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Olaleye & Meza head Lathrop’s fall All-Western Athletic Conference picks
WAC volley
Photo by WAYNE THALLANDER Alaba Olaleye makes the pass during a Western Athletic Conference match for Lathrop.

Lathrop High seniors Alaba Olaleye and Hector Meza earned top honors for fall sports in the Western Athletic Conference.

Olaleye led the girls volleyball team (12-2 WAC, 17-8 overall) to a second-place finished and was voted Offensive Player of the Year, while the 6-foot-1, 295-pound Meza is Offensive Lineman of the Year for the Spartans football squad (5-2, 6-4).

 A senior outside hitter, Olaleye paced the Spartans attack with 298 kills, 50 aces and 134 service points (124, 35, 108 in WAC play) and was second on the team with 196 digs. She notched two double-doubles in WAC action, amassing 14 kills, 22 digs and six aces in a four-set win over Pacheco and another 20 kills and 11 digs in a four-game victory against Mountain House. She also racked up eight aces and 16 digs in a sweep of Johansen.

Senior setter Camila De La Garza Garcia (396 assists, 39 aces) was named to the All-WAC first team, and senior front-row specialist Azul Maldonado made the second team. Senior liberos Celeste Narvaez and Irais Martinez earned honorable mention.

Junior outside hitter Fallon Freeman of conference champ Beyer was tabbed MVP.

For the second straight season, Lathrop’s football team was recognized for its line play. Meza anchored one of the WAC’s best running attacks. The guard helped pave the way for the offense to produce 262 rushing yards per game.

Dominic Corral, a 6-1, 260-pound tackle, was selected to the All-WAC first-team offense, and 5-11, 255-pound sophomore Sean Teu (29 tackles, 11.5 for losses, 2.5 sacks) made the first-team defense.

Senior defensive back Jeremiah Green (49 tackles, INT) is also on the first-team defense and second-team offense at running back.

Other second-team selections: senior running back Kameron Jones, senior defensive end David DeAnda, junior defensive lineman Nate Martinez and senior linebacker Justin Tisdell.

Major award winners: Ceres’ Tarrell Lee Gill (MVP), Los Banos’ David Herrera (Offensive Player of the Year), Ceres’ Faiva Tuakalau (Defensive Player of the Year), Ceres’ Jeremiah Diaz (Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year), Pacheco’s Manvir Gakhal (Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year), Ceres’ Nick Vierra (Co-Outstanding kicker) and Mountain House’s Montgomery Carey (Co-Outstanding Kicker).