ALISO VIEJO, Calif.— The 2019 All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) football awards have been announced as Cal Lutheran's Obasi Dees, Ethan Pulley, Caleb Casimere and Jajuan Thomas got the First Team nod while Christian Antezana, Jacob Cerda, Cesar De Leon, Cameron Jones and Connor McDermott were selected to the Second Team.
For the second straight year, Kingsmen football had nine student-athletes garner All-SCIAC, which was the third-most in the conference. The number of SCIAC honorees keeps going up for CLU as the Kingsmen had six in 2016, eight in 2017 and nine each of the past two seasons.
Dees (Antioch, Calif.) is in a league of his own as the first Kingsmen to garner First Team honors all four years. Only four other Kingsmen have even earned All-SCIAC every year. The senior cornerback led the defense with four interceptions which tied for the sixth-most in conference. The captain is 55th in the nation for interceptions per game (0.4) and added 30 total tackles.
Pulley (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) grabbed First Team honors for the second consecutive year. The senior linebacker has been a staple for the defense and ranks third in the nation for forced fumbles (5) and is 10th for solo tackles per game (6.7). He led the conference with 94 tackles, 10.4 per game, and added 11.5 tackles for loss including 4.5 sacks.
Casimere (Orinda, Calif.) earned his first All-SCIAC award, making it three Kingsmen on the First Team defense. The defensive lineman was a force to be reckoned with and had the third-most sacks in the league with 5.5. Altogether, the junior tallied eight tackles for loss and 36 tackles. He had a season high nine tackles against Redlands.
In his first year with the Kingsmen, Thomas (Escondido, Calif.) earned First Team honors after tying for the conference lead in touchdown receptions with eight. The junior recorded 50 receptions, with the second-most yards with 805, and averaged 16.1 yards per catch. His eight touchdowns this year tied for the 10th-most in a single season in program history. He recorded 100-plus yards in three games and had a high of 214, just two-yards shy of the program mark.
Antezana (Lafayette, Calif.) garnered Second Team honors for the second year in a row. The senior did it all for special teams, competing as the kicker and punter. He converted eight field goals and was 91-percent on point-after-attempts as he made 32. In the punting game, Antezana dropped 13 inside the 20, had 18 fair catches and a long of 65.
Cerda (Corona, Calif.) garnered Second Team honors after a successful freshman season as a member of the offensive line. He helped the Kingsmen average 30.5 points and 397.5 yards per game. CLU tallied 23 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing, while also recording 203 first downs. The Purple and Gold led the SCIAC in passing yards during league games with 1,843.
De Leon (Bakersfield, Calif.) was under center for the offense and earned his first All-SCIAC honor as he made the Second Team. The senior quarterback led the conference in touchdowns (23), passing yards (2,697) and was second in completion percentage (62.3). In the nation, he ranks 24th in passing yards and 37th in passing touchdowns. At CLU, he recorded the second-most passing touchdowns in a season and had the third-most passing yards.
Jones (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) had a breakout freshman season with the Kingsmen and was selected to the Second Team. The wide receiver had the third-most touchdown receptions in the SCIAC with seven and had the fifth most yards with 647. He caught 36 balls for an average of 18 yards. On top of receiving, he also returned punts and tallied an 89-yard touchdown.
McDermott (Ventura, Calif.) had a standout sophomore season and was named to the Second Team. The linebacker tallied the fifth-most tackles in the SCIAC with 71 and that included seven tackles for loss. He helped clog up the middle for the Kingsmen and added one sack.
The Kingsmen finished their 2019 campaign with an overall record of 5-5. Cal Lutheran was 4-3 in SCIAC play which tied for the third-best mark.
SCIAC Release: All-SCIAC
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director