San Marin football star Justin Guin is SBLive's 2021-22 North Coast Section Athlete of the Year

Guin was our 2021 CIFNCS football MVP, and now plays at Fresno State

Author:
Lance Smith, SBLive Sports
Publish date:
Jul 15, 2022 10:31 PM EDT

(Photos by Lauren Pacheco and San Marin football)

Welcome to a continuing tradition at SBLive California – honoring the male and female athletes of the year in every CIF Section.

Because the SBLive crew gets so immersed in specific sports seasons, it is nice to take a step back to pick a Section honor on a broader scale.

The criteria isn’t too expansive: The starting point is finding athletes who are all-league/all-state performers. Totality of career is also a factor as is winning. Administrator/coach/fan recommendation plays a role as well.

Enjoy as we honor some of California's top athletes!

Around this time a year ago, San Marin football was embarking on an unforgettable campaign that would ultimately go the distance and end gloriously.

It was no secret entering the fall that rising senior RB Justin Guin was one of the best football players in Marin County. He was the Mustangs' second-leading rusher as a sophomore in 2019 and particularly made a name for himself during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, helping lead the team to a 4-1 record.

As it turned out, Guin wasn't just one of the best football players in the county, but arguably the best scholastic athlete in the entire North Coast Section.

264167407_3193371370900058_5528184970792340181_n — Photo by Lauren Pacheco and San Marin football

San Marin crushed its first seven opponents, four of which were league foes, by a jaw-dropping combined score of 354-61. During that stretch, Guin quite literally ran wild. He rushed for 1,081 yards and 18 touchdowns on just 92 carries, and added six catches for 54 yards as well. That was despite giving up minutes and snaps for garbage time in nearly all of those blowout wins.

One can only imagine the numbers he'd have put up by then if San Marin had a lesser defense that necessitated that he touch the ball 25 or more times per game. That's something Guin is also partly to thank for, as he emerged as arguably the team's best defensive player at safety as a senior as well.

Following a 55-0 drubbing of Navato that moved them to 7-0, the Mustangs nearly handed perennial NCS powerhouse Marin Catholic their first loss in league play since 2014. San Marin came up just short in a 21-14 final. The Mustangs turned heads just by putting such a scare into MC, the third-ranked team in the section, which still has not lost to a Marin County team in the regular season since 2008.

Despite the loss, San Marin was still 7-1 and in good position looking ahead to the playoffs. The Mustangs went on to secure second place in the MCAL with wins against rivals Tamalpais and Redwood, and entered the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs as the top seed.

With Guin continuing to lead the way, they played like the top seed. San Marin stomped Hercules in the first round, survived a 26-25 test from Eureka heavyweight St. Bernard's in the semifinals, and left zero doubt in the title game, a 36-0 demolition of Del Norte (Crescent City).

And the Mustangs weren't done there. With the program's first ever state championship in sight, they rolled against Sutter in the CIF 5-AA Northern Region Bowl Game and outdueled Independence (Bakersfield) 20-14 to complete the journey.

Guin finished his senior season with 2,359 yards and 36 touchdowns rushing, in addition to three 2-point conversions, while no other player in the North Coast Section ran for 1,600 yards or 25 touchdowns. That meant he was tied for third in the state in rushing touchdowns and fourth in rushing yardage. Guin also added 10 catches for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns, and a pair of punt return touchdowns. On defense, he went for 97 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 12 pass break-ups, and an interception-return touchdown in the Regional finals. He finished third in the state in both scoring and touchdowns.