Hayashi, Eight Owls Earn All-State Region IV Honors

 The honors keep rolling in for Citrus College's football team after a historic season as eight Owls were named to the All-State Region IV team and Brandon Hayashi earned his second Coach of the Year honor.

Hayashi was named Region IV Coach of the Year with Santa Barbara's Craig Moropoulos after leading the Owls to their first-ever perfect season. Citrus went 11-0 and won both the American Metro League and American Division Championships. It was the first time since 2006 the Owls won a conference title and their first bowl game championship since 2013.

Alex Vazquez, Jesse Carmona, Ronnie Mendez and Adam Urena all grabbed spots on the All-State Region IV Offense First Team, while Nathan Kneubuhler, Chandler Carthan, Matthew Littlejohn and Drew Merrill were named to the Defense First Team.

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.

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.

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.

Carthan, who did double duty as a freshman linebacker and punter for Citrus, 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.

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.