Honor roll: The week's best performances

Arianne Herrera, Terra Nova volleyball. 4-11 sophomore. The Lady Tigers have earned their first-place standing in the PAL Ocean Division, and how, winning each of their last four league matches in five sets. Terra Nova’s most recent victory was last Thursday’s 23-25, 25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12 win over Mills with a phenomenal performance by Herrera. The sophomore, who stands just 4-11, scored four service aces and matched her career-high with 28 kills.

Lucas Meredith, Burlingame football. The sophomore running back led the Panthers’ 321-yard ground attack with 95 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries in his team's 51-0 win over South City. Adding to Burlingame’s rushing tally was junior Devon Malashus (six carries, 69 yards and a TD); junior Leo Epstein (nine carries, 62 yards and a TD); and sophomore Wyatt McGovern (two carries for 48 yards).

Michael Fearon, Mills boys’ water polo. Fearon has been a force all season for the PAL Ocean Division-leading Vikings, and continued his tear in last week’s wins over Capuchino and Woodside Priory. The junior scored a game-high four goals in a 7-2 victory over Cap, backed by 19 saves by junior goalkeeper Nuri Capanoglu. Fearon scored three more goals in an 11-3 win over Priory, with Capanoglu totaling 17 saves. Senior Rhys Girouard added three goals on the week for the Vikings, who are now 9-0 in PAL Ocean play.

Daniel Heimuli, Jaeden Barker and Troy Franklin, Menlo-Atherton football. The halftime score between PAL Bay Division frontrunners M-A and Terra Nova was an unlikely 2-0 margin in favor of the M-A Bears, much in part to a tremendous sack rate in the early defensive battle. The Bears — who went on to win it 30-8 — totaled nine sacks in the game, including seven in the first half. Heimuli, a senior linebacker, accounted for three of those overall sacks and recorded a team-high 11 tackles.

Then, Barker on the second play of the second half bounced off two tackles at the line of scrimmage to dash 75 yards for a touchdown. The senior quarterback went on to total 286 yards (169 passing and two TDs; 117 rushing and a TD).

Franklin added two long scores, one each side of the ball. With M-A getting the ball right back after Barker’s long score, Franklin took a reception off a bubble screen 50 yards for a touchdown. The sophomore also logged two interceptions, including a pick-6 which he nabbed at the Bears’ 1-yard line and took 99 yards for a score.

Casey Orton, Woodside boys’ cross-country. The annual Artichoke Invitational in Half Moon Bay saw Orton blow away the field in the 2.33-mile race. Not only was the sophomore’s time of 12 minutes, 17 seconds a massive win in the large school boys’ varsity race, topping M-A junior Ethan Mimeles by 12 seconds, his time was the best of any of the two boys’ varsity races on the day, and improved on his personal performance from one year ago by 1 minute, 34 seconds.

Manny Aguilera, El Camino football. The Colts pulled off a major upset Friday by handing Woodside its first loss in league this season, holding the Wildcats to a lone touchdown in a 13-7 victory. Elco’s defense was led by Aguilera, as the senior defensive back totaled three interceptions.

Dillon Grady and Jaden Richardson, Menlo School football. Grady, a senior, and Richardson, a junior, who both play WR/DB, both made impacts on both sides of the ball in the Knights’ 44-25 win over Half Moon Bay. Both players scored two touchdowns — one on offense, one on defense. Richardson caught a quick slant that he turned into a 76-yard score and also had a 55-yard interception return for a TD. Grady turned a 15-yard crossing pattern into a 34-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. He later added a 30-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. He went on to produce a career-high 19 tackles.

Sianna Houghton, Menlo School volleyball. It’s tough to choose between Houghton and reigning Daily Journal Athlete of the Week Grace King in Menlo’s four-set win last4 Tuesday over rival Sacred Heart Prep. Each totaled a match-high 17 kills, and each recorded a double-double; King finished with 15 digs and Houghton 19. But Houghton was the more efficient shooter, by far, totaling a .350 hitting percentage while recording her season-high in kills and her career-high for a five-set format with 4.5 kills per set.