State Stat Stars of the Week

Harris Ross of Pittsburg (left) and Deven Boston of Buena Park are the latest players of the week that were featured on Time Warner Cable’s Varsity Roundup. Photos: Student Sports.

In addition to our two players of the week, this week’s honor roll of the state’s top single-game performances includes 539 yards passing for San Marcos’ Will Freed, huge totals from a 61-58 shootout and a player who scored on two kickoff returns within a game’s first 30 seconds.

We will lead off the State Stat Stars every week with the Northern California and Southern California Players of the Week, which were announced on Wednesday night on Time Warner Cable’s Varsity Roundup show. We will then present the stat stars each week according to performance and no longer simply alphabetical.

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 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.

Note: All football state records are in the process of being added to this web site. They will be part of our Gold Club membership. To join our Gold Club today, please CLICK HERE.

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 Sept. 12 to Sept. 14.

Northern California Player of the Week
Harris Ross (Pittsburg)
One year ago at this time, Ross had yet to emerge as the No. 1 rusher at Pitt. Today, he’s in the state record book and has at least a few local people comparing him to nearby Freedom of Oakley standout Joe Mixon, who is the state’s No. 1 ranked running back according to college scouts. In 21 carries last week, Ross rampaged for 464 yards and seven touchdowns for the Pirates in a 49-29 victory over Monte Vista of Danville. The more amazing stat behind that outing is that Ross had 10 carries for 361 yards and six TDs in just the second half alone. It’s the fourth highest total in Northern California history (the record is 555) and is the best ever from the CIF North Coast Section. Ross has gotten offers from Sacramento State and Eastern Washington, but with the season he may be about to have there could be some bigger colleges knocking on his door real soon.

Southern California Player of the Week
Deven Boston (Buena Park)
Boston is the early-season reported state rushing leader, according to MaxPreps. He didn’t have 410 yards last week against Magnolia of Anaheim, which is what he had against the Sentinels in last year’s game, but he did have 20 carries for 300 yards and four TDs in a 66-13 triumph. For the season, Boston now has 876 yards and 12 TDs. Boston also has a chance to go over 4,000 career yards in this week’s game against JSerra Catholic.

Brad Kaaya had a great summer and is having a great season so far for Chaminade of West Hills. Photo: Tom Hauck (Courtesy Student Sports).

PASSING

Will Freed (San Marcos)
Not many passes weren’t completed in a 51-46 win by the Knights over Westview of San Diego. For Freed, a promising junior, he completed 30 of his 36 pass attempts for 539 yards and five touchdowns.

Jake Browning (Folsom)
It would be more of a shock if Browning wasn’t listed here every week. For the second time already this season, he had seven touchdown passes while completing 23 of his 32 pass attempts for 371 yards in a 56-23 win over previously undefeated Roseville. Browning has 16 TD passes in his first three games.

Julius Davila (Chavez, Stockton)
Passing for 494 yards and seven touchdowns wasn’t enough to prevent the Titans from suffering a 61-58 road loss against Sierra of Manteca in yet another of those crazy shootouts that are becoming almost common. Darin Gentry was his leading target as he caught eight passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns.

Anthony Williams (St. Patrick-St. Vincent, Vallejo)
He didn’t have four full quarters of throwing the ball due to the lopsided score, but still completed 15 of 22 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Bruins past Jefferson of Daly City 63-0.

Brandon Dawkins (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village)
His performance was no joking matter for Venice to deal with as he passed for 469 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 45 yards and a score as the Lions moved to 3-0 on the season with a 49-39 road win. Chris Davis caught nine passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns as his leading target.

Brian Gadsby (Crescenta Valley, La Crescenta)
He just missed a permanent spot in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book with 464 yards on 26 of 42 pass attempts in CV’s wild 56-53 Thursday victory over San Marino. Gadsby now has 12 touchdown passes through two games for his 2-0 team.

Christian Lara (Santa Fe, Santa Fe Springs)
Lara wasn’t laying low in Santa Fe’s easy 49-6 triumph over Godinez of Santa Ana. He passed for 446 yards and six touchdowns as the Chiefs improved to 3-0.

Brad Kaaya (Chaminade, West Hills)
Spreading the ball around to three different wide receivers with the last name of Lee, he finished 16 of 25 for 434 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-34 win for the Eagles over Valencia.

Jake Wallace (Valencia)
Facing off against state No. 22 Chaminade of West Hills, Wallace did all he could to keep the Vikings in it but his 432 passing yards and four touchdowns wasn’t enough in a 56-34 loss.

Nathan Coto (Arroyo, El Monte)
Giving his arm a good workout, he threw the ball 40 times and completed 30 of them for 412 yards and four scores as the Knights defeated La Puente 41-14.

Anthony Gordon (Terra Nova, Pacifica)
This junior is fast making a name for himself after besting the performance that got him a spot in this honor roll last week. In a surprising 50-33 victory on the road at San Francisco St. Ignatius, the 6-2, 185-pound Gordon passed for 403 yards and three touchdowns. The CIF Central Coast Section leading reported passer now has 765 yards and six TDs and a 138 QB rating going into a Friday night game the Cal-Hi Sports Caravan is confirmed attending.

Jake Pruitt (Sierra, Manteca)
His passing line of 35 of 45 for 401 yards and six touchdowns wasn’t as high as the opposing quarterback’s total but his team did pick up the 61-58 victory at home against Chavez of Stockton.

Cristian Solano (San Fernando)
This signal-caller continues to impress, as he completed 21 of 29 attempts for 371 yards and six passing touchdowns in the Tigers’ 47-19 victory over Poly of Sun Valley. Solano added 59 yards rushing and a touchdown to account for a whopping seven touchdowns. After three games, the QB with a reported 3.8 GPA has accounted for 1,365 yards. According to our own L.A. City Section Record Book, his touchdown accounted for total ties the school record held by the immortal Anthony Davis. In 1970, the future USC running back had five rushing touchdowns and two passing in a 50-7 win over Monroe of Sepulveda. We also must give credit to the late Bill Frazier, who did a wonderful job of keeping San Fernando school records until his passing in July 2010.

Drew Anderson (Miramonte, Orinda)
He completed 27 of his 48 pass attempts for 361 yards and two touchdowns as the Matadors handed Analy of Sebastopol its first loss of the season with a 23-13 defeat.

Nikita Zamora (Monte Vista, Danville)
He was overshadowed in a 49-29 loss to Pittsburg by its record-setting running back Harris Ross, but the 6-2, 205-pound senior quarterback did pass for 351 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

R.J. Hartman (Clovis)
The senior quarterback passed for a personal best of 326 yards on 13-22-0 for three long touchdowns of 76, 62 and 74 yards in a 28-21 win over host Centennial.

RECEIVING

Isiah Hennie (San Marcos)
The ball was flying all over the field and when the Knights had the ball it was going Hennie’s way. He caught 12 passes from fellow state stat star Will Freed, for 287 yards and two touchdowns during a 51-46 win over Westview of San Diego.

Jaylen Jones (Terra Nova, Pacifica)
As the leading target for QB Anthony Gordon on his 403-yard passing night, Jones caught nine passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers moved to 2-0 with a 50-33 road win against St. Ignatius of San Francisco. Jones also scored on a 95-yard kickoff return.

Kyle Betts (Bradshaw Christian, Sacramento)
As the leading target for QB Kevin Williams, he caught nine passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns as the Pride defeated Summerville of Tuolumne 49-42, which helped them enter the top 10 of our Division IV North Bowl Game rankings.

Nick Jones (Valencia)
He racked up a school record 226 yards on eight receptions from QB Jake Wallace (who finished with 432 yards passing), but it wasn’t enough as state-ranked Chaminade rolled to a 56-34 victory. Jones scored on receptions of 48, 75 and 20 yards.

Will McClure (Folsom)
Going into the season, the expectations were that Troy Knox would be the one putting up the big receiving numbers this season for the Bulldogs and while he has had a good season it is this senior putting up the bigger numbers. McClure caught nine passes for 187 yards and four touchdowns in Folsom’s 56-23 win last week over Roseville.

Coach and trainer Chris Asher works with state stat stars of all ages, helping them to improve their speed, quickness and agility. He is based in Hollywood, also has a role with the UCLA track program and serves athletes within many miles of his location. For more about him, CLICK HERE. For more about his Gold Medal Excellence training program, CLICK HERE.

RUSHING

Austin Cardoza (Exeter)
Every week, his numbers have increased with last week being his best despite just 18 carries. In those carries, Cardoza rushed for 358 yards to set a new school record and scored five touchdowns as the Monarchs moved to 3-0 on the season with a 41-16 road win over Taft.

Jason Hinton (Moreau Catholic, Hayward)
Hinton provided all the offense but it still took a late turnover to preserve a 50-43 win over crosstown Mt. Eden. The 5-11, 195-pound junior running back rushed for 343 yards on 28 carries and five TDs, including a 75-yarder for the game’s final points. He had a sixth score on a 90-yard third quarter kick return.

Matt Matlock (Newbury Park)
Setting a school-record with 343 rushing yards on 32 carries, this junior running back also scored on touchdown runs of 80 and 89 yards as the Panthers defeated Agoura of Agoura Hills 24-20.

Royce Freeman (Imperial)
We highlighted him before the season as one of the top two senior running backs in the state and he hasn’t dissapointed early on this season. Last week, Freeman carried 17 times for 322 yards and five touchdowns as the Tigers defeated Sweetwater of National City 42-21.

Edgar Segura (Mendota)
Fresno High hosted Mendota last Friday night resulting in a huge 62-37 win despite Segura shining with 24 carries for 303 yards and three TDs. The last time Fresno scored more than 60 points in one game was 60-0 in 1942 against Fresno Tech.  Many players contributed in the win, led by quarterback Philip Villanueva with 236 yards passing and two touchdowns. Daryl Edwards scored three touchdowns, two receiving 19, 78 yards and returned a kick-yards for 86 yards for another. Segura increased his career TDs total to 90.

Omar Navarro (Segerstrom, Santa Ana)
Finishing just shy of the triple century mark, he ran for 299 yards and four touchdowns while catching two passes for 45 yards and another score as the Jaguars improved to 3-0 with a 49-27 win over Pacifica of Garden Grove.

Elijah Cunninghan (Woodlake)
He rushed for a new school record by going for 290 yards on 39 carries and scored on two short runs of 1 and 5 yards as Woodlake nipped Farmersville 29-28.

Kurt Scoby (Monrovia)
For the Wildcats in their 49-7 win over Arcadia he rushed for 287 yards on 12 carries. He had five touchdowns including one on a 94-yarder.

Kevin Davis (Pacifica, Oxnard)
Averaging more than 20 yards per carry against Santa Paula, he ended up with 280 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in the Tritons’ 42-20 win.

Matt Ringer (Central Catholic, Modesto)
With the Cal-Hi Sports Caravan roaming the Central Catholic sidelines, the fans behind us were singing the praises of Ringer, after the Raiders’ senior running back bulled his way to 272 yards and four TDs on 40 carries in a 38-24 CIF Division IV NorCal showdown victory over Oakland McClymonds.

Elijah Porchia (Mission Oak, Tulare)
One of the top-ranked runningbacks in the CIF Central Section, Porchia rushed for a season high of 255 yards on 19 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 42-8 win over Golden West of Visalia.

Abraham Thomas (Taft, Woodland Hills)
He rushed for 246 yards and four touchdowns in a 60-52 victory over Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth. Thomas also had a big 95-yard kickoff return for a score to help offset a huge game from QB Andre Nunez of Sierra Canyon.

Michael Ysit (Ripon)
The senior running back racked up 243 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries last week against Ripon Christian in the annual Ripon Bowl. He also caught a 51-yard pass for a score. Ripon beat RC 56-26 and improved to 3-0. Ysit also has 493 yards rushing on 23 carries so far this year, according to the Ripon Record.

Patrick Laird (Mission Prep, San Luis Obispo)
He bolted for the winning touchdown from six yards out with 4:23 remaining in a 36-33 triumph over St. Genevieve of Panorama City. Laird finished with 243 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries.

Brandon Boyd (Gilroy)
The CIF Central Coast Section leading reported rusher went for 242 yards and two scores in a 28-0 win over Morgan Hill Sobrato. He now has 575 yards and seven TDs after two games.

Sterling Salguero (Birmingham, Van Nuys)
He rushed for 231 yards on 16 carries, including a 97-yard touchdown run, to lift the Patriots to a 28-20 victory over Fairfax of Los Angeles. His long run to paydirt ended up being the winning score.

Sheldon Arnold (Santee, Los Angeles)
His 226 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 15 carries in a 41-0 win over Hawkins of Los Angeles were impressive, but that’s not all he did. He also returned two punts for 150 yards, including a touchdown for the victors.

Rashaad Penny (Norwalk)
All-state caliber running back and the Lancers’ top prospect in quite some time rushed for 223 yards and scored four touchdowns in Norwalk’s 47-6 win over Warren of Downey. Penny did his damage on only 12 carries and has rushed for 394 yards with seven TDs so far this season.

Total Offense

Andre Nunez (Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth)
He accounted for a whopping 569 yards of total offense, but it wasn’t enough as the Trailblazers fell to Taft of Woodland Hills in an intersectional game, 60-52. The combined yardage total both passing and rushing gives Nunez a spot in our state record book in the category of most yards of total offense in a single game, but the total is far from a state record. He accounted for six touchdowns and finished with 352 yards passing and 217 yards rushing.

Ryan Araujo (El Rancho, Pico Rivera)
He accounted for 394 yards, but The Ranch lost to Bell Gardens, 41-25. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 109 yards and added two more scores.

Coltin Gerhart (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta)
Continuing to show he’s a threat running or passing the football, he ran for 189 yards and three touchdowns while also throwing two touchdown passes as the No. 7 Broncos defaeted Yucaipa 52-13.

Rayquan Ford (South East, South Gate)
Talented dual-threat completed 12 of 17 passes for 174 yards and also rushed 14 times for 119 yards in a 41-17 victory over Lynwood. Ford accounted for four touchdowns and has done an admirable job since taking over the quarterback position when starter Joshua Gonzalez went down due to injury.

Clarence Williams (Sylmar)
Talented sophomore QB, who was a Pop Warner standout for the Mid Valley Titans, accounted for a whopping eight touchdowns in the Spartans’ 83-42 victory over Verdugo Hills of Tujunga. Williams threw for 345 yards on 14 of 20 passing and threw seven touchdowns. Three of those went to Daniel Mendoza, who had four receptions for 170 yards and three touchdowns. The 83 points was also a school record for points in a single game.

MULTI-PURPOSE

Gabriel Watson (Piedmont)
The Highlanders’ sophomore running back scored six touchdowns in a 44-16 win over Albany. Four came on long runs and two in a strange twist on consecutive kick-offs. He took the game’s opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and then after an Albany safety on the Piedmont kickoff, he romped 75 yards to pay dirt on the ensuing free kick.

Derrick Rositas (Homestead, Cupertino)
He was a big reason the Mustangs got to 2-0 with 55-26 win over Sunnyvale Fremont. The 6-1, 200-pound senior RB/LB had 184 yards rushing and four touchdowns, and had a pass interception and 11 tackles on defense.

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