Bay Area 75 (2016-17): #25-6

You’re at the third of four segments. If you haven’t seen the previous entries, find them at the following links (or skip ahead to end, if you must): Nos. 75-51 / Nos. 50-26  / Nos. 5-1

Nate Landman

25. NATE LANDMAN
Monte Vista-Danville – Football – Senior
The SportStars NorCal Defensive Player of the Year was the ultimate playmaker for the NCS Div. I champs. The Colorado-signee averaged approximately 12 tackles per game with 32 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three interceptions, seven passes defensed and two forced fumbles. Offensively, he had 577 receiving yards and seven TDs. He also was 2 of 2 as a passer for 116 yards and two TDs.

24. JACQUELINE DISANTO 
Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton – Volleyball – Senior
Perhaps the most well-rounded player in the Central Coast Section, DiSanto helped the Bears go 30-6 overall and reach the CIF State final for the second straight year. She posted 423 kills (3.8 per set), 70 aces and 438 digs. DiSanto will play at Michigan.

Damari Milstead

23. DAMARI MILSTEAD
Moreau Catholic-Hayward – Basketball – Senior
The four-year starter will likely go down as the most decorated and accomplished player in Mariners history. He finished with more than 2,300 career points in 121 games played and led Moreau Catholic to two state finals appearances. In his senior year he averaged 25.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.1 steals.

22. CULLEN KAFKA
De La Salle-Concord – Baseball – Senior
Named by Bay Area News Group as the East Bay Player of the Year, the Oregon-bound pitcher was lights out for the two-time NCS Div. I champs. He was 11-1 on the mound, threw four complete games and had a 1.15 ERA. He struck out 98 in 731/3 innings.

21. MCKENNA GREGORY
Benicia – Softball – Senior
There may not have been a better two-way talent in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Gregory hit .463 with team-bests in hits (44), HR (9) and RBI (41). She went 19-2 with a 1.14 ERA and 204 Ks in 134.2 innings, She had two perfect games as Benicia won the SJS Div. II title.

20. ANTHONY FLORES
Valley Christian-San Jose – Football/Baseball – Senior
Flores was an integral part to both the Warriors’ State Bowl-finalist football team and CCS Open Div. champion baseball team. On the gridiron, he had 42 catches for 748 yds and 10 TD. On the diamond, he hit .321, with 36 hits and a team-best 25 RBI.

Aaron Banks

19. AARON BANKS
El Cerrito – Football – Senior
NorCal’s top-recruited offensive lineman chose Notre Dame from a list of more than 30 major universities vying for his talent and athleticism. He also helped the Gauchos finish 8-4 and win the Tri-County Athletic League’s Rock Division title.

18. MIRANDA HECKMAN
Granada-Livermore – Swimming – Sophomore
Heckman is one of the best freestylers in the state. She won the 200 at the state meet in a time of 1:47.21, and won the 500 in 4:45.28. She set the state meet record in the 500 during the prelims with a time of 4:41.53. She swept both events at sections.

Alexei Sancov

17. ALEXEI SANCOV
Northgate-Walnut Creek – Swimming – Junior
Sancov flirted with national records in being a four-time winner at the NCS meet. That was before he went to the CIF State Championships and set meet records in the 200 freestyle (1:34.25), and 100 freestyle (43.46) as the lead leg to Northgate’s state-champion 400 relay team.

16. HALEY VAN DYKE
Campolindo-Moraga – Basketball – Junior
Van Dyke’s junior season may be hard to top. She averaged 23.9 points, 15.4 rebounds, 4.9 steals, 3.8 assists and 3.5 blocks a game for the CIF Div. III state finalists. Van Dyke set the CIF NorCal regional finals record with 46 points. Her 25 rebounds in the CIF Division III state final tied a CIF title game record.

15. HUNTER SCHILPEROORT
Westmont-Campbell – Baseball – Senior
The dominant two-way player earned multiple Player of the Year honors after posting a 9-2 record with a 0.79 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 79 innings, and logging a pair of postseason shutouts, including a no-hitter against Santa Clara.

Haley Jones

14. HALEY JONES
Archbishop Mitty-San Jose – Basketball – Sophomore
One of the top sophomores in the country, Jones shared the court with a host of Div. I talent and “only” averaged 15.3 points a game. Consider that she shot an amazing 62 percent and 43 percent from beyond the arc while helping her team to the NorCal Open final, and the national reputation makes sense.

13. TARIQ BRACY
Milpitas – Football/Basketball/Baseball – Junior
We’re convinced Bracy could play any position but lineman after the football feats he pulled off in 2016. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark both rushing (1,177, 11 TDs) and receiving (1,036, 13 TDs). Defensively, he posted 46 tackles and five interceptions. He also made contributions to the basketball and baseball teams.

12. KATIE SMOOT
Notre Dame-Belmont – Volleyball – Senior
The Arizona-bound Smoot was the most-feared attacker in NorCal. She had a Central Coast Section-best 630 kills (5.5 per set) to go with 61 aces, 52 blocks and 237 digs for a 32-11 squad.

Julia Blackshell-Fair

11. JULIA BLACKSHELL-FAIR 
Vanden-Fairfield – Basketball – Senior
All Blackshell-Fair did was spark an incredible comeback in the state championship game against Mater Dei-Santa Ana by dominating in the fourth quarter — capped with a steal and layup to give Vanden a lead it never lost. The Houston-commit averaged 16.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4 steals.

10. JACK NEWMAN
Analy-Sebastopol – Football/Basketball/Baseball – Senior
Newman began his season by earning his second SportStars All-NorCal QB selection in as many years. He completed 70 percent of his passes for a NorCal-best 4,488 yards and 55 TDs with just five interceptions. In the winter he played for the 25-7 Tigers. In the spring, he hit .407 with 14 RBI while going 5-1 on the mound with a 2.14 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 32.2 innings.

Briana Perez

9. BRIANA PEREZ 
Alhambra-Martinez – Softball – Senior
Perez was named the Bay Area News Group’s East Bay Player of the Year after another ridiculous offensive campaign for the Bulldogs. Among the top-ranked infielders in the country, the UCLA-bound standout hit .592 and drove in 36 runs with 10 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 41 runs scored and 23 stolen bases.

8. COOPER TEARE 
St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda – Cross Country/Track & Field – Senior
Teare was unequivocally the best distance runner in the state. He first won the Div. V race at the CIF State Cross Country Championships, setting the state course record. In the spring, he nearly became the 11th high school runner to break the 4-minute barrier when he ran a 4:00.66 at the Mt. Sac Relays.

Ronnie Rivers

7. RONNIE RIVERS
Freedom-Oakley – Football/Track & Field – Senior
The Fresno State-bound Rivers was SportStars All-NorCal co-Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 2,239 yards and 33 TDs. He also had two receiving TDs, two kick return TDs and passed for a score. He won the Bay Valley Athletic League MVP.

Tim Tague

6. TIM TAGUE 
Miramonte-Orinda – Football/Baseball – Senior
Tague pulled off two very impressive seasons for the Matadors. In football, the standout QB passed for 3,085 yards and 43 TDs. He also rushed for 352 yards and four more scores as Miramonte finished 9-3. During baseball, Tague earned co-league MVP honors as he produced a stellar 13-0 pitching record to go with a 0.81 ERA. He also hit .368 at the plate as the Matadors won their first 27 games of the season before falling 4-3 in the NCS Div. III final.

Continue on to #5-1