Breitbard Stars of the Month, November, 2006

PROFESSIONALS

MIKE CAMERON (Baseball, Padres) – Center fielder Mike Cameron won a National League Gold Glove for the 2006 season. This marks the third Gold Glove for Cameron, who previously captured the award in 2001 and 2003 while playing for the Seattle Mariners. For the Padres, Cameron compiled a .984 fielding percentage, committing six errors in 379 total chances. His six assists were tied for fourth best among National League center fielders, while his 367 putouts and 379 total chances each finished third among all outfielders in the NL.

ERIC CHAVEZ (Baseball, Oakland A’s/Mt. Carmel High) – The A’s third baseman earned his sixth American League Gold Glove despite an injury riddled season. Chavez hit only .241 at the plate while playing through shoulder, hamstring and forearm ailments. But in the field he led the big leagues and set an Oakland record for fielding percentage by a third baseman (.987). He committed just five errors in 391 total chances over 134 regular-season games.

JIMMIE JOHNSON (Auto racing, NASCAR/Granite Hills High) – Johnson won the Nextel Cup as NASCAR’s overall season champion. His year began with winning the Daytona 500, the Super Bowl of NASCAR. Johnson’s win in October in Martinsville, Tenn., placed in the position of only needing to finish 12th or better in the final race at Homestead, Fla. Johnson, 31, placed ninth to win the season title by a 56-point margin. Other wins during the year were at Las Vegas, Indianapolis and Talladega.

MARCUS McNEILL (Football, Chargers) – The rookie offensive left tackle has been a starter since the season opener and exceeded the coaching staff’s expectations at protecting the quarterback’s blind side and opening holes for the running game. One of the Chargers' power plays that has vaulted running back LaDainian Tomlinson to an NFL record for touchdowns is to the left side behind McNeill and guard Kris Dielman. McNeill was an AFC Rookie of the Week earlier in the year and is a leading candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The second-round draft pick has been playing most of the season with two broken hands.

AMATEURS

RAY BASS (Football, San Diego State ) – The junior safety from Corona returned an interception 49 yards for his first career touchdown to give the Aztecs an early 7-0 advantage, one that they would never relinquish, in a win at home over UNLV. He ended the night with a team-leading eight solo tackles, doubling his previous career game-high in that category. Bass, who was making his first career start at leftside safety in place of injured starter Brett Sturm, also tallied one pass breakup and a tackle for loss.

VIANNEY CAMPOS (Field hockey, Pacific/Eastlake High) – The University of the Pacific senior forward led the nation in scoring and was named a first-team All-American by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. Campos rewrote Pacific’s record book as its all-time leading career and single-season scorer. For the season she scored 39 goals with eight assists for 72 points. She was a four-time All-Nor-Pac Conference pick who established single season and career scoring records for the Tigers. On Nov. 19, she scored four goals with an assist in the NHFCA all-star game. She is Pacific’s first All-American in field hockey since 1989.

CHRISTIE DAWSON (Volleyball, University of San Diego) – The senior 6-foot-1 middle hitter was named a first-team pick on the All-West Coast Conference team for the second straight season. Dawson helped lead the Toreros to the WCC title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament as the nation’s 17th-ranked team. Earlier in the month Dawson, who is from Apple Valley, was named the WCC Player of the Week as she led the Toreros to wins over Gonzaga and Portland that clinched the WCC title a week before the end of the regular season. She averaged 4.02 kills a game for the regular season.

MEGAN DICKEY (Soccer, UC San Diego/Torrey Pines High) –. The senior mid-fielder recovered from an early season knee injury to lead the Tritons to the CCAA title and earn first-team All-CCAA honors for the third straight year. Dickey tore her ACL for the second time in her career on Sept. 10, but didn’t have surgery so that she could play her senior season. She led the conference with five game-winning goals. Dickey also was named to the All-Far West Regional first as the Tritons won their regional before they were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II tournament.

JORDAN PAOPAO (Football, USD/El Camino High) – The Toreros’ junior center was named Division I-AA Mid-Major first-team All-American for the second straight year as well as first-team All-Pioneer Football League team for the second year in a row. Paopao’s signals up front keyed an offensive line that led that led the nation in scoring for mid-major schools with Josh Johnson at quarterback. USD was 10-0 with a second straight PFL title and an 18-game winning streak before a loss to a scholarship school, UC Davis.

AMBER SPRAGUE (Basketball, USD/Mission Bay High) -- After helping lead the USD’s women's basketball team to the best start in program history at 5-0, the sophomore was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Month. The 6-foot-4 center/forward, who sat out all of last season with a foot injury, averaged 17.0 points per game during the first month of the season and led the conference in rebounding at 8.8 rebounds per game. She averaged a conference-leading 3.0 steals per game in November, while pacing the WCC with 2.6 blocks per game.

DWAYNE WRIGHT (Football, Fresno State/Lincoln High) -- The Bulldogs' senior running back was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week after he broke an 84-year-old school record with 295 yards rushing against Louisana Tech. It was the second best rushing performance in the nation in the 2006 season. Wright finished the year with 1,462 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and was named Fresno State's Most Valuable Player. He finished his career third on the Bulldogs' all-time rushing list with 2,495 yards.

HIGH SCHOOLS

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