By Mark Tennis & Paul Muyskens

The Sac-Joaquin Section is the state's second largest and from the make-up of this 30-man team, it's evident the section has an abundance of talent. Div. I runner-up St. Mary's of Stockton places three players on elite team and defending Div. I champ Napa is represented by versatile linebacker Daniel Burgess.

Offense

WR Josh Harper (St. Mary's, Stockton) 6-1, 175, Jr.
Caught 47 passes, good for 698 yards, from Cody Vaz last season during the Rams' section runner-up finish. Six went for touchdowns and he also averaged over 13 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns in limited touches. He earned sophomore all-state honors and also plays in the defensive secondary. Harper is also a standout on the Rams' basketball squad.

WR Brett Thompson (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills) 6-3, 190, Sr.
BYU commit finished with 35 catches, 570 yards, and six touchdowns after 48-catch, 945-yard, and 12-touchdown sophomore season. Despite the drop in numbers, he still earned first-team all-league honors. Plays on defense as well and totaled 41 tackles last season. Great all-around athlete also averaged 30 yards a punt return and 38 yards a punt.

TE Trevor Peterson (El Dorado, Placerville) 6-4, 215, Sr.
The Boise St. Bronco to-be caught 58 passes last season for 964 yards and eight touchdowns. Impressed multiple schools this off season after a solid performance at the Nike Football Training Camp in Palo Alto before deciding on the Broncos. Also played in the secondary for El Dorado and recorded 44 tackles, two interceptions, and a sack. Shows his versatility running track and throwing the discus and shot put.

OL Damon Bragner (Los Banos) 6-1, 300, Sr.
Despite playing at a school that's not the easiest to get to, he was named to the Central California Conference first-team after a dominating junior season in which he was arguably the best lineman in the district. Led the way for Casey Cotta to rush for 1,410 yards and 13 touchdowns.

OL Matt Hambrick (Laguna Creek, Elk Grove) 6-2, 270, Sr.
High-level talent can play on both sides of the ball but he fits best on offense here. Last season he recorded 17 tackles, a sack, and an interception on defense. Has yet to verbal but Oregon St., Washington St., and Colorado are among the schools interested in him as an offensive lineman.

OL Matt McCarthy (Christian Brothers, Sacramento) 6-6, 260, Sr.
Hard to stand out when your team struggles to get wins but McCarthy had a solid junior season and has drawn the interest of college programs such as Weber State, Idaho State, and Montana. He's shown his agility on the basketball court while showing his smarts in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA and 1910 SAT.

OL Nick Souza (Nevada Union, Grass Valley) 6-4, 250, Sr.
One of the leaders on the Miners' squad last season, he paved the way for an offense that gained over two-thirds of its total yards on the ground. He also participates in track and field in the shot put and discus.

OL Chad Tannenbaum (Rio Americano, Sacramento) 6-3, 300, Sr.
A starter on the offensive line since his sophomore year, he was named all-league last season. During the past off-season he did well at the SPARQ Combine in Oakland, recording a 76.02 SPARQ Rating and earning selection to the all-combine team. Northwestern along with a few Pac-10 schools are showing him the most interest recruiting interest.

QB Cody Vaz (St. Mary's, Stockton) 6-1, 200, Sr.
Had the Rams one win away from a section title and a possible trip to Carson for the Div. II State Bowl Game as he threw for 3,265 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was named to the all-state underclass team and had a busy off-season full of camps. He performed well at the Nike Camp at Stanford and the Elite 11 regional camp in Berkeley. He's headed to Oregon State.

RB Stephon Mathis (Merced) 5-9, 185, Sr.
The speedy back rushed for 1,154 yards and 13 touchdowns last season on 138 carries to earn a selection to the Central California Conference first-team despite missing part of the season with an injury. Was also one of 30 juniors selected to the CBS 47 CalHiSports Zone All-Junior team and is a prime all-state candidate this season. His brother, Wendell, currently plays for the Minnesota Vikings.

RB Demarieya Nelson (Chavez, Stockton) 6-2, 195, Sr.
Making his mark as one of the top players in the school's brief history, he rushed for 1,108 yards and ten touchdowns last season and also gained 342 yards receiving. Also contributed on defense with 48 tackles, two sacks, and an interception. USC and Cal are his college favorites.

PK Andrew Kelly (Central Catholic, Modesto) 5-11, 185, Sr.
Kicked 62 extra points and four field goals last season for the Raiders' finishing with 74 points. During his sophomore year, he booted 26 extra points as the secondary kicker behind J.J. Flores.

Defense

DL Josh Banks (St. Mary's, Stockton) 6-1, 240, Sr.
Will be one of three Rams back on the defensive side after helping the team reach the section championship game last season. Should be the leader on the defense this year and has Fresno St., among others, interested in him.

DL Nathan Mayfield (Merced) 6-4, 215, Sr.
Had 8.5 sacks in 12 games as a starter last season for the Bears and has five offers from BCS schools already. Runs track and that keeps him lean and able to get around the edge. He is effective with a hand down or at the linebacker position when needed for the Bears defense. He even played a little bit at running back last season. Mayfield stood out at several camps during the off-season, including Fresno States individual camp.

DL Bubba McGill (Modesto) 6-2, 250, Sr.
Finished last year with 92 tackles for the Panthers and was named the MMC Outstanding Defensive Lineman. Finished with six sacks and earned his second straight all-league honors after collecting 61 tackles and four sacks as a tenth-grader. His father, Bill, was a standout lineman at Modesto back in 1981 and was named to the Lions All-Star game all-time team by ESPNRISE.com Deputy Editor and CalHiSports.com co-founder Mark Tennis.

DL Sean Nill (Laguna Creek, Elk Grove) 6-0, 230, Sr.
Lined up as a nose guard most of last season for the Cardinals and stuffed the run to the tune of 97 tackles along with three sacks and a fumble recovery. Played some plays along the offensive line last season but his play on defense is what earned him CalHiSports.com All-State Underclass recognition.

LB Daniel Burgess (Napa) 6-2, 205, Sr.
Had 51 tackles for the Indians as they took the Sac-Joaquin Section DI championship over St. Mary's of Stockton last season. Also plays on offense and is going to be moved from fullback to tight end this season. At the Nike Combine in Oakland, he displayed his elite athleticism by recording an impressive 88.83 SPARQ Rating that included a 30.7 inch vertical jump and a 4.28 20-yard shuttle.

	Mark Tennis, ESPNRISE.com
	Merced's Bernard Bolden is a primetime two-way player.

LB Daniel Cox (Christian Brothers, Sacramento) 5-11, 210, Sr.
In his second year starting for the Falcons, he recorded 83 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Although he is better suited for linebacker on this club, he was named his team's Most Valuable Defensive Lineman and earned a spot on the all-Sierra Valley Conference team.

LB Jaycob Shoemaker (Casa Roble, Orangevale) 6-0, 215, Sr.
Was a critical part of the Rams' defense last season as they went 10-1 and won the school's first section title. He was an All-Capital Athletic League choice last season after racking up 138 tackles, three interceptions and a sack. This team captain had a great off-season that included an impressive 92.34 SPARQ Rating at the Oakland Nike Combine.

DB C.J. Anderson (Bethel, Vallejo) 5-10, 180, Sr.
Recorded 80 tackles and an interception as he was named first team all-league and all-region for a team that reached the section title game last season. If that wasn't enough, he also was Bethel's QB and he passed for 951 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 1,484 yards and 22 touchdowns. Grid-hoop standout also averaged 11 points per game on the hardwood.

DB Bernard Bolden (Merced) 5-10, 180, Sr.
Had 54 tackles and four interceptions last year for the Bears. Was named all-Northern California, underclass all-state, all-area, all-district, and was his league's defensive player of the year. To top it off, Bolden also gained 730 yards rushing to go along with ten touchdowns.

DB Eric Pinkins (Inderkum, Sacramento) 6-3, 180, Sr.
Finished the season with 52 tackles and four interception while blocking two punts on special teams. Went to the National Underclassmen Combine and was named MVP at WR. Considered one of the top safeties in the state, Pinkins has an offer from UNLV and will likely pick up more offers as the season goes along with his size and speed (4.66 40).

DB Cole Stanford (Nevada Union, Grass Valley) 6-2, 195, Sr.
Intercepted two passes last year to go along with 79 tackles patrolling the Miners' secondary. Yet another top-flight athlete in the section, Stanford is an elite triple jumper and his 84.90 SPARQ Rating at the Oakland Nike Combine included a 4.77 40 and a 32.4 inch vertical jump.

P/QB Robb Post (Lincoln, Stockton) 6-0, 170, Sr.
Averaged over 36 yards a punt for the Trojans with 13 of his 45 punts landing inside the 20-yard line. Had a season-best 64-yard punt and recorded 21 touchbacks on kickoffs. Also passed for 1,370 yards and 19 touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions on offense in the Trojans' deep postseason run.

Multi-Purpose

RB/WR Nicky Batteate (Oakdale) 5-9, 175, Sr.
Took home All-Valley Oak League first team honors at running back after rushing for 1,295 yards and eight touchdowns last season for the Mustangs. Coming out of the backfield he was just as dangerous, as he caught 36 passes for 512 yards and six touchdowns.

QB/RB Isaiah Burse (Modesto Christian) 6-0, 180, Jr.
Made an instant impact with the Crusaders after transferring from Calvary Temple as he threw for over 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 946 yards and 11 scores rushing As a sophomore, was named all-league and the Co-Outstanding Offensive Back of the Year. Even played in the defensive secondary, racking up 43 tackles and four interceptions.

TE/DE/FB Kenneth Cooper (Merced) 6-4, 230, Sr.
Filled with versatility he played on both sides of the ball last year, earning all-area, all-district, and all-conference honors in the process. He gained 155 yards rushing and scored twice on the ground, but it was his blocking and creating holes for the running game that made him a standout.

RB/LB Geno Escalante (Rodriguez, Fairfield) 5-10, 190, Sr.
Scored 25 touchdowns on the ground for the Mustangs and gained 1,401 yards on over 200 lugs. He also played defense and finished with 83 tackles and an interception. Is also a talented baseball player that made the Milwaukee Brewers Area Code Baseball team and making plays on the diamond might be in his future.

RB/KR Zach Graves (Whitney, Rocklin) 5-9, 175, Sr.
Named his league MVP after a dynamic junior in which he helped the Wildcats to the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. IV title game. In 224 carries, he rushed for 1,435 yards and 16 touchdowns and even completed two passes that both went for touchdowns. Also averaged over 25 yards a kickoff return with a season-best of 60 yards.

RB/KR Lyndell Scarr (Ponderosa, Shingle Springs) 5-10, 170, Jr.
Wasn't easy to tackle this championship caliber wrestler when he had the ball in his hands as he gained over 1,558 yards and 13 touchdowns on 233 carries. Threw one pass that went for an 80-yard touchdown and in limited action at linebacker he came up with 16 tackles. His spirited play helped the Bruins capture the Sierra Valley Conference title, the school's first league crown in 27 years.

To let us know about a particular team we should be looking at for our preseason state rankings (top 50 overall, top 10s for each of five divisions and top 25 for NorCal and SoCal), send info to mark@studentsports.com.

*Taking the standard measurements of the football combine, the SPARQ Rating weighs and combines the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump and bench press into a single number that measures an athlete's overall athleticism. Thus, football players can track the progress of their training, through occasional tests, and compare SPARQ Ratings with teammates, training partners and competitors. To learn more about the SPARQ Rating, go to sparqtraining.com.