State Stat Stars of the Week

We add hoops into the mix for the first time since last season, but it’s all about LiAngelo Ball of Chino Hills and his 72-point explosion during a game earlier this week. For football, the state single season rushing record is under an even greater attack by Norte Vista’s Eric Melesio with one and possibly three games left for him. In addition, QBs Ernesto Camacho of El Monte Arroyo and Levi Taylor of Victorville Silverado led teams last week with seven TD passes.

Note: We will collect totals from MaxPreps, newspapers, tweets and from those sent in to us. We also will compile single-game highs from this post throughout the season and of course we use our weekly State Stat Stars collection as an aid for the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book. That is the only state record book anyone has ever done and we have published it seven times with full copyright protection. To report totals to us for this feature and for the record book, email markjtennis@gmail.com or call 209-608-1317. You can also text to 209-608-1317.

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(All players listed in alphabetical order)
(Writeups also by Paul Muyskens & CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett)
(For games played through Saturday, Nov. 26)

BOYS BASKETBALL

LiAngelo Ball scores 72

Even though older brother Lonzo is now starring as a freshman at UCLA, the high scoring bonanza that is the Chino Hills basketball team hasn’t missed a beat.

It’s just now that LiAngelo Ball has become an even more sensational scorer. One night earlier this week, Ball poured in a career high of 56 points with little brother LaMelo dishing out 18 assists and scoring 24 points in a 121-89 victory over Corona Centennial.

It turns out Gelo was just getting warmed up. The next night, Ball nailed 13 three-pointers and sent Twitter going nuts with 72 points in a 128-101 win vs. Rancho Christian of Temecula. Ball’s 72 points ranks 10th on the all-time state list, just one in front of the 71-point outing for Noah Valencia from California School for the Deaf (Riverside) set last season vs. Baker.

Many of those higher, including the state record total of 100 set in Feb. 2003 by Tigran Grigorian from Mesrobian of Pico Rivera, are from small schools.

Ball’s total also is the most in the state for one game since Tyrone Shelley scored 76 for San Diego Crawford in a Dec. 2005 contest vs. Burlington Central of Canada.

We also checked out Gelo’s back-to-back two-game total of 128 and found it to be just one short of the state record of 129 set in 1990 by Mike Fisher of San Marino Southwestern Academy. He had 73 and 56 in his two.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Sela Kay (Windward, Los Angeles)
We will have to do some research to see if the mark has been beaten, but this junior went 18 for 18 from the free throw line during a loss to Eitwanda, which tied the state record that was listed in our last printed state record book set by Candice Wiggins of La Jolla Country Day in 2003.

FOOTBALL

Jorge Briseno (Santa Ana)
While his brother Jonathan was honored as one of our players of the week, he also had a big night during a 66-27 win by the Saints over Laguna Beach in the CIFSS Division 13 semifinals. He rushed for 204 yards and five touchdowns on 30 carries.

Ernesto Camacho (Arroyo, El Monte)
During a 70-21 win over Segerstrom of Santa Ana in the CIFSS Division 12 semifinals, he completed 18 of his 32 pass attempts for 385 yards and seven touchdowns. Camacho also was macho with a rushing score.

Junior Cardenas (Mendota)
The senior QB helped keep unbeaten Mendota at 12-0 as he passed for 287 yards on 12 of 14 and had four touchdowns in a 50-14 win over Sierra of Tollhouse in a CIF Central Section Division V game. Wide receiver Fabian Jasso also had seven receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns.

Salieu Ceesay & Branden Rankins
(Aquinas, San Bernardino)
The craziest playoff game of last week was the 64-63 win in OT that Aquinas had over Leuzinger of Lawndale in the CIFSS D10 semifinals. Ceesay had a 5-yard TD run to tie the score in OT before a PAT won it. Leuzinger had a PAT that was missed. Earlier, Ceesay blocked a field goal attempt with three seconds left that forced OT. He also finished 17 of 30 for 249 yards and four TDs passing. Rankins caught two of those TD passes and also rushed 25 times for 211 yards and two more scores.

Kaymen Cureton (Leuzinger, Lawndale)
The San Jose State commit did his best to keep the Olympians going in their heart-breaking 64-63 loss in overtime to Aquinas of San Bernardino in the CIFSS D10 semifinals. Cureton completed 24 of 34 passes for 370 yards and three TDs and also rushed for 76 yards and one score.

Joe Curry (Folsom)
No stranger to being listed in this feature, he completed 22 of his 29 pass attempts for 415 yards and four touchdowns during a 41-3 win over Elk Grove in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals. Curry now has 3,511 yards and 50 TD passes for the season.

Jalani Ellison (Reseda)
Ellison and the Regents’ defense was lights out during a 37-0 victory vs. Hollywood in the CIF L.A. City Section D3 semifinals. Ellison had three interceptions and returned two of those thefts for touchdowns.

Chase Garbers (Corona del Mar, Newport Beach)
This big-time QB recruit (committed to Cal) and the Sea Kings are headed to the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship game after a 35-34 win over previously unbeaten Lompoc. Garbers completed 19 of his 31 pass attempts for 329 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 47 yards and a score on 14 carries.

Trent Laubach (Valley Christian, San Jose)
Making moving the ball difficult for Palma of Salinas, he had seven solo tackles and 15 total tackles during a 14-10 win by the 12-1 Warriors in the CCS Open Division III finals.

Adrian Martinez (Clovis West, Fresno)
The junior QB who recently committed to Cal passed for 262 yards on 18 of 33 and had two touchdowns while also rushing for 142 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns in his team’s overtime loss to Central of Fresno in the Central Section Division I semifinals.

Eric Melesio (Norte Vista, Riverside)
The senior RB powered for 249 yards rushing and had three TDs as the Braves got past St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs 21-7 in the CIFSS D7 semifinals. More importantly, Melesio went past 4,000 yards rushing for the season and now had 4,194 yards and 53 TDs. He probably won’t break the state record of 4,495 set in 2001 by Tyler Ebell of Ventura in this week’s title game against San Gorgonio of San Bernardino, but if Norte Vista wins and wins again in a SoCal bowl game then without injury it would seem Ebell’s record is going to fall.

Jordan Mims (Menlo-Atherton)
When the Bears captured their first CCS championship in eight years it was Mims who scored on touchdown runs of 76 and 72 yards. He also finished with 224 yards on 25 carries during a 17-0 win over Milpitas.

Re-al Mitchell (St. John Bosco, Bellflower)
If the junior speedster continues to spin it as well as he can break loose for long runs, the Braves may be on their way to winning a second CIF Open Division state title in the last four years. Mitchell’s 63-yard TD run gave Bosco the lead in a 49-47 win vs. Corona Centennial in last Friday’s CIFSS D1 semifinals. He finished with 122 yards on the ground while in the air he went 17 of 22 for 287 yards and three scores.

Jaylen Moore (King, Riverside)
His two long interception returns of 84 and 85 yards for touchdowns in the second quarter gave his team a 14-0 lead, but the Wolves’ season would come to an end with a 20-14 loss to Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo in the CIFSS Division V playoffs.

Leki Nunn (Serra, San Mateo)
He is well known for being a dual threat quarterback and he showed it again in the CCS Open Division II championship game. Nunn, the West Catholic Athletic League Player of the Year as a junior, passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 161 yards and two scores during a 37-24 win over Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.

Griffin O’Connor (Edison, Huntington Beach)
His 7-yard TD run with 54 seconds left lifted the Chargers past Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley 32-28 in the CIFSS D3 semifinals. O’Connor also scored earlier in the game but it was his passing that really helped Edison come back from a 21-10 deficit. He finished 20 of 31 for 295 yards and one TD and added 45 yards rushing.

Olita Palmer & Hank Bachmeier
(Murrieta Valley, Murrieta)
It was another big night for these two talented players in leading the Nighthawks to the CIF Southern Section Division II championship game. Palmer rushed for 272 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries while also catching a touchdown pass from Bachmeier, who was 23 of 27 for 305 yards and five touchdowns during a 63-42 win over La Habra.

Jaden Schieberl (Rancho Christian, Temecula)
In a CIFSS D13 playoff game in which Rancho faced South El Monte and RB Sal Tovar (one of the state rushing leaders) it was Schieberl who had the most yards in the game with 236 on 15 carries in helping his team to a 42-28 win. Tovar had 136 yards on 22 carries.

Stone Smart (Del Oro, Loomis)
The Golden Eagles will be playing for a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship this week after he passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 63 yards and three touchdowns during a 50-10 win over Antelope. The Titans were 12-0, making the outing that much more impressive.

Levi Taylor (Silverado, Victorville)
If he keeps it up, Taylor may someday play at his namesake stadium in Santa Clara. In helping the Hawks clobber Antelope Valley 52-13 in the CIFSS Division 9 playoffs, Taylor completed 14 of his 27 pass attempts for 468 yards and seven touchdowns.

Trent Tompkins (Central, Fresno)
Going up against a junior QB (Adrian Martinez) who has committed to Cal, Tompkins showed off his future as well when the Grizzlies edged Clovis West of Fresno 34-28 in overtime in the CIF Central Section D1 semifinals. Tompkins had quite a night by passing for 235 yards on 18 of 27 for three touchdowns and rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown.

C.J. Verdell (Mater Dei Catholic, Chula Vista)
He has had some big games this season and the CIF San Diego Section Division II semifinals saw him with yet another. Verdell, who has been an Oregon commit, rushed for 310 yards during a 42-10 win over Bonita Vista of Chula Vista.

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