Northern California Championships: Bay Area Players to Note

After a long season full of surprises and new emerging high school stars across the region, the state championships are finally wrapped up and the preparations for next year are underway. Below are some names to note that had stellar performances in their respective state title games over the weekend from some Bay Area teams. The rest of the Norcal regions (Northern & Sac-Joaquin) will be looked at later in the week.   <hr class="wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   QB Jimmy Hughes, San Marin HS   Hughes helped lead the Mustangs to back to back state championships over the past two seasons in different roles for the team. However this year, he entered the biggest stage as the starting quarterback as their starter [player_tooltip player_id='398449' first='Dominic' last='Ingrassia'] went down with an injury in the Norcal game last week. Hughes threw for 143 yards and 3 scores while adding another 77 on the ground with his bruising running style to top Granada Hills. He will be one of the top signal callers returning in the North bay next season and it will be interesting to see what position he finds the best fit for his last high school season.   QB [player_tooltip player_id='398472' first='Luke' last='Baker'], San Ramon Valley HS   Baker did everything he could for this SRV squad in the state title game, throwing for 185 yards and multiple scores, 2 of them to Scott on the outside. Although going out with the tough loss, Baker showed that he is one of the top passers in the state, and will be one of the top players returning in Norcal next season. Although a Santa Clara baseball commit, he has the natural skills and intangibles at the quarterback position to make an impact at the Division I level and it would not surprise me if a Division I school offered him soon.   WR [player_tooltip player_id='387672' first='Trevor' last='Scott'], San Ramon Valley HS   Scott was all over the field on Saturday, hauling in 8 passes for 88 yards and 2 scores while showing his range, toughness and ability to make catches in traffic and use his body to box out defenders. Scott is a no brainer next level kid at the outside receiver position, and is looking like he will be an absolute steal for a college program.   QB Nate Escalada, Bellarmine HS   It was a tale of two halves for Bellarmine, but they have nothing to hang their head about and their signal caller had a heck of a first half throwing for over 200 yards and multiple scores on the ground and through the air. The 2023 prospect has a few small school offers and has no doubt college level potential while offering some nice athleticism at well at the position.   QB [player_tooltip player_id='115457' first='Maealiuaki' last='Smith'], Serra HS   Although the Padres had trouble getting points on the board against this loaded Bosco team, they dominated Norcal opponents all season long and proved that this was one of the best teams the region has seen in a long time. Smith ended his Junior season airing it out for 246 yards and fighting until the final whistle.   WR Jayden Weber, Serra HS   The talented slot receiver was able to sneak open on multiple occasions against some of the top corners in the country at the high school level. He brought in some difficult catches for 100+ yards receiving and made some tough catches while proving that he too can contribute at the college level.   RB [player_tooltip player_id='282689' first='Derrick' last='Blanche'], De La Salle HS   Blanche had a terrific Sophomore season for the Spartans, and is in line for a huge off-season. He was a physical and tough runner against a stout Hornets defense on Saturday night, and hauled in some impressive passes proving that he can catch the ball out of the backfield and run tough in-between the tackles. Both against Folsom and Lincoln, Blanche proved that although a underclassman, he runs through contact, plays at a high level and is not scared to dominate top tier competition across the talent loaded state. He is without a doubt one of the top backs in Northern California.   RB/LB Ferrari Miller, McClymonds HS   One of the fastest defenses in the region with top tier players like Miller did all they could against this explosive Mater Dei Catholic attack. Miller started the game with an opening play pick-six while in on several crucial tackles over the course of the game and showing flashes of his abilities at the second level. He is a downhill, physical runner that easily runs through contact and always falls forward while having a bruising running style. The combination of him and Thomas, one of the best backs the region has seen in a long time, was fun to watch this season and the staple of this Warriors offense.

After a long season full of surprises and new emerging high school stars across the region, the state championships are finally wrapped up and the preparations for next year are underway. Below are some names to note that had stellar performances in their respective state title games over the weekend from some Bay Area teams. The rest of the Norcal regions (Northern & Sac-Joaquin) will be looked at later in the week.