Sports at Lunch with Raiders-Chargers Rivalry
Breitbard Stars of the Month, February, 2008
- PROFESSIONALS
- Antonio Cromartie, John Lynch, Marcus McNeill and Stephen Neal
The professional and amateur Stars of the Month are chosen by the Awards Selection Committee.
ANTONIO CROMARTIE (Football, Chargers) -- The Chargers' cornerback intercepted two passes in his Pro Bowl debut in Hawaii following a season in which the second-year pro led the NFL in interceptions with 10. He had two other passes defended and two tackles. Cromartie is a two-time Star of the Month.
JOHN LYNCH (Football, Denver Broncos/Torrey Pines High) -- The Denver Broncos' safety from Torrey Pines High was named to his ninth career Pro Bowl as an alternate replacing an injured player. Lynch’s nine Pro Bowls rank second to Junior Seau (12) among NFL players from San Diego high schools. Lynch is a nine-time Star of the Month.
MARCUS McNEILL (Football, Chargers) -- The Chargers’ dominating left tackle from Auburn, a steal as a second-round pick in the 2006 draft, was named to his second Pro Bowl as an alternate that replaced an injured player. McNeill is a two-time Star of the Month.
STEPHEN NEAL (Football, New England Patriots/San Diego High) -- The New England offensive guard from San Diego High made his fourth Super Bowl trip with the Patriots as he helped his team to an unbeaten record of 18-0 before the Patriots were upset in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants. On Feb. 7, Neal was named the Patriots' recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. He was honored with recipients from teams around the league at the 29th annual Ed Block Courage Awards Banquet in Baltimore. Neal is a 14-time Star of the Month.
ROB JONES (Basketball, USD) – The freshman forward was tabbed as the West Coast Conference Co-Player of the Week after leading the Toreros to wins at Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine. He averaged 21.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. The month included his first career double with 27 points and 13 rebounds against LMU. He was second on the team in rebounding and third in scoring. Jones is a first-time Star of the Month.
ANNA GONZALES (Water polo, SDSU) – Junior utility player Anna Gonzales was named Co-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Mikasa Player of the Week after she led the Aztecs to a 5-0 start and their first UCSD Triton Invitational championship. He month included two goals and three assists when SDSU won its seventh consecutive opening-day victory with an 11-8 triumph over No. 10 Hartwick College. She was alter named second-team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Gonzales is a first-time Star of the Month.
GARRETT GREEN (Baseball, SDSU) – Senior second baseman Garrett Green earned national Player-of-the-Week honors from CollegeBaseballinsider.com as well as Mountain West Conference PoW honors as the Aztecs climbed into the national rankings. In the season’s first three games against USD, Green batted .615 with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, eight runs scored and seven RBI. Green is a first-time Star of the Month.
DONNA KERR (Softballl, UCLA/Patrick Henry High) -- The freshman was named the Pac-10 Softball Pitcher of the Week for the Bruins games in the final week of February. Kerr allowed only two hits in 15 scoreless innings last week, including her first career perfect game against Saint Peter's. Kerr went 3-0 on the week with two complete game shutouts, striking out 21. She finished the month with an 8-1 record and was leading the nation in ERA at 0.64. She was later named All-Pac-10 honorable mention.
CHRISTINA ROSS (Softball, SDSU) – The senior pitcher was twice named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week during the month as she led the Aztecs into the national rankings. The two-time All-MWC pitcher was honored on Feb. 19 after she went 4-0 with a 0.58 ERA. She was honored again Feb. 26 for week that included beating defending national champion Arizona 2-1 with 11 strikeouts. Ross was later named the MWC Pitcher of the Year for the second time in her career. Ross is a three-time Star of the Month.
KATIE RULON (Water polo, UCLA/USDHS) – The junior attacker was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Player of the Week honors as she led the No. 1-ranked Bruins to an 8-4 win over No. 2 USC. It was her second time earning all-conference honors this season. She finished the month leading the MPSF in scoring. She later led the Bruins to the NCAA title and was named a third-team All-American. Rulon is a two-time Star of the Month.
AMBER SPRAGUE (Basketball, USD/Mission Bay High) – The 6-foot-5 junior center finished the regular season leading the Toreros with 15.5 points and rebounding with 8.8 as the Toreros bounced back from a slow first half of West Coast Conference play to go 5-2 in the second half and place third in the league standings. She was later named first-team All-WCC. Sprague is a four-time Star of the Month.
BILLY WHITE (Basketball, SDSU) – The freshman forward was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week for averaging 17.0 points, 10.0 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocked shots in wins over Wyoming and BYU. He is the first freshman in the MWC’s nine-year history to be honored twice in the same season. White is a first-time Star of the Month.
The high school Stars of the Month are selected and presented jointly by the Hall of Champions and the Union-Tribune.
