Carpenter and Jackson Lead COC All-Conference Honors

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – College of the Canyons football nabbed 15 all-conference awards following the Cougar's perfect 10-0 season as well as a sweep of the conference's top-three honors in Coach of the Year for Garett Tujague, Offensive Player of the Year for sophomore wide receiver Hayo Carpenter and Defensive Player of the Year for freshman defensive lineman Marquis Jackson, for a total of 18 awards for the 2008 season. 

Tujague, in just his second season as College of the Canyons' head coach, led his team to a perfect 10-0 (6-0) record that saw the Cougars lead the conference in both total offense and total defense. Sophomore wide receiver Hayo Carpenter (Burroughs-Ridgecrest), who has already given a verbal commitment to the University of Minnesota, has shattered most of the receiving records at College of the Canyons with 79 receptions for 1,354 yards and 13 touchdowns through 10 games. Freshman defensive lineman Marquis Jackson (Birmingham) has been a terror on the field defensively, leading the Cougars in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (15.5-64), and is second on the team in tackles (46) and pass break-ups (5). 

Carpenter and Jackson become the seventh and eighth COC players to be named the conference players of the year and Jackson is just the second COC freshman to earn the honor following then freshman in 2007, Fred Winborn. 

The Cougars now have had 210 players earn all-conference honors since football returned to college in 1998. 

In addition to the three top honors, 15 more Cougars were named all-conference, including:

First Team Offense: 
Sophomore Kicker Ricky Drake (Valencia) – 7-13 FG, 45-50 XP, 21 punts, 37.6 avg. * 
Sophomore Offensive Lineman Joe Evinger (Northview, Ind.) * 
Sophomore Offensive Lineman Shawn Johnson (Thousand Oaks) * 
Sophomore Wide Receiver Jovan Leacock (Bayside, N.Y.) – 25 receptions, 431 yards, 3 TDs 
Sophomore Quarterback Brad McClellan (Deerfield, Fla.) – 104-161-4, 1,629 yards, 12 tds, 75 carries, 472 yards, 4 tds
* Sophomore Running Back Fred Winborn (Grant) – 143 carries, 1061 yards, 17 tds * 

Second Team Offense: 
Sophomore Wide Receiver Nate Jones (L.A. Baptist) – 13 receptions, 318 yards, 3 TDs 
Sophomore Offensive Lineman Joe Thompson (Ravenwood, Tenn.) 
Sophomore Running Back Sean Quinn (Franklin, Texas) – 13 carries, 86 yards, 4 tds 

First Team Defense: 
Freshman Defensive Back Arron Fisher (West Orange, Fla.) – 18 tackles, 10 pass break-ups 
Sophomore Linebacker Joey Guarascio (Canyons) – 20 tackles, 1.5 sacks * 
Sophomore Defensive Lineman Jonathan Hollins (Redemptorist, La.) – 39 tackles, 3.5 sacks * 
Sophomore Linebacker Eric Wells (Agoura Hills) – 62 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 pass break-ups * 

Second Team Defense: 
Sophomore Safety Nick Tepea (Kailua, Hawaii) – 32 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss 
Sophomore Defensive Lineman Dejuan Yates (Thousand Oaks) – 12 tackles, 0.5 sack

*Unanimous Decision