Leading the pack: The Bee’s midpoint picks for Sacramento-area prep football MVP and more
In a hot flash, the midway point of the high school football season in the greater Sacramento region is here.
Teams have 11 weeks to play 10 regular-season games, and then the playoffs can be up to a six-week sprint, with the CIF state championships providing the finish line.
We’re breaking down The Sacramento Bee’s picks for Player of the Year and Coach of the Year at the halfway point of the main season — movers and shakers who have helped define the early season.
The Bee in its annual All-Metro team awards names an overall Player of the Year and one for offense and defense. Here are some of the candidates.
Player of the Year
Ryder Lyons, Folsom
The junior 5-star quarterback is a marvel to watch and a joy to talk to as he praises teammates, thanks all-comers who come for a peek and stresses that he can be better and has to be better.
So far: Great enough for the top-ranked Bulldogs with his footwork, passing and running. He has passed for 788 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception, and rushed has for 289 and six TDs.
Isaiah Ene, Granite Bay
Already one of the finest players in program history since the school opened in Placer County in 1996, Ene is just a junior, having played beyond his years since he started as a freshman.
He has rushed for 428 yards and eight TDs, caught two TD passes and has made plays on defense for The Bee No. 4 Grizzlies, who are 4-0.
Theo Greule, Folsom
What, a lineman as an MVP candidate?
In a sport forever rooted in blocking and tackling, the Big G has been the man, applying pressure on defense, devouring ball carriers and leading by relentless energy as a senior leader.
Jeremiah Tuiileila, Grant
The Bee’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 is off to another roaring start with 44 tackles and 3.5 sacks despite constant double-teams.
He is headed to San Diego State, proof that effort and tenacity does matter.
Josiah Campbell, Christian Brothers
A tackling machine, the senior linebacker star leads the state in stops, averaging 17.6 a game, including some crushing hits.
He has one speed: Frenetic.
Baylor Kelley, Placer
The senior doesn’t blow your doors off with his size, but he sure does with his ability and production for the No. 8-ranked Hillmen, who are 5-0. Kelley has rushed for 480 yards and 10 TDs, has three TD catches as a speedy receiver option and can play defense.
His 16 TDs lead the section.
Derek Keeley, Rocklin
A two-way machine as a senior for the No. 3-ranked Thunder, Keeley has rushed for 317 yards and six TDs and he has averaged 7.5 tackles.
He competes and he cares.
Jaden Jackson, West Park
Only a junior, the dual-threat QB star for the Panthers of Roseville has passed for 968 yards and 10 TDs, and he’s rushed for three scores for a team ranked in the Top 10 and ready for a section-championship season.
JJ also has a reliable teammate, too, in RB Ben Osby.
Braeden Ward, Twelve Bridges
Any concerns of how this newer-school program from Lincoln would fare after the graduation of record-setting star runner Nathan Crawford were dashed early. Say hello to Mr. Ward, a hard-charging runner who can block and catch and is a big reason why the Raghing Rhinos are ranked No. 8 at 4-0.
He has 730 yards rushing and eight TDs.
Luke Alexander, Grant
The senior has passed for 1,115 yards and 13 touchdowns for the No. 2 Pacers, whose two losses are to state-ranked programs. Alexander has a great resource and star RB Brandon Lambert and terrific receiver targets.
The team goal: a section three-peat and a third successive trip to a CIF state final.
Ricky Cole, Inderkum
The senior QB is already the most statistically accomplished passer in program history, and he’s still firing away.
Cole has passed for 855 yards and 10 TDs with one interception for a team that made a Division I section title run last season.
Mateo Mojica, Bradshaw Christian
How’s this for a career with a lot of season left to go: 3,773 career rushing yards and 36 TDs plus 322 career tackles.
MM has a QB leader in Ethan Rickert, and the Pride are ranked 21st at 4-0.
Darius Moore, Sacramento
The senior RB isn’t just a 4.0 student, he’s a heck of a runner for the No. 15 Dragons who are 4-0.
Moore is quick, shifty and productive.
Jasen Womack, Oak Ridge
A do-all marvel for the Trojans, the wow factor of Womack includes 495 total yards and six TDs. He can run the ball, catch it and defend as a defensive back for a program that seeks another trip to the D-I section finals, and he has a teammate to ponder for this honor in TE/DE Kaleb Edwards.
David Hale, Elk Grove
A three-year varsity starting QB for the storied Thundering Herd, Hale has rushed for 513 yards and nine TDs.
If Elk Grove wins the Delta League behind Hale, he’s in the running for all sorts of honors.
Unsung Player of Year
Jackson McPeak, River Valley
A one-man gang who looks the part of difference maker at 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, the 4.0 student has accounted for 12 TDs and a lot of optimism for the Yuba City school that endured a winless 2023.
Fred Robinson, Mesa Verde
No bigger than a minute in size at 5-foot-5 and 140 pounds, the senior RB has accounted for nine scores as he settles in as one of the program’s all-time greats in Citrus Heights.
Angel Reyna, Del Campo
Del Campo coach Matt Costa calls his senior QB/DB the best player in the section.
Reyna has certainly been at the forefront for his team’s 4-1 start and Bee No. 22 ranking.
Coaches of Year
Teams that were expected to be loaded such as Placer, West Park, Folsom, Rocklin, Granite Bay, Grant, Bradshaw Christian, etc., are to be applauded because it does start with coaching.
The theme here this week are coaches who have, perhaps, surprised a bit — or have hugely impacted their program with leadership.
Chris Bean, Twelve Bridges
Graduation claimed 18 starters from a 12-1 team, so here come the Raging Rhinos with a cast of new stars, still rolling at 4-0 and ranked No. 8 by The Bee. Bean’s tireless efforts continue to make a difference.
Aaron Garcia/Antuan Simmons, Destiny Christian Academy
A year after a chaotic 2-8 season, Garcia and first-year co-coach Simmons have the former Capital Christian playing hard, smart and inspired at 4-1. Th only on-field loss was a competitive setback to Grant to open Metro League play.
Larry Morla, Christian Brothers
It takes a unique leader to inspire, and Morla’s bunch looked the part of grinders in a 7-0 Holy Bowl loss to heavily favored and much healthier Jesuit. Then the Falcons turned more heads with a late rally to defeat previous No. 4-ranked Inderkum, 37-36.
JP Dolliver, Cordova
The storied Lancers are back on track after some lean times, a credit to Dolliver, who has the attention of his Lancers beyond a new weight room and an effort to connect to the program’s glorious past. Cordova is 3-1.
Jake Messina, Oakmont
After a crushing, winless 2023 campaign, Messina kept pushing for improvement. Scores of players returned for a bounce-back season, and the Vikings of Roseville are 3-1.
Allen Berg, Lincoln
Winners of one game in 2023, Berg challenged his returning seniors to lead the charge back to relevance. They have with a 4-0 record, the program’s best in 15 seasons.
Matt Costa, Del Campo
A program builder at Kennedy, a rebuilder at Pleasant Grove in Elk Grove and tasked in recent seasons with jump-starting the Cougars since his return to his San Juan Unified School District roots, the spirited Costa has DC off to a 4-1 start.
Chris Nixon, Sheldon
He lost a ton to graduation, started the season slowly and then turned heads in the Delta League with a gritty, defensive-minded 6-3 overtime win over rival Pleasant Grove. Nixon is mentoring a freshman quarterback in Gavin Workman, who learns with every TD toss and interception.
Kevin Placek, El Dorado
Anyone who can get a team down to 19 players fired up to compete every week is doing remarkable work. The gritty Cougars of Placerville are a last-play bad bounce loss to Ponderosa from being 3-1.
This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM.