In an exciting and, in Southern California at least, championship weekend, here are some of the players made a special contribution to their teams.

 

Justin Oles

Granite Bay may have lost their clash with Jesuit, but in a hugely physical game that ended 19-17, Grizzly forward Justin was huge. He was physically dominant in contact and earned his third team player of the game award in as many games.

 

Jonah Tavai

The Mira Costa No. 8 and sometime center is the heart and soul of the team that won the SoCal Varsity White division. Tavai scored two tries in the final.

 

Justin Lego

Kicking goals for Danville in a massive win, Lego used his leg to put over 13 of 14 conversion kicks, many from a difficult angle.

 

Chase Jones

The Solo Falcons lock forward was key in the set piece, but was more key in making line breaks and giving his squad go-forward in a victory over Mother Lode. 

 

Griffin Maat (pictured below)

The St. Thomas flanker scored two tries, made tackles, set up teammates, and just plain got his team moving as the Houston varsity squad beat Strake Jesuit.

(Elizabeth Pardee photo)

Ross McDoniel

The Westlake forwards were a force in the team’s win over Jesuit of Dallas, and McDoniel was their defensive leader. It was his commitment to defense that ensured a Westlake win.

 

Hans Hernandez

The Okapi Wanderers outside center broke out with a big game against West Pines, scoring both of his team’s tries to go along with his always solid defense. His tackling is his strength, and that’s what his team depends on him for, so scoring tries was a bonus, and a much-needed one in a 16-6 decision.

 

Reese Prefontaine

A powerful prop forward for La Costa Canyon, Prefontaine was the driving force behind LCC stealing several scrum put-ins, and setting a scrum platform from which the Mavericks were able to defeat Torrey Pines for the SoCal Varsity Red championship. He was named MVP of the game.

 

Ted Kanese

The blindside flanker for Kahuku was a relentless defensive presence in a very physical and fractious game between the defending Hawaii state champs and St. Francis. Kanese repeatedly took on much larger opposition players and chopped them to the ground.

 

Daniel Covi (pictured below) and Camilo Hernandez

The loose forwards for the Chapel Hill Highlanders were relentless on defense and continually won turnover ball as the Highlanders shut out highly-regarded Charlotte Tigers 22-0.

 

Kyle Bohlen

Desert Vista pulled off a 32-31 win over Old Pueblo with a concerted effort from pretty much everyone, but Bohlen stood out. Still relatively new to the game, Bohlen gets around the field, wins the lineout, and is Desert Vista’s leading try-scorer.