LO senior is Running Back of the Year in Mount Hamilton Division
In a conference as chock full of talented running backs as the Mount Hamilton Division is, Live Oak’s Cody Van Aken ran off with one of the highest honors.
The 6-foot, 185-pound senior, who recently signed a Letter of Intent to play baseball at Cal State Monterey Bay, has been named Running Back of the Year after carrying the weight this fall during the Acorns’ run to the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs.
With his bruising style, Van Aken became a force in his first varsity season as a ball-carrier. Coaches moved him from tight end to running back this offseason to better utilize his talent, and Van Aken made an immediate impact. He handled most of the carries while backfieldmate Blair Zerr recovered from torn cartilage in his rib cage.
Van Aken’s punishing hits also went to good use on defense, where he started at outside linebacker. Van Aken saw time under center as well after first- and second-string quarterbacks Dominic Bejarano and David Pelz suffered short-term injuries.
Before the season, Live Oak coach Jon Michael Porras touted Van Aken and Zerr as one of the best running back tandems the Acorns produced in the past decade. Looking at how the all-league list panned out, Porras was not mistaken. Zerr returned to full strength in time to put up big numbers this fall and joined Van Aken on the first-team list. At a slightly quicker 6-feet, 185-pounds with breakaway speed, Zerr was the perfect compliment to Van Aken in Live Oak’s “fleer” offense.
Bejarano, a deft first-year option QB who was also the team’s best defensive back, added a third dimension. Fittingly, he accompanied Zerr and Van Aken on the first team as Utility Player of the Year.
Live Oak’s defense, which was decimated by injuries, was still represented well among the all-league honors. Linebackers T.J. Ornduff and Austin Carvalho were named to the second team as was two-way interior lineman Isaac Camarillo.
The Acorns finished 5-6 overall (3-4 in league) and are staying in the Mount Hamilton.
