Barton Leads Plethora of Tiger Postseason Accolades

After reaching the pinnacle of the season and winning its second 3C2A State Championship in four seasons, Riverside City College (12-1) picked up a plethora of postseason awards.

Coach Tom Craft was named the State and Region Coach of the Year, while Jordan Barton highlighted the athlete awards. The sophomore quarterback was named the State Offensive Player of the Year, Region III Offensive Player of the Year, and National Division, Southern League Offensive Player of the Year.

Barton led the Tigers to their fourth-straight championship game and finished the year with the most touchdowns in the state with 35 passing touchdowns. He also boasted the best passing completion percentage (72.2 percent) after leading the 3C2A with 280 total completions on 388 attempts. Barton averaged 306.9 yards per game (second in the state) and finished the year with a 183.7 passing efficiency (first in the 3C2A).

Bryce Strong joined Barton on the All-American Offense Team, while also grabbing first-team all-region and all-conference honors. The sophomore running back finished the year with 18 touchdowns, including 16 rushing touchdowns (third-most in the state). He averaged 8.3 points per game and 148.9 all-purpose yards per game.

Jessie Campbell, Christian Perry, and Norion Espadron also picked up first-team All-Region III offensive honors.

Campbell finished the year with nine touchdowns, including one for 98 yards. The sophomore wide receiver had 38 receptions on the year for 601 yards, averaging 46.2 yards per game and 15.8 yards per catch.

Perry was a key member of the Tiger offensive line, limiting opponents to 26 sacks on the year and helping Riverside average 522.6 total offensive yards per game.

Espadron capped off his sophomore season with 43 receptions for 748 yards, averaging 17.4 yards per catch. He scored five touchdowns, including one for 77 yards. The wide receiver also returned 16 kickoffs, averaging 20.8 yards per return.

Esaia Bogar grabbed first-team All-Region III defensive honors after posting 53 total tackles on the year, including a team-high 11.5 sacks (totaling 88 yards) and 21.5 tackles for loss (amassing 115 yards). The freshman defensive lineman also had one forced fumble and recovery, along with two breakups in his collegiate debut season.

Along with their all-region recognition, Campbell, Perry, Espadron and Bogar also earned All-National Division, Southern League honors, along with Nephi Kalamafoni-Tuiasosopo (first-team offense), Ayinde Bankole (first-team offense), Tony Ulima (first-team defense), Leo Tupou (first-team defense), Kavon Baptiste (first-team defense), Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling (first-team defense), Connor May (second-team offense), Avory Iosefa-Hart (second-team defense), Ja'wuan Nickson (second-team defense), and Edward Gilds (second-team defense).

Complete list of All-American and All-Region honorees

Complete list of all-conference honorees