Blanton Named San Diego State MVP

Senior quarterback Billy Blanton, a former Mater Dei standout, was named San Diego State’s most valuable football player for the 1996 season.

Blanton passed for 3,221 yards, an average of 292.8 per game, 29 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Another former Mater Dei player, sophomore free safety Michael-John Rzeznik, was selected defensive prep player of the year for his work with the scout team.

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Gerald Laird, a catcher for La Quinta High, has been selected to play for the Cincinnati Reds under-19 team for its trip to Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney, Australia, which begins today.

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Brad Walker, a member of Ocean View’s 1992 Southern Section Division 4-A title soccer team, has been named to the Northern California Athletic Conference first team and the Western Region’s second team. Walker, a senior forward/midfielder at Humboldt State, was MVP.