Jullen ‘Booda’ Ison was certainly a known commodity entering the 2015 season, at least in football circles around the Bay Area. He was, after all, entering his third year of varsity football and had run for over 1,000 yards as a sophomore. But few predicted the amazing junior campaign for the Mariners’ standout running back.

Ison’s season began with a bang, as he led Moreau to a 33-14 win over Saint Mary’s, running for 305 yards in the season opener. It would be the first of nine games during the year in which Ison would run for at least 200 yards, as he finished the season with 3,044 yards and 43 touchdowns on the ground.

The incredible yardage totals did not come at the expense of Moreau’s weaker opponents. In fact, all four of the games in which Ison did not run for over 200 yards were blowout victories for the Mariners, games in which the junior touched the ball 15 times or less. His best performances, meanwhile, came in the post-season, especially in the section quarterfinals against Saint Mary’s, when he once again torched an otherwise solid Panther defense.

Trailing at halftime in the section quarterfinals, Ison put on an incredible display against Saint Mary’s, carrying the ball 30 times for 411 yards and four touchdowns. That performance came on the heels on a 269-yard, six-touchdown game against Hercules in the first round, and preceded a gutsy 217-yard outing against Marin Catholic in the semifinals.

“He’s just an amazing football player who excels in all facets of the game,” said Moreau Catholic coach Andrew Cotter. “And as good of a football player as he is, he is an even better young man. His leadership and intangibles are the best I have ever seen. I’m blessed to be his coach.”

Speaking of those different facets to the game, Ison’s contributions were hardly limited to the run game. He added 16 catches for 388 yards out of the backfield, and collected 70 tackles on defense, plus an interception in the playoff win over Saint Mary’s. And he has gotten used to never coming off the field, as all special teams are game for our Prep2Prep Junior Player of the Year.

Predictably, Ison excelled in the return game, averaging an incredible 35 yards per punt return, but when Moreau was forced to give the ball up, he also made sure they kept ahead in the field position battle. Ison was the team’s punter, averaging over 42 yards per punt, and placing over half his punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.