Wilson’s Barboza Is Player of Year

Cynthia Barboza of Long Beach Wilson was presented with the Gatorade national girls’ volleyball player of the year award in a ceremony Thursday at Wilson that included surprise appearances by former award winners Kerri Walsh and Ogonna Nnamani.

Barboza won for the second year in a row, making her the first volleyball player to win the award more than once. She joins Marion Jones, LeBron James and Candace Parker as the only athletes in any sport to win it in consecutive seasons.

Barboza, The Times’ player of the year, was an alternate on the 2004 Olympic team. She has signed with Stanford. Walsh, who won an Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball, also attended Stanford. Nnamani was 2004 college co-player of the year after leading Stanford to the NCAA semifinals.

Peter Yoon

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Football

Mark Sanchez of Mission Viejo, who led the Diablos to an unbeaten season and the top ranking in the Southland and the state, has been selected to EA Sports’ All-American team.

Sanchez, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback, has committed to USC.

Joining Sanchez on the EA team are receiver DeSean Jackson of Long Beach Poly, linebacker Luthur Brown of Lakewood and junior kicker Kai Forbath of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, the only underclassman on the team.