Pro football standouts Eric Weddle and Miles Burris and Miguel ‘Chiky’ Luna of the record-setting San Diego Sockers earned Stars of the Month honors for December as chosen by the San Diego Hall of Champions.
Weddle wrapped up another strong season with the San Diego Chargers, earning team Most Valuable Player honors after finishing first in tackles with 113 and interceptions with three.
Burris, who received Star of the Month honors while playing for San Diego State, finished his rookie season with the Oakland Raiders with 96 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception from his linebacker position.
Luna helped push the Sockers’ record to 45 straight wins over a two-year period, shattering the all-time professional team standard. He collected a hat trick (three goals) in a 14-3 win against Anaheim and for the month scored in all four of the Sockers’ wins.
On the amateur front, San Diego State’s flashy guard Chase Tapley and the University of San Diego’s Ken Rancifer were cited in men’s basketball and USD’s Amy Kame and UCSD’s Daisy Feder were selected in women’s hoops.
Lee Walker, who led Madison High to the Division III State Bowl Championship in football, topped a list of six selections. In girls basketball, La Jolla Country Day standout Kelsey Plum and San Marcos’ steady Jordan Mottershaw were chosen; Reno Wrestling champion at 106 pounds Tirso Lara from Poway was named; and boys basketball standouts Damonte Holiday of Hoover and Andre Nikkita of El Cajon Valley were picked.
A complete list of honorees, and more information on their accomplishments, are listed below.
PROFESSIONAL
ERIC WEDDLE, Pro Football, S.D. Chargers—If Weddle needed a nickname, “Mr. Consistency” would fit perfectly. When the Chargers needed a big tackle, he was there. For the second straight year he led the team in tackles with 113 and interceptions with three, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
MIGUEL ‘CHIKY’ LUNA, Pro Soccer, San Diego Sockers, Vista High alum—The veteran has been a steady contributor as the Sockers' primary free kick and power play specialist. "Chiky" recorded his first hat trick of the season in a 14-3 win over Anaheim and scored in all four of San Diego's victories. Luna notched five goals and five assists in four games.
MILES BURRIS, Pro football, Oakland Raiders, San Diego State Alum—Anyone who followed San Diego State football knew the aggressive linebacker would be a hit wherever he went. With 32 tackles—22 unassisted—for the month, Burris finished his rookie year with 96 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception against Carolina.
AMATEUR
CHASE TAPLEY, Men’s Basketball, San Diego State—By collecting seven straight double-figure scoring games at the end of the month, Tapley led the Top 25-ranked Aztecs to a 7-1 record, the loss being a one-pointer in the championship of the Diamond Head Classic where he was named to the first team. Scored a career-high 33 points versus USF.
KEN RANCIFER, Men’s Basketball, University of San Diego—The 6-5 senior forward averaged 13.0 points and 3.4 rebounds a game, leading the Toreros to a 4-4 mark, 3-0 at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Rancifer made 51.4 percent of his shots including a career high 27 points against Arizona Christian.
AMY KAME, Women’s Basketball, University of San Diego—The junior guard helped lead USD to a 4-3 record as she paced the team's offense. Kame averaged a team-best 16.4 points and averaged 5.3 rebounds-per-game. Kame scored in double figures in all but one game, highlighted by a career-high 30 points in the Maggie Dixon Championship game against Iowa. Kame was named the WCC Player of the week.
DAISY FEDER, Women’s Basketball, UC San Diego—Over three games, the senior guard averaged 22.7 points and 8.3 rebounds, shooting an even 50 percent from the floor, including 44 percent from three-point range. She had her first career double-double with 15 points a career-high 13 rebounds against Cal State San Bernardino.
HIGH SCHOOL
LEE WALKER, Football, Madison—Expected to sign with the University of Arizona on Feb. 6, Walker helped lead the Warhawks to the Division III State Bowl Championship. Walker’s 50-yard touchdown reception ignited Madison which went on to top Kentfield Marin Catholic 38-35.
KELSEY PLUM, Girls Basketball, La Jolla Country Day— Unstoppable would be a pretty good word to describe the Washington signee. Averaging close to 30 points a game, she tossed in a school record 51 against Dobson (Az.), then 40 against Christ the King (N.Y.) and 29 versus Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, No. 1 in the nation at the time.
JORDAN MOTTERSHAW, Girls Basketball, San Marcos—With Mottershaw leading the way as the Knights won the NAIA division of the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic. For the month, Mottershaw scored 30 or more three times, including 30 against Mesa (Az.) Red Mountain in the title game.
TIRSO LARA, Wrestling, Poway—It’s pretty difficult to imagine being any better than the Titans senior who rolled to a 17-0 record, winning at the El Dorado, Carter Duals and the Reno Tournament of Champions, where all of the state’s plus most of the nation’s top wrestlers compete.
DAMONTE HOLIDAY, Boys Basketball, Hoover—An All-State Sophomore selection last year, Holiday averaged 20.4 points in 16 games leading Hoover to a record of 13-3 and two tournament titles. He had a stretch of 10 consecutive games with 20 points or more over those two tournaments.
ANDRE NIKKITA, Boys Basketball, El Cajon Valley—Starting the season with back-to-back 50-point games helped the 5-foot-11 senior lift the Braves to a 10-5 record. Nikkita scored 50 against Ramona and 51 versus Oceanside en route to averaging 28.9 points. He also averaged 12.0 rebounds and 3.8 steals a game.
