Seven Stags Earn All-SCIAC Honors
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. – On Tuesday morning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) announced their All-Conference teams. Among the student-athletes honored were seven Stags. Chris Cziesla (CMC), Brian Wahl (CMC), Mitchell Allan (CMC), and Jordan Leonard (CMC) earned First Team honors while Trey Smith (CMC), Brendan MacDonald (CMC), and Victor Bunce (CMC) were named Second Team.
Chris Cziesla was named First Team tight-end after leading the Stags with 544 receiving yards this season. Cziesla hauled in 28 receptions and averaged 68.0 yards per game while grabbing four touchdowns on the season. His best game of the season came against Chapman, when he caught seven passes for 144 yards. The All-SCIAC honor is the second of Cziesla's career after he earned Second Team last season.
On the offensive line, Brian Wahl earn his first All-Conference accolade with a First Team nod this season. In his junior year, Wahl anchored a Stags' offensive line that allowed seven different ball carriers to rush for at least 100 yards on the season. As a team, CMS ran for over 150 yards in eight games this season including a 301-yard game against Whittier on Sept. 30.
On defense, Mitchel Allan earned his first All-SCIAC honor by being named First Team. Allan finished the season with 47.0 total tackles including two sacks and eight tackles for loss. Allan spent time on the defensive line as well linebacker, but earned the nod as a linebacker. In addition to his strong defensive play, Allan was also the Stags primary kicker on the season. He knocked through seven field goals on the season and added 23 extra points.
Jordan Leonard made the All-SCIAC team as a First Team return specialist in 2017. Leonard averaged 26.3 yards per return during his freshman season. In total he gained 736 return yards on 28 kickoff returns. His long of the season was a 74-yarder against Chapman. In that game, Leonard returned seven kicks for 212 yards, his most in a game this season. Leonard was one of two freshman named First Team All-SCIAC.
Senior wide receiver Trey Smith earned his first All-Conference honor with a Second Team nod this season. Smith led the team with 31 receptions while gaining 405 yards through the air. He grabbed four receiving touchdowns on the season while also returning a kickoff to the house with a 45-yard return against Lewis & Clark in the season opener.
The final two Stags honored are no strangers to the All-SCIAC teams. Brenden MacDonald and Victor Bunce each earned their third-straight All-SCIAC accolade by being named Second Team this season. MacDonald led the Stags in tackles (70) and sacks (4.5) this season while also collecting six tackles for loss. He also led the team with two fumble recoveries on the season.
Bunce picked off four passes in his senior season to finish his career with 19 interceptions. He also collected 31.0 tackles, four pass break-ups, and a fumble recovery during his nine games this season. The Second Team honor in 2017 for both Bunce and MacDonald follow First Team nods in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
The Stags finished the 2017 season with a 4-5 overall record with a 2-4 mark in the SCIAC.