ALL-AREA FOOTBALL: Pierce's Garcia leads offense

On a record-setting night in October, while battling the frigid night air of Siskiyou County, Isaiah Garcia kept thinking about the heat of August.

The everyday commute from his home in Dunnigan to the 24-Hour Fitness in Woodland, morning trips to the park to practice plyometric drills, studying the nuances of Pierce High’s newly-installed triple-option offense, Garcia’s dedication over the summer was paying off up at Mt. Shasta High.

Every carry, all 29 of them, had a purpose that evening for the 17-year-old senior tailback. Sure, the style of his runs were different. There was his head-on, run-you-over approach, or he just juked defenders out of their shoes. If he felt like showing mercy he would just rattle off a 45-yard touchdown run to make things quick.

Garcia found multiple ways to rush for his school-record 307 yards that night and by the time he scored his fifth touchdown, he knew he had made history.

Well, that was until two weeks later when he scored six touchdowns against Trinity.

“Basically, if you give him a hole he’ll find it,” said Pierce senior offensive lineman Andrew Diaz. “He’s a great runner, knows how to read the holes. He’s the quickest runner I’ve seen in high school.”

A sentiment shared by many who faced Garcia this season.

He led Pierce to its best season since the program went undefeated and won a section championship in 2004.

On the way there, he carried the ball 196 times for 28 touchdowns and a Northern Section-leading 2,079 yards. That single-season rushing total ranks ninth all-time in the section’s record book and is the school record.

In the annals of Pierce football, Garcia’s career rushing total of 3,234 yards only ranks behind Jake Honsvick, a two-time Appeal-Democrat All-Area Offensive Player of the Year (2003, 2004).

Now Garcia joins Honsvick as the only Pierce football players to be named the A-D’s top offensive player after  an impressive 2011 season.

“He has the things you can’t teach,” said A-D Coach of the Year Scott Burnum. “Our offense pretty much went through him. He got better every year.”

Garcia totaled 1,155 yards as a junior in 2010. This season, offensive coordinator (and the best quarterback in school history) Chuck Wayman implemented the antiquated-yet-effective triple-option as a way to compensate for an undersized offensive line.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Garcia flourished in the system, averaging a little more than 10 yards per carry. Garcia isn’t the biggest back, but the deception-based offensive attack allowed him to sneak up on defenders.

Quarterback Taylor Cabral was the beneficiary as the senior completed more than 50 percent of his passes. Though he rarely had to throw, Cabral said Garcia’s run threat opened up the passing game.

“He’s a hard runner and hard to take down,” Cabral said. “It didn’t matter what guys were guarding him he still broke free.”

Garcia learned that skill set from the various football camps he attended, beginning in sixth grade.

He started out in youth football as a defensive lineman, before making the gradual transitions from wide receiver, to tight end, to fullback, and finally tailback.

This month he will play in a senior all-star showcase at Cowboys Stadium in Texas. He hopes to play for a NCAA program next year.

“(Football) has been a big part of my life,” Garcia said. “Just the competition, hitting people, the intensity and the rush that you get from it, I love it.”

Garcia helped revive a Bears program that, despite winning a section title seven years ago, was rebuilding its reputation.

The Bears went 0-10 Garcia’s freshman year and 1-9 the year before that.

After a 4-6 finish in 2010, Burnum instituted a new level of accountability in the program.

Every player wore a wrist band this season that read, “Bear Pride” and nobody was allowed to have their name on the back of their jersey. The message was clear: One team, one family.

“We got real close with each other this year,” Garcia said. “A lot of it was staying focused and never looking past anybody.”

Garcia was named co-Offensive MVP of the Sacramento Valley League and selected to the All-Northern Section second team, as chosen by North State media members.

He placed his stamp in Arbuckle, but now it’s back to work.

Back to the gym every day, back to early-morning drills, back to conditioning. The next goal to run after is a spot with a college football program.

“I’m pretty excited to see where it takes me and how far I can go with it,” Garcia said.  “Maybe I can go somewhere big with it.”

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

A program known more for its smash-mouth running attack, Live Oak received a shot in the arm this season from junior Romario Acosta.

After two years of running the spread at the JV level, Acosta brought versatility to the Lions’ offense this season.

The lefty completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,198 yards. He threw 13 touchdown passes compared to just one interception, finishing the year with a 146 quarterback rating.

When he wasn’t burning opposing defenses with his left arm, Acosta led the Lions with 11 rushing touchdowns, while picking up 407 yards on the ground.

Defensively, Acosta was a standout at safety with two interceptions and 4.8 tackles per game.

He was selected to both the All-SVL first team and All-Northern Section second team.

RUNNING BACKS

Picking up right where he left off as a sophomore in 2010, Marysville junior tailback Cole Hannum is back on the A-D’s All-Area squad for the second consecutive season.

He rushed for 1,827 yards this season, easily leading the Golden Empire League. That total was the eighth-best mark in the Sac-Joaquin Section.

Hannum also rushed for 16 TDs.

He was selected as MVP of the GEL, not only for his prowess at tailback, but his standout abilities at linebacker. He made 10.5 tackles per game (105 total).

The 6-2, 220-pounder was the only local athlete to earn a spot on the Sacramento Bee’s All-Metro squad as an honorable mention.

Another record-setting back joins Hannum on the first team: Sutter senior Elijah Smith.

A wing back in Sutter’s wing-T attack, Smith’s speed and agility made him a home-run threat every time he touched the ball.

He averaged almost 10 yards per carry, rushing for 1,089 yards this season. He scored 13 rushing touchdowns and four more receiving. He caught eight balls for 224 yards.

This season he became Sutter’s all-time leading rusher, an impressive stat considering he only carried the ball 113 times this year. He was a first team All-Butte View League selection.

WIDE RECEIVERS

The Northern Section leader in touchdown receptions this season, Gridley senior Kevin Mattos makes his second straight All-Area team.

Mattos’ 14 touchdown grabs and 63 total catches both led the section. He amassed 963 yards receiving this season and averaged 15 yards per catch.

Aside from his skills at receiver, Mattos was a major weapon on special teams, averaging 18 yards per kick return and 10 yards per punt return.

Defensively he led the Bulldogs with three interceptions.

Mattos was an All-BVL first teamer and All-Northern Section second-team selection.

The BVL’s other top wideout was Wheatland senior Haydon Liessman.

He averaged a staggering 24 yards per catch with 889 yards on 36 receptions this year.

Liessman was Wheatland’s top playmaker in the passing game all season and consistently targeted on third-down situations and in the red zone (nine TD grabs).

Like Mattos, Liessman was also a standout on defense with three picks and seven passes defended this year.

Liessman was an All-BVL selection.

TIGHT END

Hannum wasn’t the only weapon in Marysville’s offense this season.

Senior tight end Mac Asurmendi led the GEL in receiving this year with 348 yards on 20 catches and four touchdown receptions.

When he wasn’t clearing a path for Hannum to run down, Asurmendi was the Indians’ safety valve in the passing game with a reliable set of hands.

He was an All-GEL first-team pick.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Speaking of opening holes for Hannum, the anchor of Marysville’s offensive line was senior Anthony Velasquez.

An All-GEL performer, Velasquez helped the Indians amass 2,697 yards rushing this season with 245 yards per game on the ground.

He was also voted the team’s most valuable offensive lineman.

Acosta’s season for Live Oak wouldn’t have happened if not for the great protection he received from senior tackle Steven Lair.

A 250-pound wall, Lair gave Acosta plenty of time to throw all those passes this season and helped the Lions average 238 yards rushing per game.

He was an All-SVL selection.

Sutter put up impressive offensive numbers this season as well (see Smith’s stats above) and senior guard Jeff Bradley was a key reason why.

A 6-1, 220-pounder, Bradley excelled in the unique blocking schemes of the wing-T, helping the Huskies reach the Northern Section Division II championship.

His efforts led to a first-team All-BVL nod.

Yuba City senior right tackle Christian Diaz earned a second consecutive spot on the All-Area squad by helping the Honkers’ veer offense average 248 yards rushing per game.

Rounding out the O-line is Pierce senior Andrew Diaz, an All-SVL selection.

Coach Scott Burnum said the Bears ran behind Diaz all season en route to averaging more than 300 yards per game on the ground.

Burnum said Diaz was a huge reason why Garcia had his record-setting season.

ALL-PURPOSE

In this section, we recognize the athletes who excelled on both sides of the ball and literally never came off the field.

On a roster of 21 players, everybody has to do their share. At Maxwell, nobody exemplified this more than senior Brett Cabral.

This is Cabral’s second straight All-Area selection as an all-purpose player and rightfully so.

He was the Mountain Valley League’s Offensive MVP with 784 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns, though two of his games were canceled because Los Molinos disbanded its football program.

Cabral also caught 17 balls for 175 yards and another two scores.

At linebacker, he ranked ninth in the Northern Section with 11 tackles per game. He also returned kicks for the Panthers.

Another do-it-all athlete was River Valley’s Derek Zaragoza, an All-Tri-County Conference pick at wide receiver with 267 yards receiving and three touchdown catches.

At cornerback he led the Falcons with two interceptions, six passes defended and three fumble recoveries. Zaragoza also averaged nearly 17 yards per kick return.

Also a jack-of-all-trades, Yuba City’s James Van Dusen joined Zaragoza on the TCC’s first team.

Van Dusen caught 27 balls for 481 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 220 yards and saw time at quarterback. Defensively, he started at safety.

Fellow Honker Anthony Fleenor was an All-TCC first teamer, splitting time at tight end and linebacker.

His 9.4 tackles per game ranked third in the TCC and at tight end he made 22 receptions for 246 yards and four touchdowns. He was also Yuba City’s punter.