Our 10th Annual Bay Area 75 Athlete Rankings Honoring The Top High School Athletes From The Recently Completed School Year Begins With Nos. 75-51 •
PICTURED ABOVE: No. 74 Jamai East of Vanden-Fairfield (Dennis Lee photo)
Welcome to our tenth annual Bay Area 75 rankings — SportStars’ countdown of the top 75 Bay Area athletes from the 2021-22 school year.
The 2021-22 high school sports year wasn’t entirely without hiccups, but it was the closest thing we’d had in nearly two years. And the Bay Area’s athletes were ready to make up for lost time.
As always, our only criteria used in generating the list is that the athletes must compete at a school from within one of the nine Bay Area counties, and they must have played in a sport which culminated in a sanctioned section title or reached a national-level of success (i.e., won a national championship or been appointed to a youth national team).
This is Part 1 of the Bay Area 75 rankings, featuring athletes No. 75-51. Part 2 arrives Tuesday and features No. 50-26, and Wednesday’s release will cover No. 25-1. Also, new for this year, we’ve selected 10 underclassmen from this past season that just missed the cut but our favorite for next year’s list. We’re calling it the Bay Area 75 Next Gen.
All sports fans know rankings are an opinion, and certainly subjective. They also spark debate and conversation, which is why we love them. So don’t hesitate to give us your thoughts. We’re looking forward to it.
—Chace Bryson, Editor
2021-22 Bay Area 75 Rankings
75. AMAYA BONNER (Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, Sr.)
Basketball
Bonner wrapped up a stellar four-year Dragons career with a CalHiSports.com All-State Third Team selection after averaging 22.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. The Cal-bound talent was known for rising to the occasion — like her 25-point, 10-rebound effort in a NorCal playoff win over Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Dragons reached the section and regional semifinals.
74. JAMAI EAST (Vanden-Fairfield, Sr.)
Football
If you hadn’t heard of East before the CIF 3-AA State Bowl game, that likely changed afterward. His monster effort that night included catching both TDs and adding two interceptions on defense as the Vikings erased a 13-0 deficit in the final seven minutes to beat Aquinas-San Bernardino 14-13. On the year, East had 14 TD catches, two kick return scores, three sacks and six interceptions (two returned for TDs) for 13-2 Vanden.
73. MEGAN MINTURN (Redwood-Larkspur, Sr.)
Lacrosse
One of the top midfielders in both the region and the country, Minturn helped lead the Giants to their first NCS championship in 2022. She scored three goals in the team’s 14-12 win over San Ramon Valley in the NCS finals. The Michigan-bound star was also named a USA Lacrosse All-American after leading Redwood to a 21-3 mark.
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72. CADEN CARNEY (Tamalpais-Mill Valley, Sr.)
Cross Country, Track
Carney wasted no time in establishing his distance running dominance last fall. The Cal-bound star won the North Coast Section Div. III Championship race by a staggering 18 seconds in a time of 15 minutes, 01 seconds. He was three seconds slower at the CIF State Championship Meet – but it didn’t matter. He still took the Div. III state crown. In track, he was a Marin County Athletic League champion in both the 1600 and 3200 meters.
71. MARI TESTA (Campolindo-Moraga, Jr.)
Track & Field
Quite simply, Testa was the North Coast Section’s fastest female this past spring — and it didn’t matter if there were hurdles in her way. The junior took home section gold in three events, winning the 100 meters AND the 100 hurdles. She picked up a third gold as the lead leg of Campolindo’s champion 400 meter relay team. Testa qualified for the 100 meter finals at the state meet and finished eighth.
70. LUKE DERMON (De La Salle-Concord, Sr.)
Lacrosse, Football
Dermon helped lead two different De La Salle teams to North Coast Section titles this past academic year. He scored 44 goals and added 34 assists en route to earning first team All-East Bay Athletic League honors for the 21-2 Spartans. Those efforts got significantly less headlines than playing quarterback for the school’s 10-3 football team. In his first and only varsity year behind center, Dermon threw for 16 TDs and rushed for 11 more. He’ll play collegiate lacrosse for High Point University in North Carolina.
69. TJ COSTELLO (Dublin, Sr.)
Football, Basketball, Baseball
There will always be a spot on this list for the three-sport grinder, and that’s just what TJ Costello — the proverbial coach’s son/gym rat — was over his four years on the Dublin campus. He closed his Gaels career out in style. In football, he played both ways and racked up more than 1,000 yards of total offense with 13 TDs while also posting 57 tackles with three sacks. He was named first team All-EBAL on offense. He took on a pivotal bench role for his Dad (Tom) and the Dublin basketball team (averaging 5.1 points, 3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals over 19 games.) Finally, in the spring he earned All-EBAL honors on the diamond by hitting .333 and ranking third on the Gaels with 26 hits and second on the team in runs (17), RBI (17) and on-base percentage (.442).
68. JALEN MOSS (Menlo-Atherton-Atherton, Sr.)
Football
Moss was a SportStars All-NorCal offensive selection at wide receiver, though the Fresno State-bound star could’ve easily made the team as an all-purpose selection as well. Quite simply, he was electric everywhere he lined up for the Bears. Moss caught 58 passes for 1,127 yards and 15 TDs. He also had 565 return yards and six interceptions on defense for the 9-3 Bears.
67. GRACE OLIVA (Marin Catholic-Kentfield, Sr.)
Volleyball
A San Diego University-bound outside hitter, Oliva packed some serious punch for the Wildcats over the past few seasons. In her final season with the Wildcats, Oliva pounded out 269 kills and added 176 digs for a Marin Catholic team that went 28-3 and claimed a North Coast Section Division II title on its way to becoming the top seed in the regional championships.
66. TEDDY BOORAS (California-San Ramon, Sr.)
Football, Baseball
Booras excelled in his third and final year under center for the Grizzlies.He led the team to a 8-4 record with 2,377 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. He also rushed for four TDs. In two playoff games, Booras combined to throw for 456 yards, six TDs and zero interceptions. During the spring, he was the school’s everyday shortstop while batting .364 and finishing on the team with 28 hits. He added 13 RBI and 15 runs.
65. GRACYN LOVETTE (Marin Catholic-Kentfield, Sr.)
Basketball, Softball
Her postseason basketball accolades include Marin County Athletic League Player of the Year and the S.F. Chronicle’s North Bay Regional Player of the Year after leading the Wildcats to a 27-4 mark and an NCS Div. IV championship. She then nearly helped the softball team secure its own NCS championship. She provided 15 hits, 10 runs and 11 RBI to a Marin Catholic squad that reached the NCS Div. II final.
64. AUDREY LIDDLE (Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Jr.)
Volleyball
Liddle was the WCAL Co-Most Valuable Player after delivering a team-best 258 kills to a team that finished 38-7. The Monarchs won a Central Coast Section crown and then reached the CIF Open Division state championship match. Liddle ranked second on the team with 199 digs and was also named tournament MVP for the top flight of the Stockton Classic.
63. HASSAN MAHASIN (Serra-San Mateo, Sr.)
Football
Maybe this selection gets some double-takes because of how short Mahasin’s season was before tearing his ACL. He was No. 10 on this list last year after his explosive five-game spring COVID season that earned him multiple player of the year honors. This season he transitioned from running back to receiver and amassed nearly 500 yards of total offense and 10 touchdowns in just three and a half games before the injury. He’ll be fully rehabbed and ready for training camp at San Diego State later this month.
62. COOPER HAN (Menlo School-Atherton, Fr.)
Tennis
Already a 5-star recruit at TennisRecruiting.net, Han was the top seed of the Central Coast Section singles championships bracket. He reached the final before being upset in three setsw by Cupertino’s Tommy Kim. Han will begin his sophomore year considered one of the top junior players in the country, ranking inside the Top 40 nationally and Top 10 in California.
61. OLIVIA DINARDO (Aragon-San Mateo, Sr.)
Softball
DiNardo is making her second consecutive appearance on this list after another monster year for the Dons. The Arizona-bound catcher and corner infielder earned first team All-State honors from CalHiSports.com after hitting over .600 and leading Aragon in hits (40), runs (36), RBI (38), doubles (14) and home runs (9).
60. JAKE CALCAGNO (California-San Ramon, Sr.)
Football
Calcagno was the Cooper Kupp of NorCal football in 2022. No, really. Deceptively quick and a great route-runner, Calcagno won the NorCal triple crown in the big three receiving categories. His 91 catches, 1,456 yards and 20 TD grabs were all unmatched in the region. He will join junior college-power City College of San Francisco this fall.
59. MALCOLM ZALAYET (Marin Academy-San Rafael, So.)
Soccer
Zalayet was the spark plug and playmaker for a Wildcats team which lost in the NCS Div. III title match, only to respond by winning three straight and avenging the loss in the CIF NorCal Div. II final. Zalayet scored two of the team’s three goals in the 3-2 regional championship victory. He finished with 16 goals and eight assists on the season.
58. NATALIE PASCO (San Ramon Valley-Danville, Sr.)
Basketball
Pasco lands on this list for the second straight season as the Boise State-bound talent fueled San Ramon Valley to a Top 15 finish in CalHiSports.com’s final state rankings. She was named second team All-State after averaging a double-double of 20.3 points and 11.2 rebounds. She shot 45 percent from beyond the arc and finished her varsity career (which, remember, was COVID-shortened) with 1,463 points.
57. YUNA MCCORMACK (Tamalpais-Mill Valley, Jr.)
Soccer
The junior midfielder is a Virginia commit and already part of the U.S. Women’s Youth National Team training pool. She scored 15 goals and added eight assists for a Red Hawks squad that went 14-4-6 and reached the NCS Div. I playoffs. McCormack had two hat tricks on the season and also mixed in a game of two goals and three assists.
56. TARYN KERN (Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Sr.)
Softball
Kern will head to the Big 10 this fall to play for Indiana after a senior season that included a SportStars All-NorCal team selection and CalHiSports first-team All-State honors. Kern led the 26-5 Monarchs in hits (49), runs (40), doubles (11) and home runs (13). Four of Mitty’s five losses were to the two teams that played for the CIF Div. I Norcal final (St. Francis-Mountain View and Sheldon-Sacramento).
55. ZACK CARD (Pittsburg, Jr.)
Football, Track & Field
Card recently committed to Oregon State for football. Offers began flooding in for the speedy wideout and defensive back after he caught 36 balls for 738 yards and nine touchdowns — that’s more than 20 yards a catch and finding the end zone one out of every four receptions. During the spring, Card blazed to a second place finish in the NCS 100 meter final, and took fourth in the 200. He grabbed a podium finish at state by taking sixth in the 100.
54. CHARLOTTE EDWARDS (St. Ignatius-S.F., Sr.)
Lacrosse
A lightning rod for the 19-2 West Bay Athletic League and Central Coast Section champions, Edwards was named the WBAL Attacker of the Year and a USA Lacrosse All-American. She will head to the East Coast this fall to play for Lafayette College in the Patriot League.
53. ZOEY ZELLER (Gilroy, Jr.)
Swimming
Among the state’s top swimming recruits for the Class of 2023, Zeller had a very impressive postseason that included double gold at the CCS Championships with wins in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke. The Auburn-commit then competed in the same two events at the CIF State Championship Meet and took silver in the IM and fourth in the breast.
52. NIC BRONZINI (California-San Ramon, Sr.)
Baseball
There was no shortage of preseason hype surrounding the LSU-bound flamethrowing left-hander. He certainly delivered on it, too. Bronzini filled the ace role for the 23-win Grizzlies by going 9-3 with a 1.51 ERA. He had 133 strikeouts and just 26 walks over 74.1 innings of work. Postseason accolades included a SportStars All-NorCal nod and a second team All-State selection from MaxPreps.
51. JAY’VION COLE (McClymonds-Oakland, Sr.)
Football, Track & Field
The CIF Division 3-A State Champion McClymonds football team was built on speed, and Cole was its lead burner. The two-way star was named Oakland Athletic League MVP (along with several other postseason honors) after grabbing 11 touchdown receptions, scoring five return TDs and amassing seven interceptions on defense. On the track, Cole was the OAL runner-up in both the 100 and 200 meters before helping the 400 meter relay take bronze at the CIF State Meet.