Chargers earn All-CIF football honors

Edison High football coach Dave White said to the victor usually go the spoils.

Well, White and the Chargers football program has been lavished with more hardware.

Edison, which won the 2012 CIF Southern Section Southwest Division championship in late-November, placed 10 players on the All-CIF Southern Section Southwest Division Football Team. Also named to the team were two players from Huntington Beach.

Edison took the top three honors on the team. Senior quarterback Alek Torgersen was named Offensive Player of the Year, and defensive end/fullback Derek Baljeu was selected Defensive Player of the Year. White, meanwhile, nabbed the Coach of the Year award.

“We’ve never had this many players named All-CIF in the same year before,” said White, who is a CIF Coach of the Year for the first time. “You win league, you usually get the most players named all-league and get coach of the year. You win CIF, and it’s pretty much the same.

“Alek [Torgersen] and Derek [Baljeu] are really deserving of their honors. As for coach of the year, it means you had a lot of good players and a lot of good assistant coaches. I tell our staff that if I were to get Coach of the Year any time, then they get it, too.”

Torgersen threw for 2,337 yards and 17 touchdowns, and rushed for 427 yards and seven TDs in 15 games.

He started at quarterback only in the 2012 season.

“He really had a great year for a kid who didn’t play much before this year,” White said. “His running ability improved tremendously and in the Villa Park game, he willed us with his legs a little bit. He also did a really great job punting, as well. He had a great senior year.”

Baljeu had what White called an “unbelievable” 2012 season. He broke the school record for the “Wild Man” decal, an award that can be won in several ways by an Edison defensive player. Baljeu earned 71 of the decals and shattered the previous high of 55 earned by former Edison linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, who is now playing at UCLA.

The MVP of the Sunset League, Baljeu was in on 100 total tackles (53 solo) and averaged 6.7 per game, had 11.5 sacks, caused four fumbles and recovered one fumble.

“I guess I really didn’t know how good I was, until I heard I won this award,” Baljeu said. “My coaches put me in a good position to do what I had to do on the field, and I could always depend on my teammates. I had faith in them to do what they were supposed to do on the field, and I just stuck to my assignments.”

Baljeu is with a group of Edison students in Washington, D.C. this week, and attended the Presidential Inauguration Monday.

“It was a good time, seeing President Obama sworn in, and definitely worth it to stand in the cold for a few hours,” he said. “Seeing Beyonce sing the National Anthem was a highlight.”

Also named to the Southwest Division Team from Edison were All-Sunset League players Tico Fuga, Miah Frost, Trevor Borkowski, Elijah Herrera, Dylan Luther (Defensive Back of the Year), Trenton Aschoff (co-Defensive Lineman of the Year), Robert Reyes and Donald Rice Jr.

Huntington Beach standouts named to the team were all-league players Adam Khouri, who, with Frost, was the Sunset’s Offensive Linemen of the Year, and Kai Ross.

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2012 All-CIF-SS Southwest Division Team

Offensive Player of the Year – Alek Torgersen, QB, Edison, Sr.

Defensive Player of the Year – Derek Baljeu, DE, Edison, Sr.

Coach of the Year – Dave White, Edison

Offensive Team

Quarterback: Alek Torgersen Edison 6-3 215 12

Backs: Terrance Martinez, Tustin, Sr.; Devonte Young, Tustin, Sr.; Meki Tafuna, Villa Park, Sr.; Troy Poole, Esperanza, Sr.; Tala Teaupa, Newport Harbor, Sr.

Linemen: Tico Fuga, Edison, Sr.; Miah Frost, Edison, Sr.; Adam Khouri, Huntington Beach, Sr.; Nick Whitton, Villa Park, Sr.; Dimitri Medenas, Villa Park, Sr.; Ramsey Hufford, Newport Harbor, Jr.; Casey Martin, La Habra, Jr.

Receivers: Trevor Borkowski, Edison, Sr.; Dustin Harrison, Villa Park, Sr.; Jarrell Moss, Foothill, Sr.; Cole Robinson, Capistrano Valley, Sr.

Kicker: Sean Pihl, Foothill, Sr.

Defensive Team

Backs: Elijah Herrera, Edison, Sr.; Dylan Luther, Edison, Sr.; Kai Ross, Huntington Beach, Jr.; Julian Melendrez, La Habra, Sr.; Derek Kendrick, Villa Park, Jr.; Julian Moss, Foothill, Sr.; Jeff Shott, Capistrano Valley, Sr.

Linemen: Derek Baljeu, Edison, Sr.; Trenton Aschoff, Sr.; Rudy Hurtado, Villa Park, Sr.; Louis Vecchio, Villa Park, Jr.; Bobby Okereke, Foothill, Jr.; David Maka, Tustin, Sr.; Greg Gaines, La Habra, Jr.

Linebackers: Robert Reyes, Edison, Sr.; Donald Rice Jr., Edison, Sr.; Zach Bretoi, La Habra, Jr.; Grant Klasna,Villa Park, Sr.; Cole Major, Foothill, Sr.; Edward Tandy, Tustin, Sr.; Will Sedgwick, Laguna Hills, Soph.

Punter: Jason Sanders, Villa Park, Jr.

michael.sciacca@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeSciacca