When it came down to yet another honor for one of the most celebrated high school quarterbacks in recent Bay Area memory, Palo Alto star Keller Chryst called an audible.

Chryst, after being invited to The Under Armour and Army All American Games, turned down a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I declined the offer to play in the all-star games so I could visit my friends in North Carolina,” Chryst said.

Chryst, whose family moved to Palo Alto when his father, Geep, accepted the quarterbacks coach job for the San Francisco 49ers, resided in North Carolina until his dad received the offer from the Niners.

He has made the most of his opportunity and his football bloodlines - his uncle Paul is the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh - to build an impressive resume.

Chryst was ranked as the No. 1 pocket passer in his class by ESPN and committed to Stanford over the summer of 2013. The Palo Alto High senior threw for 2,672 yards and 28 touchdowns in his final year with the Vikings, topping off three years as the starting varsity quarterback.

For his outstanding work, Chryst has been named the Prep2Prep Central Coast Section Senior of the Year.

“It was great to be a part of a program like Paly's," Chryst said “The coaching of coach (Earl) Hansen and coach (former NFL quarterback Steve) Bono, I learned more here than I would anywhere else.”

Despite a stinging 45-21 season-ending loss in the CCS semifinals, Chryst is excited to take his game to the next level as he gears up for his upcoming season with the Stanford Cardinal.

“I am about to start workouts for Stanford that they will send me when I sign,” he said. “Just doing my best to be in the best shape possible so I can be the best possible.”

Also considered: Hamilton Anoa'i, WR/S Serra; K.J. Carta-Samuels, QB, Bellarmine; Tre Hartley, WR/DB, Milpitas; Squally Canada, RB, Milpitas; Delshawn Mitchell, RB/DB, Wilcox; Jack Heneghan, QB, Menlo; Trevor Bearden, RB, Live Oak; Chandler Ramirez, RB/LB, Archbishop Mitty.

NOTE: We would like to thank our readers for all of the nominations you sent in for the season-ending CCS football awards. It is a daunting task to narrow down our selections to just the top few as we recognize there are lots of great players who make contributions on the football field that are not necessarily well-documented but mean a great deal to the success of their teams. We salute all of the players that have made this a wonderful season of CCS football.