LOS ANGELES – The Cal Lutheran football team was well represented on All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (SICAC) teams as eight student-athletes were named to the First Team and four were named to the Second Team. The teams were announced Monday after a vote from the league's head coaches.
The eight Kingsmen selected to the First Team were Obasi Dees, Adam Friederichsen, Dane Griffin, Jerome Hull, Aaron Lacombe, Ty Lozano, Wendell O'Brien and Andrew Reyes. The quartet of Chris Beeson, Acquarey Eddington, Kaiden Mowery and Ryan Munoz were named to the Second Team.
"I'm very happy for the twelve student-athletes that were named all-SCIAC based upon their performances during the 2017 season," said football head coach Ben McEnroe. "It's a great testament to our senior class, the guys that really gave us a chance to be competitive in every football game this year. They are and always will be a special group of guys to me.
"It is very encouraging to have five players who will be returning named as well. Those kids have set the bar high for themselves and their teammates and we can build around those pieces in player development and recruiting. I'm very proud of our football team and these young men that were recognized."
A native of Antioch, Calif., Dees was named to the First Team for the second consecutive season. The sophomore started all eight games at cornerback. He had a total of 25 tackles, 19 of which were unassisted. He tied for the team lead in interceptions with three and led the Kingsmen with 10 pass break-ups.
Friederichsen, from Westlake Village, Calif., has put himself in the Cal Lutheran record books and now has a First Team award to add to his name. The senior quarterback threw for 24 touchdowns against only five interceptions. He completed 158-of-260 passes for 2,419 yards. He tied the program record for touchdown passes in a season with 24. Friederichsen had four games in which he threw four touchdown passes.
Griffin played on the defensive line for one season and was named to the First Team. Originally from Thousand Oaks, Calif., he tallied the fifth-most tackles on the team with 44. The senior had 24 solo and 20 assisted tackles. He tied for the most sacks in the SCIAC and had the second-most tackles for loss with six and 8.5, respectively.
Hull was named to the Frist Team in just his second season. The Los Angeles Native played cornerback and recorded five pass break-ups and one interception. The sophomore made 16 tackles, including one tackle for loss. He tallied 12 solo tackles and four assisted tackles.
Lacombe earned All-SCIAC First Team for the second year. Originally from Westlake Village, Calif., he plays wide receiver at CLU. The senior led the Kingsmen in receptions for the second straight year. He pulled down 45 receptions for 952 yards and seven touchdowns. His 952 yards were the fifth-most for a season in program history. His 119 yards per game were tops in the SCIAC.
Hailing from Bakersfield, Calif., Lozano earned First Team as a defensive back. The junior led the defense with 9.6 tackles per game for a total of 77. He had 47 solo tackles and 30 unassisted. He also recorded 1.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, three pass break-ups and two blocked field goals. His 47 solo tackles were the best in the SCIAC.
A native of Bayside, N.Y., O'Brien was named to the First Team as a wide receiver. The senior caught the most touchdowns in the SCIAC with 11. That is tied for the second-most touchdowns receptions for a year in program history. He caught 43 passes for 699 yards and had a long of 78. At Pomona-Pitzer, he caught nine passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns.
Reyes was named First Team for the offensive line. Originally from Palmdale, Calif., he played in seven games for the Kingsmen. He helped the offense account for 24 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns. The offense accumulated 453.8 yards per game, including 303.8 passing and 150 rushing.
Beeson was named to the SCIAC Second Team. The Ventura, Calif., native led the Kingsmen on the ground as he recorded 710 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 13 passes for 129 yards and returned 10 kicks for 271 yards. Altogether, he tallied 1,083 all-purpose yards and averaged 135.4 per game, third-best in the SCIAC. He rushed for a program record five touchdowns in a win against Whittier.
Hailing from Riverside, Calif., Eddington is a linebacker for the Kingsmen. The senior earned Second Team All-SCIAC for the second consecutive year. He recorded the third-most tackles for CLU with 57, 26 solo and 31 assisted. He had the third-most tackles for loss in the SCIAC with eight. He added 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
Mowery was named to the Second Team. The Simi Valley, Calif., native played on the defensive line for the Kingsmen. He recorded 31 total tackles, 14 solo and 17 assisted. He added 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.
A native of Los Angeles, Munoz plays on the defensive line. The sophomore saw his first collegiate action this year and earned Second Team All-SCIAC for his contributions. He helped lead a defense that allowed the third-lowest yards per game at 381.9. He tallied eight solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles.
Chapman senior quarter back Ricky Bautista was named the 2017 SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Year and teammate Austin Pyke was named the Defensive Athlete of the Year. Chapman's Dillon Keefe, a defensive player, was named the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year, Pomona-Pitzer's Aseal Birir earned the John Zinda Award and Chapman's Bob Owens and his coaches were named the Coaching Staff of the Year.
Release: SCIAC All-Conference
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
