CdM’s Simaan collects top honors

Corona del Mar High senior faceoff specialist Jason Simaan earned U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American honors and was named the U.S. Lacrosse Orange County Player of the Year for leading the Sea Kings to the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division title and an appearance in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section finals.

Simaan, who is heading to Brown University, contributed to top-seeded CdM defeating No. 3 St. Margaret’s, 11-9, in the South Division finale at Trabuco Hills High, marking the program’s second county crown since 2012.

The Sea Kings lost to North Division champion Los Angeles Loyola, 10-6, in the section finale at Valencia High in Placentia.

Simaan won 218 of 295 faceoffs and totaled 47 ground balls, five goals and three assists.

Joining Simaan as a U.S. Lacrosse All-American was CdM senior attacker Jordan Greenhall.

Simaan, Greenhall and Stephen Von Der Ahe, senior a midfielder and attacker, made the U.S. Lacrosse All-Orange County first team, while CdM Coach G.W. Mix was the U.S. Lacrosse Orange County Coach of the Year.

Mix guided CdM (20-2), which finished ranked No. 5 in the state by laxpower.co, to its second 20-win season since 2012.

Greenhall produced 55 goals, 45 assists and 44 ground balls.

Von Der Ahe finished with 68 goals, 19 assists and 36 ground balls.

Five CdM juniors made the U.S. Lacrosse All-Orange County second team, midfielder Will Favreau, attacker Sachin Gokhale and defenders Brennan Greenwald and Jordan Pakzad.

Gokhale was also a U.S. Lacrosse High School Academic All-American. He has a 4.12 weighted grade-point average.

The U.S. Lacrosse All-Orange County third team included CdM sophomore attacker Eric Fries and senior defender Matt Truninger.

On the U.S. Lacrosse All-Orange County honorable mention list were CdM junior midfielder Ryan Meckler and senior midfielder Nate Neumann.

— From staff reports