Bay Area 75 Rankings: 2018-19

Acalanes football and baseball standout, Nick Kresnak. (Gint Federas photo)

30. NICK KRESNAK (Acalanes-Lafayette, Jr.)

Football, Baseball
A Washington commit for baseball, Kresnak help lead the young Dons to a 23-3 record with stellar efforts at the plate and on the mound. The Diablo Athletic League-Foothill MVP batted .366 with 30 hits, 22 runs, 19 RBI, six doubles and 16 stolen bases. He posted a 6-2 records on the mound with a 1.09 ERA, 53 strikeouts and just 28 hits allowed over 45 innings. During the fall, Kresnak was the Dons’ starting quarterback. He passed for 2,542 yards and 25 TDs. He also rushed for two more scores.

29. NATE RUTCHENA (Monte Vista-Danville, Jr.)

Football, Basketball
Rutchena established himself as one of the best two-way football players in the East Bay Athletic League with his play at receiver and defensive back. He caught 45 passes for 716 yards and seven TDs on offense. On defense, he posted 46 tackles with five interceptions (one returned for a TD) and a forced fumble. After joining the Mustangs on the hardwood, he averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game. He also led the team in steals. 

Carondelet-Concord basketball star, Ali Bamberger. (Dennis Lee photo)

28. ALI BAMBERGER (Carondelet-Concord, Sr.)

Basketball
Bamberger will don Washington purple next season after an illustrious four-year varsity career as a Cougar. She was a SportStars 1st Team All-NorCal selection after a senior year of in which she averaged 19 points, 13.5 rebs and 2.1 blocks for the 26-5 NCS champs. Carondelet went 99-25 in her four-year span with four NCS titles.

De La Salle-Concord All-NorCal pitcher, Kyle Harrison. (Jean-Paul Toshiro photo)

27. KYLE HARRISON (De La Salle-Concord, Jr.)

Basketball
The left-handed UCLA commit and SportStars’ NorCal Pitcher of the Year went 10-0 with a 1.26 ERA and struck out 103 batters over 61 innings pitched. He was particularly good down the stretch, going 4-0 in May and allowing just two hits while striking out 10 over 5.1 innings in a convincing NCS Div. I championship victory. He also hit .286 with 24 hits, 20 RBI and six doubles. 

26. KAYLEE POND (Acalanes-Lafayette, Jr.)

Basketball, Softball
Pond earned the rare league MVP double when she was named the Diablo Athletic League-Valley MVP for both basketball and softball. Softball will be her next-level sport — she’s already committed to Iowa State — and her 2019 numbers made it plain to see why. In just 19 games, Pond hit .680 with 34 hits, 47 runs, 32 RBI, five doubles and four home runs. The Dons went 18-4 and were undefeated DAL-Valley champs. The basketball team finished 16-11.  

Freedom-Oakley two-way football standout, Giles Jackson. (Chace Bryson photo)

25. GILES JACKSON (Freedom-Oakley, Sr.)

Football
After spending a summer establishing himself as one of the top slot receiver recruits in the country, Jackson was as electric as advertised. His versatility and explosiveness left him just  a kickoff return shy of the TD Bingo blackout. He had 14 receiving scores, four rushing TDs, two interception returns, a punt return TD and a 99-yard fumble return. He finished with 1,923 all-purpose yards, 1,414 of which came on 74 pass catches. He suits up for Michigan in the fall.

De La Salle-Concord state wrestling champion, Kyle Parco. (Berry Evans III photo)

24. KYLE PARCO (De La Salle-Concord, Sr.)

Wrestling
The Fresno State-bound grappler found himself as the state’s top-ranked 132-pounder early in the year and never gave it up. He won his third consecutive North Coast Section title before going 5-0 at the CIF State Championships with three wins by pin. He also earned tournament titles at the Bakersfield Rumble, James Riddle Invitational, Doc Buchanan and Temecula Valley.

Salesian-Richmond McDonald’s All-American, Angel Jackson. (Jean-Paul Toshiro photo)

 23. ANGEL JACKSON (Salesian-Richmond, Sr.)

Basketball
A USC signee and a McDonald’s All-American, Jackson was arguably the most feared post player in the Bay Area. She averaged 16.2 points, 12 rebounds and 3.6 blocks. She scored in double figures in 33 of her 34 games with 23 double-doubles. She also had one triple-double of 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks in a 66-60 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. on Jan. 5.

22. KALANI KOSSA-RIENZI (Berkeley, Jr.)

Soccer
Kossa-Rienzi was the catalyst for a Berkeley team that went 24-1-4 overall and secured their second NCS title in three years with a 4-1 win over De La Salle. The Washington commit had two goals and one assist in the championship match and ended his season with 25 goals and 18 assists. He was named 2nd Team All-USA Boys Soccer by USA Today and TopDrawerSoccer.com.

21. AUSTIN JONES (Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, Sr.)

Football
Jones closed out a stellar prep career with a senior season of 2,005 rushing yards and needed just 219 carries (a 9.2 yard/carry average). The Stanford signee rushed for 24 TDs. He added 378 receiving yards and another TD. He also started at cornerback on defense. De La Salle defensive coordinator Terry Eidson told SportStars that Jones “was hands down the best athlete we faced this season.

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