Three Northgate High School football players earned spots on the San Francisco Chronicle's preseason list of the Bay Area's top 35 high school "touchdown threats" for the 2026 season, the MDUSD Friday Letter announced Aug. 7.

Junior running back Micah Anum, junior wide receiver Bryce Ballard and senior wide receiver Dax Gordon all appeared in the Chronicle's extended list, published Aug. 6 by contributor Mitch Stephens. The rankings were based on college recruitability and prep production.

All three are Broncos.

The players landed in the "25 more" section that expanded the Chronicle's top-10 to 35 players across the region.

Anum and Ballard are no strangers to postseason honors. Both were named to the Chronicle's 2025 All-Metro football team after helping Northgate reach the NCS Division 5 quarterfinals during the 2025 season, where the Broncos fell to Salesian College Preparatory on Nov. 15, 2025. As a sophomore, Anum earned 49ers Prep Player of the Week recognition after rushing for 243 yards and five touchdowns on 17 carries in a single game.

Gordon, entering his senior year as a wide receiver, rounds out the trio on the preseason list.

Northgate isn't the only Walnut Creek school represented. Las Lomas senior running back Kane Sekulich also made the Chronicle's 35-player list, giving the city two programs with players recognized.

The Broncos open the 2026 season at home against Tamalpais on Friday, Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m. They'll play in the Diablo Athletic League's Valley Division, with league play beginning Sept. 18 at Miramonte. The regular season closes with a rivalry matchup against Las Lomas on Friday, Nov. 6.

MDUSD Superintendent Adam Clark noted in a July 31 back-to-school message that work is underway on a new field at Northgate High, adding that "our students and athletes will enjoy [it] very soon." MaxPreps ranked the Broncos No. 8 in NCS Division 3 as of Aug. 11.