Najee Harris with his Antioch High School varsity football coach John Lucido before Saturday’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. source: John Lucido’s Facebook page.

By Luke Johnson

The number one high school football recruit in the country, Najee Harris of Antioch High in Antioch, California is sticking with his commitment to the University of Alabama and will not decommit and attend the University of Michigan.

According to his trainer Marcus Malu, owner of Malu Fitness, Harris arrived on campus Sunday and will enroll Monday as spring semester classes begin Wednesday. Harris graduated from Antioch High School Dec. 22 — a semester earlier than most students in the Class of 2017 — to get a head start on practicing with his college team during spring ball.

Antioch High running back Najee Harris on his way to breaking the school record for rushing yards on Friday, September 4, 2015. file photo by Luns Louie

He committed to Alabama as a sophomore in April 2015, but kept his recruitment status open and strongly considered Michigan. Many people thought Harris would change his decision based on the rapport developed with head coach Jim Harbaugh, who visited Antioch three times last year — most notably at Antioch’s Homecoming Game on Oct. 23, where he announced the Homecoming Queen winner.

However, Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban also made a visit to Antioch to meet with Harris in mid-December, which must have helped solidify five-star running back’s decision.

Harris rushed for the most career yards in Northern California history with 7,948 on top of scoring 99 touchdowns. But Harris has gone on record saying his proudest accomplishment was leading Antioch to its first league championship in 31 years in his junior year as the team finished the regular season undefeated (10-0).

He became the first Antioch student to participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He represented the West, whose offense struggled and only scored 10 points in a 27-17 defeat to the East in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. After the game Saturday, Harris told reporters he was still undecided. However, he was seen arriving at Birmingham International Airport in Alabama the next morning.

Antioch High running back Najee Harris practices for Saturday’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, TX on Tuesday, January 3, 2016. photo by OregonLive.com

No. 1 by three different rankings, five-star running back won’t announce publicly; insiders say he’s flying to Alabama, Oakland on Sunday

Najee Harris ranked #1 recruit in the nation. Source: 247Sports.com

By Allen Payton

According to national news reports including by NBC Sports, which showed up on Yahoo! News, Antioch High running back Najee Harris will not announce his college of choice publicly, but will just show up on campus.

Making national news as the nation’s number one high school football recruit, this year, Harris was in San Antonio, Texas at the second day of training, Tuesday for Saturday’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was being watched by media from across the country, but wouldn’t give any interviews. He did however speak with 247Sports on Monday and said, although he’s committed to the University of Alabama, Harris is still “undecided” and considering the University of Michigan, as well as U.C. Berkeley.

The website reported that Antioch High Varsity Football Coach John Lucido said Harris will simply fly to his college of choice after the game to enroll in school early, without notifying the media. Only his “circle of trust” will know.

Both Alabama head coach Nick Saban and former offensive coach Lane Kiffin visited Harris in Antioch, this past year, as well as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, the former coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

According to 247Sports, Harris is “ranked by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite as the nation’s No. 1 prospect,” and that “the five-star Harris has been a verbal to Alabama since April of 2015, but Jim Harbaugh and Michigan have created doubt about the future for the ballyhooed recruit who took his official to Ann Arbor in mid-December and has been there a few times.” (Harris is also ranked the nation’s No. 1 high school football recruit by Scout and Rivals).

Najee Harris at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl practice field. Source: AL.com

The article further stated that “Alabama quarterback commit Tua Tagovailoa has told BamaOnLine insider Hank South this week that he is planning to room with Harris in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban and Alabama don’t generally lose recruits they want like Harris, but Harbaugh and Michigan have done all they can to make the West Coast talent think otherwise.”

According to MLive.com, “Harbaugh hosted a satellite camp at Antioch in June and even announced the homecoming queen while watching Harris play in October. Harris visited Michigan in August for the BBQ at the Big House annual recruiting event and took an official visit to Ann Arbor in December.”

According to AL.com, when Harris was “asked if he’d just duck interviews after the game and head to the airport and to his school of choice, he said that’s what he plans on doing. So, there will be no announcement.”

UPDATE 1/5/17: However, according to 247Sports, on Wednesday “Alabama quarterback commit Tua Tagovailoa told 247Sports that he would be on the same flight as…Najee Harris to Birmingham at the completion of the Army Bowl. That news seemed to indicate Harris’ intention to enroll at Alabama in January, effectively ending his recruitment.”

The article further states Tagovailoa has also said this week that Harris is also his scheduled roommate in Tuscaloosa. Tracked down for confirmation in the hallways of the Grand Hyatt hotel, Harris playfully said, “What flight? I don’t even know my flight.”

Yet, on Thursday, 247Sports reported they have “since learned from two sources that Harris’ departing flight from San Antonio actually has Oakland — his hometown (airport) — as its final destination.”

Then, a further report by 247Sports Thursday morning, has Harris heading to Alabma. “As part of the invitation to play in the Army Bowl, travel is paid for, with a departing flight from San Antonio to anywhere of the player’s choice. Those flights can be changed — and Thursday afternoon, after practice No. 3, Harris made use of the flexible nature of the Army Bowl’s travel capabilities. It is unclear,  but assumed, that Harris’ travel request will be accommodated.

A non-Bama bound player on the West squad told 247Sports on Thursday he had heard Harris would stick with his Alabama commitment, too. Classes start Jan. 11 at Alabama.”

Watch Harris play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 7th at 10:00 AM on NBC.  For more information about the game visit www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com. To learn more about Najee Harris and his high school career playing for the Antioch Panthers, visit his Wikipedia page, his page on MaxPreps, or search his name on this website.

Antioch High running back Najee Harris wearing the jersey as a U.S. Army All American, with representatives of the U.S. Army, following a ceremony at the school’s gymnasium on October 7, 2016.

By Tyler Vistalli

Najee Harris, the number one high school football recruit in America and one of the best up and coming football stars this area has ever seen, has been honored as a U.S. Army All-American and selected to play in the bowl game of the on January 7th in San Antonio, Texas.

At 6’3”, 226 lbs, Harris, Antioch High’s star running back, has rare physical skills that allow him to run with great balance and patience, as well as being able to fight through tackles and take it to the end zone. He finishes his high school career with the most rushing yards in Bay Area history (7,945 yards), which also ranks fourth all-time in California, plus 99 touchdowns and an incredible 9.5 yards per carry.

During their stop in Antioch, the U.S. Army Selection Tour held a ceremony in the Antioch High School gym on October 7th, and presented Harris with his All-American jersey. The tour traveled to schools across the country to personally give each of the team’s players their jerseys and hold a small ceremony in their honor. Harris’ mother, Tiana Hicks, was also presented with the American Insurance Dream Champion Award. This award is given at each event to recognize family members that play an important role in the All-American’s success.

Being selected as a U.S. Army All-American is a very prestigious honor as they only select 90 of the country’s top high school football seniors for the class of 2017. Previous participants of this game include NFL stars Ezekiel Elliot, Odell Beckham Jr., and Andrew Luck to name a few. The players are divided into two teams, East and West, and play a game to showcase their talent to the world. More than just a game, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a week-long event that consists of awards ceremonies, coaching from college and NFL coaches and a national combine for the top underclassmen football players. Harris attended this combine for underclassmen when he was a junior and his experience fueled his commitment to play in the game his senior year.

Having not signed a letter of intent, his college destination is still undetermined, as of press time. Harris has a firm verbal commitment to the University of Alabama, but Michigan and USC have made their way into the mix. Being an early enrollee to start college courses in January, his decision will need to be made in the next few weeks.

Watch Najee Harris play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday, Jan.7. The game will be nationally televised on NBC at 10:00 AM.

Sacramento, CA – Today, Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D – Oakley) introduced AB 63, legislation to reduce vehicle collisions and fatalities among teen drivers by strengthening California’s provisional driver’s license program.

“This bill will help significantly decrease accidents among newly licensed drivers,” stated Frazier. “Increasing the age for a provisional license will ensure that California’s most vulnerable motorists go through proper training to become safe, responsible drivers.”

AB 63 would increase the maximum age to receive a provisional license to 21 years old guaranteeing that less experienced drivers have appropriate protections during this crucial learning period, by amending Section 12814.6 of the California Vehicle Code.

According to the Legislative Counsel’s Digest, “The bill would expand the scope of the provisional licensing program by extending the applicable age range for the program to 16 to under 21 years of age. By expanding the scope of the provisional licensing program, the violation of which constitutes an infraction, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize a licensee who is 18, 19, or 20 years of age to keep in his or her possession a copy of his or her class schedule or work schedule as documentation to satisfy the exceptions for a school or school-authorized activity and employment necessity, respectively, and would provide that a signed statement by a parent or legal guardian is not required if reasonable transportation facilities are inadequate and the operation of a vehicle by a licensee who is 18, 19, or 20 years of age is necessary to transport the licensee or the licensee’s immediate family member. The bill would make other technical and conforming changes. The bill would also include specified findings and declarations.”

“We are thankful that Assemblymember Frazier has taken on this critically important issue,” said Doug Villars, President of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen. “Traffic collisions are the number one killer of young people in America. We are proud to be sponsors of this bill and look forward to working together toward a common goal—saving young drivers’ lives and making roadways safer for all of us.”

It is estimated that one in three drivers do not receive their license before the age of 18, making them ineligible to participate in the provisional license program. A recent report from the Governors Highway Safety Association discovered that improvement in fatal crash rates among 18- to 20-year-old drivers was far less than their 15- to 17-year-old counterparts.

Policy expanding this program is essential to building safe driving skills for this at risk population. “We applaud Assemblymember Frazier for introducing this vital legislation,” stated Cathy Barankin, Executive Director CA Coalition for Children’s Safety and Health. “First time teen drivers are 45 percent more likely to be involved in a vehicle crash. This bill will stop teens from prematurely losing their lives.”

To view the complete text of the bill, click here.

By Sergeant Tom Fuhrmann, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Wednesday, November 23, 2016 at approximately 9:14 p.m., Antioch Police Officers were

dispatched to the area of Mark Twain Drive and Ebbetts Way on the report of shots heard in the area. While responding, additional information came in that a subject had been shot on the trail.

When officers arrived on scene they found a 17-year-old male from Antioch suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim was transported by ambulance to an area hospital where he subsequently died.

Antioch Police Investigators were called to the scene and are in the early stages of the investigation into this shooting death.

No further information will be released at this time. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Colley with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6922. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Carina sings, plays keyboards and guitar during her concert. See her live at the Streets of Brentwood, this Saturday night, November 26th.

By Carina Sherborne

I am coming back to the Antioch area on my first music tour, and am booked as the National Headliner at the Streets of Brentwood Tree Lighting Festival on Saturday, November 26.

I am 19 years old and live in a small town outside of Seattle. Both of my parents graduated from Antioch High School and all of my family, except my mom, Amy (Anderson) DeAngelo O’Hearn, still live in the area including my grandmother who is a teacher at Dallas Ranch Middle School and my father who is a resident of Brentwood. I attended Sutter Elementary in Kindergarten and Belshaw Elementary in first grade before attending 16 schools across the county as we travelled with my active duty military step-father. Through my struggle to settle in each new state, to fit in, and find friends, I held on tightly to dreams of being a famous musician.

After settling in Washington, I continued training, and began writing and was well on my way in the industry at 16 when my mother became very ill. Now a single parent family, we were faced with the news that my mom was dying, and I chose to put my dreams on hold on heels of having just made it through 4 rounds on American Idol. I left high school my Junior year and attended online school, was caring for my deathly ill mother, and raising my brother while also attempting to keep afloat my mom’s dream – the business we started together called Pop Star Kids which is a school that trains kids to sing and perform. In 2014, my mom had a life saving surgery at University of Washington and although had a very low chance of survival was able to pull through. Today, I have a healthy mom and we have a thriving business in our town which I run with her.

Following this tumultuous time in my life, I was apprehensive, and struggled with getting back in to music, but knew as I graduated High School in 2015 that this is all I have ever wanted to do. Going against the grain, I turned down acceptance letters to college, and invite from American Idol producers to join the shows last season, and once again began pursuing my dream of musical stardom. Through the help of my family members in Sacramento, and all of our supportive east county family residents I was able to release my debut EP on my 19th birthday on July 28th this year! The first week of sales put me on the national Pop Charts topping out at number 54 above Meghan Trainer and even Prince, while my debut video went viral with over 300K views in a week and my life was forever changed!

My music is now on over 50 radio stations nationwide, more than 15 worldwide, and available on every and any streaming site, as well as Pandora. I currently hold the #3 spot in Seattle Pop Charts and am ranked #83 nationally. I just got signed to a producer in Nashville who’s team will be producing my next single which we will release in early 2017.

That team has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, and feel this song is a “smash hit.” I will be debuting this song on stage at the Streets, along with all the original music off the EP and future releases.

The headliner spot at the Streets has spun off an entire West Coast tour which kicked off in Seattle November 19th with stops in Portland, Sacramento and the East Bay, along with more venues as we travel back to Seattle.

My show in Sacramento is the day before the Streets performance, where several big name reps will be in the house to hear me debut my EP, and I will be joined there by the producers who worked in kind on my EP, including Sammy-nominated Patrick Grizzell of Proxy Moon, Kai O’Hearn who graduated from Antioch High, and the legendary David Houston who has worked with Cake, The Deaftones, Club Nouveau just to name a few and was as an engineer on my EP project.

My music is currently on the desk of FM102.5 in Sacramento and I will be interviewed live on the radio in Sacramento while I am in town this week.

More than anything, I want people to know how thankful I am to have such amazing support and secondly to know that no matter how hard life gets, or how impossible it may seem to reach your dreams, it can be done and I am proof of that. To some this may look like an overnight success story, to me it has been a long and winding road that has lead me back full circle to my home in the East Bay.

You can find my music and all other information at www.facebook.com/officialcarinamusic and www.officialcarina.com.

Antioch High players raise their helmets in victory as they leave the field following their 38-31 win over the Cal High Grizzlies, Saturday night, November 19, 2016

Panthers players are congratulated by their friends, family, fellow classmates and other fans.

The Yoc Boys beat Cal High Grizzlies 38-31

By Allen Payton

In the second round of North Coast Section (NCS) high school football playoff action, Saturday night, the Antioch Panthers h3ld on to win 38-31 over the California High Grizzlies of San Ramon. It’s the first time the team has earned the opportunity to play for the the NCS Championship game since 1977. That game will be held in Dublin on Saturday, December 3rd against Monte Vista who beat Heritage High, Friday night.

As the players ran onto the field, after the clock ran out, the crowd chanted “Yoc Boys”, “Yoc Boys”, the nickname for the team.

After trailing 31-10 at half time, the Grizzlies battled back with two touchdowns within five minutes, during the third quarter bringing the score to 31-24. Then, with the ball on the Antioch 3-yard line and driving to tie the score with 10 minutes left in the game, Cal High fumbled. The Panthers were able to score on an 87-yard pass, just two plays, later.

The Grizzlies scored again on a long, touchdown pass a few minutes later. With the point after good, that made the score 38-31. Antioch was unable to answer on their following drive and made a quick kick punt, giving Cal High the ball deep in their own territory, with 2:02 left in the game.

Panthers’ running back Najee Harris gives a victory pose, following the game.

A sack and a penalty pushed the Grizzlies back to their own 14. After two incomplete passes, one of which was nearly intercepted, on third and fourth downs with 18 to go for a first down, Antioch took over at the California 14. The Panthers quarterback twice took a knee, to run out the clock.

When asked about his thoughts on the game, Antioch’s star player and the nation’s top high school running back, Najee Harris simply said, “Scary win.”

“They played their hearts out. I love my teammates,” he continued. “All I ask for is for people who give their all and they did. It was an ugly win but we came out victorious.”

Head Coach John Lucido shared his thoughts on the victory and his team.

“I’m so proud of the kids,” he said. “They listened to us all week long. The seniors didn’t want to go home. They wanted to make a big statement. They were part of last year’s team. They didn’t want to go out like that.”

“These are such great kids. They deserved this,” he continued. “We’ve gone through a lot this year. To come out and do what they did against a well coached team, like this, it shows heart. It shows character.”

“We look forward to playing in two weeks,” Lucido added.

#16 Ti’yahti Harris raises his helmet high in a victory salute, as he jogs off the field toward the stands with #52 Tevin Holmes.

America’s top high school running back and college recruit, Najee Harris carries the ball past defenders of Lincoln High of Stockton, Friday night, August 26, 2016. photo by Michael Pohl

By Allen Payton

In the next round of Division 1 North Coast Section football playoffs, the Antioch High Panthers of the Bay Valley Athletic League will host the California High Grizzlies of San Ramon, of the East Bay League, tonight, Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Antioch has an overall 7-4 season record and Cal High has an overall record of 9-2.

Coming off their first-round victory over San Ramon Valley High Wolves with a score of 29-17, the Panthers are looking forward to tonight’s challenge. Najee Harris, the nation’s top high school running back, and the rest of the “Yoc Boys” will be suited up and ready for action at Eells Stadium.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors citizens and students with an ID. If you can’t make it to the game, you can watch it online, by clicking here.