Football: Vikings sweep top Central League honors, total 16 postseason NCL accolades

The Long Beach City College football team continues its run towards a state championship this Saturday in the Southern California championship game at Saddleback College, but on Monday the Vikings racked up 16 Southern California Football Association National Division All-Central League postseason honors.

Long Beach swept the National Central League's top awards as Brett Peabody was named Coach of the Year, freshman wide receiver Mike Wilson (Washington Prep HS) was named Offensive Player of the Year, and sophomore defensive end Mat Boesen (West Torrance HS/Boise State) was named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Peabody has led the Vikings to a 10-1 overall record this season and went 5-1 in the NCL to capture a share of the Central League championship. The Vikings are coming off a 34-30 win over rival Cerritos College in the Southern California Bowl and regional playoff game. LBCC is just two wins away from the program's first state championship since 1995. In just his third season at the college, Peabody has taken a team that went 0-10 in 2012 and led the Vikings to a 23-9 record and two bowl game victories.

Wilson has already set two receiving records this season with one more within reach. He is having a monster season with 78 receptions for 1,240 yards and 16 touchdowns. His 78 catches and 16 TDs are LBCC single-season records while he is just 15 yards away from breaking the receiving yards mark as well.

Boesen has been a force on defense this season, leading an impressive front line for the Vikings. He has totaled 57 tackles, including 21.5 for loss, with eight sacks. Even more impressive are his seven forced fumbles. Boesen has also broken up three passes.

LBCC had seven named first-team All-Central League with sophomore running back Darren Johnson (Cabrillo HS) leading the way. He was a double winner, earning first-team accolades at the running back and all-purpose positions.

Johnson became the 14th LBCC Viking to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. In 10 games, Johnson has carried the ball 167 times for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns. He has also caught 29 passes for 224 yards and two TDs. For the season, Johnson is averaging 140.6 all-purpose yards per game.

Sophomore Emery Sefo (St. John Bosco HS), one of the offensive linemen responsible for opening those holes for Johnson, was also a first-team selection on offense for the Vikings.

On defense, record-setting sophomore corner back Kiante Goudeau (Edison HS), sophomore defensive tackle Josh Fatu (Lakewood HS), freshman outside linebacker Isaia Rosten (Cabrillo HS), and sophomore safety London Iakopo (Mater Dei HS) earned first team honors.

Goudeau grabbed his state-leading eighth interception of the season in Saturday's win to set a new LBCC record. He's also broken up 14 passes and totaled 42 tackles. Goudeau has scored three touchdowns, returning a pair of interceptions and a fumble for scores.

Fatu has a team-leading 9.5 sacks to go with 46 tackles, including 13 for losses. He has also recovered two fumbles. Rosten has totaled 42 tackles, three forced fumbles, three pass break ups, and one interception. Iakopo checks in with 44 tackles, two sacks, three blocked kicks, two interceptions, and four pass break ups.

On second-team offense for the Vikings are offensive linemen Jacob Hines (Cabrillo HS) and Nicholas Jordan (Paramount HS), quarterback Jack Lowary (Mater Dei HS), and wide receiver Jacob Welch (Mater Dei HS). Defensive tackle Shalom Tupua (Carson HS) and inside linebacker J'Quan Hawkins (Wilson HS) were second-team picks on defense.