Seven Hancock Football Players Earn All-Conference Honors
Four athletes were named to the All-Conference First Team, while three others received Second Team recognition.
Seven Allan Hancock College football players have earned postseason praise from coaches in the National Northern Conference. Malik Williams, Kevon Perry, and Elijah Holt, who each led the state in a statistical category, as well as DaMarion King were named to the All-Conference First Team. Ishmeal Knight, Holt, Jose Morales and Rafael Arellano were Second Team picks.
Williams delivered several big offensive plays for the Bulldogs and was a First Team selection as a running back and returner. He averaged 198.6 all-purpose yards per game, which ranked first in the state. After injuries depleted the tailback corps early in the season, Williams stepped into the backfield and ended up leading the team with 525 rushing yards along with five rushing touchdowns. He also finished with a team-high 287 punt return yards, 217 receiving yards and 361 kickoff return yards. Williams returned a kickoff 96 yards to set up a game-winning drive at Bakersfield and returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown against Santa Ana. His biggest output of the season was 331 all-purpose yards in a 39-35 victory at Bakersfield.
Holt (below, left) made the First Team as a kick returner after he averaged 23 yards per kickoff return. The Arroyo Grande High School graduate also led the team with 287 punt return yards, including 70- and 86-yard punt returns for touchdowns. He averaged a state-best 26.4 yards per punt return and was one of eight players in California to return two punts for scores. The sophomore also earned a spot on the Second Team Defense as a defensive back. He made 31 tackles, intercepted a team-best three passes and broke up nine passes.
Perry, a sophomore defensive end (above, right), received his second straight First Team recognition. He led the state with 27 tackles for loss and recorded at least 1.5 stops for lost yardage in all 10 games for the Bulldogs. Perry finished second on the Bulldogs with 74 total tackles and led the squad with eight sacks. The Buffalo, New York native was finished his Bulldog career with 121 total tackles, 39 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.
King (below, lefT) ranked third on the team with 67 total tackles. The sophomore safety added four tackles for loss, broke up nine passes, recovered a team-leading three fumbles and intercepted two passes. King returned both of his picks for touchdowns, one for 31 yards against Santa Ana and an 80-yard pick-six against Ventura. He also recovered a fumble in the end zone for a score.
Morales, a Lompoc High School graduate (above, right), was named to the Second Team at kicker. He finished tenth in the state with 12 field goals. A First Team pick his freshman season, Morales made 80 percent of his field goal attempts and 94 percent of his point after tries. His 70 points ranked 11th among kickers in the state. Morales finished his Bulldog career as the program's all-time leader with 27 career field goals, and the record holder for longest field goal, a 50-yard field goal against Bakersfield.
Arellano (below, left) finished fourth on the Bulldogs with 57 tackles to garner Second Team recognition. The Lompoc High School graduate forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles and blocked two kicks. The sophomore safety set a career high with 13 tackles against Santa Barbara. He finished his Hancock career with 111 total tackles.
Knight, a freshman offensive lineman from Florida, helped anchor the Hancock offensive line. He was selected to the Second Team Offense as a lineman.
After winning three of their first four games of the season, the Bulldogs climbed to as high as No. 12 in the state poll. Hancock finished the season with an overall record of 4-6 and tied for fifth in the conference standings at 2-4.