1. Lucas Jones (McKinleyville), 15 assists
Jones has made his season about other people's goals. The senior has 15 assists and one goal in 11 games, and has been involved in 32 percent of McKinleyville's recorded goals for a side that are 12-3-0 in the Big 5. No one else on this list is within five of him, and his work helps explain why the Panthers have two players, Becker Rine and Gaelen Creighton, on 16 goals each.
2. Judah Mukome (Athenian), 10 assists
Mukome's 42 points are the most on this list. The senior has 16 goals and 10 assists in eight games, and has been involved in 70 percent of Athenian's recorded goals. A year ago he had nine goals and eight assists in 10 games; this fall his 5.3 points per game is more than double last season's 2.6. Against California Crosspoint on Sept. 10, a 10-0 win, he scored four and set up two more.
3. Soren James (Arcata), 9 assists
James is still only a freshman, and he is as likely to set a goal up as to score one. He has nine assists and 12 goals in 15 games for an Arcata side that are 10-3-2 in the Big 5. Against St. Bernard's on Sept. 1, a 15-0 win, he had three goals and four assists, and he has four goals and two assists across Arcata's last three games.
T4. Adrian Guzman (Lower Lake), 8 assists
Guzman already had the creator's numbers. As a freshman last fall he set up 17 goals in 17 games. As a sophomore he has added the scoring, with nine goals and eight assists in seven games, and his 3.7 points per game is close to double the 1.9 he managed a year ago. He has been involved in 77 percent of the recorded goals for a Lower Lake side that are 5-3-3 in the North Central League I.
T4. Caleb Ahlmann (Middletown), 8 assists
Ahlmann has eight assists and two goals in 12 games, and has been involved in 40 percent of Middletown's recorded goals. The sophomore has also taken 49 shots. Middletown are 5-6-2 in the North Central League I.
T6. Xavier Yebra (Middletown), 7 assists
Yebra makes it two Middletown players in the top six, and he is the second freshman in the top ten. He has seven assists and six goals in 13 games, and has been involved in 52 percent of Middletown's recorded goals. Between them, he and Ahlmann have set up 15 goals.
T6. Victor Vega (Arcata), 7 assists
Vega gives Arcata a second creator in the top ten. The senior has seven assists and a goal in 15 games, part of an Arcata attack in which eight players have scored two or more. With James alongside him, the two have set up 16 goals.
T8. Rene Zamora (Summit K2), 6 assists
Zamora has six assists in only three games. The senior has been involved in 78 percent of the recorded goals for a Summit K2 side that are 1-0-3 in the Bay Area Independent Athletic League, and at 2.7 points per game he has done most of it by creating for others.
T8. Hung Bui (Athenian), 6 assists
Bui has six assists and three goals in four games, 3.0 points per game. The senior gives Athenian a second name in the top ten, and with Mukome the pair have set up 16 of the goals for a side that are 8-2-1.
T8. Gaelen Creighton (McKinleyville), 6 assists
Creighton is a scorer first, with 16 goals in 13 games, but the senior has added six assists to them and been involved in 44 percent of McKinleyville's recorded goals. With Jones at the top, McKinleyville has two players in the top ten here as well as in the scoring race.
T8. Omar Mercado Marquez (Kelseyville), 6 assists
Few players on this list have come further in a year. As a sophomore, Mercado Marquez had two goals and two assists in 21 games. As a junior he has six of each in 14 games, and his 1.3 points per game is more than four times last season's 0.3. Kelseyville are 7-5-2 in the North Central League I.