Cal-Hi Sports Insider Blog

Quick-hitting, behind-the-scenes news and notes from the CalHiSports.com staff, including previews of upcoming content and events.

Sac-Joaquin Top 5: Receivers

By Mark Tennis | Published September 27, 2019

We are happy to say that for the seventh straight year the CalHiSports.com web site and Cal-Hi Sports is part of the weekly Final Quarter high school football show on Friday nights on the FOX 40 station in Sacramento.

On last week’s fifth show for the 2019 season, we revealed our list of the top five wide receivers (with one tight end) in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section for this season. Here is what that countdown revealed:

1. Elijhah Badger (Folsom)
Yes, this is an easy one. Elijhah is a three-year standout for the Bulldogs and has 18 D1 offers with Oregon, USC and Arizona State among them. He had what proved to be the game-winning catch last week in win over Oak Ridge.

2. Trevor Pope (Tracy)
He has committed to Oregon State and had five TD catches in his first four games.

3. Kaleo Ballungay (Kimball, Tracy)
He’s actually a tight end, but wanted to include him on this list. Kaleo is the top tight end in the section who has committed to Cal. He had several catches shown on last week’s show in team’s loss to Sierra of Manteca.

4. Jadyn Marshall (St. Mary’s, Stockton)
Just a sophomore, Jadyn had nine catches for 233 yards in his first game against Pittsburg and then scored four TDs against Central Catholic. Also an elite athlete in track-and-field.

5. Lawrence Harris (Downey, Modesto)
In his first game when Downey beat Manteca in overtime, Lawrence caught five TD passes (which is a number that gets him into the state record book). Avant Jacobs (Oak Ridge) also could have been in this spot.

This 30-minute show is twice as long as any other Friday night high school football show in the Sacramento market and is returning to the Friday at 11 p.m. time slot.

Watch this week’s show Friday at 11 p.m. for all the local highlights, plus the next Top 5 from CalHiSports.com, which will be a look at the top five offensive linemen in the section. The show will include highlights from all of the biggest games in the region, including the Fan Favorite Game of the Week. Thanks to host Jim Crandell and the FOX 40 team for once again letting Cal-Hi Sports be part of this year’s show.

State Stat Stars of Week

By Mark Tennis | Published September 26, 2019

As we collected info for the six SoCal/NorCal Players of the Week in football, here’s a few others from last week’s games that put up totals that caught our attention. Note: Prep Notes With a Twist column just taking this week off.

Cooper Barkate (St. Margaret’s, SJ Capistrano)
Had one of the best all-around outings of the season that included 10 catches for 119 yards and two TDs in team’s 49-16 win vs. El Toro of Lake Forest. In same game, Cooper threw a 10-yard TD pass, came up with an interception on defense and he scored on a 80-yard kickoff return.

Stephen Britton (Santa Fe Christian, Solana Beach)
In a 51-28 win over La Jolla Country Day (which was 4-0 coming in), Britton was great running the ball with 26 carries for 310 yards and five touchdowns. LJCD still looks like the team to beat in the CIF San Diego D4 playoffs (so it would be small schools for our rankings). SFC is in a much higher playoff bracket (so it would be medium schools).

Jesse Carmona (Ganesha, Pomona)
The sophomore quarterback ran and passed the Giants to a 60-36 win against Montclair. He had 261 yards passing with four TDs. As a rusher, Carmona shined with 26 carries for 228 yards and two other scores

Youlas Dickson (Buhach Colony, Atwater)
The senior speedster ripped off a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown during the Thunder’s 37-21 victory over Patterson. His returns have been a big reason why Buhach has started 5-0. Dickson scored on his sixth kick return (punts or kickoffs) this season and is getting close to being in the state record book.

Zevi Eckhaus & Chris Miller (Culver City)
We’re not sure what the official final numbers are because Culver City hasn’t used MaxPreps this season, but one report had Eckaus 36 of 53 for 577 yards passing and seven touchdowns in the Centaurs’ wild-and-wacky 55-52 win in double-overtime last week over Palos Verdes. Another had him with 548. Either total makes the all-time state list. Miller moved into a tie for third on the all-time state list with six TD catches. He had more than 300 yards (makes state record list) but again official final totals are not in yet. The one we saw had him at 19 catches for 325 yards.

Kannon Gibson (Mariposa County, Mariposa)
Not only did he come up with three interceptions for the Grizzlies in their matchup with Orestimba of Newman, but one of them was for a touchdown and that was the only touchdown of the game in Mariposa’s 7-6 triumph.

Ben Gulbranson (Newbury Park)
THe 6-foot-3, 210-pound Oregon State-committed quarterback connected on 25 of 39 passes for 446 yards and six TDs in a 63-56 victory vs. Venice. Facing a D1 college-bound QB on the other team, Gulbranson also dove in for a pair of rushing TDs. Tyson Lundring was Newbury’s top receiver with six grabs for 2-6 yards and three TDs. Luca Diamont led Venice with 185 yards passing (four TDs) plus 149 yards rushing (two TDs).

Jared Haywood (Inglewood)
THe Sentinels have an explosive lineup this year with Haywood at the helm and put everything on display last week during 46-3 romp past Victor Valley of Victorville. Haywood hit on 17 of 21 passes for 417 yards and seven TDs. He now has 19 TD passes on the season.

Michael Knight (Brookside Christian, Stockton)
At this point of the season, Knight may be the state rushing leader. He moved to 1,249 yards this year after going for 318 yards on 19 carries with four TDs as Brookside outlasted Millennium of Tracy 44-32.

J.D. Laverdiere (Mt. Miguel, Spring Valley)
A junior to watch, Laverdiere accounted for seven touchdowns in team’s 46-28 win vs. Valhalla of El Cajon. Laverdiere passed for 355 yards and three TDs and scored four times on the ground.

Shamar Oliver (Mira Monte, Bakersfield) &
Kaden Preston (Kern Valley, Lake Isabella)
Oliver rushed for a career high of 305 yards on 34 carries and scored two touchdowns in a 32-29 win over Kern Valley. Junior quarterback Preston did all he could by passing for a career high of 397 yards on 21-44-1 and two touchdowns, rushed for 154 yards on 8 carries and one score.

Aramel Villa (Liberty, Madera Ranchos)
He kicked three field goals of 42, 50 & 32 yards, plus one extra point for 10 kicking points for the game as Liberty edged visiting Templeton 23-20.

Coming Soon: All-Decade All-State

By Mark Tennis | Published September 22, 2019

It’s only going to be one more week until the first posts of the Cal-Hi Sports All-State All-Decade Teams are completed. Read below to see how anyone can input their opinions for this project and get a general schedule of when all of these teams are going to be released.

Football: The first all-decade all-state posts will begin next weekend (Sunday night) and will start a streak of six straight weeks in which we’ll go over all of the historical all-decade all-state teams. First up will be the 1950s followed by separate posts for the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The final all-decade all-state team (for the 2010s) will be completed not long after the current 2019 season is done in late December.

Boys Basketball: Look for lead analyst Ronnie Flores and all of our picks for the best of the 2010s to be done in November, not long after the 2019-20 preseason state rankings are released. We’ve already discussed player of the decade, coach of the decade, game of the decade and team of the decade.

Girls Basketball: The very next week after the boys awards and all-decade teams are posted we will switch to the girls and there will be the same numbers and same honors handed out. Longtime lead analyst Harold Abend already has his first team figured out.

Baseball: We are going to have the best of the best in the state for the last 10 years in baseball ready to go during the upcoming World Series. It will run hand-in-hand with our annual World Series Alumni report.

Softball: This is scheduled to be the first of the all-decade all-state teams to be released. If all goes well, that will be as early as the week of Oct. 1-4 but may be the following week of Oct. 8-11.

Look for Twitter polls and robust comments to go with each of the all-state all-decade teams.

For anyone wishing to get in a nomination of a particular player, feel free to email markjtennis@gmail.com.

Sac-Joaquin Top 5: Most Pts Losing Team (Single Game)

By Mark Tennis | Published September 20, 2019

We are happy to say that for the seventh straight year the CalHiSports.com web site and Cal-Hi Sports is part of the weekly Final Quarter high school football show on Friday nights on the FOX 40 station in Sacramento.

On last week’s fourth show for the 2019 season, we revealed our list of the top five totals in CIF Sac-Joaquin Section history for most points scored in a game by a losing team. Here is what that countdown revealed:

1. Bear Creek (Stockton) 64
The Bruins dropped one two seasons ago to Chavez of Stockton 74-64. That also is the second highest total on the all-time state list. Bear Creek also has lost a game this season 56-55 to Tokay of Lodi.

2. Pacheco (Los Banos) 63
In a D4 section playoff game just last season, Pacheco lost to Rio Linda 77-63. Rio Linda went on to win D5-AA state title.

3. Bear Creek (Stockton) 62
Talk about a tough one-point loss. How about Tracy beating Bear Creek 63-62 in 2011?

4. Brookside Christian (Stockton) 60
The Knights lost in 2011 to San Andreas Sierra Ridge 62-60.

5. (tie) Chavez (Stockton) & Valley Christian (Roseville) 58
Chavez lost to Sierra of Manteca 61-58 in 2013 while Valley Christian lost to Woodland Christian 68-58 in 2017.

This 30-minute show is twice as long as any other Friday night high school football show in the Sacramento market and is returning to the Friday at 11 p.m. time slot.

Watch this week’s show Friday at 11 p.m. for all the local highlights, plus the next Top 5 from CalHiSports.com, which will be a look at the losing teams that have scored the most points in one game in CIF Sac-Joaquin Section history. The show will include highlights from all of the biggest games in the region, including the Fan Favorite Game of the Week. Thanks to host Jim Crandell and the FOX 40 team for once again letting Cal-Hi Sports be part of this year’s show.

Sac-Joaquin Top 5: Quarterbacks

By Mark Tennis | Published September 13, 2019

We are happy to say that for the seventh straight year the CalHiSports.com web site and Cal-Hi Sports is part of the weekly Final Quarter high school football show on Friday nights on the FOX 40 station in Sacramento.

On last week’s third show for the 2019 season, we revealed our list of the top five quarterbacks this season in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. Here is what that countdown revealed:

1. Bryce Gouker (Downey, Modesto)
He had a monster game last week with 464 yards passing and six TDs in a win against a very good Manteca team.

2. Justin Lamson (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills)
Just a junior but maybe the best from Oak Ridge since Ian Book. He had 294 yards and 4 TDs in first game.

3. Logan Fife (Tracy)
Returning standout for Bulldogs had more than 2,000 yards last season and has committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

4. Jake Reithmeier (Folsom)
He and junior teammate Ari Patu were both playing QB for Bulldogs in first game. Jake threw for six touchdowns in the second game.

5. Dalton Durossette (Central Catholic)
He had 1,400 yards and 18 TDs last season and is going to play baseball in college at Santa Clara.

This 30-minute show is twice as long as any other Friday night high school football show in the Sacramento market and is returning to the Friday at 11 p.m. time slot.

Watch this week’s show Friday at 11 p.m. for all the local highlights, plus the next Top 5 from CalHiSports.com, which will be a look at the losing teams that have scored the most points in one game in CIF Sac-Joaquin Section history. The show will include highlights from all of the biggest games in the region, including the Fan Favorite Game of the Week. Thanks to host Jim Crandell and the FOX 40 team for once again letting Cal-Hi Sports be part of this year’s show.

Vista Murrieta’s 15-hour bus trip

By Mark Tennis | Published September 7, 2019

Head coach Eric Peterson of the Vista Murrieta High football team always tells his players that even if they win a game by one point, that’s all that matters.

Vista Murrieta head coach Eric Peterson makes a point to his players after team’s 27-6 win on Friday in Sacramento. Photo: Mark Tennis.


The Broncos didn’t win by one point when they played on Friday night at Capital Christian of Sacramento (they won 27-6), but to win at all after the bus trip they endured the day before on Thursday had to be a relief.

According to Peterson, the expected six to seven hour ride northward from Murrieta was fine until the group reached the Bakersfield area along Interstate 5 in Kern County.

“The bus broke down, it was 101 degrees outside and we were stuck there for four hours,” the coach said.

A new bus finally came, the players got all of their gear loaded, and the trip resumed. Not long after, some of the players got sick. It wasn’t from food, the coach thinks, but from something they drank. They had to stop again and it took another couple of hours for everyone to finish in the bathrooms. Fortunately, it wasn’t food poisoning, which caused a different game in the Sacramento area to be cancelled when the traveling team from Reno (Bishop Manogue) had too many players get sick before a scheduled matchup at Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills).

“Then we get back going again on the bus and I-5 gets shuts down for two hours (probably from an accident),” Peterson said. “What should have taken six hours took 15.”

Friday went more smoothly for the Broncos. Playing an opponent that was No. 4 in the Sacramento area in one poll and was champion last year in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs before losing to Wilcox of Santa Clara in the CIF NorCal D3-A title game, they nearly got a shutout until the Cougars scored late in the fourth quarter.

Vista Murrieta didn’t score itself until the second quarter when quarterback Robert Coleman ran for a 56-yard touchdown. The Broncos scored right away on their next series when a 60-yard pass from Coleman to Sean McDermott set up a 14-yard TD run by Raqueal Wagstaff. He would later score on a short run in the second half. Senior kicker Josh Baron also made two field goals in the second half, one from 50 yards out that bounced high off the crossbar and then went over and through the goalpost.

“We played very well on defense and were opportunistic on offense,” Peterson said. “We don’t have that killer instinct, at least not yet.”

The Broncos, who were No. 30 in this week’s State Top 50, will have their biggest test in their next game against No. 18 Norco, which beat No. 17 Rancho Cucamonga in a game many of those on the sidelines were following on their phones. Capital Christian has another step-up game next week as well when it faces Chandler of Chandler, Ariz., at the Brother in Arms Classic.

Sac-Joaquin Top 5: Running Backs

By Mark Tennis | Published September 6, 2019

We are happy to say that for the seventh straight year the CalHiSports.com web site and Cal-Hi Sports is part of the weekly Final Quarter high school football show on Friday nights on the FOX 40 station in Sacramento.

On last week’s second show for the 2019 season, we revealed our list of the top five running backs this season in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. Here is what that countdown revealed:

1. Daniyel Ngata (Folsom)
Brother Joe is at Clemson and Daniyel may follow. He’s considered the No. 2 all-purpose back in the nation.

2. Cameron Skattebo (Rio Linda)
They call him Mr. 3,000 because last season Cameron rushed for a section record of 3,550 yards and he scored 42 TDs.

3. Raleek Brown (Edison, Stockton)
Just a sophomore, Raleek rushed for 1,700 yards as a freshman. He’s one of the top sophomores in the state regardless of position.

4. Hans Grassman (Placer, Auburn)
He had 239 yards in his first game and 1,400 yards last season. At 6-4, 230 he may not be a running back in college but in high school he’s quite a load to bring down.

5. Minayo Olivo (Central Catholic, Modesto)
The son of a former MLB catcher is getting mid-major college offers.

This 30-minute show is twice as long as any other Friday night high school football show in the Sacramento market and is returning to the Friday at 11 p.m. time slot.

Watch this week’s show Friday at 11 p.m. for all the local highlights, plus the next Top 5 from CalHiSports.com, which will be a look at the top five quarterbacks in the section. The show will include highlights from all of the biggest games in the region, including the Fan Favorite Game of the Week. Thanks to host Jim Crandell and the FOX 40 team for once again letting Cal-Hi Sports be part of this year’s show.

Girls VB: Redondo not No. 1 yet

By Mark Tennis | Published September 6, 2019

After Thursday’s pulsating victory by the Redondo Union girls volleyball team in five games against Mater Dei of Santa Ana, the Sea Hawks can be considered the state’s No. 1 team. After all, the visiting Monarchs are the defending CIF Open Division state champions and hadn’t lost yet this season.

The first regular season state rankings, however, won’t be out until next Wednesday and Redondo still has a tough matches coming up against the top two teams from the CIF San Diego Section. The Sea Hawks play Cathedral Catholic on Saturday, which was No. 3 in the preseason state rankings and they meet Torrey Pines of San Diego on Tuesday of next week. Torrey Pines already has two wins over Cathedral Catholic this season and is expected to be unbeaten going into next Tuesday’s match.

Head coach Tommy Chaffins of Redondo has another team that was capable of winning it all. Photo: easyreadernews.com.


Mater Dei doesn’t have matches like that coming up against California competition, but next weekend the Monarchs are traveling to Louisville, Ky., where they will play a match against Assumption of Louisville and then will be in Assumption’s national-level tournament. Assumption is the defending national rankings champion and has started 6-0 this season. All California teams hoping for a shot at a national rankings title should be rooting for the Monarchs.

In Thursday night’s match, Mater Dei took a 2-0 lead in games by edging the Sea Hawks 26-24 and 25-22. Redondo came back to force a fifth game with wins of 29-27 and 25-20 and then in that five game the Sea Hawks couldn’t be stopped. They won 15-8.

Making the win more impressive for Redondo is that All-American junior setter Kami Miner wasn’t there. She’s currently playing for the U.S. Junior National Team. Miner’s spot was taken by Redondo’s other leading player, senior Nalani Iosia, known more for being a libero. The Sea Hawks also got a huge outing from freshman Mele Corral-Blagojevich, who had 17 kills. Mater Dei was led by Mia Tuaniga with 49 assists and Reagan Merk with 16 kills.

The two California teams, who were mysteriously listed in a tie for the top spot in the CIF Southern Section rankings (ties are meaningless in rankings and should never happen), could play again in two weeks since they both will be in the upcoming Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas. They also of course could play in the CIFSS Division I playoffs and in the CIF Southern California Open Division playoffs. It’ll be the winner of that last match that will really get to celebrate.

State Top 20 Rankings: To get a look at our preseason listings, CLICK HERE. We’ll have the first regular season pecking order out next Wednesday (including Tuesday night scores). There also will be new State Top 20s before the massive Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas (coming up on Sept. 20-21) and then the following week. We’ll take a week off after that and then will do the same thing before and after the Nike Tournament of Champions (always features a lot of California teams) that will be held the first weekend in October.

All-State Girls Volleyball Teams Expanding
With the cooperation of our all-state patch partner, BillyTees.com, this year’s Cal-Hi Sports All-State Teams for girls volleyball will be more than quadrupled in size.
Previously, we’ve done a player of the year (Ms. Volleyball), a coach of the year and then a first and second team overall. The new format will be similar to what is done in boys and girls basketball: first, second and third teams overall; all-state freshmen; all-state sophomores; all-state juniors; all-state small schools, all-state medium schools, all-state large schools.
We may ask for more help from coaches to get it all done for girls volleyball with the same attention to detail that we’ve had for 40 years in football and other sports.
For questions, email markjtennis@gmail.com.

Boys BB: Major Showcase Schedules

By Ronnie Flores | Published September 4, 2019

In November, we will begin to release our preseason 2019-20 Cal-Hi Sports boys basketball state rankings. As a preview to how things could shake out, here is a list of the major 2019-20 tournaments and classics involving California teams that figure to be ranked. Look for our preseason Cal-Hi Sports state rankings the week of November 11, as the basketball calendar has moved back a week after the entire winter sports calendar was moved up for the 2018-19 school year. The 2019-20 season officially begins November 18. The CIF state basketball championships will take place March 13-14, 2020. 

Read more…

Sac-Joaquin Top 5: Best of Decade

By Mark Tennis | Published August 30, 2019

We are happy to say that for the seventh straight year the CalHiSports.com web site and Cal-Hi Sports is part of the weekly Final Quarter high school football show on Friday nights on the FOX 40 station in Sacramento.

On last week’s first show for the 2019 season, we revealed our list of the schools with the best records so far this decade (before any games counted for this season) in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. Here is what that countdown revealed:

1. Folsom 126-10
The Bulldogs would have the best record in the state if they had one win out of the three times they’ve played De La Salle. If they beat DLS next week, they would actually pass the Spartans.

2. Inderkum (Sacramento) 97-18
The Tigers also start the season No. 11 in the state in this category. Head coach Terry Stark always has his teams ready to go.

3. Central Catholic (Modesto) 103-22
The schedule has gotten a lot tougher for the Raiders since they’ve joined the Valley Oak League. They also have scheduled De La Salle this year and last.

4. Oakdale 105-24
Last year’s 9-4 record was a down year for the Mustangs. They are playing Liberty of Brentwood this season.

5. Manteca 91-26
Yes, three of the top five in section are from the same league (Valley Oak). For most of the decade, remember, Central Catholic was in another league. The Buffaloes should be very good this year under second-year head coach Mark Varnum.

This 30-minute show is twice as long as any other Friday night high school football show in the Sacramento market and is returning to the Friday at 11 p.m. time slot.

Watch this week’s show Friday at 11 p.m. for all the local highlights, plus the next Top 5 from CalHiSports.com, which will be a look at the top five running backs in the section. The show will include highlights from all of the biggest games in the region, including the Fan Favorite Game of the Week. Thanks to host Jim Crandell and the FOX 40 team for once again letting Cal-Hi Sports be part of this year’s show.

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