Dolphins Make All-League Team

Daniel Anoh Is Named Player of the Year; Josiah Christopher is Defensive MVP

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

One week after winning the Joe Spector Award as his team’s Most Valuable Player, Palisades High senior running back Daniel “Hugo” Anoh has been voted Western League Player of the Year.      

Anoh led the league with 1,419 yards rushing and scored 23 total touchdowns, including a school-record 292-yard performance in the Sunset Showdown with Brentwood.    

Joining Anoh on the offensive first team are five Dolphins: kicker Giovanni Ferrero (who converted 50 of 52 extra points and nine of 11 field goal attempts), quarterback Sammy Silvia (who threw for 1,913 yards and 24 touchdowns), lineman Jonathan Pizante and receivers Moses Ross (39 catches for 1,027 yards) and Xavier Smith (33 catches for 565 yards). Making the All-League second team offense are four Dolphins: linemen Nicholas Raddon, Nathan Spoonamore and Corey Ehrlich and receiver Kwazi Estes.

Running back Ilyas Abdullah of Westchester was named Offensive Player of the Year and Tobias Brown of Hamilton is the Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Pali High nose guard Josiah Christopher, who ended the season with 45 tackles (14 for losses), has been voted Defensive Lineman of the Year. Joining him on the first team defense are four teammates: defensive end Trinity Camden (who led the team with six sacks), linebackers Jack Babala and Toby Manheim (who had a team-high 76 tackles) and strong safety Ricardo Abrego (39 tackles, 10 for losses).

The All-League second team defense includes four more Dolphins: defensive end Liam Herrera and defensive backs Marcus Brown Jr, (who had a team-best five interceptions and five pas deflections), Savyour Riley and Amari Yolas.   

End Thomas Kensinger of Venice has been voted Defensive Player of the Year after recording 103 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 11 pass deflections for the Gondoliers.     

Five of the six Western League teams made the playoffs. Outright champion Palisades won 11 straight games to reach the Open Division semifinals, the furthest the Dolphins have advanced in the playoffs since making the 3A finals in 1987 under former coach Jack Epstein. Venice captured the Division I crown, its first section title in school history. Hamilton was the Division II runner-up (losing to El Camino Real in the final) while Fairfax and Westchester both made the semifinals.