Los Banos third-year, dual-threat quarterback named Western Athletic Conference MVP

Shawn Jansen
·3 min read

Los Banos High quarterback David Herrera was a headache for opposing defenses. The Tigers’ third-year starter was a true dual-threat quarterback who could dominate games through the air and on the ground.

Herrera threw for 1,716 yards and 18 touchdowns to go with 1,263 rushing yards and 17 more scores.

After helping lead Los Banos to a second consecutive Western Athletic Conference championship, Herrera was named the WAC Most Valuable Player.

“Having a third-year starter like him was a big reason we were able to do what we did,” said Los Banos coach Dustin Caropreso, named the WAC Coach of the Year. “He came in with two years under his belt of varsity games. The game slowed down for him. He worked so hard in the offseason to become a better thrower.”

The Tigers went a perfect 7-0 in the WAC for a second straight season.

Los Banos quarterback David Herrera rolls out as Johansen’s Anthony Alves gives chase during the Western Athletic Conference game at Johansen High School in Modesto, Calif., Friday, Oct. 6, 2023.
Los Banos quarterback David Herrera rolls out as Johansen’s Anthony Alves gives chase during the Western Athletic Conference game at Johansen High School in Modesto, Calif., Friday, Oct. 6, 2023.

Herrera worked hard during the season, especially when it came time to watching video. His preparation helped him figure out if teams would prevent him from running outside, what holes would be available inside if he took off to run and where he could attack teams through the air.

“Obviously I’m honored to be named MVP,” Herrera said. “It was a great season but it wasn’t all on me. I couldn’t have done it without my receivers, our running backs and offensive line. It was a team effort.”

Tigers teammates Jett Lindeman and Abel Carillo also were selected for top awards. Lindeman was named the Defensive Lineman of the Year and Carillo the Kicker/Punter of the Year.

“(Lindeman) was pretty special,” Caropreso said. “Him and (Phillip) Vanderpoel both lined up outside and teams tried to block one or the other. It was tough with both of them on the field.”

The other top WAC awards went to Johansen’s Tek Garcia as the Offensive Player of the Year, Mountain House’s Nehemiah Williams as Defensive Player of the Year and Johansen’s Sonny Vasquez as the top Offensive Lineman.

The All-WAC first-team selections were quarterback Amare Brooks (Mountain House), running backs Joe Alveranga (Los Banos) and Julio Garcia (Lathrop), receivers Julio Garcia (Lathrop), EJ Campbell (Mountain House) and Adam Aguilar (Los Banos), tight end Anthony Alves, (Johansen), and linemen Richard Nuku (Johansen), Jackson Silva (Los Banos), Dom Corral (Lathrop), Sam Sanchez (Los Banos) and Ryan Holquin (Mountain House).

The defensive first-team selections included linemen Vazquez, Sean Teu (Lathrop), Eddie Swett (Los Banos), Vanderpoel and Nate Martinez (Lathrop), linebackers CJ Major (Mountain House), Cole Ramos (Los Banos), Julio Garcia (Lathrop) and Adon Salas (Los Banos), and defensive backs Campbell, Cade Torres (Los Banos), Adrian Zuniga (Lathrop) and Reis Smith (Ceres).

The second-team offensive players were quarterback Izzy Sanchez (Grace Davis), running backs Ezekiel Suarez (Grace Davis) and Abel Bravo (Pacheco), receivers Manuel Mendoza (Ceres) and Miguel Olvera De Anda (Grace Davis), tight end Peyton Mosely (Pacheco), and offensive linemen Emmanuel Salcedo (Lathrop), Pavan Yeddanapudi (Mountain House), Jakob Garcia (Grace Davis), Alexis Domingincil (Lathrop) and Elias Carrera (Ceres).

The defensive second-team selections were linemen Zane Gerbo (Grace Davis), Alves, Mosely, Nikahli Garcia (Ceres) and Ernie Miranda (Ceres), linebackers Jairus Vasquez (Johansen), Johan Chaney (Grace Davis), Pablo Pena (Lathrop) and Miguel Mendoza (Ceres), and defensive backs Jayden Lau (Grace Davis), Kean Saing (Johansen), Daven Cablay (Pacheco) and Charles Wolfe (Mountain House).