Cougars Bring Home 16 ALL-SCFA Awards, Edden Named Player of the Year, Iacenda Coach of the Year

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

College of the Canyons sophomore quarterback Armani Edden is taking home the 2019 Southern California Football Association (SCFA) National Division, Northern League Offensive Player of the Year award, leading a class of 16 honorees for the Cougars in addition to head coach Ted Iacenda having been named Coach of the Year.

The nine First-Team selections produced by the Cougars led the conference. Ventura College and Long Beach City College both checked in with eight First-Team honorees.

Canyons also had six players honored as unanimous selections. Included in that group were sophomore center Jordan Palmer, sophomore wide receiver Alonzell Henderson, sophomore middle linebacker Charles Ike, sophomore outside linebacker Khalib Johns, freshman kick returner Tiquan Gilmore and sophomore punter Tanner Brown. 

A full listing of 2019 SCFA All-League Teams is here.

Edden finished the 2019 season with 33 total touchdowns (27 passing/six rushing) and 3,044 passing yards and a 63.7 completion percentage. The young signal caller tossed at least one touchdown in 11 of 12 games, while also using his legs to rank third on the team in rushing with 270 yards on the ground. Edden follows in the footsteps of former COC quarterback Andrew Brito who took home Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2017.

In addition to Edden, the Cougars had four offensive players earn First-Team honors with Henderson (57 receptions, 1,016 yards, nine touchdowns) and sophomore running back Cayden Dunn (729 rushing yards, 10 total touchdowns, 264 receiving yards) joining offensive line stalwarts Palmer and Azad Markosian (guard).

Dunn and Palmer were both Second-Team selections as freshmen a season ago. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Ike (107 total tackles, two sacks, 10 tackles for loss) and Johns (35 total tackles, one sack, 5.5 tackles for loss) are joined by conference sack leader Benjamin Seymour (44 total tackles, 12 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss), kick returner Tiquan Gilmore (619 return yards, one touchdown) and Brown (39.1yards per punt, 10 inside the 20-yard line).

Ike was also a Second-Team selection in 2018.

Brown is a 2019 double-honoree, having also earned Second-Team honors as a kicker (89 total points, 11/16 field goals, 56/58 on PATs) alongside offensive tackles Kilian Zierer and Kideam Diouf.

Sophomore defensive tackle Jack Schultz (39 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss), sophomore safety Jauqine Vukobradovich (49 total tackles, one interception, three tackles for loss) and punt returner Emari Smith (21.5 yards per return, long of 74) were all named Second-Team defense honorees.

Iacenda's Coach of the Year award is the third of his career (2013, 2018, 2019). The Cougars' conference title is the third under Iacenda (2013, 2018, 2019) and the 13th in program history (2019, 2018, 2013, 2008, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1975, 1973, 1971). 

Canyons (9-3, 4-1) shared the 2019 National Division, Northern League championship with Ventura College (8-3, 4-1) and Long Beach City College (7-3, 4-1) before moving on to host Saddleback College in the first round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs.

The Cougars defeated Saddleback 58-53 in the opening round of the postseason before falling to No. 1 seed Riverside City College in the Southern California Championship game.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube