The coaches picked the Chargers for three of the four special recognition player awards when the all-league selections division were announced recently.

Lara, a senior, was named the Most Valuable Player in the division. Gemoll was selected as Senior of the Year and the Junior of the Year award went to Akerson.

The special recognition awards for the Mt. Hamilton Division were rounded out with Alex Kalogrides of Santa Teresa named as Sophomore of the Year and Brett Gladden of Willow Glen chosen as Coach of the Year.

In his first year at the helm, Gladden guided the Rams to a third-place finish in the division and to the quarterfinals of the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs.

Pitchers dominated the special recognition awards in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL. It was senior Josh Kepler of Branham at the top of the list receiving the MVP award. Steve Miller of Pioneer was honored as Senior of the Year while Junior of the Year was Chris Watkins of Silver Creek. Sophomore of the Year accolades went to Taylor Yemm of Lincoln.

Stuart Piraro of Lincoln and Kirk Selfridge of Branham led their teams to the division co-championship with 12-6 marks and were voted as the Co-Coaches of the Year for their efforts.

Third baseman Lara and first baseman Gemoll were the anchors at the infield corners and provided some impressive offensive punch for the Mt. Hamilton Division champion Chargers.

Lara led the team with a .443 batting average and a slugging percentage of .727. He had 39 hits including five round trippers and two triples and drove in 31 runs while striking out only nine times.

Gemoll made his .405 average count, leading the team in extra base hits with 16 including 13 doubles and three home runs.

Akerson had some pop in his bat as well, weighing in with a .709 slugging percentage and blasting four home runs and a triple.

Earning spots on the all-league first team from Leland were seniors Kyle Woodruff, Anthony Trovato and Jason Gustavson.

Seniors Carlos Torres and John Gibilisco of Willow Glen nailed down first-team slots and were instrumental in keeping the Rams in the hunt for the division title down to the very end. In addition, they helped the Rams claim a first round CCS Division II win and almost pull off a second-round upset of eventual Division II champ Burlingame.

Torres was a force on the mound for the Rams, putting together a 9-2 league mark which included a no-hitter against Mt. Pleasant and three complete game shutouts. He finished with an ERA of 2.30, recording 49 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched.

Gibilisco was the spark that usually got the Rams rolling whether it was an outstanding defensive play in centerfield or a key hit in a crucial situation. He batted .341 on the year and, according to Gladden he was the "best outfielder in the league." He struck out only eight times and scored 20 runs for the Rams while driving in 18 runs.

Rounding out the first team were senior Gabriel Alcantar of Mt. Pleasant, senior Daniel Demarco of Oak Grove, senior J.P. Medina of Santa Teresa, senior Ryan Michael and junior Jadd Correia of Leigh and seniors Brandon Simon and Rickey Meinhold of Westmont.

Nabbing spots on the all-league second team were senior Sean Connors of Leland, senior Jason Ethridge and junior Tyler Smith of Willow Glen, senior Zaach Brehm and juniors Brad Davis, Ryan Magana and Thomas Acuna of Westmont, senior Robert Ramos of Mt. Pleasant, seniors Marcus McKoy and Victor Sifuentes of Oak Grove, senior Travis Lazar of Santa Teresa and juniors Zach Samuels and Shane Hennessey of Leigh.

Kepler was tabbed as the MVP of the BVAL Santa Teresa Division as a result of his contributions as both a pitcher and a hitter. While on the mound, Kepler was dependable, putting together a 7-3 record including a no-hitter and four complete games. He had an ERA of 2.48, striking out 57 batters in 62 innings pitched. He also had one save. Kepler batted .313 with a couple of triples and a home run.

Pioneer's Miller developed into the ace of the Mustang staff, especially during league competition as Pioneer battled for the division crown all the way down to the last game of the season. He was 8-1 overall and 6-1 in league play with a 2.98 ERA and three complete game shutouts.

Yemm was key in Lincoln's drive to the co-championship of the Santa Teresa Division. He compiled an 8-1 league mark with an ERA of 2.96 and was a solid offensive force with a .338 batting average.

Joining Yemm as an all-league selection on the first team were teammates seniors Bryan Anderson and Kevin House.

The Mustangs had two first team selections in juniors Andrew Schulz and Steve Matos.

Rounding out the first team selections were senior Jeff Rodriguez and junior Lewis Bravo of Piedmont Hills, junior Travis Rose of Silver Creek and senior Gus Guzman of Independence.

Earning spots on the all-league second team were seniors Steve Lowrey and Nick English and junior Kenny Chadwick of Branham, senior Andy Evert and sophomore Shaun Souza of Pioneer, seniors Justin Engel and Ricky Patel of Lincoln, senior Jason Okamoto of Del Mar, senior Nick Goldman-Hall and junior Roger Diaz of Independence and senior Michael Monelo of Piedmont Hills.