Record-Number of Owls Earn Postseason Conference Honors

After a historic season, Citrus College saw a record number of Owls earn American Metro League honors, led by Brandon Hayashi grabbing Coach of the Year honors and Luke Pruitt being honored as the Honorary Defensive Player of the Year.

In his second year at the helm (first without the interim title), Hayashi led the Owls to their best-ever season with an 11-0 mark. Citrus went undefeated in conference to win the American Metro League, the program's first conference championship since 2006. The Owls followed up with the American Division Championship, downing Mt. San Jacinto College 31-20 for Citrus' first bowl game victory since 2013. Statistically, the Owls ranked second in the State with 33 passing touchdowns, fourth with five defensive touchdowns, fifth in third-down conversions (62-of-139), fifth with 16 defensive interceptions, seventh with 2,809 passing yards, and ninth with 34 sacks.

Pruitt, a sophomore defensive end and captain for the Owls, passed away unexpectedly in the middle of the season. He was a big presence on defense for the Owls and had two sacks Citrus' 14-10 victory over Antelope Valley to help the Owls get their best start to the season since 2007.

Twenty-two Owls were named to the all-conference teams, including 12 first-team honorees. Ronnie Mendez, Alex Vazquez, Jesse Carmona, Elijah Finney and Adam Urena each picked up first-team offensive honors, while Nathan Kneubuhler, Gabriel Tamba, Chandler Carthan (two honors), Jailen "JJ" Edwards, Matthew Littlejohn and Drew Merrill earned first-team defensive recognition.

Rayaan Shaw, Maximus Tafeaga, Austin Urena, Jonathan Guerrero and Robert Vega earned second-team offensive honors, while Joshua Garcia, Jacob Cisneros, Jonathan Calderon, Isaiah Loera and Isaiah Espinosa grabbed second-team defensive distinctions.

Mendez, a sophomore offensive lineman, picked up his second-straight first-team selection after helping the Owl offensive line. With his help, Citrus was second in the State in passing touchdowns and averaged 35.8 points and 408.6 total offensive yards per game.

Vazquez, a sophomore tight end, finished the year with four touchdowns on 15 receptions in 10 games. He averaged 10.9 yards a reception, with his longest carry for 30 yards, which helped the Owls win the American Division.

Carmona, a freshman wide receiver, had a stellar collegiate debut where he had 32 receptions in 10 games. He totaled almost 500 yards, averaging 49.9 yards per game and 15.6 yards per reception. Carmona scored eight touchdowns (fourth in the American Division), including his longest reception for 89 yards.

Finney, a freshman running back, had 82 carries for 353 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He scored four touchdowns, including his longest rush for 49 yards against West LA.

Adam Urena, a sophomore quarterback, was a unanimous first-team selection after he set three records for the Owls this year, most touchdown passes in a single game (6), most touchdown passes in a single season (33), and most touchdown passes in a career (57). He finished the year ranked second in the State in touchdown passes, third with 268.3 passing yards per game, third with 213 completions and fourth with a 172.9 pass efficiency rating. He was named the Southern California Football Association Co-Offensive Player of the Week the first week after throwing six touchdowns (a Citrus single-game record) in the Owls' 50-14 victory over Grossmont College.

Kneubuhler, a freshman defensive tackle, had a solid collegiate debut with 20 tackles on the year, including 12 solo efforts. He assisted on a sack and had 1.5 tackles for loss, totaling 10 yards. Kneubuhler also had two fumble recoveries and one breakup on the year.

Tamba, a freshman defensive end, finished the year with 18 total tackles, including 15 solo efforts. He had four sacks, amassing 19 yards, and five tackles for loss, resulting in 29 yards. Tamba forced one fumble and also had one block on the year.

Carthan grabbed two first-team selections as a freshman linebacker and a punter for the Owls. As a linebacker, Carthan led the Owls with 55 total tackles (ranked seventh in the conference), including 28 solo efforts, four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. He also had one breakup.

As a punter, Carthan had 33 punts for 1,233 yards, averaging 37.4 yards per punt. Thirteen of his punts landed within the 20-yard zone and his longest punt was 72 yards.

Edwards, a freshman defensive back, finished the year with 35 total tackles, including five sacks that resulted in 30 yards. He also had eight tackles for loss, totaling 32 yards and one forced fumble.

Littlejohn, a sophomore defensive back, earned his second-straight all-conference first-team honor after finishing the year with 25 tackles, 20 of which were solo stuffs. He had two tackles for loss (nine yards), one fumble return, one interception and nine breakups.

Merrill, a freshman defensive back, had a solid collegiate debut with 31 total tackles, including one for a seven-yard loss. He forced a fumble and recovered it, intercepted three passes – with two resulting in pick-sixes – and scored on a punt return. Merrill also had six breakups and one block on the year.  He was named the SCFA Defensive Player of the Week after posting three tackles, two interceptions and a breakup in Citrus' 31-6 victory over Orange Coast College.

Shaw, a sophomore offensive lineman, and Tafeage, a freshman offensive lineman,

each helped Citrus rank second in the State in passing touchdowns and averaged 35.8 points and 408.6 total offensive yards per game. He helped limit the Owl quarterbacks to 13 sacks on the year.

Austin Urena, a sophomore wide receiver, was his brother's go-to target with 53 receptions for 494 yards, averaging 49.4 yards per game. He scored three touchdowns on the year, including his longest touchdown for 39 yards.

Guerrero, a freshman running back, led the Owls with 114 carries, averaging 48.2 yards per carry, which ranked fourth in the State. He scored two touchdowns and his longest carry was for 31 yards. Guerrero also had seven kickoff returns, including his longest for 31 yards.

Vega, a sophomore wide receiver, finished the year with 32 receptions for 549 yards. He averaged 17.2 yards per reception and scored six touchdowns on the year.

Garcia, a freshman defensive end, finished the year with 29 total tackles, including 21 solo efforts. He had eight sacks totaling 40 yards, nine tackles for loss (42 yards) and one breakup in his collegiate debut.

Cisneros, a sophomore linebacker, had 29 tackles on the year, including one sack and three tackles for loss (13 yards). He recovered one fumble, had one interception – running it back 34 yards – and had one breakup on the year.

Calderon, a sophomore defensive back, finished the year with 29 total tackles, one forced fumble, six interceptions and six breakups. He had two interceptions – including one pick-six – in the Owls' 35-7 victory over Santa Ana. He also had two kickoff returns, totaling 32 yards.

Loera, a sophomore defensive back, finished the year with 40 total tackles, including 30 solo efforts. He had five tackles for loss totaling nine yards and had two breakups. He came up big in the Owls' victory over West LA, scooping up a blocked field goal attempt from the Wildcats and taking off 100 yards the other way to score a touchdown. It led to Loera being named the SCFA Special Teams/All-Purpose Player of the Week.

Espinosa, a sophomore wide receiver, had seven receptions on the year, totaling 90 yards to average 12.9 yards per reception, and scored three touchdowns. He was also one of the Owls' key special teams returners, grabbing six kickoff returns (11.4 yards per return) and 10 punt returns (13.4 yards per return).