{"id":8713907,"date":"2023-01-12T05:30:01","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T13:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/?p=8713907&preview=true&preview_id=8713907"},"modified":"2023-01-16T10:44:36","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T18:44:36","slug":"bay-area-news-group-alameda-county-prep-football-player-of-the-year-jaivian-thomas-mcclymonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/2023\/01\/12\/bay-area-news-group-alameda-county-prep-football-player-of-the-year-jaivian-thomas-mcclymonds\/","title":{"rendered":"Bay Area News Group Alameda County prep football player of the year: Jaivian Thomas, McClymonds"},"content":{"rendered":"

OAKLAND —\u00a0While Mater Dei Catholic-Chula Vista\u2019s roster stretched as far as it could along its sideline, McClymonds had only 24 players in uniform for the 2-AA state championship game.<\/p>\n

On that small squad from a small Oakland school in which every player was asked to contribute, nobody was given a heavier load than senior running back Jaivian Thomas, whose brilliant play was the main reason McClymonds reached the title game that Mater Dei Catholic eventually won.<\/p>\n

The Cal-bound senior accounted for more than half of the Oakland powerhouse\u2019s total yards from scrimmage in 2022. He rushed for 2,528 yards and 30 touchdowns and caught two TD passes.<\/p>\n

\u201cJaivian has been carrying us all year,\u201d McClymonds coach Michael Peters said during the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Whenever the McClymonds offense had a problem, its solution was only a handoff to Thomas away, making the standout an obvious choice by our staff for Bay Area News Group Alameda County player of the year.<\/p>\n

For Thomas, it didn\u2019t matter who lined up on the opposing side. Yes, he piled up gaudy statistics against overmatched Oakland Athletic League competition as McClymonds cruised to its 13th consecutive section championship.<\/p>\n

But he also dominated non-league foes, too.<\/p>\n

Thomas ran for at least 180 yards in each of three regular-season games against eventual NorCal champions Bellarmine, Pittsburg and San Ramon Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the best back we played, and it’s not even a question,\u201d Lemoore coach Rich Tuman said after Thomas ran for 307 yards and four touchdowns against his team in the 2-AA Northern California championship game. \u201cHe was finding holes and creases, and when he hit those, we couldn\u2019t catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Thomas got the ball, the only thing he wanted to do was put up points. He ran for a touchdown in every game he played this season, and rushed for more than 100 yards against every opponent except Mater Dei Catholic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to get into the end zone every time I touch the ball,\u201d Thomas said in October after running for 287 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-42 regular-season win over NorCal 2-A champion San Ramon Valley.<\/p>\n

Now, Thomas aims to carry on the lessons learned at Mack into the next chapter of his football and academic career.<\/p>\n

\u201cMcClymonds is a winning school,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cIf you want to go here, you have to be disciplined. Going here has changed me a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALL-BAY AREA NEWS GROUP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Monday, Jan. 9<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kickers\/punters<\/a><\/p>\n

Offensive linemen<\/a><\/p>\n

Defensive linemen<\/a><\/p>\n

Athletes<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, Jan. 10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Utility players<\/a><\/p>\n

Linebackers<\/a><\/p>\n

Running backs<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday, Jan. 11<\/strong><\/p>\n

Defensive backs<\/a><\/p>\n

Wide receivers\/tight ends<\/a><\/p>\n