Tyler Winkles Is Dominating Northern California and He’s Not Even Playing His Main Sport

You gotta be kidding me, right? Acalanes-Lafayette senior quarterback Tyler Winkles isn’t just good, he’s the midseason front-runner for the Chronicle’s Metro Player of the Year. And get this: the dude is committed to play BASEBALL on scholarship at Washington State. Like, seriously? He’s a middle infielder first, but he’s out here absolutely tearing up the football field.

The Baseball Star Who Plays QB Like a Pro

I’m not even sure what to make of it. Winkles is described as fleet, mobile, and blessed with a straight-up cannon for a right arm. His coaches and teammates are raving about his work ethic, his athleticism, and his gamesmanship. This isn’t some flash-in-the-pan moment either. He’s led the Dons to a ridiculous 25-6 record across his three seasons as their starter, piling up more than 7,000 career passing yards and 84 touchdowns. That’s just wild.

This season for the 6th-ranked Dons (who are sitting at 4-1, by the way), Winkles is on another level. He’s leading all Northern California passers with 1,837 yards and 20 touchdowns, and he’s only thrown three interceptions! Plus, he’s added three rushing touchdowns. St. Ignatius coach JaJuan Lawson, a guy who played college quarterback at Rhode Island, straight up said Winkles is “one of the best, if not the best quarterback in Northern California.” And he saw it firsthand: Winkles threw for 375 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns in their 42-38 win back on September 11. The guy just knows how to win. In Acalanes’ last two wins, he racked up over 850 yards and 10 touchdowns, completing 46 of 62 passes. Imagine what he could do if football was his main gig!

The Rest of the POY Contenders Heating Up

Look, Winkles is clearly the guy to beat, but there are some other serious ballers on this midseason watch list who are making their own case. His own primary receiver (43 catches, 605 yards, seven TDs) and a top safety (13 career interceptions) are also in the mix, which tells you how stacked that Acalanes squad is. But let’s check out the others:

• Adonyae Brown from Riordan, a UNLV-bound running back, feels like he’s just getting started for the 9th-ranked Crusaders (3-2). He’s already got 530 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
• James Curoso, a junior running back and linebacker for Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa (7th-ranked Cardinals), is everywhere. He’s piled up 10 touchdowns, 601 rushing yards, and 21 tackles. Dude’s a machine.
• Damari Dean, the fleet wide receiver for the undefeated (6-0) De La Salle-Concord Spartans, is a massive big-play threat. He’s averaging almost 30 yards on his 14 catches and has six touchdowns. And get this: his quarterback, Jaxon Loftin (900 yards, 14 total TDs), and running threat Duece Jones-Drew (602 rushing yards, seven TDs) are also legit POY possibilities for DLS.
• Kaleb Jacobs, a senior running back for the surprising 5-0 Analy-Sebastopol Tigers, is lighting it up. He’s second in the North Coast Section with 822 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Unbelievable!
• Chase Jenkins from Sacred Heart Cathedral is a game-breaking wide receiver with an offer from Oregon State. He just had a monster seven-catch, 172-yard, three-touchdown performance in a historic win over St. Francis. He’s excelling on both sides of the ball, too.
• Nicco Kovacs, a junior quarterback for California-San Ramon, is really hitting his stride after a rough opener. The 6-2, 190-pound transfer from Amador Valley-Pleasanton has thrown for almost 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns for the 4-2 Grizzlies.
• Jeovanni Henley from Serra, a Cal-bound safety, is the emotional and physical leader for the 4-1 and 2nd-ranked Padres. He’s also a top running back. Talk about doing it all!

Winkles and the Dons are back on the field Friday for a Diablo Athletic League opener against Las Lomas-Walnut Creek (4-1). You know he’s gonna be front and center, trying to keep that POY momentum rolling. Can he keep up this insane pace? The whole race is just getting started, and you won’t want to miss what happens next!

This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.

Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.