Honor roll: The week’s best performances by San Mateo County high school athletes

Noah David, El Camino football. The Colts rallied for a 17-13 win over Monta Vista, and David was the driving force. The junior running back rushed for 156 yards, including a 13-yarder to break a 7-7 tie in the second quarter that proved to be the game-winner.

Daniela Ruiz, Summit Shasta volleyball. The sophomore had a career day from the service line in the Black Bears’ sweep of El Primero-San Jose. Ruiz kept her effective float serve dancing below the antenna to reel off a career-high 13 aces, topping her previous season-best of five.

David Mhatre, Menlo football. The senior defensive end put up Khalil Mack-type numbers in the Knights’ 31-7 win Saturday over Miramonte. Mhatre rushed the Miramonte quarterback to the tune of a career-high six sacks, while recording a strip and a fumble recovery to boot, as Menlo won its fifth straight to start the year.

Casey Watkins, Menlo-Atherton boys’ water polo. Watkins’ strong play has contributed to the Bears’ undefeated run so far in PAL play. He accounted for seven goals and two assists in wins over Burlingame at Sequoia. He opened the week with a hat trick and two assists in a 13-9 win over the Ravens. He capped the week with four goals as the Bears slipped past Burlingame, 12-11.

Tess Ellingson, Menlo-Atherton girls’ tennis. The senior four-year varsity player continues to dominate PAL play this season. Playing at No. 1 singles, she improved to 6-0 in PAL matches, with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Aragon and a 6-1, 6-2 win over Hillsdale. In six matches, Ellingson has lost a total of six games.

Jack Barton, Sacred Heart Prep football. While two running backs surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in Sacred Heart Prep’s 21-14 non-league win at Hillsdale, Barton gets the Honor Roll nod for his two-way performance in the gritty, smash-mouth contest. Sure, his teammate Greg Gamitian totaled 17 carries for 109 yards and the go-ahead TD late in the fourth quarter, and Hillsdale’s Dante Allendorf was even busier with 21 carries for 143 yards and two TDs. Barton, though, saved the day. Not only did he extend the Gators’ game-winning drive with a clutch 20-yard reception on third-and-4, he set up the drive on defense with a key interception three plays earlier with 5:03 to play, after Hillsdale drove into the red zone. The senior linebacker finished with a career-high 11 tackles, including 10 solo tackles.

Poema Uegligitone, Sacred Heart Prep volleyball. The junior outside hitter was nails in the Gators’ five-set win at Los Altos last Tuesday in non-league play. Playing nearly exclusively in front-row rotations, Uegligitone scored a match-high 26 kills.

Zoe Hendricks, Carlmont girls’ tennis. Only a freshman, Hendricks is making a name for herself at No. 3 singles for the Scots. She won both her matches last week by scores of 6-0, 6-0. She is undefeated in PAL play at 6-0. She has won five of her six matches at love and has lost only two games through 12 sets.

Adler Halterman, Half Moon Bay football. The senior running back ran for a program-record seven touchdowns in the Cougars’ 52-45 win over Foothill. But that’s not all. Halterman had as prolific a performance as you’ll ever see, totaling 31 carries for a whopping 323 yards. As if that wasn’t enough, he added a quarterback sack on the defensive side of the ball.

Poppy McKenzie, Aragon volleyball. The Lady Dons slugged it out for a five-set win over Sequoia last Thursday, and McKenzie was the star of the show. The freshman outside hitter has proven quite a complement to senior outside hitter Sophie Rubinstein this season, and for the first time led Aragon in scoring by recording a career-high 17 kills. McKenzie was also efficient to the tune of a .412 hitting percentage, and added four service aces.

Margot Legros, Woodside girls’ water polo. Legros filled up the stat sheet in the Wildcats’ 14-3 win over Terra Nova. She scored three goals, assisted on six others and came up with eight steals on defense.

Gianna Federighi, Sequoia volleyball. Twice this season, Federighi has recorded 25 kills in a match. The second one was definitively her career day, though, as Sequoia took down Woodside last Tuesday in four sets. When the junior outside hitter recorded 25 kills Sept. 4 against Terra Nova, it was in a five-set win. This time around, she only needed four sets to match the career-high number, while recording a double-double with 12 digs, and adding three blocks and one service ace.

Ryan Fitzpatrick. Nueva School boys’ cross country. For the past year, Fitzpatrick has ruled the Private School Athletic League distance ranks. Last season as a sophomore, he won all three PSAL cross-country meets, and took home the title at the PSAL Championships. He followed that by winning for PSAL track championships in the 800, the 1,600, the 3,200 and the 4x400 relay. One thing he’d never done, however, was win a cross-country invitational race — until Saturday. The junior took home the title in Boys’ Varsity 2 race at the Westmoor Ram Cross Country Invitational with a meet-best time of 13:21.