Bay Area Blast: Pittsburg's Harris Ross speaks — 464 yards, 7 touchdowns

Pittsburg High School football coach Vic Galli kept trying to tell anyone and everyone who would listen. According to him, few did.

"Joe Mixon (the state's top recruit from Freedom-Oakley) isn't the only running back out here," he said. "We have a pretty good one too."

Galli was referring to his own 5-foot-11, 195-pound multi-talented back Harris Ross, who Friday went off for an East Bay and North Coast Section-record 464 yards rushing on 21 carries and seven touchdowns in a 49-29 win at Monte Vista (Danville).

Ross, apparently highly under-recruited, scored on runs of 15, 17, 36, 59, 62, 74 and 94 yards. He broke the previous East Bay mark of 457 yards set by Concord's Olito Thompson in 2011.

Justin Ewing, of Capuchino (San Bruno), owns the Metro Area mark of 494 set last season and Dallas Bernstine, of Bethel-Vallejo, holds the Northern California single-game rushing record of 555 set in 2001.

Ross' performance Friday is No. 4 all-time in Northern California history, according to CalHiSports.com. Tejon Sorrell, of Vacaville Christian, is No. 3 at 480 yards set in 2002.

"I've been making statements all summer how good Harris Ross is," Galli said. "I guess Harris had to make his own statement for people to listen."

It was pretty emphatic, especially to the folks at Monte Vista, who the week before gave up just one score in a 20-6 win over Berkeley.

"I think he's still running," said Monte Vista assistant coach Chris Babcock. "Our game plan was all around stopping him and we did for a half. But the second half he shook loose."

Did he ever. His last three runs were of 94, 62 and 74 yards.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard he had that many yards," Galli said. "They said 390 so I told him he had one chance to get to 400 yards. He went for 74."

Pittsburg has had a long stable of backs and Galli has often had the luxury of utilizing two or three at a time. Like last season when the Pirates also had Jamal Lockett (1,272 yards, 14 touchdowns) and Craijon Menefee (492, 11).

Ross had just 71 carries last season for 828 yards (11.7 per carry) and eight touchdowns. This season, the show is all his. He had 233 yards rushing and four touchdowns in a win over 11th-ranked California-San Ramon.

"We're hooking the wagon and letting him go," Galli said. "He's the guy. He's fast and runs with great vision and explosion. He's the full package."

Said De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh, whose team faced him in the playoffs last season and in a scrimmage last month: "Three things stand out — he runs angry, he has speed and he reads blocks well."

Galli isn't ready to call Ross the greatest Pittsburg back ever. After all, there was NFL Hall of Famer John Henry Johnson who starred for the Pirates in the 1940s. Of the last couple of decades, Ross is right there with the best.

Despite all that, only Sacramento State and Eastern Washington have offered. Galli thinks that's about to change. He's hearing from Pac-12 schools now.

"If he makes more statements like Friday, they'll all be calling," Galli said.

More statements made from around the Bay Area last week.

* Terra Nova (Pacifica) junior quarterback Anthony Gordon (6-2, 185) will be getting plenty of college attention after completing 27 of 35 for 398 yards in his team's eye-opening 50-33 win at then No. 10 St. Ignatius on Saturday.

After a slow first-half, Gordon was 18-for-19 in the second half and completed his final 17 passes. He has a strong and accurate arm.

* Gordon's teammate Jaylend Jones is only 5-8 and 165 pounds, but he deserves some college looks. He had eight catches for 231 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, plus a 95-yard kickoff return to open the game for a TD.

* Gordon and Jones are hardly a two-man team. The Tigers are coached by one of the Bay Area's best in Bill Gray and with other top-end athletes like running back John Wallace, safety Aaron Worthens and Dominic Ortisi, they are a legitimate Bay Area power.

* St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) senior quarterback Anthony Williams (6-2, 210) completed 15 of 31 passes for a school-record 478 yards and six touchdowns in a 63-0 win at Jefferson-Daly City. St. Patrick started the season with a 35-0 loss to San Marin, but have outscored their last two opponents by a combined 105-0 count.

* St. Francis (Mountain View) may never give up any points. It recorded its second straight shutout Friday 26-0 over Palma (Salinas). St. Francis recorded five shutouts last season.

* El Cerrito's 35-7 win over Cardinal Newman was shocking — not the victory, but the domination. The Gauchos held a 456-186 edge in yards — unheard of against a Newman program which is always battling for a State Bowl berth.

* De La Salle (Concord) sophomore Antoine Custer has the look of the next great running back for the Spartans.

* While Jerek Rosales' three first-half interceptions — one returned for a 95-yard touchdown — was noteworthy, Alumbaugh said credit should also go to the defensive line — especially Oregon State-bound Sumner Houston — who supplied plenty of pressure on talented St. Mary's quarterback Kaleb Parrish.

* Certainly, Novato isn't where it was a few years ago, but Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco), behind first-year and former Marin Catholic head coach Ken Peralta, looks like a WCAL player. The Irish led 42-3 at halftime before letting off the gas in a 49-9 win. Brett Rasso has seven touchdowns in two games.

* Two players who did it all for their respective ranked teams were Nevada-bound Ahki Muhammad, who rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns and added a key interception leading Logan (Union City) to a surprising 21-18 win over San Ramon Valley. ... The other was Casa Grande (Petaluma) running back and linebacker John Porchivina who rushed for 110 yards had two touchdowns, 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in a big 31-19 win at Napa.

* Shocking score of the week: St. Mary's (Albany) 49, Riordan 7. Ian Bonde threw for 315 yards and four touchdowns for St. Mary's, which lost its opener to Miramonte 36-13. Riordan, which won its opener 28-19 over defending San Francisco Section champion Lincoln 28-19.