I should never have missed that game, should have taken my 5 year old it sounded off the hook even reading it in the paper. One could argue that Keller had more collegiate success than Wright.
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Your Nor-Cal All Star team by position.
- Thread starter FootballJunkie101
- Start date
I should never have missed that game, should have taken my 5 year old it sounded off the hook even reading it in the paper. One could argue that Keller had more collegiate success than Wright.
First of all, feel free to make your own list of NorCal All-Stars and then we can discuss why I choose them over many other talented athletes. Thank you.
I was at a few games of Kyle Wright when MV played Pinole Valley in 1999-2001. This kid was lights out during his high school career but for whatever reason his college career wasn't as spectacular. I believe he went to the University of Miami which was the same route Pinole Valley QB Torretta took.
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First I know who he is and know he’s good. Second, that highlight is of him in a T-shirt and shorts. Third, there are a number of players that look and played just like him over the last 20 years. Fourth, I saw the Liberty running attack get humiliated and Butterfield pass the ball as soon as he caught the snap. Sorry dad (or coach).
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Here’s my list... a bunch of De La Salle guys, a couple of Pittsburg defensive back or defensive linemen guys, maybe a Freedom skill guy, Najee Harris, a handful of linemen from SRV, MV and Cal, a Monte Vista quarterback, a couple Mcclymonds guys, a couple Folsom players, a couple Grant dudes, a Granite Bay Linebacker, and no Liberty player ever.
When it comes to dad or coach (both).
You make it sound like that's an issue with you. You also seem to have a problem with Liberty for some odd reason. Sour grapes for what????Also, hoping the Pitt D-linemen weren't this years version because Zdroik 10 lb plate pressed them and pancaked them all night long. Basically the Pitt D-linemen got owned. Take a look
http://www.maxpreps.com/high-school...?videoid=bc532b2a-4b5b-44f5-a523-8863a1c3f578
Regan Upshaw was a name that crossed my mind, but I didn’t get to see him much. However I’m still fully aware how good he was. IIRC he was part of the team that beat DLS in 1991.
When it comes to dad or coach (both).
Also, hoping the Pitt D-linemen weren't this years version because Zdroik 10 lb plate pressed them and pancaked them all night long. Basically the Pitt D-linemen got owned. Take a look
http://www.maxpreps.com/high-school...?videoid=bc532b2a-4b5b-44f5-a523-8863a1c3f578
He’s obviously a good player and most of us feel that way. It’s a tad early to consider him among the best in the last 20 years, IMO
I see your point Bubba. I had a brain fart on Folsom's Jonah Williams. I forgot about him for some reason. Might be that he came in from Georgia late in his high school career. That said, Zdroik is just a Junior this year and he's owned every lineman he's faced. That includes lineman from Mack, Pitt, Rocklin, Cardinal Newman, Antioch and some. Btw, how's your boys doing?
Good looking defensive lineman. Just saw a bunch of pass blocking for a couple seconds on offense and the Pittsburg defensive lineman drop on a double team. Unless you’re talking about the help block he gave on the one pass. Again, good player. Not one of the best in the past 20 years. And being held to 50 yards rushing is not dominating anything.When it comes to dad or coach (both).
Also, hoping the Pitt D-linemen weren't this years version because Zdroik 10 lb plate pressed them and pancaked them all night long. Basically the Pitt D-linemen got owned. Take a look
http://www.maxpreps.com/high-school...?videoid=bc532b2a-4b5b-44f5-a523-8863a1c3f578
And no problem being a dad on here. But own it, like Bubba, and many others do. Don’t create some thread and talking point to pub him. Just be straight up about your hype.
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Hahahaha. Not at all. Liberty has a good team. No doubt. But they don’t have any players, let alone a lineman, that are the best in the last 20 years. Junior or not. I’ve seen multiple very good high school linemen over the years. He looks like your typical De La Salle linemen actually.
First of all, I'm not the kids father just to let you know. I happened to know talent when I see it due to being a DL/OL coach for over 20 years. Secondly, I didn't need your validation on NorCal Preps when my sons played so I wouldn't need it now. Thirdly, I was highly respected as a Bay Area NIKE/SPARQ yearly combine circuit DL coach as well. Simply put, I know DL and OL talent when I see it so thank you but no thank you for your opinion and insight on this kid. I don't need it. Lastly, I'm the straightest shooter you'll come in contact with on this site. I don't create bogus threads or post to hype a situation up. Keep watching me and you'll learn that very quickly.
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My boy is doing good, having the time of his life. Unfortunately his team isn’t doing so well but thanks for asking.
Zdroik is good on both sides of the ball and at 6’1” I see his best chance at the next level on the DL.
Great to hear your son is "living his best life" lol. I agree with you that Zdroik may have to play DL on the next level or move to center. We shall see.
Is he getting much recruiting attention? That usually comes the summer after junior year.
To be honest I haven't followed his recruiting but I'm sure he'll receive some solid offers from Pac 12 schools if he has the grades. If the kid excels in the classroom the offers will grow. He has his sophomore profile on 247sports but no offers as of yet.
https://247sports.com/Player/Payton-Zdroik-46059142/
I know the North Bay doesn't get a lot of love from College scouts and the board....
but how does LB Scooby Wright (CN) NOT make anyone's list???
**** or for that matter LB Koa Misi (Montgomery)
but how does LB Scooby Wright (CN) NOT make anyone's list???
**** or for that matter LB Koa Misi (Montgomery)
By all means if you believe Scooby and Koa was better than Lance Briggs (Elk Grove), DJ Williams (DLS), Ben Burr-Kirven (SHP) Cam Smith (Granite Bay) or Kiko Alonso of (Los Gatos). Feel free to put them on your NorCal All-Star team. This thread was started for the purpose to see who agreed on the best talent in NorCal by position not to be perfect. I agree that they both were great NorCal LB's.
Eureka had 3 beast at the high school level.
Rey Maualuga
Soma Vainuku
Mo Purify
Rey Maualuga
Soma Vainuku
Mo Purify
See, I forgot all about USC's Maualuga and Vainuku and I'm a diehard SC guy. I would have put Rey in front of Ben Burr-Kirven had I thought of him. My LB's would be (Rey-Rey, Lance and DJ). Great call slick58.
If you talk to anyone from the Pinole/Richmond area they will tell you that Gino Torretta was not the best QB to come out of Pinole Valley HS, that would belong to Dale Sveum who wisely went the baseball route.
I was once close to the PV program and I've never heard anyone say Sveum was better than Torretta at PV. And I've been around the PV program for years and I've never heard coach Wilson, Alameda or Erikson give another PV QB a higher praise than Torretta. But that doesn't mean you're wrong. I can only speak for myself. I also have relatives that played at PV during the time Sveum was there and after and they've never said that. So to each his own. Maybe Sveum name should be on the scoreboard and not Torretta's since everyone thought so highly of his QB play. I thought Thomas Decoud was a better QB than Torretta but he decided to play FS for PV instead. He went on to have a great pro career for the Falcons and Panthers as a FS. So he made a wise decision for himself.
The biggest part of this is having seen the player(s) play a few times. I know about a lot of players dating back to the mid-to-late 70's -- but that knowledge came via word of mouth or via occasional highlights and some stats. I didn't really start attending HS games and seeing it for myself until '83, '84ish.
Nowadays with all the different websites and media outlets, it's far easier to track players and teams and watch games. But the further you travel back in time, you mostly had to attend a game to see the player. And you could only get out to so many games. For out of local area teams, forget about it. I remember reading about Todd Marinovich, Russell White and Alonzo Mourning (basketball) in the HS magazines of the day back when I was attending high school. I knew of them and their accomplishments, but I never saw them play because they weren't local. So I'm not going to include players like them in my list (yes, I know we're talking NorCal; just making a point).
Even locally, there were players I saw play when I was in HS and in the years that followed when I scouted and coached. But there were other players in the SJS that I mostly knew via the news and word of mouth. Perhaps I got to see a few of them play once or maybe twice. IMO, I can't still include them because I just didn't have enough 1st hand observation.
For example, I only saw Ben Burr-Kirven play one time in HS. In a bowl game on TV. IMO, that's nowhere near enough to list him over other great players I saw play more often. I'm assuming others are in a similar boat.
Good read TR. Just like you I remember reading about players like the ones you mentioned as well as the giant Ralph Sampson during his high school days. Never saw him play but heard a lot about him through magazines and the sport sections of major newspapers (USA Today).
When it comes to Ben Burr-Kirven I saw him for the first time in a Regional playoff game against El Cerrito. That was a few years back when EC had studs all over the place including one of my best friend son. The game was played at De Anza HS in which I volunteered to work the chain gang for this big time playoff game.
While on SHP sideline and watching the action as a coach Ben BK was like a man amongst boys to everyone in that stadium. He single handedly shut down everything EC threw at them and when he came to the sideline to get a blow he said "they ain't ready for me"! I told my friend, OMG this dude is the real deal.
Now I've seen both DJ Williams as well as Lance Briggs play during the time I coached. Both are the best two LB's in NorCal that I've witness play live in HS. I wish I could have seen Rey Rey from Eureka play live because we all know he was a stud at USC as well as for the Bengals.
Ben BK was so dominate against a team that was so physical and athletic that became my reasoning why I put him on my list. If I were to change my list I would fill it with 4 LB's which would consist of Williams, Briggs, Maualuga and BK. I would move Austin Hooper to TE and place Tyler Petite on my 2nd team. I would also add Jonah Williams (Folsom) to my OL unit and place Giovanni Sani (Central Catholic) to my 2nd unit.
And like yourself, I began attending high school games in the late 70's. Good to know we have the same passion for this game we love.
Surprised nobody has mention WR Collin Johnson - VC- Currently at Texas. A kid with his size and speed was amazing to watch at the HS level. Not doing to bad in college either.
Agree with you here. What about the Adam's brothers at Oak Grove? I read a few articles about how special Johnson was during his run at Valley Christian but I've never seen him play live. Seems like it would be more CCS posters mentioning these players due to the fact they've seen them in a live game. That said, I'm shocked posters haven't mentioned Oak Ridge dynamic WR Austin Collie. He had a great college career at BYU and was once a main target for the Indianapolis Colts QB's.
Sorry FJ101... I think I was busy typing up my post as you were posting yours, so missed that!
I think Johnson is a great case of a kid with great potential (that was rightfully recognized by college recruiters) that didn't materialize into great production or performance in high school. Over three years he ended up playing in only 21 games (hurt for a good portion of his sophomore and senior years) and ended up with 67 catches for 1176 yards and 16 TD's in 21 games - Average of 3 catches for 56 yards and less than 1 TD a game.
One of the complaints I have about many high school coaches is there inability to change or alter their systems to utilize the talent they get on the field. I think part of the job is to recognize the talent (or lack of talent) that you have and play to your strengths and develop your talent to its fullest potential.
Part of the lack of production was that Valley Christian rarely threw or targeted Johnson and so he was only getting 3 to 4 touches a game. I think when you have a talent like that you need to find a way to amend your offense to get him the ball more.
At any level to make the lists of the all-time greats I think you need to pass the eye test (stand out vs others), produce (don't have to be a stat hound - but do have to have a high level of production) and win (the biggest stat of all) - ideally by elevating your team from #1 and # 2 above. Johnson clearly passed the eye test in HS but was missing at level #2 and #3 -
Not picking on Johnson - same could be said of Tom Brady in high school whose Serra teams went 11-9 with him starting and while he performed well, his production was only above average and he wasn't at a level where he was player of the year in his conference but clearly had the potential to catch the eye of top level DI schools.
I forgot to add the Marshall brothers from VC as well. Byron use to run circles around other teams defense.
The Marshall brothers were special. They were probably the best brother dual to ever come out of NorCal. Another special RB I watched play live from pop warner to Cal was Bethel's CJ Anderson. He went on to play on the Denver Broncos Super Bowl championship team a few years back. This kid was a beast the day he hit the pop warner field in Vallejo. He's also a great kid.
Are we talking brothers as teammates? Otherwise it'll be hard to beat Syd'Quan and Shaq Thompson or D.J. and Worrell Williams or Gerald and Kevin Wilhite, among others.
If we're talking brothers as teammates, then Folsom's current duo of the Ngata Bros. have to be rapidly ascending.
A few other names and ones that are being dismissed a little lightly.
Dennis Dixon was one of the most impressive high school athletes I have ever seen on both the football field and baseball diamond. People forget how good he was
Another SL Pirate who has not been mentioned here... safety Jarrad Page, stud at UCLA, played a number of years with the Chiefs and was also a stud baseball player (drafted at least twice)
Andy Levitre from San Lorenzo Valley HS in little Felton was all conference at Oregon State and has been a starter for the better part of the last decade in the NFL. He should be looked at as one of the best from NorCal in the last 20 years.
If going by HS ability, I am shocked nobody has mentioned Trent Edwards who was the #1 QB by a number of recruiting services his sr year at Los Gatos
Tab Perry from Milpitas was another HS phenom, who while underperforming at UCLA still was drafted and played in the league.
Dennis Dixon was one of the most impressive high school athletes I have ever seen on both the football field and baseball diamond. People forget how good he was
Another SL Pirate who has not been mentioned here... safety Jarrad Page, stud at UCLA, played a number of years with the Chiefs and was also a stud baseball player (drafted at least twice)
Andy Levitre from San Lorenzo Valley HS in little Felton was all conference at Oregon State and has been a starter for the better part of the last decade in the NFL. He should be looked at as one of the best from NorCal in the last 20 years.
If going by HS ability, I am shocked nobody has mentioned Trent Edwards who was the #1 QB by a number of recruiting services his sr year at Los Gatos
Tab Perry from Milpitas was another HS phenom, who while underperforming at UCLA still was drafted and played in the league.
Alright, I will take a stab at it.
Option based Offense:
QB: Jeremiah Masoli, Serra - San Mateo. I mentioned Dano Graves and Julian Edelman earlier, both great players. I played against Edelman in HS and have all the respect in the world for him. However, Masoli is one of my childhood friends and was as good as anyone running the option at Serra
RB: DJ Williams, De La Salle - Concord. John Madden said he was the first player he ever saw that could go from High School to the pros. I'm a big time Miami fan and still wonder what would have been if DJ didn't attend Miami at a time when Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Willis McGahee all played in the same backfield.
RB: Maurice Drew, De La Salle - Concord. One of my first memories of HS Football was watching MJD make a mockery of Long Beach Poly on National TV and tea-baggin Darnell Bing who was wearing a back plate reading "Drew Who?"
TE: Zach Ertz, Monte Vista - Danville. Best HS TE i've seen in the area.
TE: Tyler Petite, Campolindo - Moraga. Man child. I think he has an outside shot to be a sleeper in this year's draft.
Spread Offense:
QB: Dennis Dixon, San Leandro. I'll switch it up again. It's hard to argue against Jake Browning and what he was able to do in high school. The coaching he had was second to none. Compare their collegiate careers and Dixon is hands down the better player. How good could he have been with Troy Taylor as his coach?
RB: Joe Mixon, Freedom - Brentwood. Lots of great backs got left off this list. Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin, Jahvid Best, Najee Harris, etc. All things considered, Mixon was the best of the bunch in High School to me. He didn't have Lynch's collegiate career, Best's speed nor was he the highlight reel that Najee was. On film, Mixon was the best as following his blocks, reading his blocks and flat out being patient.
SLOT: Austin Collie, Oak Ridge - El Dorado Hills. A machine. As good as Welker and Edelman if it weren't for the concussions.
SLOT: Brandin Cooks, Lincoln - Stockton. Not a true slot but for all case and purposes, he would line up there occasionally.
WR: Donte Stallworth, Grant - Sacramento. One of the most decorate receivers in the the history of Northern California. One of the rare Northern California Receivers to receive National attention of the past 20 years.
WR: Cameron Colvin, De La Salle - Concord. A top 15 National recruit and the #2 rated WR Nationally. To give you an idea how good Colvin was, Joe Ngata is rated the #10 WR and Collin Johnson was the #41 WR respectively.
OT: Jonah Williams, Folsom. Good in high school but the college level has proven he is an Orlando Pace type of talent.
OG: Andy Levitre, San Lorenzo Valley - Felton. A two star recruit who did have an offer from Les Miles and LSU. Levitre has quietly been one of the best guards in football over the past 9 years.
C: Evan Dietrich-Smith, Salinas. A small town kid who went to little Idaho State and has carved out a respectable career by out working everyone.
OG: Carl Nicks, North Salinas - Salinas. Was becoming one of the best guards in football until health issues forced an early retirement.
OT: David Bakhtiari, Serra - San Mateo. Was only a 2 star prospect at a time where Serra ran the ball all day long. He's made a living for himself protecting Aaron Rodgers' blind side.
Defense
EDGE: Takkarist McKinley, Kennedy - Richmond. As good of an athletes as I've seen. Still, the guy has as much heart as anyone.
EDGE: Jared Allen, Live Oak - Morgan Hill / Los Gatos. Would have ended up at a bigger school than Idaho State if not for his transfer and accusation of stealing yearbooks.
Interior DL: Vita Vea, Milpitas. The guy was only 250 pounds in high school.
Interior DL: Akiem Hicks, Del Campo - Fair Oaks
LB: Lance Briggs, Elk Grove
LB: Kirk Morrison, Bishop O'Dowd - Oakland
LB: Mason Foster, Seaside.
CB: Marcus Peters, McClymonds - Oakland. Never saw a single player take over a game the way Peters took over versus Pittsburg. McClymonds with 20 guys beat Pitt who had over 70.
CB: Jason Verrett, Rodriguez - Fairfield. If it werent for injuries this could would be a top 5 CB in the NFL.
FS: TJ Ward, De La Salle - Concord
SS: Shaquille Thompson, Grant - Sacramento. Never saw one player be so good at so many different positions. Hell, he picked up a baseball bat at the age of 17 and got drafted by the Red Sox!
Honorable Mentions:
Steve Johnson, WR, Rodriguez - Fairfield. Did not begin playing football until his junior year when Rodriguez first started their football program but was an All-State talent as a QB.
Ben Burr-Kirven, LB, Sacred Heart Prep - Atherton. Amazing player who continues to impress. Barely missed making the cut.
DJ Calhoun, LB, El Cerrito. One of the biggest hitters I ever saw. The match up between he and Burr-Kirven in regionals was EPIC.
Collin Johnson - Beginning to make his name stand out.
Nate Robinson, ATH, James Logan - Just google his high school highlight tape.
Option based Offense:
QB: Jeremiah Masoli, Serra - San Mateo. I mentioned Dano Graves and Julian Edelman earlier, both great players. I played against Edelman in HS and have all the respect in the world for him. However, Masoli is one of my childhood friends and was as good as anyone running the option at Serra
RB: DJ Williams, De La Salle - Concord. John Madden said he was the first player he ever saw that could go from High School to the pros. I'm a big time Miami fan and still wonder what would have been if DJ didn't attend Miami at a time when Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Willis McGahee all played in the same backfield.
RB: Maurice Drew, De La Salle - Concord. One of my first memories of HS Football was watching MJD make a mockery of Long Beach Poly on National TV and tea-baggin Darnell Bing who was wearing a back plate reading "Drew Who?"
TE: Zach Ertz, Monte Vista - Danville. Best HS TE i've seen in the area.
TE: Tyler Petite, Campolindo - Moraga. Man child. I think he has an outside shot to be a sleeper in this year's draft.
Spread Offense:
QB: Dennis Dixon, San Leandro. I'll switch it up again. It's hard to argue against Jake Browning and what he was able to do in high school. The coaching he had was second to none. Compare their collegiate careers and Dixon is hands down the better player. How good could he have been with Troy Taylor as his coach?
RB: Joe Mixon, Freedom - Brentwood. Lots of great backs got left off this list. Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin, Jahvid Best, Najee Harris, etc. All things considered, Mixon was the best of the bunch in High School to me. He didn't have Lynch's collegiate career, Best's speed nor was he the highlight reel that Najee was. On film, Mixon was the best as following his blocks, reading his blocks and flat out being patient.
SLOT: Austin Collie, Oak Ridge - El Dorado Hills. A machine. As good as Welker and Edelman if it weren't for the concussions.
SLOT: Brandin Cooks, Lincoln - Stockton. Not a true slot but for all case and purposes, he would line up there occasionally.
WR: Donte Stallworth, Grant - Sacramento. One of the most decorate receivers in the the history of Northern California. One of the rare Northern California Receivers to receive National attention of the past 20 years.
WR: Cameron Colvin, De La Salle - Concord. A top 15 National recruit and the #2 rated WR Nationally. To give you an idea how good Colvin was, Joe Ngata is rated the #10 WR and Collin Johnson was the #41 WR respectively.
OT: Jonah Williams, Folsom. Good in high school but the college level has proven he is an Orlando Pace type of talent.
OG: Andy Levitre, San Lorenzo Valley - Felton. A two star recruit who did have an offer from Les Miles and LSU. Levitre has quietly been one of the best guards in football over the past 9 years.
C: Evan Dietrich-Smith, Salinas. A small town kid who went to little Idaho State and has carved out a respectable career by out working everyone.
OG: Carl Nicks, North Salinas - Salinas. Was becoming one of the best guards in football until health issues forced an early retirement.
OT: David Bakhtiari, Serra - San Mateo. Was only a 2 star prospect at a time where Serra ran the ball all day long. He's made a living for himself protecting Aaron Rodgers' blind side.
Defense
EDGE: Takkarist McKinley, Kennedy - Richmond. As good of an athletes as I've seen. Still, the guy has as much heart as anyone.
EDGE: Jared Allen, Live Oak - Morgan Hill / Los Gatos. Would have ended up at a bigger school than Idaho State if not for his transfer and accusation of stealing yearbooks.
Interior DL: Vita Vea, Milpitas. The guy was only 250 pounds in high school.
Interior DL: Akiem Hicks, Del Campo - Fair Oaks
LB: Lance Briggs, Elk Grove
LB: Kirk Morrison, Bishop O'Dowd - Oakland
LB: Mason Foster, Seaside.
CB: Marcus Peters, McClymonds - Oakland. Never saw a single player take over a game the way Peters took over versus Pittsburg. McClymonds with 20 guys beat Pitt who had over 70.
CB: Jason Verrett, Rodriguez - Fairfield. If it werent for injuries this could would be a top 5 CB in the NFL.
FS: TJ Ward, De La Salle - Concord
SS: Shaquille Thompson, Grant - Sacramento. Never saw one player be so good at so many different positions. Hell, he picked up a baseball bat at the age of 17 and got drafted by the Red Sox!
Honorable Mentions:
Steve Johnson, WR, Rodriguez - Fairfield. Did not begin playing football until his junior year when Rodriguez first started their football program but was an All-State talent as a QB.
Ben Burr-Kirven, LB, Sacred Heart Prep - Atherton. Amazing player who continues to impress. Barely missed making the cut.
DJ Calhoun, LB, El Cerrito. One of the biggest hitters I ever saw. The match up between he and Burr-Kirven in regionals was EPIC.
Collin Johnson - Beginning to make his name stand out.
Nate Robinson, ATH, James Logan - Just google his high school highlight tape.
Good call. Also the Atkinson twins were very special.
Oops! It wasn't the Adams brothers it was the Carr brothers. Jabari and Omari Carr.
Wow! I was thinking as teammates because the Carr brothers played together but that's an impressive list of brothers. And you're right in regards to the Ngata Bros. You'd be hard pressed to go against the Ngata brothers as best teammate duo.
I definitely remember Dennis Dixon making noise in the East Bay and I watched him while at Oregon. Though I must admit I've never witnessed him play in high school. But my Bay peeps told me he was a freak during his time at San Leandro.
Wow! As the new kids on the block say these days, "you turnt up or you went in". Helluva list and breakdown SPortela24. Good stuff!!!
Agree.
Gotcha. I just wanted to be sure I was on the same page.
With regard to the Ngata brothers, they still got some work to do. That story isn't finished yet. They've potentially got 5 more games to see what's up. But they really could have cemented the legacy with a W over DLS had they been able to prevent the mistakes.
