Oak Hills teammates Cox and King highlight the All-Mojave River League football selections

For the second time in three years, a pair of Oak Hills players have earned the Mojave River League’s offensive and defensive Player of the Year awards.

Running back Karson Cox and defensive lineman Charles King were both recently named award winners when the All-Mojave River League list was released.

Cox is the third Bulldog in the row to earn the Offensive Player of the Year award, joining quarterbacks Diego Lopez and Andrew Garcia.

Cox, a highly recruited running back, was part of a one-two punch, along with Shaylon Young, that led Oak Hills to a third straight Mojave River League title.

In five league games, Cox averaged 11 yards a carry, as he ended with 628 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 10 games this season, Cox tallied 1,349 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

Defensively, King joins Buddah Peleti as the second lineman from Oak Hills to claim the Player of the Year award in the last three years. Apple Valley’s Dustin Reynolds earned last year’s defensive award.

King was part of a dominant front that helped Oak Hills allow just 55 points in five league games. In those five games, King recorded 23 total tackles, including 13 solo and five for a loss, with two sacks.

Cox and King were joined by 10 teammates who were named to the All-MRL First Team, including Lopez, last year’s Offensive Player of the Year. Lopez earned a spot on the team at the utility slot after throwing for 609 yards and nine touchdowns in league action.

Young, Cox’s backfield partner, was one of five MRL running backs to receive a nod. Young took 49 carries for 406 yards and four touchdowns in that MRL-title run.

Paki Finau, a right tackle who has committed to the University of Washington, and left tackle Joseph James both earned spots at offensive line after leading the way for 2,015 yards of offense in those five MRL games.

Matching Oak Hills, Hesperia also had 10 selections to the First Team, including the running tandem of Da’Lon Williams and Zamar Malveaux, both sophomores.

Williams and Malveaux combined for 1,151 yards on 174 carries as Hesperia claimed second place in the MRL standings. Williams led the way with 757 yards and seven touchdowns, while Malveaux took 68 carries for 394 yards and four touchdowns.

The running backs were joined by defensive anchors Gavin Stolpp and Adan Torres, who both recorded 2.5 sacks in the five MRL games. The pair of defenders played a big role in Hesperia’s five-game MRL run, which resulted in 87 points allowed, with 42 of those scored by Oak Hills.

Apple Valley, which ended in third place, saw five players with a First Team nod, highlighted by running back Zyron Belcher, who took 42 carries for 347 yards and five touchdowns in MRL play.

Both Serrano and Sultana each had four First Team nods.

Serrano’s selections included defensive lineman Odis Hamer IV, who led the team with 30 tackles, including 20 solo and six for a loss, and two sacks in five league games.

The quarterback spot went to dual-threat Jake Higgs, who highlighted Sultana’s selections. Higgs threw for 1,142 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also running for 345 yards and five touchdowns in MRL action. Higgs ended his junior campaign with 3,082 total yards and 31 touchdowns, after also scrambling for 782 yards and seven touchdowns.

Here’s a full list of the selections.

All-Mojave River League

Offensive Player of the Year: Karson Cox, Oak Hills

Defensive Player of the Year: Charles King, Oak Hills

Sportsmanship: Oak Hills

First Team

• Quarterback: Jake Higgs, Sultana

• Offensive Back: Zyron Belcher (Apple Valley); Da'Lon Williams, Zamar Malveaux (Hesperia); Shaylon Young (Oak Hills); Carlos Amplayo (Serrano).

• Wide Receiver/TE: Dominic Bechtel (Apple Valley); Don Henry (Hesperia); Maurice Parker (Oak Hills); Joey Deleon, LaMason Waller III (Sultana).

• Offensive Line: Cole Hedges (Apple Valley); Cody Lacroix, Khali Ratcliffe (Hesperia); Joseph James, Paki Finau (Oak Hills); David Green (Serrano).

• Defensive Line: Grayson Byrdson (Apple Valley); Anthony Ruiz, Gavin Stolpp (Hesperia); Peyton Metzger (Oak Hills); Odis Hamer (Serrano).

• Linebacker: Adan Torres (Hesperia); Jacob Macias, Josh Burgess (Oak Hills); Josh Martin (Serrano); Rome Thomas (Sultana).

• Defensive Back: Tyler Moon (Apple Valley); Maddox Rodriguez (Hesperia); DJ Hall, Jeff Johnson (Oak Hills).

• Kicker/Punter: Ty Topete, Hesperia

• Utility: Diego Lopez, Oak Hills

Second Team

• Jacob Wilkerson, Jarod Soria, Noah Celie, Seth Robertson, Xavier Salazar (Apple Valley); Joseph Buchan, Lakedon Seymore (Burroughs); Robert Sutton (Hesperia); Ethan Caudle, Gabriel Lucero, John Swain IV, Johnny Notarianni, Junior Garcia, Kevin Close, Royalton Allen (Oak Hills); Caleb Pele, Donovan Shaw, Michael Guevara, Tyler Goodwin (Sultana).

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: A pair of Oak Hills teammates highlight the All-MRL football selections