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Northern California high school football: Top stars, best performances in Week 5 of 2021

Many familiar faces went off in Week 5 of NorCal high school football.
Lance Smith, SBLive Sports|
Northern California high school football: Top stars, best performances in Week 5 of 2021
Northern California high school football: Top stars, best performances in Week 5 of 2021

In Week 5, the penultimate week of the high school football season in most of Northern California, many of NorCal's top players put exclamation points on their seasons with big performances.

Every team in SBLive's statewide top 25 that played in Week 5 pulled out a win. Tyler Tremain continued his strong play in No. 9 Folsom's 41-14 win over Lincoln (Lincoln), No. 17 Monterey Trail had numerous standout performances in a 48-12 victory against San Leandro, and No. 3 De La Salle stayed unbeaten in a 48-10 rout of California (San Ramon).

Here’s a quick look at some of the top stars and individual performances from the fifth week of games.

Note: Entries are based on information provided by coaches, statisticians, media members and high school football fans. Don’t see any details for your team’s game? Email some notes and/or stats to lance@scorebooklive.com.

Jaden Rashada, Pittsburg QB

Rashada threw for four touchdowns in a 67-8 victory over Deer Valley, including three touchdowns and 138 yards in the first half alone. He did that splitting snaps with another college prospect under center, Eli Brickhandler.

Eli Brickhandler, Pittsburg QB

Brickhandler also went off in the Pirates' victory, throwing for 158 yards and four touchdowns.

Sean Nixon, Sheldon QB

Nixon threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-13 win over River City.

Ethan Menezes, Vista Del Lago RB

Menezes led Vista Del Lago to a 52-34 victory against Christian Brothers with 250 yards and four touchdowns rushing.

Tyler Tremain, Folsom QB

Tremain had yet another five-touchdown performance in a win this season, this time in a 41-14 win over Lincoln.

DJ Stevenson, Central QB

Stevenson threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 76 yards more in a 38-13 win against Clovis West.

Otha Williams Jr., Monterey Trail RB

Williams ran for 93 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-12 rout of San Leandro. Ronnie Brutus also rushed for 121 yards for the Mustangs.

Chris Lands, Monterey Trail RB/DB

Lands not only ran for a touchdown and over 100 yards, but also recorded eight tackles and a tackle for loss on defense.

Nekhi Broadway, Monterey Trail LB

Broadway led Monterey Trail's defense with 13 tackles and three sacks.

Jake Ripp, Los Gatos LB

Ripp recorded a mind-numbing 23 tackles (one for loss) in a 20-19 win against Wilcox.

Quinn Merritt, Los Gatos WR/DB

Merritt caught for 92 yards and a touchdown, and recorded an interception in the victory.

Jeremiah Earby, Menlo-Atherton WR/DB

Earby had a touchdown catch and a pick-six of 72 yards each in a 50-7 win over Terra Nova.

Jordan Hornbeak, San Joaquin Memorial RB

Hornbeak ran for 165 yards and a touchdown, and added two catches for 41 yards and a TD in a 29-2 win against Bullard.

Tristan Risley, Clovis RB

Risley led Clovis to a 39-27 win over Clovis East with 126 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries, and a 34-yard touchdown catch.

Lyon Colon, Manteca RB

Colon exploded for 301 yards and four touchdowns on the ground to lead the Buffaloes over Oakdale 26-23.

Jacob Griessel, Campolindo QB

Griessel threw for 242 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 38-28 win over Las Lomas.

Maxwell Weaver, Campolindo WR

Weaver caught for 146 yards and a touchdown, and also had a 64-yard carry.

Dillan Thoms, Campolindo RB

Thomas ran for three touchdowns and over 100 yards, and also returned three kickoffs for 66 yards.

Michael Ingrassia, Marin Catholic QB

Ingrassia threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 76 yards in a 45-10 rout of Central Catholic.

Matteo Perez, Marin Catholic RB

Perez ran for 76 yards as well, good for three touchdowns.

Anthony Grigsby Jr., Cosumnes Oaks QB

Grigsby led the Wolfpack to a 31-16 win over Davis by throwing for four touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions.

Darian Leon-Guerrero, Vacaville RB

Leon-Guerrero exploded for 338 yards of total offense, including 298 yards rushing, in a 63-8 blowout of Rodriguez.

Jacob Aaron, Vintage QB

Aaron had 121 yards and two touchdowns passing plus 117 yards and two touchdowns rushing in a 62-0 annihilation of rival Justin-Siena.

Nate Bell, Liberty (Brentwood) QB

Bell went off for 368 yards on a whopping 29-34 completion in 21-14 win against Freedom. He accounted for all of the Lions' touchdowns with two touchdowns passes and a rushing score.

Leo Reichhold, Liberty (Brentwood) WR

Reichhold reeled in 259 yards and a touchdown.

Dominic Bustos, Liberty (Brentwood) LB

Bustos led a strong defensive effort with nine tackles and two forced fumbles.

Joey Ramirez, Selma QB

Ramirez attempted just 10 passes in a 50-7 rout of Dinuba, but he completed seven of them for 215 yards and three touchdowns. Aaron Blancas was his top target with 129 receiving yards.

Jayden Payne, Foothill RB/LB

In a 27-14 win over Livermore, Payne ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns, caught for 34 yards, and recorded a tackle for loss.

Shaun Smith, Livermore QB

The Cowboys came up just short, but Smith had a strong night with 186 yards and two touchdowns passing on 21-33 completion plus 69 rushing yards.

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Lance Smith, SBLive Sports
LANCE SMITH, SBLIVE SPORTS

Lance Smith is a veteran high school sports reporter who worked previously with SBLive Sports covering basketball, football, and softball in California's Southern Section and LA City Section and has returned as contributor to High School On SI in 2025. He also covers Nevada and National Girls Basketball. A graduate of The USC Marshall School of Business, Smith dabbles in linear algebra and football and basketball computer rankings.

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