PLAYER OF YEAR
Jayden Daniels, Jr., 6-1, 165, QB, Cajon
Quarterback Jayden Daniels of Cajon was a breakout star the minute he stepped into the starting spot on the varsity as a freshman.
He was stellar as a sophomore too, even though a broken finger on his throwing hand slowed him for much of the season.
And his junior year? Well that was off the charts.
Daniels threw for an astounding 5,139 yards with 62 touchdowns and just five interceptions. That yardage total was third best nationally. He was pretty nifty when it came to running the ball too 1,292 yards on 193 carries with 15 touchdowns. All that propelled the Cowboys to a CIF Southern Section Division 4 title as well as a state runner-up showing. It doesnt get much better than that.
So Daniels, 17, was an easy selection as Sun/Bulletin Player of the Year.
I really couldnt have asked for anything more, he said. It would have been nice to win that last game but were still CIF champion and that hasnt been done in a long time. It was definitely a season Ill never forget.
With those kind of numbers there were a lot of standout games. For Daniels the most memorable was the CIF Southern Section championship 54-28 win over Downey in which he passed for 293 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 281 and another four scores.
It just felt good to go out there and have that kind of game in a big game, he said.
The impressive run this season is setting Daniels up for what should be an exciting senior campaign. He has five Division I offers Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida State and Oregon. His numbers and 3.7 grade-point average should bring in more as next season draws closer.
Daniels 9,312 career passing yards puts him well within striking distance of the county record of Redlands East Valleys Armando Herrera (11,391 from 2012 to 2016).
While Daniels game has improved, so has maturity which most impresses coach Nick Rogers.
He has the physical ability but he also has come a long way when it comes to the other attributes, Rogers said. He has become a great teammate and a great leader. We couldnt ask anything more of him.
