Tribune names SLO County’s football Player of the Year and all-stars. Here’s the full list
Caleb Clark did it all for Arroyo Grande this season. He caught passes, rushed for touchdowns, returned kickoffs, deflected passes and hauled in interceptions.
The 6-foot-2 junior is The Tribune’s San Luis Obispo County Player of the Year this season.
The complete All-Tribune roster of SLO County all-stars is listed below.
In his 2024 campaign, Clark put up big numbers and made a significant impact in helping lead the Eagles to a 9-3 record and a 4-0 title in the Mountain League, also earning league MVP status, garnering league coaches’ endorsements.
“He’s a better kid than he is a football player,” said Arroyo Grande Coach Mike Hartman. “He’s a hard worker. He does things the right way. He’s just a great kid.”
Clark contributed in nearly every facet of the game.
On offense, Clark tallied 793 yards receiving with 10 touchdowns, averaging 17.6 yards per catch. He also recorded 433 yards rushing with six touchdowns, averaging eight yards per carry.
On defense, Clark averaged nearly six tackles per game and added two sacks, four interceptions and two caused fumbles.
On special teams, Clark averaged 21.2 yards per kickoff return and scored a touchdown on a punt return while tallying 13.5 yards per attempt in that role, tallying 335 total kick return yards.
Clark said he feels like he developed his game this season in a variety of positive ways.
“For strength, I worked hard in the offseason in the weight room, lifting and eating well to gain muscle,” Clark said. “For speed, I practiced my footwork and route running after practices and on most Saturdays. And for game reads, I prioritized watching film to understand the game better.”
Hartman said that his goal was to put Clark in spots to impact games, and that meant playing him at multiple positions on offense and defense — receiver, running back, cornerback, safety, outside linebacker and kick returner.
“When you have a special player, your job as a coach is to find ways to get the ball in his hands and move him around the field,” Hartman said. “We tried to put him where the other team was strong, whether at cornerback to defend the other team’s best receiver or lining up on the wide side of the field on offense or whatever the game plan dictated. We had to be creative in the way we used him and put him in positions to be successful.”
Toward the end of the season, Clark impacted games as a rusher, shifting from relatively few carries earlier in the season to becoming a go-to player for handoffs.
Clark rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns in a first-round, CIF-Central Section 27-22 Division 1A win over Clovis West, busting through would-be tacklers and winning foot races downfield. In that game, he also snagged four passes for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Against No. 1 Bakersfield in the second round, he rushed for 46 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, as the Eagles fell short 24-21 to the section runner-up.
Clark had a hand in each of the Eagles’ scoring plays in the postseason and contributed throughout the season to help Arroyo Grande win big games (catching five passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns, to go along with five tackles and a sack on defense in a 44-37 overtime win versus Golden West; catching eight passes for 118 yards and a touchdown, to go along with five tackles and an interception in a 23-0 win against SLO; and hauling in three catches for 99 yards and a score, in addition to five tackles and two interceptions in a 42-27 win over Righetti).
“I think my favorite game (of the season) was against Clovis West,” Clark said. “We were cohesive as a team and that is always fun. I was put in a position to make big plays and execute my coaches’ plans well, and I loved it. I really enjoyed playing against good football talent. “
While contributing in all aspects of the game and working on how he could help, Clark said that his favorite position remains receiver.
“I prefer wide receiver,” Clark said. “I love this position because I love to score and I love to make big plays for the team. I enjoy being in a challenging situation and make the play happen.”
Supported by other Arroyo Grande standouts like Cal Poly-bound quarterback Sam Wulff, running backs Zack Tayman and Levi Childers, defensive lineman Noah Schmidt, defense back Noah Webber and others, Clark helped the Eagles provide a balanced, complementary team.
“The nice thing about our team this year was that we had other special players as well,” Hartman said. “One of the best things about Caleb is that he’s a team player. He’s not so wrapped up in individual stats and accolades that he would jeopardize the team in any way.”
Already having received offers to play in college from University of Nevada and Cal Poly, Clark is likely to get more college offers in the coming months, Hartman said, with another season of high school eligibility ahead.
“Right now my focus is on college,” Clark said. “I plan to play Division 1 football. I haven’t yet made a decision on what college I will attend. However, my long-term goal would be to play football at the highest level. I look forward to honoring my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, in every area of my life moving forward.”
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Sands Dougherty (Morro Bay); Jace Gomes (San Luis Obispo)
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Derek Brockenborough (Arroyo Grande); Troy Simonson (Nipomo)
ALL PURPOSE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Jaron Sampson (Templeton); Zack Tayman (Arroyo Grande)
All-Tribune Offense
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterback
Sam Wulff (Arroyo Grande)
Offensive line
Maddux Amburgey (Arroyo Grande); Armen Clayton (Mission Prep); Roman Lowell (San Luis Obispo); Ben Davidson (San Luis Obispo); Case Christiansen (Arroyo Grande)
Tight end
Travis Barr (Nipomo)
Running back
Nick Evans (Nipomo); Colbin Garrison (SLO)
Receiver
John Myers (Morro Bay); Ryder Busch (Morro Bay)
Kicker
Aiden Dellinger (SLO)
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterback
Blayne Lowry (Nipomo)
Offensive line
Emi Toledo (Nipomo); Josh Lopez (Atascadero); Bo Swan (Templeton); Dustin Davis (Morro Bay); Gennaro Messina (Paso Robles)
Tight end
Abel Ritter (SLO)
Running back
Austin Smith (Atascadero); Ronnie Kardashian (Mission Prep)
Receiver
Aiden Benzon (Nipomo); James Nickel (Morro Bay)
Kicker
Armand Mastagni (Atascadero)
Honorable mention: Tyler Cunningham (Templeton); Josiah Gaona (Atascadero); Jonathan Druding (Paso Robles); Marcus Garcia (Paso Robles); Jayden Tesoro (Nipomo); Michael Trejo (Atascadero); Ethen Guilford (SLO); Colter Tannehill (Templeton); Joseph Hyde (Atascadero); Levi Childers (Arroyo Grande); Miles Thompson (Mission Prep); Carter Sutcliffe (SLO); Ethan Blais (Atascadero); Dustin Reed (Arroyo Grande); Tristan Coates (Arroyo Grande), Ethan Ortiz (Nipomo), Rowan McCain (Morro Bay).
All-Tribune Defense
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Defensive line
Michael Milner (SLO); Rudy Contreras (Paso Robles); Noah Schmidt (Arroyo Grande); Owen Fawcett (SLO); Alize Mota (Atascadero)
Linebacker
Cole Loney (Atascadero); Colton Janovec (Morro Bay); Cameron Pickard (Atascadero); Jacob Goldsbary (Nipomo); Hayden Hall (SLO)
Defensive back
JD Zarate (Nipomo); Noah Webber (Arroyo Grande); Ethan Blais (Atascadero); Britton Rethmeier (SLO); Tyson Tenhaeff (Atascadero)
Safety
Levi Childers (Arroyo Grande)
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Defensive line
Gabe Ahumada (Mission Prep); Freddy Figeroa (Nipomo); Dustin Davis ( Morro Bay); Zeb Debries (Arroyo Grande); Radden Batalla (Morro Bay)
Linebacker
Champ Morrisey (Mission Prep); Abel Ritter (SLO); Grady Garrison (SLO); Jack Folkrod (Arroyo Grande); Matthias WIllis (Paso Robles)
Defensive back
Cody Johnson (SLO); Matthew Ammann (Paso Robles); Efrain Hernandez (Morro Bay); Jaron Sampson (Templeton); Colby Sims (Templeton)
Safety
Jayden Nozil (Mission Prep)
Honorable mention
Braden Mott (Templeton); Griffin Groshart (Nipomo); Mark Mitchell (Templeton); Levi Goodman (Templeton); Evan Baird (SLO); Kess Youngkin (Arroyo Grande); Dane Adler (SLO); Jeremy Hendrix (Atascadero); Jack Webber (SLO); Kabelo Blais (Atascadero); Anthony Morretto (Paso Robles); Colton Rosenlieb (Morro Bay); Koen Price (Nipomo); Andrew Llamas (Morro Bay).
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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