State Stat Stars of the Week

Riverside Norte Vista’s Eric Melesio comes up 36 yards short of the single-season state record for rushing yards and won’t get a chance due to loss to San Gorgonio. La Jolla Country Day’s Braxton Burmeister also becomes just third in state history to surpass 11,000 career passing yards. Boys basketball’s best includes San Bernardino’s Matthew Bradley (with two 48-point games) while for girls S.F. Sacred Heart Cathedral all-state player I’lmar’I Thomas averages nearly 26 ppg at the La Jolla Sweet Sixteen tourney.

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.

For this week’s NorCal/SoCal State Players of the Week, CLICK HERE.

For more on Destiny Littleton’s chase for the career state scoring record in girls basketball, CLICK HERE.

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(All players listed in alphabetical order)
(Writeups also by Paul Muyskens & CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett & Harold Abend)
(For games played through Saturday, Dec. 3 with some games from this week)

BOYS BASKETBALL

Isaiah Abdul & Michael Hayes (West, Tracy)
Both of these players pumped in 31 points to lead the Wolf Pack past Rio Linda 95-77 in the title game of the Delta King Classic in Stockton. Hayes is the more well-known of the two. He was one of the top scorers last season in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section as a sophomore.

Matthew Bradley (San Bernardino)
This 6-foot-5 junior could find his way to be a weekly regular here this season as he had back-to-back 48-point and 10-rebound performances last week during a 75-65 win over Serrano of Phelan and a 84-71 loss to Redlands East Valley of Redlands. In the win over the Diamondbacks, he made 17 of his 19 free throw attempts while making 14 of 17 from the line in the loss.

Jordan Campbell (Adelanto)
Already with four games of at least 33 points this season, this senior captain had a season-high 42 points when the Saints defeated La Quinta 91-65 last week.

Jaylen Hands (Foothills Christian, El Cajon)
Finally getting to hit the court with a Knights jersey on, the big-time point guard who’s among the nation’s best at that position scored 41 points in his debut to lead Foothills past Murrieta Valley of Murrieta 83-60.

Kezie Okpala (Esperanza, Anaheim)
Yet another senior captain that came out strong, he had games of 32, 41 and 36 points two weeks ago to start the season and last week he scored 34 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Aztecs defeated La Mirada 66-62. Through nine games this season, he is averaging 29.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

Josh Singh (Lutheran, Elk Grove)
The Panthers’ junior captain had a pair of 38 point performances last week as they defeated Cristo Rey of Sacramento 58-41 and Pine Hills Adventist of Auburn 79-33.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Cailyn Crocker (Los Alamitos)
Earning MVP honors at the South Coast Classic, this sophomore guard scored 29 points during a 51-34 win over Huntington Beach in the championship game.

Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary’s, Stockton)
One of the top juniors in the nation and our returning State Sophomore of the Year, DeCosta wasted no time in putting up a big double-double performance as she scored 20 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and also had five steals during a 69-53 win over Menlo-Atherton of Atherton to open the season. Her teammate, Neenah Young, scored 30 points during a 78-60 win over Pleasant Valley of Chico the next day.

Tyler Frierson (Millikan, Long Beach)
Despite her big double-double with 33 points and 21 rebounds, the Rams suffered their first loss this season with a 55-48 setback to Mater Dei of Santa Ana. Averaging 27.5 points and 17.8 rebounds per game for the first four games of the season, she also had 29 points and 20 rebounds during a 65-61 loss to El Camino Real of Woodland Hills.

Shyla Latone (Bonita Vista, Chula Vista)
Setting the tone for the upcoming season, this junior captain had 35 points in a 70-37 win over La Jolla before earlier this week scoring 49 points during a 72-35 win over Brawley.

Janelle Sumilong (Hanford)
She had two big games last week, including 27 points during a season-opening 66-42 win over Central of Fresno before scoring a season-high 37 points two games later during a 81-72 loss to Clovis North of Fresno.

Ilmari’I Thomas (Sacred Heart Cathedral, S.F.)
The biggest buzz at the Sweet 16 tourney held at La Jolla Country Day was about Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Cincinnati-bound star. The 6-foot-1 senior who can play any position on the floor and plays them all well, was unstoppable all tournament. She capped it off by capturing the MVP award after going for a huge double-double 30 points and 13 rebounds in the title-game victory vs. Mission Hills of San Marcos. For the tournament, Thomas had all double-doubles. She opened up with a 30-point, 22-rebound effort against Helix-La Mesa, followed with 27 points and 18 rebounds versus Mater Dei Catholic-Chula Vista, and in the semis she had 15 points and 16 rebounds against Lakewood, Colorado. That translates into 25.5 points and 17.25 rebounds per game averages to start the season.

Jordan Thompson (Harker, San Jose)
The senior who likely will get written up many times this season had 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 63-47 win over Harbor of Santa Cruz in the championship game of the Pescadero Tournament. Thompson also scored her 1,500th career point.

FOOTBALL

Andrew Azura (Sanger)
The senior standout rushed for a career high of 213 yards on 30 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Apaches beat Ridgeview of Bakersfield 20-10 in the Central Section Division II championship.

Jordon Brookshire (Cardinal Newman, Santa Rosa)
The three-year standout accounted for five TDs in leading the Cardinals past St. Bernard’s of Eureka 44-21 in the CIF North Coast Section Division IV title game. Brookshire passed for 189 yards and rushed for 82 more.

Braxton Burmeister (La Jolla Country Day)
With the CIF San Diego Section Division IV championship on the line, he passed for 274 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 102 yards and a score on 13 carries during a 38-24 win over Santana of Santee. The Arizona commit now has 11,045 career passing yards and 122 career TD passes.

Junior Cardenas (Mendota)
After Cardenas passed for a season high of five touchdowns in a 50-22 win against Firebaugh, he now has 86 for his career, which is the sixth best in Central Section history, according to section historian Bob Barnett. Cardenas also had 327 yards on 14 of 19 for the game against Firebaugh, which gave Mendota the D5 section title and improved its record to 13-0. Wide receiver Fabian Jasso also caught four touchdowns for a new school record.

Joe Curry (Folsom)
He had another big night but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 56-25 loss in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I finals to St. Mary’s of Stockton, Curry completed 32 of his 52 pass attempts for 383 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for a score. He finished with 3,875 yards and 53 TDs for the season, which for Folsom could actually be called an average year for the QB.

Dusty Frampton (St. Mary’s, Stockton)
Even when Folsom forced a third and long, the Rams were able to hand it to this talented junior back for a big gain to move the chains. Frampton rushed for 294 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries during a 56-25 win in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game. Frampton has now scored 36 TDs for the season.

Joseph Garcia (Strathmore)
Cat-quick junior RB rushed for 291 yards on 27 carries in a 46-20 win over visiting Sierra Pacific for the CIF Central Section Division VI championship. Garcia scored five touchdowns on runs of 10, 40, 4 yards, 15-yard reception and returned a kickoff for 85 yards. He now has 37 touchdowns for the season, which is a new school record.

Tristan Gebbia (Calabasas)
All five of the Coyotes touchdowns during a 35-14 win over Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo in the CIFSS Division V championship game came from his arm throwing it. Gebbia completed 36 of his 48 pass attempts for 505 yards and five touchdowns. Three different wide receivers had over 100 yards on the night, including Nikko Hall who caught 10 passes for 142 yards and freshman Johnny Wilson, who caught eight passes for 126 yards and two scores. Gebbia now has more than 12,500 yards for his career and 134 TDs.

Jeffrey Jackson (Bishop’s, La Jolla)
A junior with elusive running skills to go with passing, Jackson completed 29 of his 33 pass attempts for 329 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 82 yards during a 49-20 win over Christian of El Cajon in the CIF San Diego Section Division III championship game. Both teams came into the game unbeaten, making Jackson’s night look even more impressive.

Eric Melesio (Norte Vista, Riverside)
His nearly record breaking season came to an end as he rushed for 265 yards and three touchdowns on 55 carries during a 27-21 loss in overtime to San Gorgonio in the CIF-SS Division 7 championship game. Melesio undoubtedly would have broken the state single-season record of 4,495 yards set in 2000 by Tyler Ebell of Ventura with one more game. Instead, he ends with 4,459 yards in 14 games.

J.T. Murphy (Corona del Mar, Newport Beach)
While quarterback Chase Garbers was passing for 196 yards and one touchdown and rushing for 78 yards and three scores, Murphy was gaining the bulk of the yardage during a 36-35 overtime loss to Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth in the CIFSS Division IV championship. Murphy led the rushing attack as he gained 240 yards and scored one touchdown on 27 carries.

Jack Newman (Analy, Sebastopol)
The school has sent in his final career passing totals for the record book and many will be listed. Newman had 55 TD passes this season to go with 54 from last season and ended with 114 for his career. He also finished this season 4,488 passing yards and had career totals of 591 of 882 for 8,926 yards.

Shane Perry (Monte Vista, Danville)
While his season came to an end since Monte Vista is not headed to a bowl game, it did end on a positive note. Perry rushed for 254 yards and three touchdowns during a 42-18 win over Antioch in the CIF NCS Division I finals. The Mustangs finished 12-1 with their only loss to national powerhouse De La Salle.

Jaden Schieberl (Rancho Christian, Temecula)
It’s the second straight weekly listing for Schieberl. On 16 carries, he rushed for 221 yards and four touchdowns as the Eagles defeated Santa Ana 52-14 in the CIFSS Division 13 finals.

Marquis Spiker & Olita Palmer (Murrieta Valley, Murrieta)
Despite their big nights, it wasn’t enough to prevent a 45-35 loss to San Clemente in the CIFSS Division II championship game. Spiker caught nine passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns while Palmer rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries.

Trystin Strickland (Fort Bragg)
Timberwolves RB had a strong outing in team’s 49-35 loss to St. Patrick/St. Vincent of Vallejo in the CIF North Coast Section D5 final. Strickland had 208 yards rushing and one TD and had 73 yards receiving with two TD catches.

C.J. Verdell (Mater Dei Catholic, Chula Vista)
Nearing 2,000 yards rushing on the season, he rushed for 251 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries during a 35-20 win over Olympian of Chula Vista in the CIF San Diego Section Division II finals. Verdell, who earlier this week was given the Silver Pigskin Award by a local TV station that recognizes the San Diego player of the year, has now rushed for 1,982 yards and should break the 2,000 yard mark early in Mater Dei Catholic’s game this week.

Jayden Webb (Yorba Linda)
Outscoring Burbank on his own during a 31-21 win in the CIFSS Division VIII championship game, he rushed for 205 yards and four touchdowns.

Braden Wingle (Bakersfield Christian)
Our NorCal Offensive Player of the Week from what he did in his previous game passed for 323 yards and four TDs in Bakersfield Christian’s 53-19 win over Tulare Western in the Central Section D3 final. Wingle also went 27 of 36 and often looked for teammate Alex Wallace, who had nine catches for 99 yards and two TDs.

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