NorCal Preps Defensive Player of the Year: Steven Fanua

Milipitas Freshman Steven Fanua has been selected NorCal Preps Defensive Player of the Year.

While it is unprecedented to select a sophomore (yes, he's only a soph!) for such an honor, we simply could not ignore Fanua's accomplishments. And believe us, we looked for a comparable upperclassman. The 6-foot-1, 200 pound linebacker was third in the entire country (first in the state) in tackles with 220 to go along with 11 sacks. No other player even comes close in terms of production. Fanua, who shot the gaps from 5 yards behind the line, was always around the ball for the Central Coast Section Large School champs. The CCS first-team selection by the Mercury News had three 20-tackle games, and only once made fewer than 10 stops.