Top performances in football, volleyball, cross country and more in Napa, Sonoma counties

It’s been another big week for fall sports standouts in the area.

As North Bay League play got underway, volleyball players took center stage as an Analy golfer took home medal honors in both of last week’s matches, cross country runners continued to post increasingly faster times, and football players once again put up eye-popping numbers.

Here are the high school athletes of the week of September 23-28.

Allie Iversen, Ukiah volleyball

The Wildcats’ senior hitter led his team to two big NBL-Oak wins last week against Santa Rosa (3-0) and Cardinal Newman (3-2). Iversen recorded a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs in a five-set thriller against the Cardinals and had a 13-kill, six-dig performance against the Panthers.

Cormac Gaylord, Analy cross country

The Tigers’ senior team set a new course record by finishing first in the tri-meet with Santa Rosa and Windsor last week. He completed the 2.65-mile course at Ragle Ranch Park in 13 minutes, 44.1 seconds, breaking the old course record by 15 seconds, according to records compiled by redwoodempirerunning.com.

Brielle Galli, Windsor volleyball

The Jaguars’ senior shortstop returns to this list after a stellar week that saw his team go 6-1 with two league wins and a third-place finish in Sonoma Valley’s weekend tournament. She had 59 assists in Windsor’s wins over Maria Carrillo and Montgomery and then earned all-tournament honors on Saturday with 82 assists, nine kills and 15 aces in five games.

Gio Martinez, Rancho Cotate football

The Cougars’ senior back showed off his electric playmaking ability in a 42-28 win over Montgomery last week. He had 173 rushing yards with two touchdowns on 13 carries and added two receiving touchdowns and 73 yards on three catches. He currently leads the team with 725 all-purpose yards and eight total touchdowns.

Payton Bunch, Analy girls golf

Bunch earned two-time medal honors last week as the Tigers earned two NBL wins over Santa Rosa and Rancho Cotate. Bunch shot a three-over par 39 at Santa Rosa Country Club and then a par 38 at Foxtail South (38).

Josephina McKee, Avery Johnson, Rancho Cotate, volleyball

McKee and Johnson helped the Cougars get off to a 2-0 start in NBL-Redwood play last week. McKee had two double-doubles with 12 assists and 11 digs in a 3-1 win over Healdsburg, and 22 assists and 19 tackles in a 3-1 win over Piner. Johnson, meanwhile, recorded an impressive triple double against Piner with 11 kills, 21 assists and 13 digs.

Eugene Vulisuva, Elsie Allen football

The Lobos won their third game of the year in a 70-28 rout of Laytonville last week on a spectacular day from Vulisuva, who threw for six touchdowns and more than 250 rushing yards.

Avery Codington, Casa Grande cross country

The Gauchos’ senior put together two strong efforts last week. He finished first in the first Vine Valley Athletic League meet of the year, winning the race by more than 31 seconds before recording the fourth-fastest time among 100 finishers at the Eye Opener Invitational hosted by Petaluma.

Brody Hansel, Cardinal Newman men’s water polo

The Cardinals played just one game last week, but Hansel had a dominant performance in an 18-9 win over Petaluma. Newman increased the score to 2-0 in the VVAL game and finished the match with 10 goals, seven assists, five steals and five draws.

Owen Grafe, Montgomery football

Despite the loss to the Cougars, the Vikings’ sophomore receiver had a breakthrough performance, finishing with 208 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six catches.

toReach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or [email protected]. @JustGusPD on X (Twitter).