Elijah King and Mitch Wishnowsky of SBCC have been named to the All-State Region IV team by the California Community College Football Coaches Association.
King, a 6-1 freshman from Huntington, W.Va., was the second-leading receiver in the American Pacific League with 54 catches for 637 yards and seven touchdowns. He came within one grab of the school record in Week 2 with 14 catches for 137 yards and a TD in a 33-27 win at Hancock. On Oct. 25, he had nine catches for 130 yards and two scores in a 29-14 victory at L.A. Pierce.
“Elijah is an explosive receiver who had some outstanding performances,” said coach Craig Moropoulos. “He is a redshirt freshman so he can transfer if he gets the right situation.”
Wishnowsky is a 6-4, 225-pound punter from Gosnells, Western Australia. He handled the kickoffs for the Vaqueros and was one of the best punters in California. His 39.8-yard punt average was tops in the APL and No. 6 in the state. His 77-yard bomb vs. L.A. Pierce was fourth-best in the state this year.
Wishnowsky led the state with 30 punts that stayed inside the 20. Six of his kicks were downed at the 1-yard line. He was also effective in converting fake punts with fourth-down runs.
“Mitch has been offered a scholarship by Utah but cannot sign and leave until next December,” noted Moropoulos. “He has a redshirt season and can use it next season, therefore, preserving his 3 years to play 3 seasons at Utah.
“He is the most athletic and versatile special-teams player that I have ever been around. His punting ability, kicking ability and running ability were crucial to our success this past season. His precision punting was phenomenal and he possesses one of the most powerful legs in Community College football.”
Wishnowsky is the second straight Vaquero punter from Australia to earn All-State honors. Tim Gleeson was All-State in 2013 and he kicked for Rutgers this year, averaging 40.3 yards on 32 punts an 8-5 squad that beat North Carolina 40-21 in the Quick Lane Bowl.
The Vaqueros went 7-4 last season and played in a bowl game (the Golden State Bowl) for the first time in 17 years. They led Cerritos for most of the game before falling 22-19 on a late touchdown.
