High School Football: All-CIF honors abound

Corona del Mar High center Giovanni Gentosi earned the CIF Southern Section Southern Division Offensive Player of the Year award and CdM defensive end Parker Chase the Defensive Player of the Year award for leading the Sea Kings to a historic football season.

Gentosi and Chase are two of 10 CdM players to make All-CIF after the Sea Kings claimed their second straight undefeated Pacific Coast League title, their third straight CIF Southern Section Southern Division title, and their first CIF State Division III title.

Corona del Mar’s Scott Meyer received the CIF Southern Section Southern Division Coach of the Year honor for the third straight season. Meyer became the first high school coach in California to guide a football team to a 16-0 season.

Newport Harbor senior wide receiver Quest Truxton is one of four Sailors on the All-CIF Southern Section Southwest Division team. Newport Harbor finished tied for second in the Sunset League and reached the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division final, its first section title-game appearance since 2005.

Costa Mesa senior tailback Oronde Crenshaw is one of four Mustangs garnering All-CIF Southern Section Southern Division accolades. Costa Mesa finished undefeated in Orange Coast League play and reached the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs.

Corona del Mar’s All-CIF honorees include senior quarterback Luke Napolitano, junior tailback Cole Martin, junior receivers Cole Collins and Bo St. Geme, senior right guard Brett Olson, junior cornerback Brett Greenlee, senior safety Charlie Griffin and junior defensive tackle Justin Hess. The Sea Kings, who went 5-0 in league, defeated Garden Grove, 42-21, in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division final at Orange Coast College and they knocked off Atherton Sacred Heart Prep, 27-15, in the CIF State Division III Bowl Game at the StubHub Center in Carson.

Newport Harbor’s other three All-CIF picks are senior left tackle Ramsey Hufford, junior quarterback Cole Norris and senior cornerback Cory Stowell. They helped the Sailors go 8-6, 3-2 in league. Newport Harbor lost to Huntington Beach, 42-28, in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division final at Angel Stadium.

The three other All-CIF selections from Costa Mesa (7-4, 5-0 in league) are senior guard Marco Zalpa, senior outside linebacker Quinton Bell and senior defensive end Joseph Quiroz.

Gentosi, a three-year starter, went 40-4 as a starter, including ending his career with 26 straight victories. The Sea Kings’ 26-game winning streak is currently the longest in the state.

Gentosi, a two-time All-CIF selection, earned the Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team Player of the Year and Pacific Coast League MVP awards, and first-team All-Orange County honors. The Sea Kings averaged 219.1 rushing yards, 171.9 passing yards and 34.3 points per game.

Gentosi is the third straight CdM player in as many years to be named the CIF Southern Section Southern Division Offensive Player of the Year.

Chase registered 16 sacks, two shy of CdM’s single-season record. He totaled 97 tackles with one interception, four fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown) and three forced fumbles.

Chase, a member first-team All-Orange County and All-Pacific Coast League representative, played a key role for a CdM defense that allowed just 9.6 points per game.

Napolitano, a two-time All-CIF pick, set CdM single-season school records for passing yards (2,645) and completions (197). He threw for 25 touchdowns, with 11 interceptions, and completed 62.3% of his passes.

Napolitano’s career numbers for passing yards (2,703) and completions (203) rank No. 1 at CdM.

Napolitano, also a first-team All-Pacific Coast League selection who shared the Dream Team Offensive Player of the Year award, rushed for 272 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Martin set CdM single-season records for rushing yards (1,870), rushing touchdowns (21) and total points (126). He was second-team All-Orange County, first-team All-Pacific Coast League and a Dream Team honoree.

Collins set CdM single-season records for receptions (60) and receiving yards (1,000). He had eight touchdown catches.

Collins was first-team All-Pacific Coast League and a Dream Team honoree.

St. Geme tied the CdM single-season record for catches with 60. He finished with 750 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns.

St. Geme is a first-team All-Pacific Coast League and Dream Team pick.

Greenlee had 45 tackles, three interceptions and two blocked field goals, one of which he returned 51 yards for a touchdown. He earned first-team All-Pacific Coast League and Dream Team honors.

Griffin, a second-team All-PCL choice and a Dream Team member, totaled 65 tackles and one interception.

Hess, a second-team All-Pacific Coast League member, had 87 tackles, 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

Truxton set Newport Harbor single-season records for receptions (83), receiving yards (1,325) and receiving touchdowns (17). He produced 20 total touchdowns, including a 60-yard interception return, a 45-yard interception return and a blocked field goal return of 66 yards.

Truxton was first-team All-Orange County, Sunset League Offensive Player of the Year and Dream Team All-Purpose Player of the Year.

Truxton, who also stood out at cornerback and as a returner, averaged 166.3 all-purpose yards per game.

Hufford, a two-time All-CIF selection, anchored Newport Harbor’s eighth trip to the CIF Southern Section finals under Coach Jeff Brinkley. He garnered first-team All-Orange County accolades, shared the Sunset League Defensive Lineman of the Year award, and won the Dream Team Lineman of the Year award.

Hufford plans to play collegiately at UC Davis.

Norris passed for 2,959 yards and 27 touchdowns, stats that rank No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, in Newport Harbor single-season annals. He finished 98 yards shy of the school’s single-season record of 3,057 set by Shane Foley in 1985.

Norris earned second-team All-Orange County and Dream Team laurels, and shared the Sunset League Offensive Back of the Year award.

Stowell intercepted six passes, made 53 tackles and blocked two kicks.

Stowell, who earned first-team All-Orange County, Sunset League Defensive Back of the Year and Dream Team honors, also excelled at receiver. He made 83 catches, a Newport Harbor single-season school record, for 1,074 yards and nine touchdowns.

Crenshaw rushed 222 times for 1,971 yards and 28 touchdowns. His 32 total touchdowns, including three kickoff returns, set a single-season school record.

Crenshaw, who is leaning toward Arizona State, received first-team All-Orange County, Orange Coast League MVP and Dream Team Defensive Player of the Year laurels.

As a middle linebacker, Crenshaw had 120 tackles, four interceptions, one of which he returned 72 yards for a touchdown, and three forced fumbles.

Zalpa anchored Costa Mesa’s ground attack that averaged 277.5 yards per game. He was named the Orange Coast League Lineman of the Year and made the Dream Team.

Bell, a first-team All-Orange Coast League and Dream Team pick, returned two interceptions for touchdowns. He made 38 tackles, three for losses.

Bell also had 21 catches for 453 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver.

Quiroz, the Orange Coast League Defensive Player of the Year and Dream Team selection, totaled 107 tackles, 17 for losses, 8.5 sacks, 25 hurries, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.