.

RECEIVING

John Horn (Yuba City)
Putting up the second-highest receiving yardage total in a single game in CIF Sac-Joaquin Section history, Horn caught 11 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns during a 42-40 loss to Rio Linda. His total trails just the 380 receiving yard performance that Damen Wheeler did last season with Sacramento that also set the state record.

Ringo Burgess & Travis Nickols (McKinleyville)
We don’t have a state record category for combined receiving yards in a game for two players, but Burgess and Nickols might be it. In the team’s 39-38 loss to Fortuna, Burgess caught 10 passes for 211 yards and two TDs while Nickols had eight catches for 205 yards and three scores. Nickols, who also had seven tackles in the game, had a 100-yard interception return for a TD a few weeks ago.

Jason Fuga & Guy Demazeliere (Brethren Christian, Huntington Beach)
During the 53-53 tie against Aquinas of San Bernardino that saw their quarterback pass for eight touchdowns, it was this tandem that did most damage. Fuga caught nine passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns while Demazeliere caught five passes for 135 yards and four scores.

Bailey Gaither (Paso Robles)
Gathering the ball out of the air, he caught seven passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns during a 63-10 win for the Bearcats against Morro Bay as they remained undefeated with their sixth win on the year. Gaither could be the best player on the field in this week’s Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande showdown.

Jake Smeltzer (Tesoro, Rancho SM)
Junior standout Devon Modster looked his way early and often as he caught seven passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns during a 59-38 road win against San Clemente. Smeltzer has Ivy League offers and could have more coming is way if he continues to put up totals like this.

Javon McKinley (Centennial, Corona)
As the leading target for the Huskies during their 72-42 win over Valencia, the big-time junior caught nine passes for 162 yards and four touchdowns. Like Javon, most of the other offensive standouts at Centennial this season are juniors, which is certainly a scary thought.

MULTI-PURPOSE/DEFENSE

Jace Neugebauer (Fall River, McArthur)
For two-way, option QB totals, it’s hard to top what Jace did in leading the Bulldogs past Illinois Valley of Cave Junction (Oregon). On offense, Neugebauer completed 18 of 26 passes for 296 yards and one TD while also rushing for 101 yards and three TDs on 11 carries. On defense, he was credited with 13 tackles and intercepted a pass.

Jordan Wiley (Independence, Bakersfield)
He led his team to a 54-12 victory over Highland of Bakersfield as he passed for 280 yards (16 of 26 & 3 TDs) and also rushed for 134 yards (16 carries & 2 TDs).

Chris Walker (Norwalk)
For most of the second half, he was stuck to just walking the sidelines but that was after an impressive first half that saw him rush for two touchdowns and catch a touchdown pass and then he took the opening kickoff of the second half back for six points before finding a spot on the sidelines to watch the rest of a 62-8 win over Cerritos.

Blake Beaudette (Newport Harbor, Newport Beach)
Named by OCVarsity as its defensive player of the week, he had five sacks and forced two fumbles as the Sailors sailed their way to a 41-22 win over Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach.

Ben Roach (Los Altos)
Of all the players checked out for our Le Boulanger South Bay/Peninsula player of the week possibilities, Roach had the most impressive performance. In a 61-12 win over San Jose Lynbrook, he scored on two kickoff returns (both 80 yards) and also reached the end zone on a 55-yard run.

Lamar Jackson (Franklin, Elk Grove)
Scoring touchdowns in three different ways last Friday night, Jackson caught a touchdown pass, rushed for a score and returned one of his two interceptions on the night back for another touchdown as the Wildcats defeated Sheldon of Sacramento 56-3.

Riley Tinsley (Sacred Heart Prep, Atherton)
Another player who scored touchdowns in three different ways, he carried the ball 11 times for 103 yards and one score while also catching a touchdown pass and returning a punt for six points during a 42-0 win over Woodside.

Khalil Hodge (St. Mary’s, Stockton)
The 6-foot, 225-pound senior finished with 14 solo tackles while assisting on seven more as the Rams went on the road and defeated Buhach Colony of Atwater 45-30. Hodge was listed this week as one of four top player of the year candidates by the Stockton Record, which is another indication of the type of season he’s having.

Tamarick Pierce (St. Mary’s, Berkeley)
His two rushing touchdowns gave the Panthers an early 14-0 lead on the way to a 48-26 win over El Cerrito. Right before halftime, he also caught a touchdown pass and then in the second half he scored his fourth touchdown of the game as he intercepted a pass and returned it for a 41-yard score.

Adarrus Wilson (Morningside, Inglewood)
Despite trailing 20-6 at halftime, the Monarchs rallied in the second half for a 41-38 win over View Park of Los Angeles and this sophomore had a big part in that comeback. He caught six passes for 114 yards and one touchdown while also intercepting two passes on defense.

Tyshone Gaines (Fremont, Oakland)
He caught seven passes for 145 yards and both of his touchdown catches came in the fourth quarter as the Tigers came from behind to defeat Mt. Diablo of Concord 36-18. Gaines also recorded seven tackles on defense.

As has been customary for many years, we collect the state stat stars in support of the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book & Almanac. The book has been published seven times (the most recent, though, was 2009) and is as official as a state record book can be since no other exists. To report a State Stat Star of the Week of your own, please email details to markjtennis@gmail.com.

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Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports