They’re piling up TDs, helping teams win
With a month down in the prep season, here are early front-runners for Metro Player of the Year. In order: 1. Najee Harris (Antioch): The 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior running back is the obvious choice not only because he’s the region’s top all-around player — he’s committed to Alabama and the consensus No. 1 running back in his class nationally by recruiting sites — but also because Antioch is a surprising 5-0. He leads the region with 1,122 rushing yards on — get this — 14 yards per carry, and has scored 12 touchdowns. 2. Antoine Custer (De La Salle-Concord): The 5-9, 185-pound senior running back and safety has rushed for 430 yards and four scores and has made a big impact on defense, with 21 tackles and an interception that he returned 58 yards. With many big games remaining, Custer figures to pile up much bigger numbers, though he’s splitting carries with running back Andrew Hernandez and quarterback Anthony Sweeney, who are both on pace to rush for more than 1,000 yards for the topranked Spartans. 3. Jullen Ison (Moreau Catholic-Hayward): Another junior running back leads the area with 17 rushing touchdowns — 18 overall — to go with 1,004 rushing yards and an 11.4 yards-per-carry average. Moreau is 5-0 and a huge surprise following many seasons of mediocrity. The 5-8, 185-pounder rushed 14 times for 203 yards and three TDs in a 65-0 win over Mission San Jose on Friday. 4. Isaiah Floyd (Foothill-Pleasanton): The 5-7, 185pound running back has more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and has scored 15 touchdowns for the fifth-ranked Falcons (5-0). Floyd might be the best all-purpose back Matt Sweeney has had in 30 years of coaching. 5. Jake Haener (Monte Vista-Danville): The 6-foot, 180pound junior quarterback has 65 completions in 91 attempts for 1,097 yards and 18 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Monte Vista has a signature win over then-secondranked Pittsburg (49-42) when Haener, a Division I prospect, threw for 326 yards and six touchdowns. The sixth-ranked Mustangs (4-0) were among The Chronicle’s preseason Top 25. 6. Tim Tague (Miramonte-Orinda): The 6-foot, 170pound junior quarterback has completed 106 of 155 passes (68 percent) for a Bay Area-best 1,725 yards and 18 touchdowns with only three interceptions. Like Ison and Harris — notice a trend here? — Tague plays for a team that is a surprising 5-0 (after going 3-8 last season). 7. Darius Peterson (Marin Catholic-Kentfield): The 5-11, 180-pound senior quarterback put himself right in this race the past two weeks, first accounting for 265 yards total offense and four scores in a 41-7 win over previously unbeaten San Marin-Novato on Sept. 19. On Saturday, he rushed for touchdowns of 67, 80 and 75 yards in a 26-8 win over Justin-Siena-Napa. He has passed for 900 yards and rushed for 514 while accounting for 10 scores for the No. 17 Wildcats (4-1). 8. Anthony Sweeney (De La Salle): Besides contributing with his arm (420 passing yards, four TDs) and legs (392 rushing yards, five TDs), the 5-10, 180-pounder is the team’s undisputed leader. Tight end and defensive end Devin Asiasi and two-way lineman Boss Tagaloa are also POY possibilities from De La Salle. 9. Troy Martig (Bellarmine): The 6-foot, 175-pound senior quarterback is the heart of the second-ranked Bells (3-0) and bailed them out in a tough 34-31 win at Del Oro-Loomis in Week 2 with three rushing touchdowns and a last-minute, 30-yard scoring strike to Devon Buenrostro. 10. Tanner Nguyen (AragonSan Mateo): The 6-4, 180pound left-handed quarterback leads another surprising undefeated squad. He has completed 57 of 87 passes for 1,005 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions for the 24th-ranked Dons (4-0).