Cal Lutheran football was well-represented on the 2025 All-SCIAC Teams, released by the SCIAC on Thursday. After a conference championship appearance and a 6-4 record, 16 Kingsmen were selected to the all-conference teams, and 11 were named to the first team. Both of those numbers were the most in the SCIAC.
Kyle Howie received the honorable John Zinda Award, which recognizes "a senior player who best exemplifies the high ideals and characteristics demonstrated by John Zinda, the former football coach and athletic director at CMS". Howie, an Oak Park product, is the second-consecutive Cal Lutheran player to earn the high-character John Zinda Award, as
Jackson White was the 2024 recipient.
The Kingsmen special teams unit swept the All-SCIAC First Team spots, with punter Howie, kicker
Matthew Montegna, and return specialist
TeNorris Merkel all being named. Howie led the conference with 42.2 yards per punt and eight of his 39 attempts ended up inside the opposing 20-yard line, the best rate in the conference. This is Howie's second-consecutive All-SCIAC appearance after he made the second team last season. Montegna, a freshman, led the SCIAC with 10 made field goals and a long kick of 43 yards. A junior transfer from Davenport, Merkel ranked second in the SCIAC in kick return average (26.8), and he was the only player to return a kickoff for a touchdown this season.
On offense, sophomore quarterback
Joe Farley made the first team in his first full season as the starter, passing for a SCIAC-leading 1,759 yards and accounting for 13 total touchdowns. His top target was junior transfer from Ventura,
Tyler Woodworth, who joined Farley on the first team after hauling in 40 receptions for 624 yards and three touchdowns. Up front, a pair of senior offensive linemen in left tackle
Jordan Ortiz and center
Gavin Quiroz earned first team honors. The duo bolstered an offensive line that commandeered the second-ranked offense in the SCIAC. This marks Quiroz's third-consecutive All-SCIAC appearance and second-consecutive first team appearance.
The Kingsmen defense had first team representatives at all levels, starting with defensive lineman
Hunter Hall up front. Hall provided a disruptive presence along the interior, registering 38 tackles (4.5 TFL) and 2.5 sacks for his second-consecutive All-SCIAC appearance. After transferring in from Bakersfield, linebacker
Logan Bowers notched 65 tackles, tied for fifth-most in the conference. Seven of those went for a loss, and four were sacks. Bowers also blocked two kicks and forced a fumble, constantly wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. Linebacker
Drew Nees had a spectacular sophomore campaign for Cal Lutheran, leading the Kingsmen in tackles (68), tackles-for-loss (14.5), sacks (8.5), interceptions (4), pass breakups (8), QB hurries (9), and forced fumbles (2). Nees led the SCIAC in sacks, passes defended, and interceptions. Cornerback
AJ Townsend rounded out Cal Lutheran's first team selections, collecting 35 tackles (2 TFL), a sack, an interception, and seven pass breakups on the season.
A trio of Cal Lutheran skill position players made the second team. Running back
JD Sumlin led the SCIAC with 10 rushing touchdowns, adding 538 yards on the ground. Merkel received an additional All-SCIAC nod, this time as a receiver, after tallying 567 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 30 catches. Tight end
Davian Gonzalez performed admirably as a blocker and added four receptions for 52 yards.
Max Juarez contributed heavily on the defensive line all season, collecting 37 tackles (5 TFL), 1.5 sacks, and five QB hurries en route to a second team selection. Joining him in the secondary is
Charles Cravings, a freshman safety who made 29 tackles (0.5 TFL), two interceptions, and six pass breakups in his first collegiate action.
Cal Lutheran wraps up a successful season with heavy representation across the board on the All-SCIAC teams.
