2016 Season in Review - COD Football

Under third-year head coach Jack Steptoe, Desert finished the regular season with a record 6-5 overall and 4-1 in conference. As a reward for winning the American Division-Mountain Conference title and going to the Patriotic Bowl, Coach Steptoe was handed Coach of the Year honors. 

This is the first Coach of the Year award for head coach Jack Steptoe, who is in his 23rd season overall, who guided the Roadrunners past their 0-2 start, turning their fortunes around immediately, securing their first Bowl appearance since 2011. As a reward for their winning record, the team was bestowed with six first team All-Mountain Conference honors, including the Conference Defensive MVP and five second team All-Mountain Conference honors.

On the field, sophomore defensive back Corey Dalton (Midlothian (IL) Bremen) was a beast as the tip of the spear for the Desert defensive secondary, finishing tops in the SCFA with 10 interceptions garnering him a Defensive Most Valuable Player for the American Division-Mountain Conference. He played in all 11 games for the Roadrunners, patrolling the secondary grabbing two picks in the overtime win at home over Antelope Valley and two more picks against East Los Angeles in the Patriotic Bowl. Dalton also had a key "Pick-6" in the opening quarter of the game against Southwestern.

Also being named first team All-Mountain Conference offense was sophomore running back Anthony Ellison (Banning H.S.), who punished teams as the leader of the Desert rushing game. He finished 9th in the entire State of California in yards per game with 90.4 and finished 19th in the state in rushing yards with 814. Ellison finished with 8 rushing touchdowns and three receiving scores, along with 16 catches for 193 yards. Of the nine games he played, four of those games he had over 115 yards and had a dominating performance against Victor Valley in the final game of the regular season, where Ellison collected 194 yards and two scores. In week nine at home against Southwestern, Ellison collected Pacific Coast Athletic Conference's (PCAC) Male Athlete of the Week honors.

Also being named first team All-Mountain Conference offense was sophomore wide receiver Myles Goulbourne (Waterbury (CT) Crosby) finished in the top 10 in California in receptions with 61 catches, totaling 625 yards and eight touchdowns. He progressed nicely as the season rolled on and in the final two regular season home games, Goulbourne grabbed 95 yards and 106 yards respectively, along with 5 total scores for both games. In 5 of the 6 Desert victories over the 2016 season, Goulbourne had at least one visit to the end zone.

Also being named first team All-Mountain Conference offense was freshman offensive lineman Eric Kareem (Waldorf, MD North Point), helping the Desert running backs to collect 1,917 yards and gave each quarterback enough time to pass for 2,328 yards.

Named first team All-Mountain Conference defense was freshman defensive end Romello Hamilton (Goldsboro (NC) Eastern Wayne) finishing 4th in the entire State of California in sacks with 12 and 4th in total yards lost, with 74. He finished 10th in the Conference with 78 total tackles and on four separate occasions, he had 10 or more total tackles in a game. Hamilton had a season high four sacks at San Bernardino Valley on October 22nd.

Being named second team All-Mountain Conference offense was freshman running back Kamone Best (Goldsboro (NC) Eastern Wayne) who, with Ellison, represented the "double barreled" running attack for the Roadrunners this season. Best was a true "triple threat," as a running back, quarterback and receiver. At running back, Best had 683 yards and seven touchdowns and at receiver, he had 16 receptions for 165 yards and a score. At quarterback, Best was utilized in a "wildcat" style offense, which made him a deadly combination of running back and thrower. Over the 2016 season, Best would complete 20 of 29 passes for 229 yards and a score. His most impressive game was at home against Mt. San Jacinto on October 15th, when he rushed for 164 yards and had 79 receiving yards, totaling 243 all-purpose yards, where Best was named as an honorable mention selection of the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference's (PCAC) Male Athlete of the Week for the week of October 17th.

Named second team All-Mountain Conference defense was freshman defensive end Robbie Polimeni (La Quinta H.S.) who collected 45 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and along with Hamilton represented a real challenge for any opposing offensive line. Polimeni was also a short yardage running back, collecting a touchdown in back-to-back weeks, at home against Antelope Valley and then at Santa Barbara City. His best game was at San Bernardino Valley on October 22nd, where he grabbed seven total tackles and a sack.

Also named second team All-Mountain Conference defense was sophomore inside linebacker Brayden Bailey (St. George, UT Desert Hills) who rounded up 57 total tackles and four sacks. His best game was at San Bernardino Valley on October 22nd, where he grabbed ten total tackles.

Also named second team All-Mountain Conference in two separate categories, Punt Return & Kickoff Return, was sophomore return specialist Reginald Macon (Fort Worth (TX) Boswell) who was the leading all-purpose yardage maker for the Roadrunners in 2016. Rushing, receiving and returns, Macon represented a huge threat for defenses and special teams, having 491 yards on kick returns and 168 punt return yards, along with 524 yards receiving and 175 rushing yards. His most balanced game was on September 10th, at home against LA Valley, with 26 rushing yards, 94 yards receiving, 61 punt return yards and 20 kick return yards for a total of 201 yards. Macon's most impressive return of the season was at home against Southwestern, taking a 68 yard punt return to the house just before half time.

Information, Photos & Story provided by COD Sports Information.