SD Prep Sports:

2006 San Diego Section

Prep Football

Spirit of High School Football Award:
All-Kiwanis Inspirational Team announced

Each year the Kiwanis Club of San Diego, in cooperation with the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, recognizes nominees for the Kiwanis Spirit of High School Football Award. The team is generally regarded as the section’s all-inspirational team. The latest class included 25 nominees. The 2006 award was bestowed on Mark Weber of El Camino High School, announced at the Holiday Bowl luncheon on Dec. 27.

Four players from South County schools were recognized for the 2006 award: San Ysidro’s Aaron Perez, Hilltop quarterback Craig Rasmussen, Castle Park offensive lineman/linebacker Frank Rodriguez and Otay Ranch quarterback Jeff Smith.

•Rasmussen passed for 1,810 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for an additional 584 yards, scoring five times, en route to earning First Team All-South Bay League honors and finishing as one of the school’s all-time great quarterbacks.

•Rodriguez earned honors as the South Bay League Defensive Player of the Year while helping the Trojans repeat as league champions and advance as far as the Division II quarterfinals.

•Perez scored two rushing touchdowns to help the Cougars score their first homecoming victory, 28-7, against Sweetwater.

•Smith, who finished the 2005 season as the team’s primary signal-caller following an injury to starter Chris Siddens, again stepped into a clutch situation to lead the Mustangs when 2006 starter Marcus Vasquez was hobbled late in the season.
Four East County picks included: tight end Matt Cobb from Helix, running back/kicker Kyler Dwyer from Christian, quarterback Collin Taylor from Santana and running back Augie Williams from Grossmont.

•Cobb helped lead the Highlanders to the 2006 Grossmont South League championship title and a runner-up finish in the Division II championship game.

•Dwyer was a one-man scoring machine for the Division V champion Patriots, racking up 190 total points on 20 touchdowns, 50 (of 52) point-after-touchdown conversions, one two-point conversion and six (of nine) field goals. He ranked second in the San Diego Section to Santa Fe Christian’s Corbin Cutshaw (206 points).

•Taylor passed for 2,460 yards and 28 touchdowns in leading the Sultans to the Division IV semifinals while Williams rushed for 753 yards and 10 touchdowns to help Grossmont reach the Division II playoffs.

Also named as nominees were Joe Baini (Francis Parker), Riley Clark (Cathedral Catholic), Robby Collins (Torrey Pines), Rodney Cooper (Madison), Adrian Escalera (Central Union), Russell Davis (Southwest El Centro), Ryan Glovinski (San Diego Jewish Academy), Robert Hanlon (St. Augustine), Keaton Hveem (Mt. Carmel), Victor Kim (Westview), Donnie McKillop (Poway), Ivan Perez (Oceanside), Joshua Robinson (Escondido Charter), Kyle Spaulding (Vista), Disan Suarez (Calipatria) and Marcus van Leeuwen (La Costa Canyon).

Holiday Bowl
The 20th-ranked California Golden Bears defeated the 21st-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, 45-10, to win the 29th annual Pacific Life Holiday Bowl held Dec. 28 at Qualcomm Stadium. Marshawn Lynch (20 rushes, 114 yards) scored twice for the Golden Bears (10-3) while quarterback Nate Longshore (19-of-24, 235 yards) threw a touchdown passes to L. Hawkins while also scoring on a one-yard run.

Cal, in making amends for a disappointing loss in the 2004 Holiday Bowl, steam-rollered the Aggies with 31 second-half points and 476 total offensive yards. The Golden Bears defense recorded one interception, six tackles for losses and two sacks.
But it was the zeal in which he and his Cal defensive teammates played that made firm believers among the 62,395 fans in attendance that the Golden Bears were worthy champions — and could play just as physical as any opponent from the Big 12 Conference.

Mickey Pimentel, a graduate of Marian Catholic High School, started at linebacker and ranked second on Cal with seven tackles in the game.

Many of the Golden Bears were so charged up after the victory that at least one player, sophomore wide receiver DeSean Jackson, was predicting the team would not only play in next year’s national championship game but win it.

Overall, the 2006 Cal roster featured five former San Diego Section players. Joining Pimentel, the 2002 South Bay League Defensive Player of the Year, were sophomore offensive lineman Chet Teofilo (Hilltop), junior tight end Julian Arthur (Bishop’s), freshman wide receiver Daniel Lofton (Westview) and freshman linebacker Michael Mohamed (Brawley).