The Register’s All-County Football First Team Defense for 2013:
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
DEFENSIVE BACK
JONATHAN LOCKETT, MATER DEI
5-11, 180. Sr.
Lockett was perhaps the best overall player in the county. He was Trinity League co-MVP. He was in on 32 tackles for the Pac-5 Division runner-up Monarchs with four interceptions. Lockett played receiver and returned kicks and punts. He returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown in a nonleague win over St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs. “Jonathan had extreme confidence in his ability,” Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. “He could make the big play at the right time.” Lockett had 1,135 total yards for Mater Dei. He was selected to play in the Semper Fi All-American Game.
DEFENSIVE BACK
CORY STOWELL, NEWPORT HARBOR
6-1, 181, Sr.
Stowell was Sunset League defensive back of the year. He had six interceptions and 53 tackles for the Southwest Division finalist Sailors. Stowell also blocked two kicks, including an extra-point attempt in Newport Harbor’s 49-48 playoff win over top-seeded La Habra. Also an outstanding receiver, Stowell and teammate Quest Truxton set the school single-season record for receptions with 83. “Cory’s ability to cover the deep ball was great,” Newport Harbor coach Jeff Brinkley said. “He made a couple of plays on deep throws against Los Alamitos that were pretty amazing.” Stowell has been actively recruited by Sacramento State and UC Davis, with his play in the playoffs attracting attention lately from East Coast schools.
DEFENSIVE BACK
JOHNNY JOHNSON, MATER DEI
6-0, 185, Sr.
Johnson was an All-Trinity League first-team safety. He led Mater Dei in unassisted tackles with 70, six of them in the Monarchs’ Pac-5 semifinal victory over Long Beach Poly. He had two interceptions. Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said Johnson reminded him of all-time Monarchs great Matt Grootegoed. “Johnny is a bonafide, big-time hitter,” Rollinson said. “‘Fear’ is not in his vocabulary. His acceleration was special, with the ability to get to full speed on his second or third step.” Johnson is exploring his post-high school playing options.
DEFENSIVE BACK
MAURICE DAVISON, SERVITE
5-7, 160, Jr.
Davison was an All-Trinity League first-team pick. He had seven interceptions for 144 return yards. He returned an interception for a touchdown against St. John Bosco, and had two interceptions in a league win over Santa Margarita and two in a league win over Orange Lutheran. Some of his returns were spectacular, including one in which he was behind a Santa Margarita receiver and reached over the receiver to make the interception. “He set the standard for our secondary,” Sevite coach A.J. Gass said. “In his own way, with his confidence and his athleticism, he challenged everybody on our team every week.”
LINEBACKER
BOBBY OKEREKE, FOOTHILL
6-3, 205, Sr.
Okereke was Century League player of the year for multiple reasons, including leading the Knights to the Century League co-championship. As a linebacker and occasional defensive end and safety, Okereke had 43 tackles, two sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown. On offense, he had 46 receptions for 661 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 503 yards and four touchdowns. “Bobby was the total package,” Foothill coach Doug Case said. “He was our best receiver and our best linebacker, one of our leading tacklers and one of our leading rushers, too.” Okereke committed to Stanford.
LINEBACKER
MIKE HAYDEN, LOS ALAMITOS
5-11, 230, Sr.
Hayden was co-defensive lineman of the year in the Sunset League. Playing on the line and at linebacker, Hayden had 32 solo tackles, 19 tackles for losses and 10 sacks. The Griffins also used him at fullback, where Hayden scored nine touchdowns. “Mike was pretty much unblockable,” said Los Alamitos coach John Barnes, who compared Hayden to Los Alamitos alum Mike Patterson who is in his ninth season in the NFL and was a first-round draft choice out of USC. “Mike’s as quick as Patterson but not as thick,” Barnes said. Hayden’s recruiting interest is led by Nevada.
LINEBACKER
ORONDE CRENSHAW, COSTA MESA
6-0, 205, Sr.
Crenshaw was Orange Coast League MVP as the Mustangs went 5-0 in league. He was in on 120 tackles and had four interceptions. Crenshaw also was Orange County’s sixth-leading rusher at 1,718 yards with 28 touchdowns. He returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown in a league win over Saddleback. Crenshaw had five solo tackles in the league title-clinching win over Laguna Beach and five in a playoff loss to Katella. “Oronde did everything for us,” Costa Mesa coach Wally Grant said. “Special teams, offense and defense. He didn’t like to lose and did everything he could to avoid us losing a game.”
DEFENSIVE LINE
MALIK McMORRIS, MATER DEI
6-0, 277, Jr.
McMorris was Trinity League co-defensive player of the year. He had 17 tackles for losses, 10 sacks and three fumble recoveries as the Monarchs advanced to the CIF-SS Pac-5 Division championship game. Morris had nine tackles in a win over Edison and three sacks in a win over Servite. “Malik has one of the most powerful bodies to also have quickness and explosion that I’ve seen in a long time,” Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. McMorris was one of the county’s better track and field athletes this past spring in the shot put and discus.
DEFENSIVE LINE
MICHAEL MATHEWES, MISSION VIEJO
6-5, 245, Sr.
Mathewes was South Coast League co-defensive player of the year. He registered 15 sacks, 30 solo tackles, forced two fumbles and recovered two, and had an interception he returned for a touchdown for the South Coast champion Diablos. “Michael was a tireless worker for us,” Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson said. “He set the bar very high for everyone on the team.” Mathewes, who has a 3.9 grade-point average, has committed to Colorado. Mathewes also is a standout wrestler and one of the county’s better athletes in the shot put and discus.
DEFENSIVE LINE
GREG GAINES, LA HABRA
6-1, 297, Sr.
Gaines was Freeway League MVP for the second year in a row as the Highlanders won the league championship. La Habra sometimes employed Gaines in the backfield on offense to make a block or carry the ball. “It’s rare you get a 300-pounder who can move like Greg moves,” La Habra coach Frank Mazzotta said. “When he came here as a freshman, he was 240 pounds but he had only played flag football, so he was very good at catching and running.” Gaines committed to Boise State, but now is eyeing Washington as his possible college destination following the move of Coach Chris Petersen from Boise State to Washington.
DEFENSIVE LINE
KEISEAN LUCIER-SOUTH, ORANGE LUTHERAN
6-6, 215, Jr.
Lucier-South was an All-Trinity League first-team pick. He had 38 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, forced four fumbles and recovered two. Lucier-South had nine tackles, two forced fumbles and two sacks in a crucial league win over Santa Margarita. Lancers coach Chuck Petersen said he loves Lucier-South’s attitude. “He’s a big-body athlete who thinks he’s 5-8 and 170 pounds and plays like his hair’s on fire,” Petersen said. Lucier-South has scholarship offers from many colleges including Notre Dame, UCLA and USC. He also is a starter on the basketball team.
PUNTER
JASON SANDERS, VILLA PARK
5-11, 165, Sr.
Sanders was Century League special teams player of the year. He averaged 45 yards a punt with a long of 74 yards. Eight of his 26 punts were inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. Also an outstanding kicker, Sanders made three field goals of 50 yards or more and 38 of his 57 kickoffs were touchbacks. “We knew he could eliminate the other team’s kickoff return,” Villa Park coach Dusan Ancich said. “We knew he could make every onside kick a high-percentage recovery for us, and there was nobody better at spotting the ball on a punt. We’ve been spoiled by him.” Kickers and punters don’t get plentiful scholarship offers, but recruiting interest in Sanders is growing so much that he might get one.
• The Register’s All-County selections are made by the Register’s writers afer considering all-league lists and coaches’ comments.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
