No matter which way you look at it, the 2018 season was a ground-breaking one for the Wilcox program, especially as the Chargers became the first team in school history to capture a CIF title, defeating Kaiser-Fontana in the CIF 3-A championship game.

At the center of that success were the tremendous performances delivered weekly by junior Paul M Rosa, who defied his own stature on a regular basis. The 5-foot-6 virtual Swiss Army knife filled multiple roles for the Chargers, and was a weapon everywhere he lined up. Offensively, he ran for 1,588 yards and 20 touchdowns, and added 26 catches for 573 yards and eight scores. Defensively, he had three interceptions to go with his 44 tackles, and returned two of the picks for touchdowns. But those were not the only ways in which he impacted the scoreboard.

In addition to his duties on offense and defense, Rosa was on virtually every special team, making his biggest mark there by serving as the team’s place-kicker. He was as reliable as they come, converting 44 of 47 extra point attempts and proving to be successful on his only field goal attempt. That meant for the season, with 30 total touchdowns and his kicking duties, Rosa racked up a whopping 227 points scored.

“He is invaluable in the sense that we can use him everywhere, and he brings a high level of experience to every role,” said his father, Wilcox coach Paul Rosa. “His main attribute is his toughness, both physically and mentally. He figures out a way to be at the top of his game even playing both ways, and through 15 games. That might have been the most impressive part.”

The younger Rosa’s success on the field was a key component as the Chargers went 10-0 during the regular season, capturing the SCVAL-De Anza title and defeating eventual CCS Division II champion Valley Christian in the non-league season opener. His versatility was on full display during Wilcox’s season. In a regular season win over Palo Alto, the junior ran for 204 yards. The next week, in a win over Los Gatos, he ran for 100 yards while adding 160 yards and two scores through the air.

“It was an unbelievable season, one in which we reached almost all of our goals,” said the younger Rosa. “Playing into December, that was an amazing feeling. We started to refer to ourselves as a winter sport.”

His success as a junior came as no surprise to the Wilcox program, and his experience was cited multiple times as a key ingredient to that success. Already a three-year varsity player, Rosa has now scored 51 touchdowns in his high school career, and has amassed 4,324 yards from scrimmage. He has also scored 428 points at the varsity level.

“My experience has certainly led to increased confidence, and already having three years at the varsity level will only continue to help me going forward,” Rosa added.

For his efforts throughout this season, we are pleased to recognize Paul M Rosa as the Prep2Prep Central Coast Section Junior of the Year.

Other players considered for this award include Salinas’ Carl Richardson, Palo Alto’s Jamir Shepard, Menlo-Atherton’s Justin Anderson and Saint Francis’ Afa Sanft.