Breitbard Stars of the Month, October, 2006

PROFESSIONALS

REGGIE BUSH (Football, New Orleans Saints/Helix High) – Saints running back/punt returner Reggie Bush was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the Saints 24-21 win Oct. 8 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner from USC and Helix High, electrified the Superdome crowd with a dazzling 65-yard game-winning punt-return touchdown with 4:17 remaining in the game. The touchdown was the first of Bush's young career. He finished the month leading the team in receptions with 42 in eight games for the 5-2 Saints and second in rushing with 212 yards.

LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (Football, Chargers) – Tomlinson scored four touchdowns in the Chargers win over the San Francisco 49ers and he ran for 183 yards and with two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in a 38-24 win over the St. Louis Rams. Tomlinson finished the month leading the NFL in scoring with 11 touchdowns.

TERRY VAUGHN (Football, Hamilton Tiger-Cats/Oceanside High) – Oceanside High graduate Terry Vaughn was already the Canadian Football League career reception leader when he became the first CFL player to surpass 1,000 career receptions. The perennial CIF All-star, who is considered future CFL Hall-of-Famer, finished the year with 60 catches for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to push his career total to 1,026. Vaughn, who played in college at Arizona, is a 12-year CFL veteran, having also played for Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal.

JAMAL WILLIAMS (Football, Chargers) – The Chargers’ veteran nose tackle, considered the key to the front seven’s play for his ability to take on double teams, was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Week following San Diego’s 23-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Williams had six tackles, a sack and a tackle behind the line of scrimmage as the Chargers limited the Steelers to 68 yards rushing. Williams also was in on a key play in the Chargers’ 38-24 win over the St. Louis Rams when Williams and Jacques Cesaire forced a fumble that Marlon McCree returned 79 yards for a touchdown and give the Bolts a 21-7 lead in the third quarter. The Chargers finished the month ranked second in total defense.

AMATEURS

LAUREL ABRAHAMSON (Volleyball, University of San Diego) – Junior middle hitter Laurel Abrahamson was named as the West Coast Conference Player of the Week as the Toreros defeated St. Mary’s and San Francisco in WCC matches. USD finished the month in first place in the WCC and climbed to No. 15 in the national rankings with the wins. Abrahamson recorded 35 kills (5.00 kills per game) while only committing three attacking errors to post an .571 attacking percentage. The Toreros finished the month with a 10-match winning streak.

NICK CARDENAS (Soccer, San Diego State) – Nick Cardenas earned Pac-10 and national Player of the Week honors as he led the Aztecs to a pair of wins that allowed SDSU finished in second place in the Pac-10 standings (SDSU is a Pac-10 member in men’s soccer). The defender scored the game-winning goal in a 3-1 upset of No. 6-ranked Cal and the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Stanford. After being named the Pac-10 Player of the Week, Cardenas was also named the NSCAA National Player of the Week. Cardenas was later named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

HALEY EXNER (Field hockey, Indiana/Scripps Ranch High) – The former high school All-American goalie was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after recording 18 saves and helping the Hoosiers to Big Ten wins over Iowa and fifth-ranked Ohio State. Exner had a season-high 11 saves in the upset of Ohio State. It was the fourth time in her career the junior has earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. Exner was named first-team All-Big Ten at the end of the season.

AARON GOLDBERG (Golf, San Diego State) – Goldberg was named the Mountain West Conference men's golfer of the month for October. The Aztec junior earned his first career award on the strength of his performances in two tournaments. Goldberg took home medalist honors at the District 7 Shootout in Las Vegas on Oct. 10. Goldberg finished regulation play with an Aztec career-best 12-under-par 201, which established a school record for 54 holes. The La Costa Canyon High graduate led SDSU to its first team title of the season with their lowest team score in history at 30-under 823. At the Barona Collegiate Cup on Oct. 24, Goldberg tied for sixth with a 6-under par 210. The total included 6-under-par 66 at Barona Creek Golf Club for his low round of the year.

J.T. ROGAN (Football, USD/Coronado High) – The sophomore running back finished the month leading the unbeaten Toreros in scoring with 13 touchdowns and in rushing with 788 yards (98.5 per game). He also accounted for touchdowns on a 93-yard kickoff return against Valparaiso and a 42-yard touchdown option pass against Morehead State. Rogan finished the Morehead State game with 101 yards rushing and two touchdown runs and he had 173 yards and one touchdown in the win over Drake.

TIFFANY SNOW (Field hockey, U.S. national team/San Pasqual High) – Tiffany Snow, playing on the U.S. national team for the fourth straight year, clinched the American team’s best finish in the World Cup since 1994 when she scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Germany, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist. The U.S. team finished sixth, only the third time it has placed in the top six since 1983 and the best finish since 1994. Snow is a former a national college Player of the Year at Old Dominion.

Click here for the high school Stars of the Month listed below!