Ripon football standouts Duxbury, Ysit sweep Trans-Valley League’s top awards

Jacob Duxbury would blow by the defense on his way to the end zone, a bolt of lightning dressed in red.

Matthew Ysit saw nothing but red, attacking the football from his linebacker position.

No matter their style, the Ripon High School seniors subscribed to the same business philosophy on the football field: By any means necessary.

Few in the Trans-Valley League were as prolific at their job, as witnessed by the vote at the season-ending coaches meeting.

Duxbury was named the TVL’s Offensive Player of the Year, while Ysit collected the Defensive Player of the Year honor for co-champion Ripon.

The Indians shared the TVL title with Hilmar at 4-1. Ripon began league play 4-0 with impressive victories over Hilmar, Mountain House, Modesto Christian and Escalon. Only a loss in the regular-season finale at Hughson prevented an outright championship.

Ripon coach Chris Johnson shared Coach of the Year honors with Hilmar’s Frank Marques in his final season with the Indians. Johnson resigned shortly after his 12th season to be closer to his daughters.

Though undersized for a linebacker, the 5-foot-8, 160-pound Ysit was one of the top tacklers in the Stanislaus District with 134 in 11 games. He had three games with 18 tackles to close the TVL season.

Duxbury was the ultimate weapon for all-TVL first-team quarterback Nick Price, a player who could impact a game with his feet and hands. He led the Indians in rushing (756 yards), total yards (1,547) and scoring (17 touchdowns).

In a 53-35 shootout win over Hilmar in their TVL opener, Duxbury gashed the eventual Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI finalist for 320 total yards and three touchdowns.

His twisting catch in the end zone as time expired gave Ripon a walk-off 18-15 victory over Escalon and offered longtime rivals a new source of contention.

Duxbury scored at least one touchdown in six consecutive games for the Indians.

Hughson’s Kyle Harp was the Outstanding Offensive Lineman, while Hilmar quarterback Daniel Teixeira (2,383 passing yards, 763 rushing, 45 total touchdowns) and wide receiver Alex Chavez (70 catches, 1,344 yards, 16 touchdowns) were named Outstanding Offensive Back and Outstanding Receiver.

Ripon’s Cody Haines (seven sacks, 63 tackles) was tabbed as the Outstanding Defensive Lineman, while Hughson senior Justice Futch was the Outstanding Linebacker. Hilmar’s Cody Rentfro (one interception, 120 tackles) won the Outstanding Defensive Back honor.

All-TVL first-team offense honors went to:

Offensive line: Colton Dutey, Hilmar; Lionel Reyes, Ripon; Joseph Yanez, Modesto Christian; Daniel Gonzalez, Escalon; and Harp.

Receivers: Josh Duran, Hughson; and Chavez.

Running backs: Chris Brown, Modesto Christian; Hunter Calton, Escalon; Joshua Jennings, Hilmar; Cesar Cuevas, Hughson.

Quarterbacks: Nick Price, Ripon; and Teixeira.

All-TVL defensive honors went to:

Defensive linemen: Trent Anderson, Mountain House; Xavier Burke, Hilmar; Logan Widmer, Escalon; Harp; and Haines.

Outside linebackers: Jarrod Willis, Hilmar; Angelo Baciocco, Ripon; and Dakota Saing, Escalon.

Inside linebackers: Bryce Kinsey, Ripon; Dustin Lawrence, Escalon; and Futch.

Defensive backs: Andrew Wood, Ripon; Antonio Gurrola, Modesto Christian; C.J. Gumbs, Escalon; Walter Fountain, Hughson; and Rentfro.

Kicker: T.J. Dayak, Mountain House.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Ripon football standouts Duxbury, Ysit sweep Trans-Valley League’s top awards."