Keeping Track of 1997’s Selections

A year after being selected to The Times’ All-Valley football team, 19 of the 23 players are still in football. Here’s where they are now:

* Shaun Avalos, Sr., DB, Sylmar: Played safety and led the region with 12 interceptions in his final season at Sylmar, but switched to wide receiver at Valley College, catching 37 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns.

* Kevin Bentley, Sr., LB, Montclair Prep: Among the region’s best tacklers as a Mountie, Bentley played in 11 games for Northwestern, primarily on special teams. He had nine tackles and broke up a pass for the Wildcats.

* Tyler Brennan, Sr., LB, Taft: A three-year starter at Taft, led Pierce in tackles and was selected All-Western State Conference second team.

* Derek Brown, Sr., K, Highland: A season after converting eight of 16 field-goal attempts for the Bulldogs, Brown was a redshirt at Cal State Northridge.

* Jesse Busta, Sr., LB, Crescenta Valley: The Pacific-League co-defensive player of the year was a redshirt at Utah State.

* Nick Carrillo, Sr., OL, Palmdale: An two-way All-Golden League selection, Carrillo was a redshirt guard at Northridge.

* Demond Daniels, Sr., LB, El Camino Real: A two-way starter for the Conquistadores, he played wide receiver and outside linebacker at Valley College.

* Emmanuel Evans, Sr., RB, Birmingham: A bruising tailback who set single-game, season and career rushing records at Birmingham, he was a reserve running back at Moorpark College.

* Justin Fargas (player of the year), Sr., RB, Notre Dame: The Times’ two-time All-Valley player of the year rushed for 277 yards and a touchdown at Michigan before breaking his right leg in the Wolverines’ 27-10 victory over Wisconsin on Nov. 14.

* Tim Feirfeil, Sr., WR, L.A. Baptist: After setting a Southern Section record with 1,748 yards receiving, he caught 24 passes for 393 yards and four touchdowns in eight games for College of the Canyons before being injured.

* Josh Foster, Sr., DL, Paraclete: At 6 feet 7 and 240 pounds, he is among the biggest players to come out of the Antelope Valley. He was a redshirt defensive end at Colorado.

* John Harrison, Sr., DL, Hart: A two-way player at Hart, he took off a year from football but plans to play next season at Canyons, where he is attending classes.

* Jonathan Hicks, Sr., OL, North Hollywood: A three-time All-Valley selection, started on the Air Force prep school team at defensive tackle.

* Scott Hunt, Jr., LB, Hart: Despite a pulled hamstring, he led Hart with 109 tackles. He is a repeat selection.

* Sedric Hurns (back of the year), Sr., RB, Taft: A season after helping Taft reach the City Section 4-A championship game for the second consecutive year, Hurns did not qualify to play Division I football.

* Matt Leonard (lineman of the year), Sr., DL, Palmdale: Among the nation’s most heralded defensive linemen in high school, Leonard was a redshirt at Stanford.

* Justin Mobley, Sr., DB, Antelope Valley: Recruited by New Mexico to play quarterback, Mobley was a redshirt.

* David Neill, Sr., QB, Hart: At Nevada last season, he was the nation’s fifth-rated quarterback with a 159.77 passing efficiency rating and ranked fifth in offense at 372.3 yards per game. He set eight NCAA records. His touchdown-to-interception ratio was 29-9.

* Jerry Owens, Jr., WR, Hart: A repeat selection, he caught 63 passes, the same total he had in 10 games in 1997 before breaking a leg.

* Kenny Pritchett, Sr., RB, Crescenta Valley: After rushing for 4,658 yards and 51 touchdowns in three seasons with the Falcons, he was a redshirt at UCLA.

* Ray Solis, Sr., OL, Sylmar: A two-way lineman who played most of his senior year with one hand in a cast, he took off a year from football. He is attending classes at Canyons.

* Manuel White, Jr., RB, Valencia: A repeat selection who rushed for 2,189 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore, he gained 1,925 yards and scored 20 last season despite being plagued by injury and illness.

* Brandon Woods, Sr., OL, Notre Dame: He did not play football in 1998 and is a student at Santa Monica City College.