Breitbard Stars of the Month, September, 2005

PROFESSIONALS

PEDRO ASTACIO (Baseball, Padres) – The mid-season acquisition was 2-0 in September as he filled the fifth-starter role in the last three months of the season to help the Padres win the National League West title. The right-hander recorded a 5-3 win at Arizona on Sept. 23 that was the Padres’ only win of the series and he picked up a 9-1 win on Sept. 28 against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park that clinched the division title. In addition, the Padres won all three of Astacio’s starts in September and seven of his 10 starts for the year. He finished the season with a 4-2 record and ERA of 3.17.

BRIAN GILES (Baseball, Padres/Granite Hills High) – The veteran right fielder led a struggling offensive lineup down the stretch as the Padres won the National League West title. For the season, Giles led the National League in walks with 119 while batting .301 and leading the team in runs scored (92) and hits (164). On Sept. 14 in San Francisco, Giles knocked in the game-winning run with a dramatic 10th-inning single after the Padres had squandered a lead to send the game into extra innings.

JIMMIE JOHNSON (NASCAR, El Cajon) – Johnson won the MBNA 400 on Sept. 25 in Dover, Del., to move into first place in the Chase for Nextel Cup standings. The win was the 33-year-old NASCAR driver’s second of the year. A race caution set up a two-lap sprint to the finish, and Johnson held off teammate Kyle Busch to win by the narrow margin of eight-tenths of a second.

KEENAN McCARDELL (Football, Chargers) – The 14th-year veteran wide receiver, in his second season with the Chargers after being acquired in a mid-season trade in 2004, surpassed a couple of NFL milestones during September’s three games. In the season opener against Dallas, he caught nine passes to tie for 14th place with James Lofton, the NFL Hall-of-Famer who serves as the Chargers’ wide receivers coach, with 764 career catches. McCardell caught eight more balls in the next two games to move into 14th place alone with 772 receptions. He surpassed the 10,000-yard milestone on Sept. 25 when he caught four balls for 80 yards in a 45-23 win over the New York Giants. He pushed his yardage total to 10,020 yards to rank 23rd in NFL history.

DAVID WELLS (Baseball, Boston Red Sox/Point Loma High) – The Padres’ loss was the Boston Red Sox’s gain as the 42-year-old left-hander posted a 15-7 record to fill the void when the Red Sox lost Pedro Martinez to free agency to the New York Mets. Wells was the winning pitcher against the New York Yankees in the first game of a series on the final weekend of the season, although the Yankees later clinched the American League East title and the Red Sox settled for the wild-card playoff berth. Wells walked only 21 batters in 184.0 innings pitched to lead all pitchers in Major League Baseball with 13 or more wins. Only two other pitchers had fewer than 40 walks. Wells boosted his career win total to 227.

AMATEURS

REGGIE BUSH (Football, USC/Helix High) – The junior running back from Helix High launched his Heisman Trophy campaign with six touchdowns and two 100-yard rushing games in wins over Hawaii, Arkansas and Oregon. In the Pac-10 opener against Oregon, Bush rallied the No. 1-ranked Trojans from a 13-0 deficit as he scored USC’s first touchdown on a 19-yard pass and scored again in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard run. He finished with 20 carries for 122 yards and caught three passes for 43 yards. Against Arkansas, he had eight carries for 125 yards, including a 76-yard score, and three receptions for 70 yards, including a 29-yard score. In the opener against Hawaii, he scored on runs of 41 yards and 1 yard. For the month, he averaged 8.1 yards a carry with 333 yards rushing on 40 carries and averaged 17.1 yards a reception with 10 catches and 171 yards.

KRISTEN CARLSON (Women’s volleyball, USD) – The 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter from Purcelville, Va., led USD to a 10-1 record and No. 12 national ranking in September. Carlson, a Washington State transfer, was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week (Sept. 19) and the WCC Player of the Month for September. The left-hander led all WCC players and ranked ninth nationally with a kill average of 5.49 per game at the end of the month. She led USD to wins over No. 21 Cal (Sept. 10) and No. 25 Long Beach State (Sept. 17). She converted 22 of 26 kills (.808) in a win over American (Sept. 19) and was named to all three all-tournament teams.

HALEY EXNER (Field hockey, Indiana/Scripps Ranch High) -- The Indiana goalie was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12 for a week that included a 6-0 shutout against Pacific. For September, the first-year starter recorded three shutouts and led the Hoosiers to a 6-1 record that included an upset of then No. 6-ranked Michigan State. Indiana later advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the six years of the program and Exner was named an All-Big Ten selection.

JOSH JOHNSON (Football, USD) – The sophomore quarterback from Oakland Tech led the Toreros to a 3-1 start in September, including the program’s first win over an Ivy League school with a 17-14 come-from-behind victory on Sept. 17 against Yale at Torero Stadium. Johnson was named the Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the Pioneer Football League for his performance against Yale when he was 22-of-34 passing for 198 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He finished the month completing 90-of-143 passes (62.9 percent) for 959 yards and eight touchdowns. He also rushed for 11 yards and one touchdown in 39 attempts. USD also beat Azusa Pacific and Southern Oregon before defeating Yale and losing at Princeton, 20-17.

MELANIE GREENE (Women’s volleyball, SDSU) – The junior outside hitter was named the MVP of the Mutual Medical CSU Invitational at Cleveland State after leading the Aztecs to the tournament title. SDSU defeated CSU in the final 3-1. Greene recorded 20 kills and 12 digs for her second straight double-double of the tournament and fourth for the season.

FREDDIE KEIAHO (Football, SDSU) – The fifth-year senior linebacker from Ventura, a backup the last two seasons to All-America Kirk Morrison, is making the most of his starting role. He is ranked 10th in the nation in tackles per game (12.0) through the first month of the season. He was the only Mountain West Conference player ranked in the top 25. He had 13 tackles against Air Force and 18 against ninth-ranked Ohio State. The Ohio State tackle total is the second most in school history against a ranked opponent and ranks 11th overall in school history.

PREPS

MIKE COUGHLIN, (Football, Mira Mesa High) – The senior quarterback, bound for Boise State, led the Marauders to a 3-1-1 start and No. 2 ranking in the San Diego Section while playing a rugged schedule. Mira Mesa defeated Torrey Pines, El Camino and Serra, tied Vista and lost 24-10 to a Long Beach Poly team ranked No. 6 in the state. In the first five games, the 6-foot-5, 215-pounder threw nine touchdown passes with only one interception while completing 48-of-95 passes for 768 yards (153.6 per game average). Coughlin is the great grandson of San Diego High legend Brick Muller. At Cal, Muller was the West’s first All-America as an end in 1921 and 1922. Muller was the first athlete inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1953.

KATHERINE DONNER (Field hockey, Serra High) – The Conquistadors’ junior midfielder was named the Defensive MVP of the 29th annual Serra Uptown Optimist Tournament as she led her team to a runner-up finish in the two-weekend tournament. Donner, a member of the U.S. Under-16 national team, led Serra to four wins before the Q’s fell to top-ranked La Costa Canyon in the final, 3-1. Serra finished the month 10-2 and ranked No. 2 in San Diego. Donner has scored

ERIN GILLINGHAM (Girls cross country, Torrey Pines High) – The freshman ran the fastest time among San Diego girls and third best mark overall while winning the ninth-grade class of the 25th annual Sundevil Invitational, an event that groups runners by their class in school. Gillingham won her race over the 2.7-mile course at Balboa Park in 15 minutes, 55.8 seconds. It was the seventh fastest time by a freshman in meet history.

LAUREN GREENWALD (Field hockey, La Costa Canyon High) – The Mavericks’ sophomore midfielder was named the Offensive MVP as she led La Costa Canyon to the 29th annual Serra Uptown Optimist Field Hockey Tournament title. Greenwald, a member of the U.S. Under-16 national team, led her team to five wins in the two-weekend tournament, including a 3-1 victory over Serra in the final. LCC finished the month ranked No. 1 in San Diego with a 10-2 record.

SHAE SAVIN (Boys water polo, Carlsbad High) – The lone returning senior for the two-time CIF Division I defending champions carried the Lancers to the Poway Invitational title. Savin scored six goals in the final as Carlsbad defeated Bonita Vista 14-3. In five tournament wins, the Lancers outscored their opponents 81-12.

WILL YEATMAN, (Football, Rancho Bernardo High) – The senior tight end, a 6-foot-6, 255-pounder who is one of the San Diego Section’s top recruits, led the Broncos to a 4-0 start and rankings of No. 1 in San Diego and No. 16 for all divisions in the state. Yeatman is a key blocker in the Broncos’ Wing-T running game and a threat as a receiver. He caught a touchdown pass in all four games, including two against Fallbrook. He finished the month with 14 catches for 207 yards (14.8 yards per catch) and five touchdowns.