Seven Warrior lacrosse players receive all-league recognition

The Valley League boys lacrosse coaches selected seven Fallbrook High School players for all-league recognition including two who were placed on the Valley League first team.

Hunter Stites and Dru Calloway were members of the first team. The second team included Caleb Battle, Danny Cedillo, Ethan Martin, Dillon Dunham, and Josh Zinniger.

"It's pretty rare," Fallbrook coach Mike Zinniger said of having seven all-league players without any honorable mention selections.

"They deserved it and they worked really hard to get it, and it's good to see them represent Fallbrook being recognized," Zinniger said.

Stites, who was a senior, was an attacker for the Warriors. "He just is one of the leaders on the team, kind of a mentor to the young kids," Zinniger said.

Stites also became the school's all-time leader in career points and in career assists during 2019. He concluded his career with 209 points, breaking the school record of 179 points set by 2018 graduate Nathan Chalut, and Stites' 81 career assists eclipsed the previous mark of 59 from 2013 graduate Scott Vancil.

The all-league honor was the third for Stites. He was on the Valley League's second team as a freshman in 2016 and as a sophomore in 2017 but was not chosen for all-league recognition last year.

Calloway played midfield for the Warriors. "He's just a phenomenal all-around athlete, not only a great offensive player but a great defensive player," Zinniger said.

This year Calloway was a junior. "Luckily we get him one more year," Zinniger said.

Battle was a senior who played as a defender. Cedillo, who was an attacker, was also a senior. Martin and Josh Zinniger were senior midfielders. Dunham, who was a junior, is Fallbrook's goalkeeper.

The Warriors placed second in the Valley League standings with a 4-1 record. Fallbrook's 16-4 overall mark includes a CIF Division II playoff win and a playoff loss in the quarterfinals.

Calloway and Dunham are expected to be part of the 2020 Warriors, but Fallbrook will lose five all-league seniors from this year's squad. "We're definitely going to miss them," Zinniger said.