M. Water Polo: Postseason awards are aplenty for the Falcons

Dominic Hernandez was named All-American for the second season in a row
Dominic Hernandez was named All-American for the second season in a row

In a season where the Cerritos College men's water polo team posted a 22-14 record, advanced to the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs and reached the championship game of the South Coast Conference Tournament, the team saw their players receive postseason accolades. Continuing their trend of outstanding performances, the Falcons saw sophomore Dominic Hernandez (Schurr HS) earn 1st All-American honors for the second season in a row, while sophomore goalie Rene Borja (Schurr HS) was named 2nd Team All-American.

In addition to being named All-American, Hernandez was also voted the South Coast Conference Co-Player of the Year in a season where he amassed a team-high 88 goals, 69 assists and 81 exclusions drawn, while his 42 steals were the second most on the team. He led the state in exclusions drawn, while his goal output ranked as the 11st most on the year and his assists were the fourth most in the state. He finished his career with 177 goals, which are the fifth most in school history, as were his 111 career assists. Hernandez also concluded his career with the third most exclusions drawn in school history with 124 and sits eighth with 104 career steals.

Rene Borja was named All-SoCal Borja (pictured, left), another 1st Team all-conference selection, was an honorable mention pick last year. He turned in a 19-10 record with a team-leading 51 steals. He came out of his goal to score a pair of goals on the year and also assisted in another 13 goals. Borja turned away 255 shots, which were the sixth most in the state and finishes his career with 355 stops, placing him seventh on the school's all-time list. Additionally, his 255 saves this year were the fifth most in a season.

Others who earned 1st Team all-conference included freshman Allan Jimenez (Schurr HS) and Kobe Hurtado (Cerritos HS), while sophomores Abimael Anorve (Mira Costa HS) and Axel Pedroza (California HS) were 2nd Team selections. The trio of Silvestre Chavez (Downey HS), Richard Montanez (Baldwin Park HS) and Sebastian Rico (Montebello HS) received Honorable Mention recognition. Jimenez finished second on the team with 67 goals, while Hurtado was third with 60 goals. As for Anorve, he was third on the team with 48 assists to go along with his 36 goals, with Pedroza turning in 37 goals, 30 assists and 38 steals.