Eleven members of the Santa Monica High football team have received all-Ocean League honors.
The Vikings had an outstanding season with eight wins and three losses and were well-rewarded by the voters.
Junior running back Lewis Adeyemi and senior tight end Christoff Neuman were chosen to the first team on offense. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Katz made the second team, losing out to another sophomore, Darius Banks of Culver City.
The Vikings’ running game was so strong that another ball carrier, E.J. Woods, made the second team. as did center Justin Williams and senior tackle Max Forer.
Junior Jordan Rosenbeck, who punted and kicked extra points and field goals, was the first team kicker.
Junior Cameron Collins, who excelled as a defensive back and receiver and was also the team’s backup quarterback, was chosen to the first team on defense.
Senior Robert Garcia was a repeat choice at linebacker, Freddie Leslie was picked as a specialist and 250-pound Damon Middleton as a defensive lineman.
Middleton lived up to the coaching staff’s high expectations by becoming an all-league player in his first varsity season. He was a junior.
Adeyemi gained 833 yards and Woods emerged from three candidates to be the backup running back when the season began and gained 435.
Katz threw for 1,377 yards but Culver’s Banks had better statistics, passing for 2,211 yards, operating out of a shotgun formation. Samohi had a better balanced attack, mixing running with passing, and defeated Culver City, 20-12.
Beverly Hills was the league champion and both Santa Monica and Culver City made the playoffs.
In a league development, Hawthorne head coach Art Houghtaling has resigned, saying he, his wife and two children hope to relocate in Oregon.
Hawthorne was the league champion in 2004 but wasn’t a factor in a disappointing 2-8 season in 2005.
With several all-league players returning and help on the way from Samohi’s lower level teams, Coach Michael Burnett has high hopes for the 2006 season, which will be his fouth with the team.
The wins moved up from 0 to six, then to eight, and Burnett is attempting to set up a tougher non-league schedule to prepare the team for league and playoff competition. One non-league opponent will be Division 1 powerhouse Los Alamitos, which will host Santa Monica in the season’s fifth week and come to Corsair Field in 2007.
