NFF 2020 Banquet Program

WILLIE JONES MOST INSPIRATIONAL PLAYERS
Benjamin O’Brien
Lincoln High
Benjamin O’Brien, known as “Ben
10” to his teammates, demonstrated an
abundance of courage and perseverance
throughout his senior season. He shined
through the tough times of his parents’
divorce, uncle’s unexpected death and
learning of his father, Baron, getting
diagnosed with cancer.
The 5-foot, 8-inch, 165-pound wide
receiver and kick returner transferred from
Westview to Lincoln in 2019, allowing him
to be close to his father during his time of
need. The decision was not easy, given Benjamin was leaving behind his
mother’s home, his brother, his girlfriend and his former school.
Despite all of this, O’Brien turned in a memorable season. He caught 13
touchdown passes and had 1,169 yards receiving. He was named to the
All-CIF San Diego Section Second-Team Offense, the All-Western League
First-Team Offense and was honored at the 2019 KUSI Silver Pigskin Gala
as the Special Teams Player of the Year.
Off the field, he carried a 3.37 GPA and has earned athletic scholar
recognition three times throughout his high school career. O’Brien was
selected to the Golden Leader Club at Westview and is now part of the
engineering club at Lincoln. He has spent countless hours volunteering
for NFL Flag Play 60 as a coach for youth teams.
O’Brien will continue his academic and athletic career at the University
of San Diego. He aspires to major in business and political science. In his
free time, O’Brien enjoys listening to music and spending time with his
brother, Brody. Benjamin is the son of Jenette and Baron O’Brien.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Tyler Roach
La Jolla High School
Tyler Roach, the recipient of Coach of
the Year honors, has served as the head
football coach at La Jolla High School since
2017. He took over a program that had not
won a league championship since 1994 and
had not captured a CIF San Diego Section
title since 1993. Both droughts ended in
2019.
After finishing with a 3-7 record and
missing the playoffs in 2018, Roach and the
Vikings turned in a magical 2019 campaign.
La Jolla started the season 2-3 before
winning eight of its final 10 games. The result was an Eastern League
title, a CIF San Diego Section Division III championship, the school’s first
Southern Regional Championship win and the school’s first trip to a state
title game.
The Vikings defeated previously unbeaten Scripps Ranch 17-10 in the
section championship game and then took down Marina High, 27-14, in
the SoCal Regional championship. La Jolla fell to Escalon 52-21 in the
Division 4-A state title game. The team did just as great off the field,
finishing with an unweighted GPA of 3.33 and citizenship of 3.63.
Roach has built the program at La Jolla around the core philosophy of
“Sail the Ship.” The word SAIL is significant to the foundation of the
program, standing for Selflessness, Accountability, Integrity and Love.
Roach graduated from University City High School in 2004. He played
football at West Virginia State University and Azusa Pacific University. He
graduated from Azusa with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and minor in
psychology in 2008. He began his coaching career at University City High in
2009 and had multiple stops before taking over as head coach at La Jolla.
Roach and his wife of eight years, Leslie, live in Scripps Ranch with their
two sons, Marshall, 4, and Reid, 1.
24
NFFCHF WJZ /SD AWARDS BANQUET 2020
NFFCHF WJZ/SD AWARDS BANQUET 2020 25