Younker, Cabrera notch All-SCIAC
The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.
Rian Younker (St. Francis, 2009) Cal Lutheran football season: Younker put the final touches on a stellar Kingsmen career when he was selected to the All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first team for the second time in as many seasons in late November.
He was joined by another former Golden Knights defensive star in current Cal Lu junior linebacker Chris Cabrera, who garnered a first-team nod after earning second-team accolades as a junior.
Younker, who battled a slew of injuries his season season, concluded a run with the Kingsmen that saw him take part in winning four consecutive SCIAC titles. As a senior, Younker moved from defensive tackle to end and had 41 tackles — eight for a loss — and 3.5 sacks.
Cabrera, meanwhile, notched 55 tackles, four coming for a loss.
The Kingsmen lost to North Central, 41-21, in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs on Nov. 17 to end their season at 8-2.
Gabe Ramirez (Crescenta Valley, 2009) University of Redlands soccer senior: Ramirez capped a terrific season and a stellar tenure at Redlands when he was awarded a spot on the All-SCIAC first team.
It was the third straight first-team all-conference selection for Ramirez, who finished his Bulldogs career with 26 assists, good for third all-time in school ranks. On the season, a midfielder, had five assists and four goals. Both tied for second-best on the team, which went 12-6-3 and 11-3-2 in the SCIAC, where it lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Mallory Carcich (Crescenta Valley, 2012) Cal Lutheran soccer freshman: After a phenomenally successful four years with the Falcons, Carcich wasted no time in fitting into another successful tradition.
The Regals advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament before losing a tight contest to Concordia-Moorhead, 3-2, on Nov. 11.
Carcich started in the game, just as she did 14 other times for the Regals as a freshman. She also played in all 23 games of the season, as Cal Lu went 18-5 and 13-1 in the SCIAC, good enough for the team’s third consecutive conference crown.
Frances Boukidis (Crescenta Valley, 2010) Northern Illinois soccer junior: The former All-Area and All-Pacific League selection recently wrapped up her junior season with the Huskies.
Boukidis played in 21 games, starting in 20, and had a goal and two assists. The season was a turnaround for Northern Illinois, as it went just 2-15-2 overall the season prior and finished 8-9-2 overall in 2012, with its year coming to a close in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals against Central Michigan in a 2-0 loss.