Fourteen Owls Earn All-Conference Honors
Fourteen Citrus College Owls picked up National Division, Central League honors following a strong season where the Owls went 8-3 overall and won the Western State Bowl.
Jaidyn Jones and Kannon Katzer grabbed first-team offensive honors, while Chandler Carthan picked up first-team defensive honors. Donovan Zackery, Jesse Carmona, Tayvonne Miller, Kosuke Kayahara, and Katzer were named to the offense second team, and Jamarius Isaac, Fred Martin, Drew Merrill, Carthan, Brayden Austin, and Jonathan Calderon earned second-team defensive recognition.
Jones, a sophomore offensive lineman, played in all 11 games for the Owls, helping Citrus finish the year with 370.8 total yards per game. He also helped limit opponents to 19 sacks on the year.
Katzer earned two all-conference distinctions, first team as a running back and second team as an all-purpose player. As a running back, the sophomore led the conference and ranked second in the State with 16 touchdowns – which also ranks fifth all-time in the Citrus record book. He also averaged 88.6 rushing yards per game, which ranked second in the National-Central League and 15th in the 3C2A.
Katzer also had 191 receiving yards, averaging 107.0 all-purpose yards per game, on 25 receptions with two touchdowns.
Carthan also picked up two all-conference honors, first team as a linebacker and second team as a punter. The sophomore led the Owls and ranked second in the State (first in conference) with 131 total tackles – which sets a new Citrus record for most tackles in a single season – including 80 solo efforts, 17 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also had one fumble recovery, two interceptions and three breakups on the year.
As a punter, Carthan averaged 38.8 yards per punt, which ranks seventh in the State and sets a new program record for highest average in a season for an Owl.
Zackery, a sophomore tight end, finished the year with 22 receptions and five touchdowns on the year. He averaged 18.1 yards per game and 9.0 yards per reception.
Carmona, a sophomore wide receiver, led the Owls with 45 receptions and totaled 646 yards, averaging 58.7 yards per game. He scored three touchdowns on the year and also had three kick returns and nine punt returns.
Miller, a sophomore running back, was second on the team with 154 carries, totaling 844 rushing yards. He averaged 76.7 yards per game and scored 12 touchdowns on the year.
Kayahara, a sophomore kicker, went 5-for-9 on field goal attempts, hitting his longest of 30 yards. He also boasted a 93-completion percentage on point-after-touchdown attempts after knocking in 40 of 43 attempts.
Isaac, a sophomore defensive back, finished the year with 17 tackles, including one for loss. He also forced one fumble and had two interceptions and one breakup for the Owls.
Martin, a sophomore defensive back, had 11 tackles on the year, including nine solo efforts. He also had three interceptions and two breakups.
Merrill, a sophomore defensive back, finished the year with 35 total tackles, including 18 solo tackles and two tackles for loss. He also grabbed three interceptions totaling 85 yards, had five breakups and one block.
Austin, a freshman kick returner, had 10 kick returns for 253 yards and three punt returns for nine yards. His longest kick return was for 92 yards and resulted in a touchdown for the Owls in a 48-34 win over Long Beach to end the regular season.
Calderon, a sophomore defensive back, finished the year with 28 tackles, 22 of which were solo efforts. He also had one fumble recovery, one interception, two breakups and one block on the year.