State Athletes of Year

SOPHOMORE OF THE YEAR (CLASS of 2027)

Luca Mijatovic (Foothill, Pleasanton)

Already one of the most decorated prep swimmers in the nation, Mijatovic turned even more heads this season by making U.S. swimming history, and before even finishing his sophomore year.

On June 8, Luca officially became the youngest U.S. male swimmer to qualify for the World Championships since Michael Phelps in 2001, doing so at age 16 after placing second in the 400-meter freestyle at the Toyota U.S. Championships. That performance capped a season filled with national records, international medals, and continued dominance on the California high school scene.

Now, he’s the first swimmer to be State Boys Sophomore Athlete of the Year since Mission Viejo’s Jesse Vassallo for the 1976-77 school year. Mijatovic also is the first-ever state athlete of the year in any boys category from Foothill. It’s only been two years since the East Bay had the top sophomore honoree (Alec Blair of De La Salle).

Mijatovic, who trains with the Pleasanton Seahawks club and represents Foothill High in the spring, was again named Swimmer of the Meet at the CIF State Championships after sweeping the 200-yard freestyle (1:33.52) and 500-yard freestyle (4:11.91). His winning time in the 200 set a new California state meet record and earned automatic All-American honors. He also won both events at the North Coast Section finals, recording All-American marks across the board. Last year as a freshman, he won the 500 free at state by seven seconds. This year, he backed it up while focusing on much bigger goals.

Internationally, Mijatovic burst onto the scene with three gold medals at the Pan Pacific Championships in Australia last August, winning the 200 and 400 freestyle and anchoring a victorious 4×200 free relay. He now holds 14 national age-group records, including times that surpass previous bests set by both Michael Phelps and David Popovici in their teens. In the 500-yard freestyle, his 4:10.96 from the Far Western Championships would have qualified him for the Consolation Final at the NCAA Championships. In the mile (1650-yards), he posted 14:37.63, good enough for 12th at the NCAA Division I level.

The grind continues. After state and nationals, Mijatovic will compete at the World Junior Championships in Romania, and with his name already etched in age-group history, a full U.S. National Team spot, and a run at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, could be just around the corner.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR (CLASS of 2028)

Jasir Fontenot (San Diego)

Before he even entered high school, Fontenot was already making waves on the youth track scene. But no one expected the 9th grader from San Diego High to break a California state meet record in his first trip to Clovis and win a state championship in the process.

Fontenot delivered one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the 2025 CIF State Track & Field Championships by clocking a 13.21 in the 110-meter hurdles, breaking the state finals meet record. That mark stands as the fastest time ever recorded at the CIF State Meet and instantly launched him into the national spotlight. He also entered elite territory among the fastest freshman hurdlers in U.S. history, with a time that ranked inside the top 10 nationally for 2025 under all conditions.

Jasir now adds State Boys Freshman Athlete of the Year honors to his resume.

He also played a little bit of football and basketball as a freshman for the Cavers. Being from super-ancient San Diego High also makes it a very fun one to look up previous winners. In the end, the only one we found was the legendary Harold “Brick” Muller as the overall State Athlete of the Year for the 1916-17 school year. Any time we can mention Muller, once voted the greatest football player in the first 25 years of the 20th century, we will do it. The last from the San Diego Section to be freshman athlete of the year was football player-volleyball player Madden Faraimo of Cathedral Catholic for 2022.

Earlier in the track season, Fontenot broke the San Diego Section record in the 110-meter hurdles with a wind-legal 13.76 at the UC Classic, surpassing the 2024 mark set by his friend and training partner, Shon Martin.

That performance built on his already impressive resume from the USATF Junior Olympic Championships from last summer, where he made national headlines. Fontenot ran 13.65 in the prelims of the 110-meter hurdles to set the age-14 world record, then returned just hours later to win the 15–16 division final in 13.56, breaking the national age-group record and surpassing the previous meet mark of 13.74 set by Olympian Wayne Davis in 2007. His dominance across both age levels on the same day solidified his status as one of the nation’s most elite young hurdlers.

With three more seasons to develop and improve, Fontenot has the potential to join the rare group of athletes who win multiple state titles during their careers.

DIVISION III

Wes Burford (Oakdale) Jr.

Whether he was trucking defenders in the fall, grinding through one of California’s toughest wrestling brackets in the winter, or clearing hurdles in the spring, Burford did it all, and did it at a high-caliber level.

We don’t usually pick juniors for any of these divisional state athlete of the year honors, but Oakdale has been D3 or medium schools for almost all of the years we’ve been doing Cal-Hi Sports and Wes just had too much on his plate to be denied over any seniors.

This also ended up a real fun one to do from a historical standpoint. Burford, believe it or not, is the first state boys athlete of the year from Oakdale since College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Eddie LeBaron for the 1945-46 school year. LeBaron, who also is known as the first QB to play for the Dallas Cowboys, is shown for medium schools on the all-time lists.

In football, the 6-foot, 215-pound junior powered Oakdale to a 9-3 record behind a dominant ground game, finishing the season as the No. 4 reported rushing leader in California. He totaled 2,678 rushing yards, averaged 9.1 yards per carry, and scored 37 total touchdowns while also anchoring the defense with 92 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, and an interception. His impact on both sides of the ball earned him Valley Oak League Co-MVP honors, a spot on the Cal-Hi Sports all-state junior and all-state medium schools honor squads.

Once football season wrapped, Burford transitioned into wrestling and delivered one of the best postseason runs in the state. Competing in the 215-pound division, he became Oakdale’s lone medalist at the 2025 CIF State Championships, placing third overall. He pinned three opponents on his way to the semifinals. He followed up a narrow 5-4 decision over Esteban Sanchez of Granite Hills with a semifinal loss to nationally ranked No. 3 Angelo Posada, who proved to be one of the toughest matchups in the bracket. Burford bounced back to earn a 4-2 decision over Brock Rios of Frontier, then secured third place in dominant fashion by pinning Mayfair’s Kayden Cartee, who entered the tournament ranked No. 13 nationally.

In the spring, Burford showed off his athletic versatility again, qualifying for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Finals in the 110-meter hurdles, a remarkable feat for someone coming off a medal run in heavyweight wrestling. His blend of size, speed, and stamina is rare, and it’s what sets him apart from most multi-sport athletes.

A standout in the classroom as well with a 4.17 GPA, Burford has already committed to continue his football career at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.

With his senior year still ahead, Burford returns as one of the top all-around athletes in the state, on any field, mat, or track.

DIVISION V

Eyan Turk (Woodcrest Christian, Riverside) Sr.

With one of the best cross country and distance track seasons in small-school state history, Turk leaves behind a legacy at Woodcrest Christian that places him among the most accomplished runners in not just Riverside County, but across California, regardless of division.

Turk opened his senior year by winning a third straight CIF Southern Section Division 5 cross country title, then followed it with his second straight CIF State Division V championship, clocking 14:32.5 on the historic Woodward Park course in Fresno, which is no easy feat. That mark wasn’t just a division record, it was the fastest time in California for 2024, which now ranks No. 7 all-time in state history at the Woodward course. He held off a strong challenge from Menlo School’s Landon Pretre to win by six seconds.

In the spring, Turk doubled down, this time on the track. After defending his Southern Section Division 5 title in the 3,200 meters, he ran a career-best of 8:51.62 to win the event at the 105th CIF State Track and Field Championship, once again holding off Landon Pretre in a thrilling duel and setting a Riverside County record in the process. Eyan’s final high school race featured incredible splits, with a 4:17 second mile, a 2:01 final 800, and a 59-second closing lap that sealed the win.

Turk joins an elite group of California distance runners who have won both CIF state titles in cross country and track and field in the same school year. In recognition of his historic year, he was also named the 2024–25 IE Varsity Boys Athlete of the Year by the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Now headed to the University of Kentucky, he’ll look to take the next step in a distance-running career that’s already off to a historic start.

Eyan also is the first-ever athlete of the year (boys) from Woodcrest Christian. The last D5 winner from the Inland Empire was current PGA tour golfer William Mouw of Ontario Christian, who played other sports while in high school.