Trio of local football players bestowed with All-CIF accolades

Sean Davitt, Maxx Jakeway and Tyler Hill came into the season looking to help their football teams win games and advance to the postseason.

Davitt, Jakeway and Hill responded on the field, recording their share of big plays en route to receiving All-CIF Southern Section Southeast Division recognition.

The CIF Southern Section office unveiled the selections from each of the 13 divisions on Tuesday.

Davitt and Jakeway helped St. Francis finish 9-4, 3-2 in the Angelus League for third place. Under coach Jim Bonds, the Golden Knights reached the semifinals before falling to top-seeded La Serna.

With Hill on board, Crescenta Valley went 7-4, 5-2 in the Pacific League to tie for second with Burbank. The Falcons saw their bid to win a second straight division championship end in the first round with a loss against Cathedral.

Davitt, a senior defensive end, registered an area-best 23 sacks and 78 tackles. The league’s co-lineman of the year also contributed 34 tackles for a loss, 36 quarterback hurries and eight sacks in three postseason contests.

“He’s just a phenomenal player,” Bonds said. “We had high expectations for him coming into the season and he exceeded and blew away those expectations.

“He anchored us on the defensive line by getting those 23 sacks. He set the tone. He had an impressive body of work. We struggled early in the season on offense, but we won those games with our defense carrying the team.”

Jakeway, a junior, flourished at linebacker. An all-league second-team selection, he finished with a team-high 113 tackles. He had nine tackles for a loss and three sacks.

The versatile Jakeway also showed he could get the job done on offense, as he rushed for three touchdowns as a short-yardage running back.

“Jake’s just a very consistent player,” Bonds said. “He was our run stopper and got better as the season went along.

“He played his best in the big games and we expect him to be our catalyst on defense next year.”

Hill received All-CIF honors for the second straight season. The junior quarterback/safety was an impact player for the Falcons.

Hill, a first-team all-league pick, completed 51 of 99 passes for 703 yards and eight touchdowns. He rushed for 692 yards and 10 touchdowns in 138 carries. On defense, Hill recorded 62 tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and caused one fumble.

“It’s really cool to see Tyler get that kind of an honor for the second straight season,” Crescenta Valley Coach Paul Schilling said. “He’s still got another year left and we think he’ll continue to get better.

“He’s just an excellent all-around player. He could run, throw, catch and make the big tackle.”