Pittsburg's Marley Alcantara voted top high school quarterback in California by fans

Alcantara broke out as a junior to lead Pittsburg to yet another NCS title

Pittsburg quarterback Marley Alcantara threw for 2,675 yards and 37 touchdowns as a junior. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Marley Alcantara had enormous shoes to fill upon taking over as Pittsburg's starting quarterback a year ago.

His predecessor was high 4-star recruit and current Georgia Bulldog Jaden Rashada, who led the Pirates to back-to-back CIF-NCS Division 1 titles. Despite the fact the majority of Pittsburg's top offensive threats graduated along with Rashada in 2023, the team was under pressure to be one of NorCal's best as usual. And Alcantara would've been under substantial scrutiny if the Pirates' offense underwhelmed.

Instead, Alcantara picked up where Rashada left off, and led Pittsburg to a 13-1 record and another North Coast Section D1 championship. Statistically, the Pirates suffered no drop-off in production or efficiency under center going from one of the biggest-name recruits in the country to an unranked homegrown product. To say Alcantara filled the void would be an understatement – he made a name for himself as one of the state's standout quarterbacks in his own right.

Alcantara completed 194 of 298 passes (65.1-percent) for 2,675 yards and 37 touchdowns to eight interceptions, good for a strong 122.1 passer rating. Additionally, while not prolific on the ground, he showed that defenses can't dare him to run either, averaging 7.2 yards per carry for 251 yards and two more TDs.

Lastly, Alcantara got better as the season went on, and demonstrated consistency and poise playing against many of NorCal's stronger teams. He only threw multiple picks once this season, and it occurred in a victory over California (San Ramon) in which he also threw for five touchdowns passes and 370 yards. Pittsburg's offense scored 34 points in 12 of 14 games and 25 points in 13 games with Alcantara steering the ship, and he closed the season with two of his strongest performances in championship battles with San Ramon Valley and Folsom.

For his tremendous breakout season, Alcantara has been voted by fans as the top quarterback in the state. He received 3,270 votes to narrowly beat out Tustin's Michael "Butter" Tollefson (3,142), a senior Arizona State commit who started for JSerra a year ago.

TOP QUARTERBACK LISTS: California’s Top 50 | San Diego Section | Southern Section |North Coast Section | Central Coast Section | Central Section | Sac-Joaquin Section

Since the season ended, Alcantara has picked up his first offers from Southern Oregon, Pacific, and Lewis & Clark. He stands to reel in a handful more with another big season for Pittsburg.

MORE: Hesperia's Da'lon Williams voted California's top running back by fans