On Dec. 29 The San Francisco Chronicle recognized junior Sam Shelby as its East Bay Player of the Year. Shelby was also named to the Chronicle‘s All Metro 2023 1st Team Offense.
Sam Shelby (Piedmont) — Leading one of the great comeback teams of 2023, the 6-foot, 180-pound junior wide receiver and defensive back earned first team All-MVAL-WACC Shoreline Division honors on both sides of the ball. He finished with 63 catches for 1,117 yards and 14 touchdowns, rushed 33 times for 403 yards and eight more scores, and added 30 PAT kicks. A sub 11.0-second 100-meter sprinter, Shelby also had 334 yards on kickoff and punt returns. Piedmont (7-4) won a league title and an NCS playoff game after losing all four games on the field in 2022 before forfeiting the rest of the season due to a lack of players. “He’s a hidden gem,” Piedmont assistant coach Paul Perenon said. “He has a huge upside and really blossomed as our season unfolded.”
Junior Markos Lagios (1,941 passing, 788 rushing yards, and 35 TDs) made The Chronicle’s All Metro 2nd Team Offense.
The following PHS juniors also received awards from The Bay Area News Group (BANG):
Sam Shelby: 2nd team All-Bay Area News Group high school football – Athletes
Jordan Alemania: honorable mention All-Bay Area News Group high school football – Defensive Line
Cash Elmquist: honorable mention All-Bay Area News Group high school football – Tight End
Additionally, Highlanders Football Coach Jordan Seiden received an honorable mention from the Bay Area News Group:
After Piedmont cut its 2022 season short after six games (all losses or forfeits) due to low numbers, little was expected of the Highlanders. Seiden’s team defied all reasonable expectations by going 7-4 and winning the MVAL/WACC Shoreline Division title. Beat Newark Memorial 29-26 in the final game of the regular season to clinch that Shoreline crown.
Bay Area News Group, Jan. 2