Merced-area football Player of the Year candidates emerge as season hits stretch run
There’s plenty still on the line in the final four weeks of the regular season with Merced-area high school football teams making their final pushes for league championships and trying to secure playoff spots.
We’ve seen plenty of players stand out along the way.
Going into Friday’s games, here’s a look at some Merced Sun-Star Player of the Year candidates at this point in the season:
Daijon O’Neil, Stone Ridge Christian
The Knights sophomore went over the century mark for the season last week and is second in the Sac-Joaquin Section with 1,064 rushing yards this season.
His 11 rushing touchdowns also rank near the top in the section and he’s topped 100 yards on the ground five times.
O’Neil also has three interceptions on defense.
Reyes Diaz, Le Grand
The Bulldogs senior has been on fire the last two weeks, racking up 10 catches for 324 yards and seven touchdowns in wins over Waterford and Denair.
Diaz is sixth in the Sac-Joaquin Section with 590 yards receiving and third in the section with 11 touchdowns this season.
Caden Bailey, Hilmar
The Yellowjackets star shifted from quarterback to slot receiver and running back a couple weeks ago. He showed his big-play abilities last week against Livingston with a 95-yard touchdown run and a 95-yard kickoff return.
Bailey has rushed for 807 yards and eight touchdowns and hopes to lead the Yellowjackets to a second consecutive Trans-Valley League championship.
Jonah White, Golden Valley
The Cougars star has his team in position to compete for a playoff spot. White has hauled in 35 catches for 565 yards and nine touchdowns, and had some of his biggest games against the Cougars toughest opponents. He had a two-touchdown game against Escalon, and 11 catches and 154 yards against Merced.
White ranks eighth in the Sac-Joaquin section in receiving yards and fourth in the section in receiving touchdowns.
David Herrera, Los Banos
The dual-threat quarterback has the Tigers in contention for a second consecutive Western Athletic Conference championship.
Herrera has carried the ball 91 times for 790 yards and seven touchdowns to go a long with 716 yards passing and eight more touchdowns.
Andre Flores, Dos Palos
The Broncos sophomore has topped 100 yards on the ground in five of six games. Flores has rushed for 947 yards and 12 touchdowns to help the Broncos start out 5-1.
Flores ranks seventh in rushing yards in the Central Section and his 12 rushing touchdowns rank fifth in the section.
Quintell Dupree, Merced
The Bears quarterback has come on strong the past few games to help Merced surge to the top of the Central California Conference standings.
Last week, Dupree found the end zone with a couple touchdown passes, a run and a reception. He’s been a dual-threat option for the Bears, who have scored 131 points in their last three games.
Davian Stephenson, Chowchilla
The Tribe junior seems to be handling the switch to quarterback after throwing five touchdowns in a win against Riverdale last week.
Stephenson switched from receiver after teammate Benson Soares injured his knee in the first week and was sidelined for the rest of the season.
Stephenson has thrown for 581 yards and 14 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He’s added 224 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Abel Bravo, Pacheco
It’s been a tough season for the Panthers, but Bravo has put up big numbers despite drawing the focus of opposing defenses.
The senior running back has rushed for 640 yards and nine touchdowns in six games this season.
Chase Smith, Merced
The Bears running back is averaging 100 yards rushing per game in the five games he’s played and he could be picking up steam late in the season after an injury sidelined him for a game earlier in the year.
The Bears could be headed for a top four seed in the playoffs, which could lead to a long playoff run, which could give Smith some extra time to make up ground on some of the other candidates.
Games this week:
El Capitan at Merced
Central Valley at Golden Valley
Atwater at Patterson
Los Banos at Johansen
Ceres at Pacheco
Hilmar at Ripon
Hughson at Livingston
Ripon Christian at Le Grand
Waterford at Gustine
Orestimba at Delhi
Denair at Mariposa
Stone Ridge Christian at Lindhurst
Dos Palos at Mendota
Fowler at Chowchilla
This story was originally published October 5, 2023 at 10:50 PM.
