Bay Area 75 (2016-17): #5-1

1. MARQUEL JOHSON
St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo – Football/Basketball/Baseball – Senior
Johnson joins 2014 Miramonte-Orinda graduate Drew Anderson as the only athletes to ride three sports to the No. 1 spot of these rankings. Anderson topped the list for the 2013-14 season after excelling for the Matadors’ football, basketball and baseball teams. However, what Johnson did in 2016-17 is even more impressive when considering what each of Johnson’s Bruins team accomplished.

Johnson had integral starting roles on all three teams, starting with football where he was a dynamic two-way player who caught 70 passes for 1,180 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense and added 12 interceptions on defense. With Johnson leading the way on both sides of the ball, SPSV went 13-3 and won the CIF 6-A State Bowl win over Strathmore.

In the winter, Johnson and the Bruins added another state championship as they went 28-7 and claimed the CIF Division IV crown over Helix-La Mesa. Along the way, Johnson averaged nearly 14 points and four assists per game and made 79 3-pointers.

After missing the first month of the baseball season, Johnson needed zero time to make an impact on the diamond. In 16 games, he hit .520 with 22 steals, 16 RBIs and a .615 on-base percentage. The baseball Bruins reached the North Coast Section Div. IV final, but fell 4-1 to St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda. According to Mark Tennis of Cal-Hi Sports, that’s likely the closest any athlete has come to winning the highest possible championship in each of the three major sports during one school year.

Prior to the NCS baseball final, Johnson was considering walking on to the University of Utah football program, or potentially playing multiple sports at the junior college level.