School: El Diamante

Year: Senior

Height/weight: 6-3, 265

He’s qualified because: While much less advertised for two years than UCLA-bound teammate Greg Capella up front, Souza played a similarly effective role in Miners offenses that delivered an 1,804-yard running back in Earl Rhodes in 2007 and a 2,867-yarder this season in Stefphon Jefferson while going a combined 23-3 with gold- and silver-medal Central Section finishes in Division II.

This year, Souza made All-West Yosemite League as a right guard often pulling on power runs to the left in a front considered the section’s finest.

The word: “From his junior to senior year, he worked hard on his strength, agility and speed while really developing into a very good offensive lineman. He just became a dominant force for us, getting into the second layer of the field and making blocks. He became a complete football player and, actually, probably played above our expectations.” — Miners coach Mark Rogers.