Breakdown of The Sacramento Bee’s top high school football Player of the Year candidates
The passer with good feet and a linebacker body from Folsom?
The shifty senior quarterback star from Del Oro? A breakway back out of Granite Bay? A runner who plays angry at Grant? Two stoppers with the same goal to dominate at Oak Ridge?
These are some of the top candidates for The Sacramento Bee’s 2023 Player of the Year award as the regular season now charges into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. That tournament starts this week for 84 teams over seven divisions, largest schools to the smallest, with the top four seeds in Divisions I-VI enjoying a first-round bye.
With that, we offer up a roster of playmakers, leaders and winners who can all make a case for Player of the Year. The playoffs will ultimately decide this race, per our norm. Check out our online poll — The People’s Choice — to cast your vote.
Joel Bradley
WR | Roseville | Senior
Numbers: 1,46 all-purpose yards with 958 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns for the darkhorse D-III Tigers (7-3).
Skinny: Roseville coach Adam Reinking is sure to get the ball into the hands of his playmaker as often as he can, often to set up his star’s own foot as Bradley has made 32 extra-point kicks and two field goals.
Connor Campbell
QB | Casa Roble | Junior
Numbers: 1,922 yards passing, 25 touchdowns and two interceptions for the 9-1 Rams, the No. 2 seed in D-V.
Skinny: Campbell has played big this season for a club with section championship aspirations. His poise and ability to go deep to some terrific skill players will be paramount to a title run.
Ricky Cole
RB | Inderkum | Junior
Numbers: 1,907 yards passing, 39 touchdowns; 606 yards rushing, six TDs for the 9-1 Tigers, the No. 5 seed in D-I.
Skinny: Cole has dazzled during a nine-game winning streak, shattering school TD passing marks for a program that for years was heavy run with the wing-T. He’s the fuel for the Inderkum engine seeking a showdown with Folsom in the D-I semis.
Nathan Crawford
RB | Twelve Bridges | Senior
Numbers: 1,591 yards rushing, 32 touchdowns for the 10-0 Ragin’ Rhinos, the top seed in D-V.
Skinny: Can carry the ball 34 times if needed; rumbled for 347 yards and five TDs in a close win at Colfax, including an 85-yard burst. And he’s just warming up for the postseason.
Carter Jackson
RB | Granite Bay | Junior
Numbers: 1,279 yards rushing, 7.2-yard average, 19 TDs for the D-II title threat.
Skinny: Cal-committed “Action Jackson” has added power to his game, the benefit of desire and the weight room, and he can make plays as a cornerback. Jackson is the fastest guy in the section.
Shaun Jones/Baylor Kelley
RBs | Placer | Sophomore/Senior
Numbers: Wing-T grinders have combined to rush for 1,898 yards, 31 TDs for the 6-4 D-IV Hillmen.
Skinny: Jones has come on strong and looks the part of special talent; Kelley is a veteran workhorse who also understands that the more yards for everyone, the better.
Derek Keeley
RB/LB | Rocklin | Junior
Numbers: Leads the D-II Thunder (9-1) in tackles (72), touchdowns (15) and rushing with 728 hard yards.
Skinny: Can play physical as a hard-charging runner, closes in and crashes into ball carriers, and then regularly thanks his teammates for the success.
Markus Hoffman/Gavin Molloy
DL/LB | Oak Ridge | Seniors
Numbers: 17 ½ combined sacks, 34 combined tackles for loss for the 8-2 D-I Trojans.
Skinny: They scowl before games, prowl during games, and set a dominant tone, as does another Player of the Year candidate in national recruit junior DE/TE teammate Kaleb Edwards.
CJ Lee
QB | Jesuit | Senior
Numbers: 1,475 yards passing, 13 touchdowns; 726 yards rushing, 10 TDs for the 9-1 Marauders.
Skinny: Big Red has been on a big role since Lee took over as the QB in the middle of last season, and he is a game-breaking runner who seeks his program’s first section title in 21 seasons. If he cannot be stopped, neither will Big Red.
Matt Long
WR | Vista del Lago | Senior
Numbers: 49 catches from John Koett for 850 yards, 13 TDs; three rushing TDs; five interceptions on defense for the 9-1 D-IV Eagles.
Skinny: The Air Force commit is a relentless competitor with great hands and work ethic; plows over people on his way to the end zone as an all-time program great.
Ryder Lyons
QB | Folsom | Sophomore
Numbers: 2,629 yards passing, 29 touchdowns; 416 yards rushing, 14 TDs for the top-ranked Bulldogs (8-2).
Skinny: Remarkable footwork and grit; craves to compete and to be the next great Folsom QB star. According to Folsom coach Paul Doherty, Lyons is “the best player in the section.”
Mateo Mojica
RB/LB | Bradshaw Christian | Junior
Numbers: 1,066 yards rushing, 10 touchdowns; 106 tackles for the 8-2 D-VI Pride.
Skinny: Plays every single down with purpose as a hard runner and a tackling machine for a BC program that seeks its sixth section banner as a run-heavy, defensive-minded group.
Wayshawn Parker
RB | Grant | Senior
Numbers: 1,391 yards rushing, 16 TDs; averaging 173.9 per game for the defending D-III champion Pacers (8-2).
Skinny: Grant hasn’t had a runner this driven and who runs this angry since the great Onterrio Smith in 1998, and Parker is a bit faster than OS. Parker is headed to Washington State.
Caden Pinnick
QB | Del Oro | Senior
Numbers: 2,279 yards passing, 25 TDs; 427 rushing and seven scores for the D-II Golden Eagles (6-4)
Skinny: Dazzling, driven, dangerous, Pinnick is Del Oro’s most exciting QB since all-timer Randy Fasani in the mid 1990s; extends plays with his feet, smarts and skills.
Vontrelle Waffer
RB | Monterey Trail | Senior
Numbers: 1,131 yards rushing, 15 touchdowns for the 7-3 Mustangs, winners of seven straight.
Skinny: The speedy and hard-charging Waffer prides himself on his maturity, growing from a challenging freshman personality to “the man I am now,” he says.
This story was originally published November 1, 2023 at 5:00 AM.