Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Pass: Del Mar's Jason Campbell, back to pass in the final game of the season against Prospect, was the second-leading passer in CCS.
Campbell second in passing
Washington among the leaders in rushing
By Dick Sparrer
Their teams may not have made it to the post-season playoffs, but there were still a few football players who ended up among the best in the Central Coast Section even if their teams didn't.
Bobby Hobbs and Gabe Candelaria of Willow Glen, Jason Campbell of Del Mar and Saladin Washington of Prospect were among the best in CCS in passing, receiving and rushing this fall.
Hobbs and Candelaria were members of a Willow Glen that went winless in 10 games this season, but they still managed to rank among the best in the section in statistics.
Hobbs, in fact, topped the CCS in passing. The senior quarterback tossed for over 2,000 yards and threw 15 touchdown passes for the Rams.
In his first full year as the starting QB for the Rams, Hobbs hooked up on 154 of 331 passes for 2,077 yards. He was the only passer in the section to top the 2,000-yard mark, averaging 207.7 yards a game over the 10-game season.
Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Push: Prospect's Saladin Washington, fighting for yardage in a loss to Del Mar, finished the year rushing for 1,486 yards.
Candelaria was Hobbs' favorite target this fall and, despite missing the final game because of knee injury, the senior receiver hauled in 45 passes for 787 yards and six TDs. He ranked fourth in the section in yards receiving per game with 87.4.
Campbell finished second to Hobbs in the passing department, hitting on 120 of 207 tosses for 1,866 yards and 13 touchdowns. His average per game of 186.6 was second only to Hobbs, and his favorite targets were senior Chris McSwain and junior Andrew Palmyra.
Campbell was a returning all-league quarterback for the Dons this fall and he led Del Mar to a solid 6-4 season. The Dons finished in a three-way with Andrew Hill and Gunderson for second place in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League with a 4-2 record. But they lost the coin flip that determined the division's second representative to the CCS playoffs.
Prospect finished a rather disappointing 3-7 this fall, 1-5 in the Santa Teresa Division. But Washington still managed a sensational year, rushing for over 1,000 yards for the Panthers.
The speedster, also an all-league returner for Prospect, rambled for 1,486 yards on 220 carries in 10 games for the Panthers. He averaged 148.6 yards a game and 6.8 yards per carry this season. Washington ran for 13 touchdowns for Prospect.
Campbell, California
