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HARBISON VOTED VOL COACH OF THE YEAR
LB Turner earns Defensive Player of the Year
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Jeff Harbison became the first-ever Sierra High football coach to earn the Valley Oak League’s Coach of the Year during Monday’s year-end meeting. - photo by Bulletin file photo

ALL-VALLEY OAK LEAGUE

Coach of the Year — Jeff Harbison, Sierra
Most Valuable Player — Nicky Batteate, Oakdale
Offensive Player of the Year — Trevor Mew, Central Valley
Defensive Player of the Year — Michael Turner, Sierra

First team

Offense — OL: Tyler Dodd, Central Valley Sr.;  Nick Gardner, Manteca Sr.; Kacey Stout, Oakdale Sr; Jacob Faulkner, Sierra, Sr.; Zack Groothuyzen, Sonora Sr.; C: Nate Gray, Sonora Soph.; QB: Ryan Flores Sierra Sr.; TE: Dakota Anderson, East Union Sr.; WR: Ricky Rogers, Central Valley Sr.; DeAngelo Williams, Central Valley Jr.; RB: Marquis Miller, Manteca Jr.; Isaiah Mendez-Borba, Oakdale Sr.; Jarrod Daniels, Sierra Jr.; Dan Link, Sonora Jr.; UTIL: Matt Relei, Sonora Sr.
Defense — DL: Nick Gardner, Manteca Sr.; Tim House, Oakdale Jr.; Eric German, Sierra Sr.; Anthony Woodward, Sonora Sr.; ILB: Hadon Lopez, Ceres Jr.; Charlie Gilstrap, Oakdale Jr.; OLB: James Glidden, Manteca Sr.; Trevor Cramer, Oakdale Sr.; DB: LaRon Bennett, Manteca DB; Tyler Murdoch, Oakdale Sr.; Ricky Rogers, Central Valley Sr.; Nick Wendell, Sierra Sr.; P: Kyle Cerny, Ceres Jr.; K: Kyle Derb, Oakdale Jr.

Second team

Offense — OL: Justin Hidahl, Ceres Sr.; Alex Detrich, Manteca Sr.; John Shatswell, Oakdale Sr.; Scott Pittman, Sonora Sr.; C: Damico Gaines, Manteca Sr.; QB: Josh Edwards, Ceres Jr.; TE: Stephen Fonsworth, Central Valley Sr.; Dalton Nutter, Oakdale Jr.; WR: Martino Bertolotti, Ceres Sr.; Reggie Bell, Manteca Jr.; RB: Vince Lopez, Central Valley Jr.
Defense — DL: Stephen Fonsworth, Central Valley Sr.; Justin Hidahl, Ceres Sr.; Ryan Thompson, Oakdale Sr.; T.J. Sataua, Sierra Jr.; ILB: Cody Dias, Sierra Jr.; Matt Skinner, Sonora Sr.; Chris Contreras, Weston Ranch Jr.; DB: Jacob Salas, Manteca Jr.; Vince Helms, Oakdale Sr.; Nate Madsen, Oakdale Jr.; Zach Doty, Sierra Sr.; K: Brad Hatfield, Manteca Jr.; Anthony Hall, Sierra Jr.

Honorable mention

Central Valley: Vince Lopez, Alex Casas, Dario Manriquez, Nick Mead, Michael Melton; Ceres: Danny Martinez, Justin Canatsy, Moises Quintana, Martino Bertolotti; East Union: Brandon Roberts, David Vargas, Tyler Ward; Manteca: Matt Barber, Ryan Knisely, Anthony Mayfield, Junior Perez; Sierra: Ryan Erion, Tony Ollivier, Jason Swanson, Alex Trujillo; Sonora: Tony Barajas, Dan Molieri, Ken Whitley; Weston Ranch: Torian Brown, Chris Fleckenstein, Ruban Hernandez, Angell Mayfield, Frashat Sibley.

It’s been a while since the Valley Oak League last released its season-ending awards this early.
With Pioneer Valley League rivals Whitney and Placer squaring off at Folsom High for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship, Friday will mark the first time since 2000 that a VOL team is not represented in a section final.
But that does little to take away from what has been an eventful football season for area schools, and making headlines, along with history, was VOL runner-up Sierra.
The Timberwolves (6-1, 9-3), who had their memorable run ended by Whitney in last Friday’s 51-28 semifinal loss, advanced to the postseason for the first time in the school’s 13-plus years of varsity existence.
With that distinction comes two of the VOL’s top honors.
Jeff Harbison was voted the league’s Coach of the Year by his peers during Monday’s year-end coaches banquet at David and Sylvia’s Family Dining in Manteca.
Harbison is Sierra’s first football head coach to achieve the feat. Standout senior linebacker Michael Turner, meanwhile, was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
“It’s a nod to the hard work this staff put over the summer,” Harbison said. “I’m very fortunate with the staff I have.”
Electric running back Nicky Batteate was crowned the league’s Most Valuable Player for league champion Oakdale, and Central Valley quarterback Trevor Mew was earned Offensive Player of the Year honors. Mew was among the state’s most prolific passers, as he completed an impressive 73 percent of his passes for 2,957 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions for a 138 QB rating.
Turner, Sierra’s leading tackler, is the first Timberwolf to earn one of the league’s major individual awards since Ben Oehninger was Offensive Player of the Year in 1999.
“Michael Turner was our defensive leader,” Harbison said. “The kid played sideline to sideline for us with great speed and great vision. He solidified our defense.”
Manteca two-way lineman Nick Gardner is one of just two league players to make the offensive and defensive first teams. Central Valley WR/DB Ricky Rogers was the other.
Gardner helped pave the way for fellow first-teamer RB Marquis Miller, who finished with 1,285 yards and 18 TDs to lead all area rushers.
Sierra tailback Jarrod Daniels (1,000-plus yards, 18 TDs) also cracked the first-team offense, as did Sierra’s 6-foot-3, 276-pound tackle Jacob Faulkner and East Union tight end Dakota Anderson (33 receptions, 608 yards, five TDs).
Joining Turner and Gardner on the first-team defense are: Sierra DL Eric German, Manteca ILB Adam DeCosta, Manteca OLB James Glidden, Manteca CB LaRon Bennett and Sierra SS Nick Wendell.