Erik Boal
After the dust settled Dec. 13 on South Pasadena High's Roosevelt
Field, and the celebration -- or at least the initial part of it --
had concluded for the Flintridge Prep faithful, a member of the
Rebel football team emerged from the locker room wearing an oversized
sweatshirt and baggy jeans.
By talking with T.C. Scotton, you wouldn't have known that only 45
minutes before, he had just put the finishing touches on one of the
great performances in his two-year varsity career, in one of the
biggest games in the program's 57-year history.
By hearing the soft-spoken 18-year-old talk, the tone in his voice
didn't reflect an athlete who had just won a CIF Southern Section
championship, especially against the team's primary rival, Pasadena
Poly.
And by looking at the 5-foot-11, 170-pound tailback, you wouldn't
have known that his body had just absorbed the punishment of carrying
the ball 31 times against one of the most physically imposing
defensive units in Division XIII, resulting in 176 hard-fought yards.
And Scotton wouldn't have had it any other way, because just like
the other 12 games he competed in during the Rebels' magical season,
he let his performance on the field do all his talking for him.
Scotton ran past, around and over the competition en route to an
area-best 1,619 yards in 248 attempts, but it was the manner in which
he did it -- humble, consistent and business-like -- that impressed
his coaches and teammates the most.
"You can't match this," said Flintridge Prep assistant Tom Fry,
pointing to Scotton's heart as he put his arm around him in a
congratulatory gesture following the Rebels' 17-10 win, resulting in
the program's first 11-Man title following an Eight-Man crown in
1989.
"This is what it's all about right here."
And that, in addition to the aforementioned characteristics, are
what impressed the writers and editors of the News-Press and Burbank
Leader the most about Scotton.
He wasn't the biggest player at his position, nor the fastest.
Other tailbacks might have played at bigger schools, or in tougher
divisions. But when it came time to determine the All-Area Player of
the Year, nobody else could match up with Scotton.
"He's one of the toughest players I've ever seen play the game,"
said Flintridge Prep senior quarterback Greg Sherman, one of nine
Rebels selected to the All-Area roster.
"It's fun to watch him, just as a fan of football."
Said Rebel Coach Marty Konrad, who led Flintridge Prep to a 12-1
