3 Linemen From Area on All-State Team

In terms of major postseason honors for high school football players from the region, it was definitely the year of the lineman.

Four area players, three of them linemen, have been selected to the all-state team by Cal-Hi Sports magazine.

Marmonte League standouts Steve Hochman of Agoura and Eric Bateman of Camarillo were selected as members of the offensive line, and Chuck Osborne of Canyon was selected at defensive end. All three are seniors.

Freddie Edwards of Antelope Valley, a senior and a two-way starter at defensive back and tailback, was a first-team selection in the secondary. Edwards rushed for 1,338 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Buena running back George Keiaho, selected the state sophomore player of the year, pulled off a repeat performance of sorts; last season, Keiaho was selected the Cal-Hi freshman of the year. Keiaho rushed for 1,443 yards and 21 touchdowns in 1991.

Osborne, Hochman and Edwards also were selected to The Times’ All-Valley first team. Bateman and Keiaho were Times All-Ventura County first-team choices.

Bateman and Hochman already have committed to play next season at NCAA Division I schools. Bateman will play at Brigham Young and Hochman is headed for Miami.

In the medium-schools class, Jeremiah Aguolu of Harvard-Westlake was selected as a defensive back and Nordhoff’s Nacho Vega was named as punter. Aguolu, also a tailback, rushed for 902 yards. Both players are seniors.

Junior running backs Tarik Smith of Oak Park and Eliel Swinton of Montclair Prep were selected to the small-schools first team. Smith finished with 1,776 rushing yards to lead players in the region and Swinton was a close second with 1,773 yards.

Deriek Charles of Hart, a junior, was selected to the all-underclass team as a multipurpose player. Charles was the team’s starting tailback but led players in the region in receptions (85) and receiving yardage (1,090).

Amani Toomer of Concord De La Salle was named the state player of the year. Toomer, a senior receiver, caught 67 passes and scored 15 touchdowns.