St. Francis senior Lawson Orradre is a man of few words. This season, he let his actions speak for itself whenever he hit the football field.
The Sharks’ senior recorded a team-high 53 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks and two forced fumbles in nine games played. He racked up 320 yards and three touchdowns on 31 receptions as a tight end along with 413 yards and seven touchdowns on 66 carries.
His accomplishments on both sides of the ball was more than enough to earn him this year’s All-Pajaronian’s Most Valuable Player.
Orradre helped a depleted Sharks team make great strides throughout the season. They finished the season with a 7-3 overall record and they went 5-1 in league play, finishing as the runner-up to Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia champ Pacific Grove.
St. Francis began the season with just 12 players on the roster but Orradre’s efforts on the field helped it become one of the most improved teams within the division.
Orradre’s numbers were good enough to be named the All-Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia division Defensive Player of the Year.
Orradre was also named to the all-league first team for both offense (tight end) and defense (defensive lineman).
Here’s a breakdown of the All-Pajaronian High School Football Team starting with the offensive positions.
Quarterback – Nathan Renggli, Monte Vista Christian, (Sr.): The Mustangs’ senior put together an outstanding offensive performance under center this season. He finished with nearly 2,000 passing yards and 20 touchdowns for M.V.C.
Renggli also got it done with his legs by racking up 300 rushing yards and five touchdowns, which earned him a spot on the All-PCAL Mission division First Team.
Rengglis led the Mustangs to a six-game win streak and a share of the PCAL Mission division title with Seaside and Alisal.
Running Back – Josh Powell, Aptos, (Sr.): The Mariners’ senior was named the PCAL Gabilan division’s defensive most valuable player. Still, it was his production coming out of the backfield that impressed spectators the most.
According to Mbay-Preps, Powell finished for nearly 652 yards and 10 touchdowns on 76 carries. He also had nearly 200 receiving yards and four touchdowns for Aptos, which was a Central Coast Section Division III semifinalist.
Powell put the team on his back several times throughout the season, especially in an all-out performance against Carmel in league play where he scored three rushing touchdowns. He also made a big stop on defense that allowed the Mariners to recapture the lead.
Receiver – Andrew Montoya, Monte Vista Christian, (Sr.): The Mustangs’ senior was an instrumental factor in the offense, which included a pair of stud running backs that got most of the attention during the game.
Montoya’s final stats weren’t flashy as he finished with a little more than 400 receiving yards and five touchdowns. But he managed to step up during the crucial moments, including a game-sealing first down reception against Soledad and a wide open touchdown reception against Alisal that put the game out of reach.
Offensive lineman – Anthony Shepherd, Monte Vista Christian, (Sr.): The Mustangs’ senior was an anchor on the offensive line once again this season. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound offensive tackle was instrumental in helping quarterback Nathan Renggli stay on his feet in the pocket as well as opening holes for the running backs to run through.
Shepherd played for most of the season but missed the final three games, including the Central Coast Section D-IV playoffs due to a leg injury.
Despite missing a few games, Sheppard was still named to the All-PCAL Mission division First Team.
Defensive lineman – Dre Gomez, Aptos, (Sr.): The Mariners’ senior made some huge stops in the trenches, which earned the defensive lineman a spot to the All-PCAL Gabilan division First Team on defense.
Gomez helped Aptos battle through another hard-fought season in the PCAL-Gabilan, placing fourth behind league champ Salinas. Gomez also some time on offense in the fullback position and ran for four touchdowns this season.
Linebacker – Sergio Anaya, North Monterey County, (Jr.): The Condors’ junior improved throughout the season and helped the defense hold opponents to just 15.5 points per game.
Anaya was named to the All-PCAL Cypress division First Team. He played middle linebacker and outside linebacker.
Anaya had four fumble recoveries—one for a touchdown— and he had more than 70 tackles for N.M.C.
Defensive Back – Riley Anderson, North Monterey County, (Sr.): The Condors’ senior finished with seven interceptions—one for a touchdown—113 tackles, four forced fumbles, three fumbles recovered, eight passes defended.
One of the biggest compliments he got this season was when Monte Vista Christian called two plays in the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage and running the play opposite of Anderson’s position on the field.
Anderson also saw playing time at wide receiver, running back and quarterback. He had five touchdowns on offense.
Kicker – Lalo Hernandez, North Monterey County, (Sr.): The Condors’ senior was nearly perfect in his extra point attempts throughout the season. He made 20-of-20 of his attempts during the first six games of the season. Hernandez’s first miss didn’t come until a PCAL Cypress division game against San Lorenzo Valley.
Editor’s note: This story will be updated with an Honorable Mention list later this evening.
