Athletes of the year: Fraijo, Edwards
Specialization is taking over.
Whether it's football, basketball, baseball or soccer, more and more high school athletes are picking a sport and sticking with it.
Year-round club teams are the norm and certainly worth it for special athletes on the cusp of an athletic scholarship.
But there's nothing more fulfilling and gratifying than the multi-sport superstar on campus. Or in this case, the San Gabriel Valley.
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It shows not only the versatility but willingness to make an athletic program the best it can be.
It's why letterman jackets were invented.
One might be a star in one sport and a role player in another and create the ultimate crossover teammate.
The Tribune is recognizing the area's Boy and Girl Athletes of the Year for 2007-08. The honorees are and Northview's Hannah Fraijo Glendora High School's Michael Edwards , who each not only juggled a tough schedule but thrived while doing it.
Edwards was the heart and soul of Glendora's football team and led the Tartans to the Sierra League title for the first time since 1993. He earned Sierra League MVP and Tribune All-Area first-team honors in the process.
The wide receiver/defensive back also caught the winning two-point conversion in the Tartans' thrilling 29-28 victory over Upland in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Inland Division playoffs.
"You always want to win a championship, but beating Upland and winning the way we did was a special game I'll never forget," Edwards said. "That's what it was all about. We were a team in every way you're supposed to be one, and the way we fought and pulled it out made every practice worth it."
Edwards also excelled in baseball and arguably was the area's best outfielder.
He batted .405 with nine stolen bases and earned all-league and Tribune all-area first-team honors.
"My only regret in baseball is that we didn't win the Sierra or go to the playoffs," Edwards said. "But our guys worked hard. It was a tough league and we knew a good team wouldn't make the playoffs. It just so happened to be us."
Fraijo was a three-sport athlete and a coach's dream because of her extraordinary competitive nature.
You didn't have to ask if she hated losing. You saw it on her face.
Fraijo was at her best in softball and earned a scholarship to Cal State Northridge.
She led Northview in the circle and at the plate, which resulted in a Valle Vista League co-championship and CIF-SS Division V quarterfinal appearance. She also was the league MVP and a Tribune all-area first-team selection.
Fraijo arguably was the area's most dominant pitcher in going 20-6 with 247 strikeouts, 15 shutouts, four no-hitters and a 0.80 ERA.
She batted .471 with 22 RBIs, eight doubles, five triples and five home runs.
"We all played hard and that made it worth it," Fraijo said. "It would have been better if we won CIF, but it was a great year regardless."
Fraijo's year started in volleyball, where she was the only Vikings player to be named all-league first team.
The Vikings struggled in basketball, but Fraijo, averaging six points and six rebounds, was all-league honorable mention.
"I've always played multiple sports," Fraijo said. "Since I was young, that's what I did. I started with volleyball and eventually softball became the sport I concentrated on the most. But I'm glad I didn't quit the other sports."
Edwards will attend Mt. San Antonio College, where he is hoping to excel in football and baseball.
Comments
More than numbers
this topic isnt about who won its about the athlete of the year and you didnt say who won in your games what i was saying was that he was consisant against quality oponnets but man to bad we dont play u anymore because we would put u in ur place this year just like uplands going to this year there going 2 work u
Posted by: bonita football/bearcat faithful | July 14, 2008 1:17 AM
BF/BF
So you got beat by a few good teams. So What! Over all you have a WEAK schedule. I heard Pomona teams wont play you. HA HA SGV is laughing at you. Stop while your ahead. LOL
Posted by: More than numbers | July 11, 2008 8:31 AM
More than numbers
who did u guys play in baseball we played
Diamond Ranch made it to the finals, San Diamas first round, Charter oak quarter finals, northview winners in the finals so who did u guys play
first off we dont play any pomona teams besides Diamond Ranch because they all suck
we played Foothill made it to quarterfinals we play Charter oak every year we who made it to the semi finals we play Diamond Ranch as i mentioned above we play Los Altos and we played San Diamas and we played canyon 3 of these teams were ranked top 5 in Sgv at the end of the year so dont say we have an easy schedule
Posted by: bonita football/bearcat faithful | July 9, 2008 2:43 PM
Mike Edwards played in Div.2,Sierra League against Damien, Chino Hills and the rest.And against teams like Etiwanda, Charter Oak, El Dorado and Upland to name a few. What great teams does bohi play? Other than Ganesa,of course.
Posted by: More than numbers | July 9, 2008 12:21 PM
wrestler
if they played other sports then yeah go for it ask fred but if they didnt they dont qualify this about who did the best in multiple sports year round (jio cough cough)not just one person who did amazing if thats the case then they should have been wrestler of the year
Posted by: bearcat faithful | July 1, 2008 2:28 PM
Fred,
It's too bad you don't look anywhere past football, baseball and basketball for your stars. Wrestling is the worlds oldest and toughest sport. The top wrestlers work year round. What about Thomas Willams 4X California State placer who is getting a full ride wrestling scholarship to American? Or Tatiana high school wrestler ever with over 14 national championships. She just placed 3rd in the Olympic trials and will spend the next four years training at the olympic training center and going to the University of Colorado Springs on a full ride scholarship.
Posted by: wrestler | July 1, 2008 12:55 PM
whoa im not going 2 complain about jio not getting athlete of the year its not going 2 make a diffrence but dont say jio isnt a good teammate i was on the football team with jio and he never complained always gave effort and he worked hard to come back from that neck injury so you can say he didnt deserve athlete of the year but dont say he wasnt a team player
Posted by: bearcat faithul | July 1, 2008 11:11 AM
that's true, Jio isn't the best teammate. He's all about Jio and pops off more than anyone in the SGV. At least we know Edwards is a quality character guy, good choice.
Posted by: That's true | July 1, 2008 10:11 AM
I watched Jio play at several soccer games and could not figure out why all the hype. He was out played and frustrated. What he did as a result was try to hurt everyone because he was being schooled. He finally ended up with a red card, bringing his whole team down and eventually losing the game. This kid has a terrible attitude when the going gets tuff.
Posted by: Too bad! | July 1, 2008 6:36 AM
No need to compare your pick Fred, I'll do it for you.
In Football, your guy had more tackles but Mier had twice as many Interceptions. Offensively, Mier scored more points and accounted for more yardage ... in two fewer games.
In Baseball, Mier hit .479 to your guy's .405; OBP was .515 to .438; Slugging was .691 to .476; Jio had 10 more runs scored, 11 more hits, 21 more RBI's, 9 more doubles, and 3 more HR's.
Someone was right about the BoHi Soccer team this year. The new “club season arrangement” decimated the HS team's talent pool. The Mier kid, to his credit, stuck it out, and played the whole season for his school. Last year, on a more competitive team, Jio was the Miramonte League Player of the Year, as a Sophomore.
Enjoy the Yellowtail,I hear the fishing's good on the Sea of Cortez right now.
Posted by: Don | July 1, 2008 5:15 AM
Well Fred. Apparently, that is the route you chose to take because you appear to be SO sensitive about it. What you have stated is not true. Check with ANY Mt. Sac instructor and they will set you straight. Statistics show that a majority of the students at Mt. Sac are NOT serious and in fact return every semester repeating classes they have had previously. I am aware of what you speak from your perspective-but that was a different time and a different generation. The serious students you speak of are typically those people who are working parents or working individuals paying for school themselves who cannot afford not to finish a class. However, that is not the scenario of the average student athlete in the SGV. Your perspective, while notable is NOT the reality. I commend anyone who takes this route ending their educational journey at a 4 year college. However, Mt. Sac is a continuation high school. Those who end up there continue to perform the same way they did in high school and go no where fast-of course, there are exceptions to this rule!
Posted by: foozball watcher | June 30, 2008 7:10 PM
Saint's Dad. You are SO insightful. And Luvthisgame has put it all into perspective. The recruiter Neo speaks of is a 2.0 gpa or lower and poor SAT scores. The term is STUDENT-athlete for a reason!
Posted by: Be truthful | June 30, 2008 4:48 PM
Concerned,
You hit the nail right on the head. All these "top athletes" going to Mt.Sac. Its sad really. But lets be clear, its not only grades but test scores as well. These kids need to understand that NCAA eligilibity is granted on a sliding scale of grades vs. SAT/ACT scores. The lower the GPA, the higher the SAT score required to be considered eligible and vice versa.
In addition, student athletes must have completed various core classes with a C or better. These courses include: 3 years of math, 4 years of english,4 years of history, 2 years of foreign language, and electives. If a prospective athlete doesn't have these items they are not eligible to compete in the NCAA.
Posted by: LUVTHISGAME | June 30, 2008 4:38 PM
Congrats Hannah,
You deserve all the attention that is being bestowed upon you. You are not only a great athlete, you are also a wonderful person. I'm sure your parents are very proud.
Good luck and continued success at CSUN.
Posted by: Congrats Hannah! | June 30, 2008 2:04 PM
I'm not going to compare Edwards with anyone in this forum, because there were a lot of deserving athletes. He was a Tribune first-team all-area selection in football and baseball.
Posted by: FredJ | June 30, 2008 10:46 AM
Congratulations to Michael Edwards.
I have known this kid for quite a while and have respected his work ethic and how he goes about his business.
Very talented young man and he's a very respectful young man.
Good Luck at Mt. Sac and kept your dreams alive.
Posted by: Saint's Dad | June 30, 2008 10:39 AM
I think we should be concerned that all of the top athletes in the area are going to MTSAC. This tells us that these athletes are putting sports before academics.
Posted by: concerned | June 30, 2008 9:47 AM
Can any one giver a report on the bonita passing tournament?
Posted by: Ed | June 30, 2008 9:06 AM
you guys act like this was a slam dunk for Meir and Robledo totally missed the boat. Edwards was ALL-Valley in football AND baseball. Meir, only baseball. not football. not soccer. discussion could stop there. Edwards was League MVP and All-CIF in football, Meir in baseball. Meir made all-league in soccer on a bad BoHi soccer team? not in the paper-so i don't know. FWIW, on any other school in the valley Edwards contributes on the basketball team too. He could have at GHS-they wouldn't let him.ask around.
the reality is both had great years. Edwards is a senior.
sounds reasonable top me.
Posted by: reality czech | June 30, 2008 8:29 AM
you guys act like this is a slam dunk for Meir. Edwards was the MVP of the Sierra League and All CIF in football! Meir was league MVP and ALL CIF in baseball. Edwards was ALL-Valley in football AND baseball, Meir only in baseball.not in soccer. not in football. FWIW, at any other school than Glendora, Edwards contributes on the basketball team too. At GHS, they wouldn't let him, but he could have. Ask around.
the reality is they both had great years, but not a slamdunk by any means.
And Edwards is a senior. Sounds reasonable.
Posted by: reality czech | June 30, 2008 8:21 AM
I guess the header should read "SENIOR Athlete of the Year(not really the best)" Jio Mier is without a doubt the best area athlete! Football, soccer & baseball stand out in every one! If he was at CO or NV it would have been a "No brainer", right Fred? If you actually played sports Fred, you woudn't see any playing time, because you keep dropping the ball!! Huge passing tournament this past weekend. 36 teams, no info, nada!! If you haven't noticed, no one is waiting around for the latest "All World Badminton Team". It's about the three main sports. The rest is boring!!! The Lakers, Shaq, etc. PREP SPORTS BLOG. I don't care what Shaq said about Koby! If I did, I would watch espn or read the main sports page. Get back to the root of this blog, please!! Put the purple & gold away and get the sunblock on. Hit the fields!! You're missing it!
Posted by: terry | June 30, 2008 7:49 AM
ok settle down bonitia people
mike is a senior its a senior award only.
but still he did better overall
leading player on the tartan fball team!
he lead every category on the baseball team!
captain of both!
Posted by: ghsfan | June 30, 2008 12:33 AM
dear fred
not to take anything away from Michael Edwards who im sure put up good numbers but u screwed jio over because he was a junior he had better numbers and was a key part in every sport he played and now hes never gonna get to be athlete of the year because hes not playing football anymore because hes concentrating on baseball
Posted by: Jiovanni Mier got screwed | June 30, 2008 12:02 AM
It seems as if all the top talent from the area is going to Mt. SAC. I went to the Hall of Fame Game and the Fiesta Bowl (both amazingly terrible venues) and all the best athletes had Mt. SAC stickers on their helmets of had declared Mt. SAC as their college of choice in the game program.
Mt. SAC must have a great recruiter.
Posted by: Neo | June 29, 2008 11:48 PM
Freddie,
Is this some kind of bad joke? Or possibly all of the warm graduation memories and “all star” games for Seniors have somehow affected your ability to reason. Whatever it is, you screwed up
The top athlete in the Valley last year was clearly Jiovanni Mier. Maybe I missed something so I wait to stand corrected, but, as far as I can tell Jio outran, outscored, outhit, and outperformed your choice ... in every single category. Some by a considerable margin, like: three times as many RBI's, or a BA 20% higher, or more hits, runs, doubles (11 to 2), or a .691 to .476 slugging %. The Football numbers weren't as dramatic, but compelling still, with the FG's and PAT's pushing Mier's total offensive output beyond your pick. This even though he missed part of the fallsport season due to injury.
Oh yeah, he was all-league in soccer too.
The only thing he wasn't was he wasn't a Senior.
Weak.
Posted by: Don | June 29, 2008 7:50 PM