DEFENSIVE LINE

First team

Nemyah Telona, De La Salle, 6-2, 285, senior: Cal commit had 30 tackles, seven for loss, and three sacks as the anchor of De La Salle’s defensive line. East Bay Athletic League Mountain Division first-teamer.

Dakota Dickson, Monte Vista, 6-4, 280, senior: Two-way lineman finished with 18 total tackles and four for loss. Signed with SMU.

Koi Taiese, McClymonds, 6-3, 295, senior: San Diego State signee and massive trenches anchor led the Warriors to the CIF 3-A state championship game.

DJ Sanchez, Archbishop Riordan, 6-1, 210, junior: Three-star player finished the year with 13 sacks, 33 quarterback hurries and 52 tackles, 20 for loss. WCAL D-lineman of the year and first-teamer.

Second team

Palmer Riley, Menlo School, 6-4, 250, senior: AL Bay defensive player of the year and Vanderbilt commit had 74 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and five forced fumbles.

Cole Goldsworthy, Amador Valley, 6-6, 220, senior: Recent UNLV decommit and three-star player led Dons to a co-EBAL Mountain championship. EBAL Mountain first-teamer.

Japheth Tofaeono, Pittsburg, 6-1, 215, senior: Dynamic defender finished the year with 97 tackles, 23 for loss, four sacks and 20 quarterback hurries. Added a fumble recovery.

Mickey Williams, Sacred Heart Cathedral, 6-5, 210, senior: Long, rangy three-star player had 24 tackles (four for loss), a sack, a fumble recovery and five quarterback hurries while anchoring the edge of SHC’s D-line.

Honorable mention

Jiraiya Bellamy, Sacred Heart Cathedral, junior; Federico-Mario Cobarubio, Valley Christian, senior; Sione Fanaika, Archbishop Riordan, senior; Colby Faumui, Santa Teresa, senior; Xander Grayson, Serra, senior; Jeziah Gonzalez, San Jose, sophomore; Xavier Hernandez, Silver Creek, sophomore; Gabriel Jimenez Yanez, Christopher, senior; Tucker Jones, St. Ignatius, senior; Cole Krings, Los Gatos, junior; Carlos Latu, Woodside, junior; Jordan Lavulo, Menlo-Atherton, senior; Israel Lopez, San Leandro, senior; Viliami Lotoaniu, Liberty, senior; Tywan Melrose, Hayward, senior; Ose Oriabure, Bishop O’Dowd, senior; Vince Parmann, Half Moon Bay, junior; Joseph Paasi, Wilcox, junior; Tekiteki Pekipaki, Santa Teresa, senior; Omri Phillips, Lincoln-San Jose, junior; Aaron Pita, Aragon, senior; Agustin Sedano, Irvington, senior; Johnathan Soudah, Hillsdale, senior; Ha’angana Tau, Pittsburg, junior; Tevita Taupaki, James Logan, junior; Peyton Thomas, Serra, senior; Siaosi Vai, Christopher, senior; Matthew Williams, Leigh, senior; Trevon West, Pittsburg, senior.

LINEBACKERS

First team

Bubba Vargas, De La Salle, 5-9, 210, senior: defensive heartbeat of the Spartans finished with 65 tackles, 10 1/2 for loss, two sacks and an interception. EBAL Mountain defensive player of the year.

Chase Cahoon, St. Francis, 6-1, 215, senior: Stanford commit anchored Lancers’ defense during a reset year, distinguishing himself with 91 tackles (five for loss), half a sack and one pass broken up. WCAL linebacker of the year.

Zachary Kleppin, Archbishop Riordan, 6-3, 220, senior: Finished with 53 tackles, 21 for loss, 20 quarterback hurries, an interception, a pass deflection and 14 sacks to lead Riordan’s defense as the Crusaders reached the CIF NorCal 1-AA championship game against Folsom.

Oc Lehner, Bishop O’Dowd, 6-2, 220, junior: Finished with 71 tackles, three for loss, a fumble recovery and an interception in leading O’Dowd to the CIF 5-AA state championship.

Second team

Santino Barragan, Wilcox, 5-9, 180, senior: Finished with 83 tackles, nine for loss, five sacks and a fumble recovery. Also contributed on offense with 174 yards and three TDs, plus a fumble return score.

Deonte Littlejohn, Acalanes, 6-2, 220, senior: Physical presence for Acalanes team that had 10-0 regular season and made NCS Open/Division I semifinals, losing to Cardinal Newman. Finished with 47 tackles, 8 1/2 for loss, 7 1/2 sacks, 641 rush yards, 13 TDs and two blocked field goals.

Aaron Maier, Serra, 6-2, 200, senior: Finished with 46 tackles, 5 1/2 for loss, and one pass deflection while helping the Padres capture the CCS Division I championship.

Jared Newman, Los Gatos, 5-11, 195, junior: Tackling machine compiled 124 stops for the PAL Bay champs, adding 10 tackles for loss, a sack, four quarterback hurries and an interception.

Honorable mention

Richard Arechiga, Santa Teresa, senior; Ethan Castaneda, Castro Valley, senior; Ethan Chase, Archbishop Mitty, senior; James Elliott, Sacred Heart Cathedral, senior; Xavier Fatu, Pittsburg, senior; Carson Fife, Clayton Valley, senior; Theodore Gaoteote, James Logan, senior; Isaiah Grant, Archbishop Riordan, sophomore; Christopher Hanley, Overfelt, senior; Cameren Hubler, Antioch, junior; Caden Kelly, Archbishop Mitty, senior; Austin Krug, Los Gatos, senior; Nathaniel Mendoza, Heritage, junior; Andrew Miller, Bellarmine, senior; Dylan Modena, Serra, junior; Isaac Pech, Woodside, senior; Tyler Purcell, Los Gatos, senior; Urian Ramirez, Lincoln-San Jose, junior; Anthony Rocha, Live Oak, senior; Anden Rogers, Live Oak, senior; Cole Scott, San Ramon Valley, sophomore; Matei Tau, Menlo-Atherton, senior; Skylar Tiatia, Archbishop Riordan; senior Justin Turner, The King’s Academy, senior.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

First team

Charlie Ball, St. Ignatius, 6-0, 185, senior: Versatile and a captain for SI defense that won the CIF 3-AA state championship. Had 129 tackles, 13 1/2 for loss, six sacks, two pass deflections and two interceptions, including a 65-yard pick-six in the Wildcats’ CCS Division II championship win over Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Truly Bell, Pittsburg, 6-1, 170, junior: Fresno State commit had 32 tackles, one for loss, a QB hurry, nine passes defended and two interceptions. Also contributed offensively, catching four TD passes and gaining 135 yards.

Rahsjon Duncan, McClymonds, 6-1, 186, senior: Four-star Washington commit returned from injury late in the season to help Mack reach CIF 3-A state title game. Dynamic playmaker played both ways as standout wide receiver and corner.

Tyran Hicks, St. Ignatius, 5-11, 165, senior: Talented DB and Idaho State commit finished with 49 tackles, two for loss, three interceptions and one pass deflection. Also had 209 yards receiving.

Second team

Nehemiah Fungula, Amador Valley, 6-1, 175, senior: Defensive leader at safety snagged an interception and also contributed offensively for the co-EBAL Mountain champs. EBAL Mountain first-teamer.

Hudson Schrader, Los Gatos, 6-2, 190, senior: Ball-hawking safety grabbed four interceptions while also adding 84 tackles. PAL Bay defensive back of the year.

Kai Sniffen, Archbishop Mitty, 6-1, 190, senior: Versatile linebacker/safety hybrid player had five interceptions with 156 return yards and a 90-yard pick-six. Added 28 tackles, including 2 1/2 for loss, three pass deflections and a forced fumble. Also had 334 receiving yards and caught six touchdown passes.

Grant Ricker, Acalanes, 6-2, 190, senior: Made 20 tackles and had seven interceptions to lead much-improved Acalanes defense. Had a pick-six and also caught five TD passes and had 472 yards receiving.

Honorable mention

Jeremiah Arevalos, Wilcox, senior; Zakir Armstrong, Arroyo, senior; Fernando Benavides, South San Francisco, senior; Landyn Cole, Alameda, senior; Cole Canter, Leland, junior; Ambrose Carroll, Bishop O’Dowd, senior; Preston Chow, Hillsdale, senior; Connor Christensen, Pioneer, junior; JayAr Davis, Menlo School, sophomore; Christian Duarte, Branham, senior; Aaron Duncan, The King’s Academy, junior; Justice Edwards, Hayward, sophomore; Emiliano Garcia, Gilroy, senior; Shylon Green Jr., James Logan, senior; Gavin Guerrero, Evergreen Valley, senior; Joseph Henry, Gunderson, sophomore; Miles Huntington, Leigh, senior; William (AJ) Jackson, Moreau Catholic, senior; Gavin Jordan, Los Gatos, senior; Toby Lauer, Leigh, senior; James Perez Rodas, Prospect, senior; Isaiah Tela, MacDonald, senior; Gabriel YellowHorse Ruiz, Sobrato, senior.

UTILITY

First team

Aidan Akery, Willow Glen, 6-0, 180, senior: Leading passer, second-leading rusher and sometime defensive player for team that won second straight BVAL Santa Teresa-Valley Division title.

Michael Murphy, Branham, 5-10, 175, senior: Running back with dynamic receiving and return ability ran for 1,831 yards, caught 29 passes for 435 and finished with 2,460 all-purpose yards. Had a 90-yard kickoff return TD and scored 31 TDs overall.

Jaylen Malcom, Santa Teresa, 5-8, 150, senior: Heart-and-soul player of Santa Teresa’s squad finished with 1,263 rushing yards, 275 receiving yards and 1,728 all-purpose yards. Also contributed on defense with a pick-six and multiple tackles.

Montrell Rice-Tuigamala, Tennyson, 6-0, 230, senior: Two-way player ran for 1,740 yards and had 85 tackles to lead Tennyson on both sides of the ball. Also completed a pass, caught three and returned select punts and kickoffs.

Andre Armendariz, Dublin, 5-9, 195 senior: Consistent performer on the ground who finished with 1,504 yards. Also caught 20 passes for 374 yards.

Second team

Teddy Dacey, Menlo-Atherton, 5-11, 175, senior: Dual-threat QB ran for 276 yards and threw for 1,950, leading M-A to a regional title game.

Elijah Vallejo, Wilcox, 6-0, 180, junior: Junior two-way player took over the mantle as Wilcox’s leading running back, finishing with 734 yards. Also was a key part of the defense, making 33 tackles, recovering two fumbles and snagging an interception.

Lukas Fitzgerald, San Mateo, 6-1, 200, junior: Played key role in San Mateo’s offense, rushing for 1,605 yards and throwing for 359 to produce 23 TDs. Also made nine tackles and had a pass deflection defensively.

Lamont McDonald, Hayward, 6-0, 160, junior: Emerged late in the season and had multiple huge games to help Hayward secure league title. Finished with 914 rushing yards, 553 receiving yards, 16 tackles and an interception.

Blake Zanger, Leigh, 5-10, 170, senior: Co-most outstanding offensive player of the year in the BVAL Mt. Hamilton Division rushed for 1,533 yards and caught 13 passes for 205 yards.

Honorable mention

Christopher Amann, Willow Glen, senior; Antonio Campbell III, Mt. Diablo, senior; Brandon Cheng, Cupertino, senior; Ian Garrick, Bishop O’Dowd, senior; Dax Gordon, Northgate, senior; Siaosi Hautau, MacDonald, senior; Graham Ischo, Monta Vista, senior; Cannon Jenkins, El Cerrito, sophomore; Thomas Jouvenot-Sells, Benicia, senior; JJ Lange, Woodside, sophomore; Evan Passama, Gilroy, senior; Joseph Silva, Yerba Buena, junior; Austin Snead, Terra Nova, senior; Brandon Stewart, Oak Grove, senior; Zach Tabibian, Clayton Valley, senior; Kingston Tagaloa, Overfelt, senior; Cole Treleaven, Westmont, senior; Michael Whitelaw, Lincoln-San Jose, junior.

KICKERS/PUNTERS

First team

Zach Brien, Bishop O’Dowd, 6-2, 170, junior: Five-star kicker and top kicker in the nation by Chris Sailer Kicking made 3 of 5 field goals and 46 of 48 PATs. Had 55 touchbacks on 62 kickoffs, which tied for the best mark in California. Averaged 40.6 yards per punt with 3.9 seconds of hang time.

Saul Marks, Serra, 6-0, 160, senior: Senior used strong right foot to convert 12 of 17 field goals, with a long of 53 (twice) plus a 52-yarder and a pair of 48-yarders. Generated touchbacks on 58 of 79 kickoffs and made 42 of 46 PATs. Averaged 43.8 yards per punt.

Second team

Thomas McKeon, St. Ignatius, 6-3, 180, senior: Made 40-yard field goal as time expired to win Central Coast Section Division II championship over rival Sacred Heart Cathedral. Converted 6 of 7 field goals and 47 of 50 extra points.

Elijah Delgado, Livermore, 5-10, 185, junior: Made 11 of 16 field goals with a long of 38 yards. Converted 31 of 36 PATs.

Honorable mention

Nathan Fox, Sacred Heart Prep, senior; Cody Houghtelling, Arroyo, senior; Joseph Mirabal, Washington-Fremont, senior; Ricky Miramontes, Milpitas, senior; Manny Navarro, Woodside, senior; Luis Rodriguez, Pittsburg, senior; Justin Uribarri, De La Salle, senior.

HOW THE TEAM WAS CHOSEN

The Bay Area News Group’s high school sports staff chooses the team. The capsules were written by Nathan Canilao and Christian Babcock.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

Those eligible for all-BANG honors come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.