Big 4 MVPs, all-league selections named in football

By barstoolfanatics on December 14, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Wyatt Simoni in action for the Crusaders

By Ray Hamill — After a three-way tie for this year’s Big 4 conference championship in football, it was no surprise to see three different players named MVPs.

As expected, St. Bernard’s senior Wyatt Simoni was named Offensive MVP after a season for the ages, while on the other side of the ball, Del Norte’s Kai Russell and Fortuna’s Jake Houseworth were named co-Defensive MVPs.

Simoni was a beast all season for the Crusaders and played a pivotal role in helping to secure the team’s first-ever Big 4 championship.

He finished with 1,962 yards rushing, which was the the third most in the North Coast Section, as well as scoring 37 touchdowns, which was second most in the section.

But more than that, he was the heart and soul of a team that made it all the way to the NCS Division-5 championship game.

“He was definitely our most valuable player,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said. “I just think he was the most complete player in the H-DN this year with what he did on both sides of the ball.

“And as far as St. Bernard’s football, he ranks up there with the best players we’ve ever had.”

Among his many outstanding games this year, Simoni ran for 307 yards and scored six touchdowns in a playoff win over Analy last month.

The senior standout averaged 194.6 yards a game on offense, including 150.9 yards rushing and 43.7 yards receiving.

Russell and Houseworth also both dominated on the defensive side of the ball.

Houseworth, the only junior of the trio, was outstanding all season at linebacker and was a consistent force for the Huskies, who rallied from a conference opening loss to share the championship with St. Bernard’s and Del Norte.

His presence on the field was felt in more ways than one.

“Jake is a great football player, but more importantly he is a great teammate and just an incredible young man,” Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow said. “His physical tools match his football knowledge and he is a great leader for our program.

“Pretty happy to have him back for another year.”

Jake Houseworth

Russell also was a force for the Warriors and played a pivotal role on their defense while helping his team win a fourth consecutive conference crown.

“Kai meant a lot to our team,” Del Norte head coach Darren LaFazio said of the versatile senior, who first started for the Warriors as a sophomore. “He’s been a stud for the past three years and finally he got recognized.”

Russell, who is also one of the best high school golfers on the North Coast, played defensive end and linebacker and one of the things that separated him was his ability to dominate on the line as well as being able to drop into coverage.

“He’s a hell of a kid and I’m privileged to have coached him,” LaFazio added. “He pretty much led our team this year. It was well deserved.”

Each of the three co-champs had six first-team all-league selections.

Joining Houseworth on the all-league team are five senior teammates, including standout running back/linebacker Caden Wilkinson, linemen Emmitt Lumpkin and Ivan Moore, receiver/kicker Kallen Barrote, who enjoyed a breakout season, and safety Kadian Thurman.

Kai Russell (54)

St. Bernard’s linemen Jonathan Cortez, Kyler Smith and Lane Ford, who Tomlin referred to as the “heart and soul” of his team, each also were named to the all-league team, along with fellow senior Lawrence Renner, a team captain and inspirational leader at linebacker and one of the most consistent players for the Crusaders all season.

Rounding out the Crusaders’ selections is Tyler Hinrichs, who is an outstanding kicker and is the only sophomore on the all-league team.

Del Norte seniors Kyle Dixon, Nathaniel Barker and Isaac Lopez each were also named to the all-league team, along with juniors Benjamin Borges and Colton Schaad.

Dixon was the only quarterback selected from the four schools, while Lopez played running back and defensive back and Borges played running back and linebacker.

Schaad was one of his team’s most consistent performers at linebacker.

Houseworth, Borges and Schaad were three of just four juniors named all-league, along with Eureka’s Gavyn Haberman, who enjoyed a breakout season at the varsity level in the offensive backfield and at cornerback.

And rounding out the 20 all-league first-team selections is Eureka senior Elijah Griffin, who was outstanding at running back and linebacker and would have been a legitimate MVP candidate had the Loggers been more competitive.