San Diego Chargers kicker Nick Novak, Houston Texans running back Arian Foster and UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz topped the list of 16 outstanding Athletes of the Month for October as selected by the San Diego Hall of Champions.
Novak was hastily picked up after Nate Kaeding was injured the first play of the regular season and through October had posted glittering numbers, hitting 15-of-16 field goals (the lone miss a 52-yarder) and 12-of-12 extra points.
Foster, a graduate of Mission Bay High, had three games of 100-plus yards including a superlative 155 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Texans’ upset 17-10 victory.
Cruz defended his bantamweight (135 pound) mixed martial art UFC title with a unanimous decision over challenger Demetrious Johnson.
On the amateur front, football standouts Larry Parker of San Diego State (St. Augustine High), Tony Jefferson of the University of Oklahoma (Eastlake High) and USD’s Kenny James (Mt. Carmel High) were three of seven honored.
Joining them were SDSU golfer Christine Wong, the USD tennis doubles team of Nikola Bubnic and Thibaut Visy and Point Loma Nazarene soccer standout Erica Wessels.
Rounding out those feted were six high school standouts who were selected in conjunction with the San Diego Union-Tribune. Those half-dozen included Helix High QB Brandon Lewis, St. Augustine QB Joe Kennedy, Madison golfer Savannah Knox, Torrey Pines field hockey goalie Erica Cohen, La Costa Canyon volleyball outside hitter Natalie Bausback and Bishop’s cross country runner Will Wilde Botta.
PROFESSIONAL
Dominick Cruz (Mixed Martial Arts, UFC)—Cruz scored a unanimous victory over Demetrious Johnson to retain his bantamweight (135 pounds) title by scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 in the five-round match. Cruz and Johnson battled fairly evenly early-on but the stronger Cruz was able to handle the, quick, aggressive Johnson. As the bout wore on though, Cruz did everything but pin his opponent to improve his career record to 19-1.
Arian Foster (Football, Houston Texans, Mission Bay High alum)—Although last season’s standout had three games over 100 yards rushing to give him 532 yards and four TDs before the halfway point of this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers game was the highlight. In the contest, Foster rushed 30 times for 155 yards, including the winning touchdown from 42-yards out, in a 17-10 victory.
Nick Novak (Football, San Diego Chargers)—When the Chargers signed Novak to a two-year contract to replace injured Nate Kaeding after game one, they could not in their wildest dreams have known how successful he’d be. Novak was 15-of-16 on field goals, the lone miss coming from 52 yards. He was 12-of-12 on extra points as well, giving the Chargers the kind of consistency few NFL teams enjoy.
AMATEUR
Nikola Bubnic and Thibaut Visy (Tennis, USD)— The duo won the doubles title at the USTA/ITA Division I Men’s Southwestern Regional Championships at Pepperdine. With the victory, Bubnic and Visy earned a berth to the National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. The pair, who went a perfect 5-0 in Regionals and were 5-1 in the month of October overall, became the first USD doubles tandem to ever advance to the National Indoors.
Kenny James (Football, USD, Mt. Carmel High alum)—James led USD (3-1) by averaging 111.2 yards rushing, scoring six times. He rushed 78 times for 445 yards and five TDs in October. He added eight receptions for 94 yards (11.8 yards per catch average), and returned 13 kickoffs for 373 yards (28.7 yards per return), including an explosive 95-yard return for a score in the team’s PFL win over Davidson.
Tony Jefferson (Football, Oklahoma, Eastlake High alum)—Just a sophomore, Jefferson is a major part of the dominant Sooners defense. The highlight came against Ball State where he intercepted three passes. On the season, the 5-10, 199-popund defensive back/linebacker has 41 tackles, 24 of them unassisted and four for a loss as well as two sacks and four interceptions.
Larry Parker (Football, SDSU, St. Augustine High alum)—The senior cornerback had an interception in four consecutive games. He had five over the last four games overall to lead the Mountain West Conference and tie for second nationally. Over the last five outings helped force nine turnovers, including five interceptions, three forced fumbles and one recovered fumble. He ranked 10th in the nation in passes defended and first in the MWC.
Erica Wessels (Soccer, Point Loma Nazarene)— The Sea Lions senior had a terrific month for third-ranked Point Loma Nazarene. The defender helped lead the Sea Lions to an 8-1 mark en route to winning their first-ever conference championship, posting six shutouts. The defensive captain also scored a team-high three goals—all three of which were game-winners.
Christine Wong (Golf, SDSU)—Got the new season off to a fast start for the Aztecs and didn’t back off. In ther Wyoming Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate, the junior fired an even-par 216 to win over 82 other golfers. After a 25th in the Stanford Invitational, Wong added a tie for eighth out of 89 golfers in the Las Vegas Showdown where she fired a brilliant 67 on the opening of three rounds. The victory in Wyoming was the third of her Aztec career.
HIGH SCHOOL
Brandon Lewis (Football, Helix)—With the senior quarterback leading the way, Helix compiled a 4-0 record, outscoring its opponents 195-10, moving to No. 1in the section overall and No. 1 in the state in Division II. Lewis completed 54 of 79 passes for 830 yards and 13 touchdowns against just one interception. He also gained 53 yards on 9 rushes.
Erica Cohen (Field Hockey, Torrey Pines)—In order to beat the Falcons, you have to get the ball past the senior who has committed to UC Davis. That’s no easy task as she wrapped up the month with a pair of shutouts collecting 27 saves. That pushed her monthly total of saves to 102 with just five goals allowed, all in league play. Cohen was also an All-Tourney pick in the Serra Tournament.
Joe Kennedy (Football, St. Augustine)—It has been a very special season for the senior quarterback and during October he guided the Saints to a 4-0 mark. On the month he completed 55 of 83 pass attempts (66 percent) for 882 yards, including 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. On the season he is 106 of 155 for 1,651 yards with 23 TDs and just five interceptions.
Natalie Bausback (Volleyball, La Costa Canyon)—The University of Virginia will be getting the services of the 6-foot-2 hitter but first the senior will be attempting to lead the Mavericks to the section title. A 14-1 October helped LCC improve to 22-6 overall with the lone loss coming to nationally-ranked Santa Ana Mater Dei. Bausback has 171 kills on the season, hitting at a 62.6 pace.
Will Wilde Botta (Cross Country, Bishop’s)—There are few faster runners among the state’s smaller schools—maybe no one. The Bishop’s High senior was virtually unbeatable during October and in his one setback he was second in the prestigious Mt. SAC Invitational Small School division. Wilde Botta covered the hilly 3.1-mile course in 15-minutes, 28-seconds.
Savannah Knox (Golf, Madison)—Although the Warhawks did not always have the best team, they always had the best individual as the senior was the medalist in eight matches leading up to the Eastern League championships where over 18 holes at Balboa she still managed to finish third. Knox’s top performance was a 3-under at National City in a win over Morse.
