OAKLAND — While Mater Dei Catholic-Chula Vista’s roster stretched as far as it could along its sideline, McClymonds had only 24 players in uniform for the 2-AA state championship game.
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.
The Cal-bound senior accounted for more than half of the Oakland powerhouse’s total yards from scrimmage in 2022. He rushed for 2,528 yards and 30 touchdowns and caught two TD passes.
“Jaivian has been carrying us all year,” McClymonds coach Michael Peters said during the playoffs.
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.
For Thomas, it didn’t 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.
But he also dominated non-league foes, too.
Thomas ran for at least 180 yards in each of three regular-season games against eventual NorCal champions Bellarmine, Pittsburg and San Ramon Valley.
“He was the best back we played, and it’s not even a question,” 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. “He was finding holes and creases, and when he hit those, we couldn’t catch up.”
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.
“I try to get into the end zone every time I touch the ball,” 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.
Now, Thomas aims to carry on the lessons learned at Mack into the next chapter of his football and academic career.
“McClymonds is a winning school,” Thomas said. “If you want to go here, you have to be disciplined. Going here has changed me a lot.”
ALL-BAY AREA NEWS GROUP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 9
Tuesday, Jan. 10
Wednesday, Jan. 11
Bay Area News Group coach of the year
Thursday, Jan. 12
Alameda County player of the year
San Mateo County player of the year
Santa Clara County player of the year
Bay Area News Group player of the year
WHO IS ELIGIBLE
Those eligible for all-Bay Area News Group recognition come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. For corrections, please email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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