By Haley Sawyer,
Diego Marquez
and Dan Lovi
Signal Staff Writers
Growing up as the son of a football coach, Ryan Camacho had an itch. That itch was to get on the field on Friday nights and play under the same lights that he watched his father walk up and down underneath while giving direction from the sidelines.
Playing for West Ranch football for the past three years, Camacho was finally able to take care of that itch that had plagued him for so long.
“Growing up, me and my brother, Jovan, watched a lot of high school football because our dad is a coach,” Ryan said. “We always wanted to get on the field on Friday nights and show everyone who we are. At the beginning of the game you might not know who we are but hopefully, afterward, you will.”
After a stellar year in his senior season at West Ranch in which he broke multiple school records, Camacho was named the 2018 All-SCV Offensive Player of the Year.
“It feels really good that all the hard work that I’ve been working for the past couple years has paid off,” Camacho said. “This year I really gave it my all and I’m really glad that I was able to perform the way I did.”
Camacho began 2018 with a three-touchdown performance against Nordhoff, propelling the Wildcats and himself to a historic rise and winning streak to begin the season. The Cats won the first eight games of the season and went on to win the most games in a season with nine.
“I think this year we had a lot more chemistry with each other,” Camacho said. “Everyone was clicking on all cylinders and we had a lot of returners as compared to the years before.”
In the fifth game of the season against Oak Park, Camacho continued his dominance on the ground by setting the single-game rushing record with 332 yards on 10 carries and the set single-game rushing touchdown record with five touchdowns.
Finishing his senior season with 1,919 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns, Camacho set new season marks with both feats and broke the total career rushing yards mark with 2,475 yards.
“Every time I got the ball I just wanted to get as many yards as I can and get in the end zone as many times as I can,” Camacho said.
He also caught five touchdowns for 434 yards on 21 receptions and was a pesky defender, intercepting seven passes on the year.
“I’m just so excited knowing that whoever has to break my records, has to break a couple because even if they break one, I’m still going to have some up,” Camacho said. “Just knowing that people want to be like me is a great feeling.”
Camacho eclipsed the 100-yard mark eight times in the season, scoring two or more touchdowns in all but two games this season.
In West Ranch’s first-ever playoff win against Silverado, Camacho carried the ball 29 times for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
Rounding out his senior year with 105 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns in a second-round loss to CIF-Southern Section Division 6 runner-up Oxnard, Camacho finished the year averaging 9.9 yards per rush.
“It’s really special to me because in the years past that’s all we wanted to get, a playoff win.” Camacho said. “But the two years before we came up a little short and this year we had the at-large bid. As soon as I knew that we got in, I knew we had to give it our best shot.”
1st Team All-Offense
Zach Johnson, Hart, Junior, QB
In his first year as starting quarterback for the Indians, Johnson was at the top of the Foothill League in passing yards with 2,892. He completed 219-of-357 passes with 30 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Johnson had a big arm, but would also use his legs when needed. He rushed for 347 yards on 107 carries with four touchdowns this season. His highest touchdown total of the season came against Golden Valley on Oct. 26 when he threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another two.
Jake Santos, Valencia, Junior, RB
Santos was the Vikings’ leading rusher this season, despite missing three games due to injury. He showcased speed and maneuverability every Friday night to finish the season with 662 yards and eight touchdowns on 65 carries. He also had 11 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
Jackson Reyes, West Ranch, Junior, RB
Reyes ranked second on the team in rushing yards behind Ryan Camacho with 399 yards and five touchdowns on 45 carries. His yardage on the ground ranked him sixth overall in the Foothill League, according to maxpreps.com. Reyes was also a threat out of the backfield with 292 yards and four touchdowns on 17 catches.
Jovan Camacho, West Ranch, Senior, WR
The dual-sport Wildcat was the top receiver in terms of yardage in the Foothill League by a big margin. His 1,344 yards surpassed Hart’s Jacob Montes, who ranked second with 815. Camacho also topped the league in touchdown receptions with 13.
In his three-year varsity career, he totaled 2,369 yards and 21 touchdowns for new West Ranch records.
Drew Munoz, Hart, Junior, WR
Munoz was one of Zach Johnson’s favorite targets this season, especially when he was near the end zone. By the end of the season, Munoz ranked first in the league in touchdown catches with 10 and fourth in the league in receiving yards with 523.
He scored a touchdown in seven of Hart’s 10 games and had two multi-touchdown games. His best game came against Burbank on Sept. 7 in which he caught four passes for 96 yards and three touchdowns.
Trevor Girch, Saugus, Senior, WR
As one of the Centurions’ most reliable receivers, Girch led the team in touchdown receptions and receiving yards with 29 and 419, respectively. He also hauled in five touchdown passes. Girch was fast and tough, shedding defenders when necessary and keeping the ball tucked tight.
Tanner Miller, Valencia, Senior, OL
Miller was the focal point of an offensive line that helped Valencia gain nearly 4,000 yards of total offense this season en route to its 10th straight Foothill League title. His 6-foot-2, 295-pound frame helped him bowl over the opposition but was also deceptive. Miller was quick in his aggressive pursuits, too.
Max Graham, Canyon, Senior, OL
Graham blocked for myriad Canyon running backs but kept his game consistent the entire time. He excelled at grabbing defenders and driving them backward, or sometimes right into the ground.
John Collier, West Ranch, Junior, OL
Collier had excellent performances on West Ranch’s defensive line, but he shined even more on the O-line. Collier led a line that allowed quarterback Weston Eget to have plenty of time to move around in the pocket and make decisions. The Wildcats ended the season with 5,490 total yards of offense.
Ethan Eichten, West Ranch, Senior, OL
Eichten lined up alongside John Collier on a Wildcats offensive line that helped the team to the best start to a season in program history. With Eichten on the line, West Ranch recorded a total of 2,118 yards through the air and 1,586 yards on the ground.
Colton Dolder, Saugus, Senior, K
Dolder kicked for distance for the Centurions, accumulating 4,070 yards on 70 kickoffs with a long of 60 yards and 47 touchbacks. He made 43-of-48 PATs and 5-of-9 field goals for a total of 58 points.
2nd Team All-Offense
Weston Eget, West Ranch, Senior, QB
Eget helped lead the Wildcats to the best season in program history, completing 151-of-287 passes for 2752 yards, 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also carried the ball 52 times for 217 yards and a touchdown. Eget orchestrated a comeback against Silverado in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 playoffs, helping West Ranch win its first ever playoff game.
Reid Huseman, Saugus, Senior, RB
The Centurions’ bell cow, Huseman carried the ball 156 times on the season, second only to Ryan Camacho in the Foothill League. He finished the season with 674 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. He also added 12 receptions for 98 yards.
Ethan Blair, Hart, Senior, RB
Even though Blair missed two games, he still led the Indians in rushing with 466 yards and five touchdowns on 105 carries. He also had 15 receptions for 111 yards.
Jaden Holmes, Valencia, Senior, WR
Holmes led a deep Valencia receiving corps in catches (29), yards (444) and touchdowns (5), despite missing two games. He averaged 49.3 yards per game and his longest reception of the year went for 53 yards.
Hunter Koch, Valencia, Junior, WR
Another outside weapon for Valencia, Koch was second on the team with 351 receiving yards and four touchdowns, securing 23 catches on the season.
Ryan Tomaszewski, Hart, Sophomore, WR
The sophomore wideout came up big for the Indians all year, catching 27 balls for 485 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 12.6 yards per catch and 48.6 yards per game.
Brenden Cho, West Ranch, Senior, OL
Along with John Collier and Ethan Eichten, Cho was a staple on a West Ranch O-line. The Wildcats finished the season with 5,490 yards of total offense.
Thomas Barrero, Saugus, Senior, OL
The Centurions’ offensive line was one of the more consistent units in the Foothill League thanks in part to Barrero. His ability to stop opposing pass rushers gave quarterback Cole Gallagher plenty of time in the pocket.
Jacques Derderian, Valencia, Senior, OL
The 5-foot-8 265 pound Derderian was an integral part of Valencia’s offensive line. He gave quarterback Davis Cop tremendous protection.
Jacob Lopez, Canyon, Senior, OL
Lopez was a force on Canyon’s O-line all season, often driving opposing defenders into the ground with his brute strength.
Carson Farber, Golden Valley, Junior, K
Farber had 30 kickoffs for 1006 yards including seven touchbacks. He was perfect on PATs making 17-of-17 and hit 3-of-5 field goals for a total of 26 points on the season.
Honorable Mention
Canyon – Shawn Gallagher, WR/RB/LB
Golden Valley – Carlos Meza, WR/LB
Hart – Jack McBride, LB
Saugus – Cole Gallagher, QB
Valencia – Kohler Shockley, WR
West Ranch – Joseph Tempesta, LB
SCCS – Blake Kirshner, QB
Trinity – Carson Campuzano, WR/LB/RB
