Times lineman of the year: Jaelan Phillips raised his game and kept his word

Jaelan Phillips is 6 feet 6, 250 pounds. He was a senior defensive end/outside linebacker at Redlands East Valley who every opponent knew they had to focus on.

And yet, he still had 21 sacks in 11 games this season. He finished with 142 tackles and averaged 11 tackles a game.

Phillips has been selected The Times’ lineman of the year.

“Jaelan entered the season with high expectations being placed upon him,” Coach Kurt Bruich said. “He not only met those marks, he exceeded them in every category.”

In a game against Citrus Valley, he had seven sacks. He had 101/2 sacks as a junior and elevated his games even more as a senior.

Phillips has been committed to UCLA since last April despite repeated attempts from other schools to gain his attention. He also gets A’s on his report card.

Showing loyalty and academic excellence while succeeding on the football field makes him that rare athlete with all the check marks coaches seek.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: latsondheimer