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YOUR TICKET TO CALIFORNIA SPORTS ADMIT ONE; RAIN OR SHINE Read Me.
›› What Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills is doing to bounce back from its 3-win season during Coach Casey Taylor’s first season.
In our earlier years when we were able to print them, we’d stuff EVERYTHING into the pages of the Preview. Now, we take a bit of a different approach. Our writers and myself have been pro ducing football content for SportStarsMag.com since Aug. 5. Among the items that have already been published include features on:
›› How 2022 Is the Year of the Running Back in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
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Recycle Me.
›› San Marin-Novato (pictured) preparing in the wake of its first CIF State Bowl championship.
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Welcome to what is officially our 12th Football Preview special. As a collective staff, there’s no point in the year that we’re more busy — or more excited — then the month that we’re planning and piecing these issues together.That’snot meant to be a knock on any of the other sports, by the way. As a former basketball player and long time hoops writer, I still get plenty fired up to write about it. Especially the postseason. And we have other writers who are certainly passionate about other sports besides football as well. But football has the added bonus of having the biggest stage while also coming at the beginning of the school year after we’ve been starved of high school sports for close to two months.
Finally, there will be even more features coming out the week of Aug. 22-26 before the North Coast and Central Coast sections get under way. And the 7 Friday Night podcast will roll on with two episodes per week. If you like high school football, you’re in the right place. Here’s to another season! ✪
FOOTBALL In All Formats
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›› De La Salle-Concord and the offensive line that will be its heartbeat this season.
Finally, we included a trend story on how social media and the collective digital space has changed the way high school football is consumed, promoted and even taught in some cases. It’s an invaluable tool for programs who embrace it, and a critical one for recruits who want to get more exposure. All that, plus we reveal the 24 athletes on our Preseason All-NorCal Team and provide our sug gestion for the Top 12 regular season games for fans to see this season.
This Vol. #13, August 2022, Whole No. 211 is published by GoSportzStars Media LLC, PO Box 741, Clayton, CA 94517. SportStars™© 2010-2014 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Receive FREE Digital Subscription in your inbox. Subscribe at SportStarsMag.com. To receive sample issues, please send $3 per copy, or $8 total for bulk. Back issues are $4 each. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of Publisher is strictly prohibited. The staff and management, including Board of Directors, of SportStars™© does not advocate or encourage the use of any product or service advertised herein for illegal purposes. Editorial contributions, photos and letters to the editor are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor. All material should be typed, doublespaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
›› Our NorCal Preseason Top 20 Rankings with comments for every team. Plus, our high school football podcast 7 Friday Night released its first episode of Season 2. With all that as the primer, now we’re delivering the digital issue full of four new features! We didn’t just focus on frontrunners either. Yes, cover athlete Jaden Rashada and Pittsburg are Nor Cal’s preseason No. 4 — but their elite collection of offensive talent is intriguing and it’s the last chance for the Pirates to maximize it. But outside of the main spotlight, we also wrote stories on Grant-Sacramento and Riordan-San Francisco. Neither program is expected to contend for a section title this season, but how they fare will definitely be something worth keeping an eye on.
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From8.18.16left to right, Monte Vista-Danville standouts Nate Landman, Jake Haener and Erik Krommenhoek share a laugh during a SportStars Football Preview photo shoot. All three are still playing football. Landman, an All-American linebacker out of Colorado, has drawn rave reviews as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons this summer. Haener will be a super senior starting at quarterback for Fresno State this fall. Finally, the former USC tight end Krommenhoek is attempting to make the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free Berryagent.Evans III photo
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Meanwhile, it’s worth mentioning that boys club volleyball continues to grow in popularity. The NCVA recently noted that its clubs have been reporting large increases in their rosters. Some clubs grew from one team to four teams, another from three to six, and one jumped from seven to 10.
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NCVA Sets Its Fall Schedule And Prepares For Boys Power League Play Beginning In September
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girls volleyball season approaches, the boys club season is preparing to heat up. And the Northern California Volleyball Association is ready. Dates are set for the NCVA’s annual Boys Power League with the opening qualifi er weekends taking place on Sept. 10-11 for the 12U, 15U and 16U divisions. The following weekend of Sept. 17-18 will serve as the opening day for 13U, 14U, 17U and 18U. Both weekends will be hosted by the @The Grounds facility in Roseville.
The NCVA Boys Power League is played out over five total weekends in the fall. There’s the September qualifier weekends followed by a pair of league days in October, one in November, and then regional championship weekend in midDecember.Theentire schedule with site assignments can be found at https://ncva.com/ boys-division/Inadditionto power league, the NCVA has set dates and a location for its top boys tournament, the No Dinx NCVA Boys Far Western National Qualifier. Teams from throughout California and across the country will attend the tourna ment at the San Mateo Event Center on Jan 7-8, 2023. They will compete to win one of several bids to the 2023 USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Champion ships. Those national championships take place from June 29-July 6 in Salt Lake City.Last season the NCVA sent 67 NCVA boys’ teams to nationals. ✪
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“We looked at this senior class as freshmen three years ago and we knew it was going to be a talented group,” the coach said. That 2023 class produced the first freshman to begin a season at var sity under Galli. The honor belonged to receiver Rashid Williams, now a four-star talent headed to Washington next fall. However, it wasn’t until a year later, in the fall of 2020 as all of Cali fornia sports languished in COVID shutdowns and delays, that an other 2023 talent enrolled at Pittsburg High by way of Liberty-Brent wood with a brief stop at IMG Academy in Florida. Jaden Rashada was
Rashid Williams
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In his 21st year of coaching one of the most prominent high school football programs in the East Bay, Victor Galli doesn’t have time to spend on hyperbole. Of course, he doesn’t really need to. The hype around his 2022 team takes care of itself. But he may need a media relations rep at this point.
Visit a Pittsburg High practice in the weeks leading up to the team’s Aug. 26 season-opener against visiting Jesse Bethel-Vallejo, and Galli will be strolling the Pirates Stadium turf close to an hour early to over see interviews, photo shoots and film crews. As coaches and coordina tors run a tightly scheduled practice, Galli bounces from unit to unit. Never short on swagger, there’s a noticeable pep in the 57-year-old’s step as he makes his way. He’s been waiting on this team.
Now, finally removed from all that, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound quarterback has a bounce in his step to match that of his coach.
already on the national recruiting radar as a dual-threat quarterback. And he was tired of bouncing around.
The plan, which hasn’t unfolded without hiccups — thanks to COVID leav ing its mark on multiple seasons — has already delivered the program’s first North Coast Section Division I championship under Galli. With last year’s changes to the NCS playoff system allowing the Open Division runner-up to play for the Div. I title, Pittsburg finally had a path to a section crown.
The Pirates lost the Open final 42-14 to De La Salle-Concord before re bounding the following week to defeat Clayton Valley 28-14 and earning the program’s first NCS title banner since 1991. But one week after that, they were forced to play a CIF state bowl regional playoff on the road against LibertyBakersfield and lost 35-7. An injury kept Rashada from factoring much in any of those three games. In fact, he didn’t play at all in the title win over Clayton Valley. So the plan definitely has some unfinished business on its ledger. It’s ready to settle it, too. “We’ve all been able to regroup and come back to the team stronger than we were,” Rashada said. “That’s just part of life. Whenever something gets thrown your way, you handle it. I feel like that’s what our team has done. I feel like that’s what our coaches have done, and I feel like that’s what I’ve done.”
“I know it was a very hard couple of years for him as a high-profile guy,” Galli said. “He was dealing with a lot of pressure and I felt bad for him. He’s a very personable kid. He’ll talk to you, he’ll talk to his teachers. He’s a very humble person. You can just tell that a tremendous weight is off his shoulders.
Perhaps no one is happier to be on the field and focusing on football more than Rashada. His previous six months have been a whirlwind of recruiting trips and high pressure decisions that ultimately led to a commitment to the University of Miami in late June.
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“I’m really looking forward to him just being a kid again.”
“This is what we’ve been waiting for,” Galli said of his relationship with Ra shada. “It wasn’t a one-year deal. This was a three-year plan, and now it’s time to go execute that plan.”
Rashada is equally looking forward to being the Pittsburg quarterback again. And why wouldn’t he be?
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In addition to the Washington-bound Williams, the Pirates have three other senior receivers with Division-I commitments or offers. Zach Card, a speedster who finished sixth in the CIF State Cham pionship 100 meter finals last spring, is committed to Oregon State. Khai Taylor accepted an offer from Nevada, and Keynan Higgins holds offers from Arizona State, Fresno State and BYU among oth ers.Oh yeah, there’s also sophomore Jadyn Hudson. Some of the Pittsburg coaches are convinced he may have the highest ceiling of any of them. College recruiters may think so too. Hudson holds multiple offers from both the SEC and Big 10, including Georgia andHudsonMichigan.isactually part of a 2025 class that may rival this senior group and should have a number of key contributors on the roster thisAmongseason.them will be linebacker Etene Pritchard and edge rusher Jewelous Walls. Sophomore running back Elijah Bow will get the first shot at taking over as the Pirates’ lead running back after last year’s leading rusher Charles Brown transferred to Antioch. “He’s a no-nonsense, extremely hard worker,” Galli said of Bow. “He was actually disappointed that Charles Brown left because he wanted to come in and beat him out. And I’ll tell you what, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if he did. Compact, great feet, great hands out of the backfield and he gets up the field.”
Zack Card
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“From the QB to all the skill players, to our defense, our line. Ev erything about it is different,” the senior said. “Each year I’ve played there was always a little something. This year is different. I feel the best about this year.” No hyperbole necessary. ✪
After the opener with Bethel, the schedule ramps up in a hurry. The Pirates will begin September playing Liberty-Henderson (Nev.) at the Honor Bowl in San Diego and will also include home games against Folsom and McClymonds, which open the season ranked No. 2 and 8 in NorCal, respectively. Pittsburg opens at No. 4. Williams thinks the team is ready for the ride.
“We’ve got to find the right combination,” Galli said. “I know we’re going to get there. It’s just a matter of how quickly we get there.”
Pittsburg will have a total of 15 returning starters, nine on de fense and six on offense. The biggest question mark being those va cancies on offense — nearly all of which reside on the offensive line.
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1. DE LA SALLE-CONCORD (10-3 IN 2021)
2. FOLSOM (11-4)
While the defending CIF Open Division State Bowl finalists only have eight returning starters across both sides of the ball, the Padres’ depth at the skill positions is still off the charts. Maealiuaki Smith, a junior with several offers including Florida State and Louisville, is expected to win the job at QB. He’ll have a number of targets, including 6-foot-4 tight end Seamus Gilmartin and senior wideouts Joey Villaroman and Jayden Weber. San Diego State-bound lineman Ryan Silver, and the junior tandem of linebacker Jabari Mann and strong safety Joseph Bey, will key the defensive side of the ball. Serra opens the season with back-to-back games against the two teams above them. FIRST GAME: Aug. 26 @ No. 2 Folsom
In the end, we narrowed it down to Folsom and De La Salle — teams which played to a 28-27 Folsom win in the CIF Division I-AA regional playoff last December. In an essential coin-flip, we gave De La Salle the slightest of edges based on history, the strength of the Spartans line (which has always been an indicator of the program’s best teams), and the fact that the program was finally able to conduct the kind of offseason that has helped set it apart from others. So here we go! Let the shouting begin.
FIRST GAME: Aug. 26 vs. Jesse Bethel-Vallejo
The importance of a regular (non-COVID) offseason can’t be understated for a program that has built its dynasty from a foundation of a near year-long grind. Giving that full routine back to a roster fueled by the desire to avenge a 2021 season that featured a pair of historic losses, it’s hard not to believe the Spartans will find their footing very early. Much of the Spartans returning talent is centered up front with an all-senior line led by Derek Thompson (Harvard) and Cooper Powers (TCU). Notre Dame-bound four-star tight end Cooper Flanagan and Fresno State-committed running back Charles Greer will be two primary weapons at the disposal of whoever wins the quarterback job. Nevada-commit Journey McKoy (5 interceptions in 2021) and Chase Tofeano (5 sacks) will be key defenders.
FIRST GAME: Aug. 19 vs. No. 19 Monterey Trail
NO. 1 DE LA SALLE NO. 2 FOLSOM
This year more than any other, choosing which team to place at the top of our Preseason NorCal Football Rankings was a decision we spent close to two weeks pondering. Cases can legitimately be made for three teams: De La Salle-Concord, Folsom and Serra-San Mateo — and we’d be surprised if each team didn’t end up atop at least one set of preseason rankings.
FIRST GAME: Aug. 26 at No. 19 Monterey Trail-Elk Grove
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4. PITTSBURG (9-3) Every night should be Fireworks Night at Pirates Stadium in 2022. The defending North Coast Section Div. I champions will be led by one of the top-ranked QBs in the country, Miami-bound Jaden Rashada. His spread offense will feature five (!!) receivers with Division I offers, led by seniors Rashid Williams (Washington) and Zack Card (Oregon State), and Jadyn Hudson (a sophomore with SEC offers). The Pirates success will boil down to how quickly they can find success on both lines. The linebackers and secondary will be strengths of the defense.
Junior QB Austin Mack gets the keys to the Corvette after SportStars NorCal Player of the Year, Tyler Tremain, graduated last spring. It’s fair to expect some growing pains, but Mack is plenty good enough to keep this high-octane offense on the road. His biggest returning weapons are Notre Dame-bound receiver Rico Flores Jr. and Stanfordbound tight end Walker Lyons. The Bulldogs backfield also features Donovan Parler and Onterrio Smith Jr.. On defense, the team’s top four tacklers from 2021 are gone, but Greco Carrillo (49 tackles) and Slade Wilson (6 INT) lead one of NorCal’s best secondaries.
3. SERRA-SAN MATEO (13-2)
It’s not as many starters as longtime head coach Michael Peters has been used to, but he’ll still have nine and be able to draw from an undefeated JV team. The electric Jaivian Thomas — a senior RB with 4.4 speed — returns as the biggest playmaker. There will be plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball too, including junior LB Amir Gobar and senior DT Malik Richardson. The most glaring task facing Peters will be replacing fouryear starting QB, Dreyan Paul.
5. ST. FRANCIS-MOUNTAIN VIEW (11-1) There’s going to be a lot of new faces on this version of the Lancers, but one that isn’t new is senior QB Matthew Dougherty. He missed most of last season with an injury, but is at full health and will be a big key to the team’s fortunes. Uncommitted threestar receiver Andrew Adkison will be a key weapon, as will running back (and free safety) Keala Keanaaina. The most impactful losses may be at the point of attack as few offensive lines were as dominant. Senior LT Oliver Bari (6-4, 275) will lead the way in attempting to reset that tone.
Nearly all key players return from last year’s celebrated Bells team that reached the Central Coast Section Div. I semifinals. That includes standout senior running back Ben Pfaff (16 rushing TDs, 19 total) and two of the team’s top three tacklers, seniors Brandon Broch and Jake Hansen.
6. CENTRAL CATHOLIC-MODESTO (13-2)
FIRST GAME: Aug. 26 vs. No. 15 Salinas
9. CLAYTON VALLEY-CONCORD (9-4) With six starters returning on both sides of the ball, the Ugly Eagles have plenty to work with as they look to stay among the East Bay’s elite programs. Look for Clayton Valley to open up its offense more to take advantage of incoming transfer QB Christian Aguilar (via Pittsburg). We also expect junior DB/RB Micah Avery to continue to develop into a top two-way player, and the defense to lead the way early as it returns six of its top eight tacklers from a season ago.
FIRST GAME: Aug. 26 @ No. 5 St. Francis-Mountain View
Junior QB Tyler Wentworth will return after helping the Raiders to the CIF 2-A State Bowl game as a sophomore last season. However, this team will likely be led by its seven returning starters on defense. Because the offense will be replacing 3,500 rushing yards that left when Aiden Taylor and Julian Lopez graduated last spring. Junior safety Brooklyn Cheek and senior nose guard Roman Foumai will key the experienced defensive unit.
7. BELLARMINE-SAN JOSE (8-4)
10. ROCKLIN (12-1) A strong defense led by SportStars’ All-NorCal LB Derek Houston and five other returning starters will need to hold the line while the offense retools to start the season. The Thunder graduated nine starters from its explosive 2021 offense, but it will have a familiar face at the most important position. Senior QB Joey Roberts will be back behind center after throwing for nearly 1,300 yards with 11 TD and 4 INT in 2021.
8. MCCLYMONDS-OAKLAND (12-1)
FIRST GAME: Aug. 19 @ Turlock THE NEXT 10 11. Marin Catholic-Kentfield (14-1) 12. St Mary’s-Stockton (10-3) 13. Wilcox-Santa Clara (10-5) 14. Vanden-Fairfield (13-2) 15. Salinas (8-1) 16. Manteca (10-4) 17. Los Gatos (10-1) 18. Monterey Trail-Elk Grove (8-6) 19. Granite Bay (8-3) 20. Campolido-Moraga (10-4)
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FIRST GAME: Aug. 27 @ Menlo-Atherton-Atherton
NO. 3 SERRA-SAN MATEO NO. 6 CENTRAL CATHOLIC-MODESTO NO. 8 MCCLYMONDS-OAKLAND NO. 9 CLAYTON VALLEY-CONCORD NO. 10 ROCKLIN NO. 7 BELLARMINE-SAN JOSE
FIRST GAME: Sept. 2 vs. No. 7 Bellarmine-San Jose
FIRST GAME: Aug. 26 vs. No. 6 Central Catholic-Modesto
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“COVID was a terrible thing, but a byproduct for me was the ability to get back into coaching,” he said.
There’s a jolt of energy at Archbishop Riordan High School, led by new head coach Adhir Ravipati, who has brought a track re cord of success and has instituted precise, regimented practices andHistraining.enthusiasm is through the roof. After a few years away from high school coaching, Ravipati is excited as the Crusaders prepare as they never have before for the steep competition in the West Catholic Athletic League, one of the best in the state.
Ravipati said he never expected to be back coaching at the high school level. A few months after reaching the pinnacle of on-field success at M-A, he hit the brakes on his coaching career. Working in the tech field and dealing with commuting in the South Bay, he found he could not devote the proper time to being a head coach.
“It’s a new dynamic for me,” Ravipati said. A wide receiver at the University of San Diego, he learned from a couple college coaches whose careers were on the ascent — re ceivers coach David Shaw and head coach Jim Harbaugh. Ravipati completed his college run at Northeastern, majoring in biochem istry.He coached at Menlo-Atherton for nine years, four as head varsity coach for teams that collected two Central Coast Section championships and two NorCal titles and that state champion ships as he earned a slew of coach of the year honors. Upon resigning in March 2019, he did not leave coaching for long. He helped out at College of San Mateo, first as an offen sive analyst. In his second season he was quarterback coach, and worked with Serra graduate Luke Bottari as he ascended to the next level for the University of Utah.
Ravipati has introduced his players to his well-organized, ardu ous practices that were the foundation of success when he coached Menlo-Atherton to the CIF Division 3-AA state championship in 2018.“They are getting used to how our staff does things: the struc ture, the tempo and physicality, the meetings,” he said. “The prac tices are regimented and pretty fast-paced. We’re pushing them in a new way, and we’re happy about how they are responding.”
There’s a new attitude at the San Francisco campus, which Granada-Livermore will visit on Aug. 27 to start the season.
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Jacob Kleppin
“I thought I was done coaching,” he said. “With my work com mitments, I didn’t think I could make all the practices. I didn’t think it would ever work out.”
What changed was the work-from-home remote approach that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He gets fired up like he’s playing; that is the kind of coach he is,” said tight end/outside linebacker Jacob Kleppin, one of a handful of key returning seniors who double as basketball players.
Ravipati has taken it to a “work from school” level. He’s got an office at the school to handle his day job responsibilities and has support from both his new school and from Twilio, where he’s product manager, responsible for running a video growth pro gram. He can walk to practice instead of battling commute traffic.
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There are some solid players to build with, particularly on defense. There’s 6-5, 260-pound edge rusher Isaih Chala Jr., named a three-star recruit by 247sports.com. Joe King gives Riordan a solid nose tackle, Ravipati said. Tony Manu, Davion Smith and Kleppin lead a strong linebacker corps. On the offensive line, there’s Losipini Tupou, a 6-2, 265 sophomore who already has an offer from San Jose State. Daniel Keady, Michael Langi and Mike Scanlan give the coach confidence about both sides of the line.
Ravipati became involved with Top Flight Elite with CSM assistant Jason Pollak, training athletes during the pandemic. His focus was specific position training for high school players ranging from Serra-San Mateo, Wil low Glen-San Jose, Burlingame to Valley Christian-San Jose during a time when opportunities to just practice were“Thatsparse.gotme the itch to get back into coaching, because the opportunity to see them grow was incredible,” he said.Italso kept his pulse on the high school scene, so he was familiar with his new crew when he arrived at Rior dan.“He has a lot of energy and it does not matter if you are a senior or not, he knows who you are,” said senior Zachary Jones, a first-team all-WCAL wide receiver a year ago. He’s excited to shift to playing slot and in the backfield this fall, part of the revamping by Ravipati and his staff. Also, it’s not all about the game of football.
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They have to replace defensive lineman Kemoe’ate Kefu, a SportStars first-team All-NorCal defense pick and the WCAL Defensive Lineman of the Year. Kefu had 60 tackles, 40 solo and 10 sacks. His presence and quiet leadership left a void that the seniors know they have to try to fill.
At Riordan, the first sport that comes to mind is basketball. Winners of a Div. III CIF State Championship in 2002, the Crusaders have collected 16 CCS titles, most recently this winter when they beat Archbishop Mitty for the Open Division crown.
“You don’t replace a player like Ate; you try to build the depth,” Ravipati.
Ravipati has brought the Built for Life personal development program to Riordan, something he instituted at M-A. It’s a program for players to “grow and develop as people, and build what it takes to be consistently suc cessful,” he said. Not long after their first practice, they went into a team-building experience watching ESPN’s 30-for-30 epi sode “The U” that documents the rise of the Miami Hurricanes football program.
Vying for quarterback duties are St. Ignatius-S.F. transfer Tobey Weydemuller and freshman Mike Mitchell. “If we want to compete with Serra and St. Francis, we need to have the bodies, we have to be physical,” Ravipati said. “We think we can do it.” ✪
It’s not as if the football program has been invisible. Over the years the Crusaders won a CCS medium-schools title in 2007 and made the CCS Div. III Open final in 2015. But it’s not hard to be lost in a league that in 2021 boasted CIF Open Division Bowl finalist Serra, CIF 4-A Bowl Champion Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F., and CCS Div. I runner-up and WCAL champion St. FrancisMountain View. It’s been tough sledding, though their 5-5 overall record in 2021 was their best since that 2015 run. The team notched wins over Mitty-San Jose and Sacred Heart Cathedral while also enduring tough, one-score losses to St. Ignatius-S.F. and Valley Christian-San Jose. “We’re not circling anybody,” said King-Njhsanni Wilhite, a receiver, running back and cornerback who was the San Francisco Chronicle’s Metro Player of the Year in basketball. “We know the goals and go day by day. The coach has us motivated, and I’m excited about the culture change for football at Riordan.”
K | JAKE TREMAIN (Folsom) | Sr.
Grant’s 2021 Sierra Foothill League Lineman of the Year recently chose USC over offers from Oregon, Cal and Fresno State.
OL | RICHARD McKAY (Clayton Valley-Concord) | Sr. Rated a 3-star recruit by 247 Sports, the 6-foot-7, 280-pound big man holds offers from Arizona, Sacramento State and Fresno State.
Cousin of the Tremain Brothers who powered Bulldogs a year ago cer tainly played his own part. He was a perfect 65-fot-65 on PATS, had 39 touchbacks and was 6-for-7 on FGs.
OL | SIMIONE PALE (Elk Grove) | Sr. Pale was the Delta League Lineman of the Year in 2021 after paving the way for one of the best rushing attacks in the SJS. He committed to Stanford this summer.
OL | ALANI NOA (Grant-Sacramento) | Sr.
RB | LAMAR RADCLIFFE (Sacramento) | Jr. Rated a 4-star recruit in the class of 2024 by 247 Sports. Rushed for 2,109 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior to help the Dragons go 9-3.
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OFFENSE QB | JADEN RASHADA (Pittsburg) | Sr. A 4-star recruit headed to Miami is one of the most highly touted quar terbacks in recent Bay Area history. He returns to lead the Pirates after passing for 2,220 yards and 27 TDs with just five INTs in 2021.
RB | CURRON BORDERS (Antelope) | Sr. Borders erupted for 2,039 yards and 32 touchdowns in only 10 games last season. Look for Antelope to use him even more creatively in 2022.
WR | RICO FLORES JR. (Folsom) | Sr. One of the supreme talents of the SJS, Flores grabbed 81 catches for 1,157 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also returned a kick for a touch down and made an impact in his defensive snaps too.
TE | COOPER FLANAGAN (De La Salle-Concord) | Sr.
OL | DEREK THOMPSON (De La Salle-Concord) | Sr. Spartans’ Harvard-bound interior lineman helped fuel a 2021 rushing attack that featured three different players with 10 or more touch downs.
CURRON BORDERS
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RICO FLORES JR.COOPER FLANAGAN
Attempting to narrow down all the NorCal talent into one first-team offense and one first-team defense is borderline insane (and obviously subjective). But we tried anyway. To see a longer list of NorCal players to watch this season, be sure to check out SportStarsMag.com
OL | RYAN SILVER (Serra-San Mateo) | Sr. Earned All-West Catholic Athletic League honorable mention in 2021 as a member of the vaunted Padres offensive line. Committed to San Diego State.
The 4-star Notre Dame commit should be featured much more promi nently in the Spartans offense this season as a key weapon for whoever takes over at QB.
WR | ROBBIE MASCHERONI (Campolindo-Moraga) | Sr.
Opponents knew Mascheroni was the guy to stop on the Cougars of fense in 2021. His 70 catches, 1,364 yards and 14 TDs showed it was easier said than done.
LB | CONNER DASMANN (Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills) | Sr. Dasmann’s motor doesn’t include neutral. Of his 74 tackles in 2021, 56 were solo and 14 went for loss (including 9.5 sacks).
DL | AMOS TALALELE (Santa Clara) | Sr. Listed as both an offensive and defensive line prospect at the next level depending on which service you consult. The 6-foot-5, 330-pounder is headed to USC next fall.
LB | BLAKE NICHELSON (Manteca) | Sr. He gets the attention for his play at RB after scoring 44 touchdowns and 288 points in 2021. But defense is what colleges want him for. He had 49 tackles, 7 sacks and 3 forced fumbles a season ago.
DEFENSE DL | BRADY NASSAR (Amador Valley-Pleasanton) | Sr. Colorado commit earned first team All-East Bay from CalHiSports.com to start out 2022. He finished with 6.5 sacks as a junior.
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DB | EMMANUEL KARNLEY (Las Lomas) | Sr. Rangy cornerback will be a primary playmaker for the Knights in all three phases of the game. 3-star recruit holds offers from most of the Pac-12.
JAIVIAN THOMAS
One of the region’s fastest runners racked up 1,500 yards and 20 TDs on offense, but could also deliver punishing blows from his free safety position. Check the HUDL tape.
BLAKE CONNERNICHELSONDASMANN
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound cousin of Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Mixon recently committed to play LB at Oregon. However, he scored TDs all six ways as a junior (pass, run, catch, kick return, fumble return and interception return).
LB | AIDAN FLYNN (Salinas) | Sr. The Cowboys played just nine games last season, and Flynn packed them with 87 tackles and 12.5 sacks to earn Pacific Coast League-Gabi lan Division MVP honors.
LB | DEREK HOUSTON (Rocklin) | Sr. Houston had 13 tackles for loss, three interceptions and three forced fumbles on the dynamic Rocklin defense last season.
DB | WARREN SMITH (El Cerrito) | Sr. Washington State commit has been a key to the Gauchos’ vaunted pass defense in recent seasons. Leads what should be a stout unit again this year.
DB | LEROY BRYANT (Rodriguez-Fairfield) | Sr. The Washington-bound corner is among the best in the Sac-Joaquin Section, and a big reason why Mustangs have lofty goals for 2022.
DL | ORION NULL (Vanden-Fairfield) | Sr. The 2021 Sac-Joaquin Section sack leader (16) went on a furious postseason tear to end his junior season. He had five sacks in Vanden’s 56-28 NorCal playoff win over Windsor.
AP | JERRY MIXON JR. (Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.) | Sr.
DB | JAIVIAN THOMAS (McClymonds-Oakland) | Sr.
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You don’t need to look hard to find proof. In fact, Manteca High’s 4-star standout makes it about as easy as possible to judge for your self. Visit his Twitter page and right at the top sits a pinned post with a highlight package from his junior season.
Blake Nichelson is the kind of player that stands out on film.
He includes some stats — 2,670 all-purpose yards and 44 touchdowns as a junior might catch your at tention even before you look at the video — and anyone with an internet connection can log on to form their own opinion of one of California’s top football prospects.
Digital access, whether through the 24/7 nature of social media or the constant creation of new online outlets devoted to finding the next great gridiron star, has fundamentally changed the way high school football is consumed across America.
What used to be reported in the Saturday morning newspaper now gets clipped, tweeted, retweeted, hashtagged and analyzed by 10 p.m. on Friday night.
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Welcome to the age of brand management in high school football.
Want to find out the score of the night’s biggest game? No need to call a hotline anymore. Just log on, search and don’t forget to leave your opinion.
With more avenues available to peek behind the curtain comes a wide range of ways in which play ers, coaches, families, fans and athletic departments are managing their digital brand. Now more than ever, shaping the narrative has become an important tool in attracting attention to both programs and players.AtBellarmine College Prep in San Jose, the importance of operating in a digital context is clear. In 2021, Jalal Beauchman took over as head coach of the program he once played for. As he took the reins, he sought to find any competitive edge he could within a crowded San Jose market and the ultracompetitive West Catholic Athletic League.
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There are multiple layers to what Ronald, Beauchman and the Bells do in the digital space. It is equal parts marketing device and teaching tool. When it comes to showcasing the program, Ronald says they see engagement from families who share current content, alumni who uplift throwback content and current students who might not play football but take pride in the accomplishments of their classmates andHowschool.dothese efforts benefit the players themselves? Bellarmine’s coaches produce a digital recruiting packet for college coaches that collects highlights, grades and personal info in one easy-to-use docu ment.When the COVID-19 pandemic left the Bells on the sideline like every other program, the team held virtual workshops with Bellarmine football alums to talk about what each student-athlete can do to le
Enter a candid conversation with one of his assistants, Brennan Ronald. Listed officially as the Bells’ Director of Football Operations, Special Teams Coordinator and Running Backs Coach, Ronald is now the driving force behind Bellarmine’s efforts on social media. Beauchman’s directive was clear from the jump: Establish a professional brand that reflects not only what Bellarmine is about in a football sense, but also what the school stands for in its mission to educate young“Whatmen.we’re trying to do (on social media) is create a heartbeat for the program through our content,” Ronald said. “We’re trying to bring fans, families, friends, alumni closer and give them an inside look into what we do beyond just playing football. That can be service opportunities, brotherhood, or what we’re doing on any average day.”
verage platforms like Twitter. The discussion reached beyond football, focusing also on how studentathletes can position themselves to eventually join the job market.
Follow a prep program on Twitter during the summer and chances are you have seen photo upon photo of college coaches visiting high school campuses.
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Dudley’s activity in the digital space goes far beyond Antioch. As he has moved through the coach ing ranks, he has used social media for collaboration. He will often ask questions of other coaches, trade concepts and share schemes with coaches from across the country.
“Some of us on our varsity staff work in high tech, some work in real estate, some in the food and service industry,” Ronald said. “And we tell (the players) that regardless of what industry we work in, knowing how to promote yourself professionally and put yourself out there is only going to help you create your brand and how people perceive you in the future. We look at it as their first stab at learning how to put yourself out there.”
While still an assistant, now-Antioch High head coach Brett Dudley got his own indoctrination to that phenomenon when every notable college football power in America made a point to stop by West 18th Street to have a chat with star recruit and now Pittsburgh Steeler Najee Harris.
The exposure worked both ways. College coaches posted photos to show their interest, and the Panthers used it to remind people of the good things taking place on their campus. “You want to show the public that these college recruiters come here, they come on campus, they’re at our school just like they’re at all these other schools,” Dudley said. “They’re not just driving past Antioch, California and flipping us off. They come around. It’s not just the recruiting side of it, but you’re highlighting everything. You try to use it to make a highlight of your entire program.”
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Digital media also serves as a teaching tool with his players. When the pandemic hit, Dudley took an increased interest in finance and identified financial literacy as an area in which high school stu dents often lack guidance at an early age.
quarterback Tre Dimes fol lows a similar script when it comes to digital brand building. After leading the Vikings to a storybook CIF State Bowl title in 2021, he returns for his se nior season this fall with an eye towards duplicating that success while also planning for his future at the next level.
The result was a course called Money Mondays. A summer lecture series that he uses to teach his play ers about investing, saving to buy a house and plan ning for retirement became a tool that he could post to his CoachTube page for others to benefit from. It became a real-world application for the academic principles his program preaches, and a digital asset that other coaches could use if they wanted. “I push the education piece, partly because I’m a teacher, partly because I was a nerd in school. I was a terrible athlete. School was my thing. So, I push that,” Dudley said. “We schedule our practice around study halls to make sure they have their grades. We pump a lot of kids out to college, wheth er they’re playing football or just students. We re ally just try to make sure they’re better people than when they started in the program.”
So how does the multi-talented athlete approach what he puts on social media? For starters, as some one who doesn’t post much on social media outside of football, he knows that leveraging digital media really isn’t optional these days.
“I do feel like it’s very important. Especially with Twitter, I feel like that’s a big resource for players in my position,” Dimes said. “Honestly, I feel like not as much with Instagram but with Twitter, yes, you kind of have to use it to get your name out there a littleAmidstbit.”
the possibility it creates, social media can also have negative consequences. With more and more kids constantly tied to their phones, the pro pensity to always be “on” when it comes to digital can be daunting. In the week leading up to the start of training camp, Bellarmine imposed a dead week in which players and coaches alike were encouraged to hit the refresh button before starting the season. Ron ald said what resulted was a noticeable decrease in digital activity across the board, and when players returned to camp, he heard more chatter about trips to the lake and camping than he did about what was trending on social media. “Whether it’s the kids, the coaches, the people that cover us, this is such a heartbeat and important component to high school sports and how we know it today,” Ronald said. “Everyone has had to adapt, and it’s here to stay, but I think it’s always great for coaches, players, families, the people who cover us alike to be able to unplug and go do something face to face and put those phones down to recharge those batteries and be able to navigate all this.”
As digital channels continue to evolve and more and more voices emerge in a rapidly growing market, high school players and coaches still rank among the best at narrowing their focus to the task at hand. Ask how a successful program comes together and they will still tell you that the key to success is to take things one play, one game and one season at a time.Coach speak? Maybe. But it’s 2022, so here’s the real question.
If they didn’t Tweet about it, did it really happen? ✪
What used to be a process that could be executed behind closed doors is now lived in the open, and managing what that looks like externally falls mostly on the shoulders of student-athletes themselves. “It can get hard if you make it get hard. You’ve just got to know how to manage it,” said Miami-bound quarterback Jaden Rashada. “I haven’t been on it as much as I usually would, and that’s my way of dealing with it. (It’s about) noticing how social media isn’t really that important but people make it important.”
While coaches are charged with turning the digi tal era into an educational benefit, players are now tasked with leveraging their own digital brand to market themselves for the next level.
In that respect, Nichelson has gotten a crash course in what digital marketing can look like for a player in demand. As a highly touted recruit, college coaches have used Twitter to reach out and connect with the linebacker/running back. Because social media can be the first point of contact, Nichelson uses it in kind. By pinning his highlight package to the top of his Twitter page, he makes sure coaches don’t have to search to find out what kind of player he is. “It’s the most important thing,” Nichelson said. “Once colleges check out your profile, the first thing they can find is your highlights. That makes it easier because sometimes coaches won’t go out of their way to try and find your stuff. It’s easier to just have access to everything right there.”
High, the social media chatter has been seemingly constant for the Pirates’ plethora of high-profile recruits.
As he has gotten scholarship offers, Nichelson has also been sure to thank schools publicly with a post. That way, he makes sure to reciprocate the interest being shown in him. He’ll also thank journalists who might write about him, providing another way to show his appreciation for the role that media coverage might play in helping him reach the next level.AtPittsburg
But, is it ever too much? “Not really for Instagram, because that’s friends and stuff for me, but Twitter is like a business social media platform for me,” said Washington commit Rashid Williams. “It got hectic for a while trying to answer everything and making sure I didn’t leave any teams, before I committed, undelivered for a lot of Vanden-Fairfieldhours.”
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To breathe life into a system that accumulated 72 points in nine games, Reed will demand much of two very different senior leaders. It all starts behind the quiet, serious and impossibly-hulking leader of the offensive line, 6-foot, 4-inch, 340-pound Alani Noa. He has quick feet and ex plosive power, but Noa is also attentive and thoughtful during position group meetings. He gave his oral commitment to USC three days before the start of theNoaseason.admitted the notoriety that comes with those kind of offers adds a little pressure to his Friday night, but also pointed to a similar feeling that he gets from a huge contingent of family gathered under the “Mike” in Mike Alberghini Field on the home bleachers. Story and Photos by Ike Dodson
Up until 2017, Grant had gone 569-291 (with 20 ties), including seven SacJoaquin Section championships (eight appearances). Grant is still the only SJS team to win a CIF Open Division state bowl game, having snatched honors from heavy favorite Long Beach Poly in 2008, the year of the division’s debut.
Following Grant’s 17th consecutive loss, which ended the 2021 campaign and extended the school’s worst-ever losing streak, Reed began exit interviews with both outbound seniors and returning players.
“We can change everything on the field, but if we don’t change it all, we are not going to help these kids reach their goals.”Reedhopes the deep look within can help build up a program that hasn’t won a game since Sept. 13 of 2019 and is just 10-32 since 2017. It’s been a remarkable slide for a school that has long been a cornerstone of Sac-Joaquin Section football.
Grant rolled to 282 wins under coach Mike Alberghini, before he departed the program in May 2021. The squad did show competitive spirit in last year’s narrow losses to Inderkum-Sacramento (17-6), Edison-Stockton (27-17), Whitney-Rocklin (19-7) and Del Oro-Loomis (17-13), but lack of consistent scoring continually plagued the program.
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To resurrect one of the most storied football pro grams in Northern California history, secondyear Grant-Sacramento coach Carl Reed has taken an introspective path.
“I wanted to know, where did we come up short?” Reed said. “For underclassmen, what do they want and expect of coaches, and what are their own individual goals?
Davis and father Hiva Finau are both from Tonga. Noa’s brother, Sioni Noa, is a freshman defensive end at Fresno State. Family friends expect a lot of Alani this year. It’s why he’s determined to take a leadership role with the offensive line, and lead a group that will in clude three freshmen, with at least two of them starting. His opposite guard, senior Puka Keliikuli (6-1, 300) has offers from Adam’s State and Lewis & Clark College. The group will plow holes for the other significant leader on Grant, senior
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“There are usually over 20 of them, and it’s a lot of pressure, but it’s also super motivating, hearing them in the stands when I am down on the line,” Noa said. “Right before the ball snaps it gets quiet, and that’s usually when I hearNoathem.”saidhis mother, Lola Davis, is the easiest to pick out. “My mom doesn’t really know English that well, because she speaks Ton gan,” Noa said. “But I can hear her yell ‘Get him Lani!’ (Noa crying out in falsetto), ‘Lets go Lani.’”
Grant’s first opportunity to halt their 17-game slide is Aug. 19 at home against Nevada’s McQueen-Reno. The Lancer’s went 10-2 last year, and lost the 5A state football championship to national power, Bishop Gorman-Las Vegas.Itwill be a serious test of Grant’s ability to turn the page. ✪
Reed hopes the passing game can set up opportunities for his rushing at tack. It all comes down to quarterback JoJo McCray, since his top target is pretty well verified in 6-5, 193-pound Kingston Lopa. Reed said McCray is good at spreading the ball around, but has a nice se curity blanket in Dubee’s junior brother. Kingston has nine offers (for safety), including Arizona, Auburn, Oregon and Arizona State. He showed off his jump ball skills with a big grab during last week’s practice. Lopa runs a 4.69 40-yardKingstondash.said his best attributes are hard-hitting and aggressiveness. “Really I just want to help out my teammates,” he said. “Do whatever makes the team better.”
running back/linebacker, Dubee Lopa.
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“I feel like I bring a lot of energy to the team, and they just feed off my energy,” Lopa said. “I’m ready for this opportunity — probably going to have 1,000 rushing yards and a couple touchdowns.”
He was third on the depth chart last year, but Lopa’s worked on his strength and speed. When Noa and Keliikuli open holes, he should be dangerous. “I do ‘slow to, fast through,’” Lopa said. “When I see (the hole), I am hitting it as fast as I can.”
“In the recruiting process we always tell coaches that it comes down to who passes the eye test, and (Lopa) is a football player in every sense of the word,” Reed said. “He is instinctive, has a high IQ, and he can play anywhere. He knows what the entire defense is doing.”
Lopa brings the swagger. He rocks a tinted visor, bounces between practice highlight moments and reminds the opposite unit that the next few plays will not get any easier.
Grant senior running back Dubee Lopa takes a handoff during an early-August practice. ABOVE: Pacers head coach Carl Reed chats with a player during practice. Reed is beginning his third season running the Grant program.
A Sierra Foothill League vs. Delta League showdown seems as good an option as any as the Sac-Joaquin Sec tion offers a soft open to NorCal football.
AUG. 19: Granite Bay @ Elk Grove
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OCT. 1: Clayton Valley-Concord @ Jesuit-Carmichael An interleague matchup between high-profile NCS and SJS programs in the warmth of a Sacramento Saturday fall afternoon? No-brainer. (Plus, you can catch a bonus game the night before)
OCT. 14: Oakdale @ Central Catholic-Modesto Between these two schools and Manteca, the Valley Oak League should be a wild race once again in 2022. This matchup will be the first big domino in the title race.
AUG. 26: Serra-San Mateo @ Folsom
SEPT. 23: Folsom @ De La Salle Yeah, this will be a big one even if both teams aren’t undefeated at kickoff. If they are, don’t expect walk-up tickets to be available.
OCT. 7: Serra-San Mateo @ Bellarmine-San Jose We had to go to the West Catholic Athletic League for one of these weeks, and it’ll be fascinating to see if Bel larmine enters this game within striking distance of the Padres.
There are 12 glorious weeks of regular season football from mid-August to early November. And if we could recommend one game, based on what we know before action begins, these are it.
SEPT 9: Foothill-Pleasanton @ Vanden-Fairfield Some may go to the St. Francis-Mountain View/De La Salle-Concord rematch, but we like this rematch of a 3420 Vanden win last season that made people start paying attention to the Vikings.
The first of basically a month of interleague games be tween teams that begin inside our Preseason Top 20 (this is No. 3 at No. 2).
SEPT 16: Folsom @ Pittsburg If the Bulldogs survive the Serra game on Aug. 26, this is the first of back-to-back East Bay games that could make them supreme rulers of all the land.
SEPT. 2: Bellarmine-San Jose @ McClymonds-Oakland Super intriguing matchup should reveal a ton about each team, and could potentially launch the winner to the Top 5.
OCT. 21: Wilcox-Santa Clara @ Los Gatos Los Gatos has won each of the past two meetings be tween these league foes, including a 41-18 drubbing last year. Wilcox didn’t lose again until the CIF Div. 2-A State Bowl game.
NOV. 4: Marin Catholic-Kentfield @ San Marin-Novato
OCT. 28: Rocklin @ Folsom A rematch of last year’s SJS Div. I final with a good chance of the Sierra Foothill League title hanging in the balance.
Central Catholic defeated Oakdale 38-14 on Oct. 1 of last season. We expect a closer affair in 2022.
Two defending State Bowl champions likely playing for a league title, and the home team’s former QB lining up with the other team. ✪
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