2002 PREVIEW PREP FOOTBALL: WALKER FITS NO MOLD VERSATILE ANTELOPES QB DRAWS COLLEGES' INTEREST.Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer LANCASTER - The football coaches at Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley High didn't know where to play Johnny Walker when he arrived as a freshman three years ago, and the Division I coaches now after the Golden League's most dangerous player aren't quite sure either. For one more season then, Walker will have to be content with his role as Antelope Valley's starting quarterback, the player responsible for running the Antelopes' option offense as well as guiding the team in its pursuit of a third consecutive league championship. ``It's fun watching him run, he just makes plays,'' junior running back Kreig Peters said. ``We're just standing there, like, `Wow.' He reminds me a lot of his cousin.'' That would be former Antelopes running back Tony Walker, who went on to play college football at Utah State and now is with the British Columbia Lions The British Columbia Lions (commonly known and identified as the BC Lions) are a Canadian Football League (CFL) team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Lions have played every season in the CFL since 1954, winning the league's Grey Cup championship five times. in the Canadian Football League Canadian Football League (CFL) Major Canadian professional gridiron football organization, formed in 1958. The league's Western Conference includes teams from Edmonton, Calgary, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg; its Eastern Conference comprises teams from . The younger Walker has similar speed and has drawn interest from UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX and Oregon, as well as his cousin's alma mater ma·ter n. Chiefly British Mother. [Latin m  ter; see m .
Last year was Walker's first season as Antelope Valley's starting quarterback, and he ran for 1,135 yards and 15 touchdowns as the Antelopes finished 8-4 and advanced to the Southern Section Division III
Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. quarterfinals. But Walker started out at the school playing wide receiver and running back, and once was reluctant to change positions. ``It felt crazy,'' Walker said. ``I didn't want to play at the beginning because I thought I'd be a passer. But when I found out we were running the option, I started liking it a lot more.'' ``He didn't buy into it at first,'' Antelope Valley coach Brent Newcomb added, ``but I think he kind of likes it now. He always has been a running back.'' But Walker might not get the chance to play on offense at the next level. Few colleges except Nebraska and the service academies still run the option, and at 6-foot, 175 pounds, Walker is undersized undersized see dwarfism, runt. to play running back. Oregon projects him as a defensive back, but Walker still has to take an entrance exam Noun 1. entrance exam - examination to determine a candidate's preparation for a course of studies entrance examination exam, examination, test - a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge; "when the test was stolen the professor had to to gain college eligibility. ``There are a lot of teams that look at him just for his athletic skills and open-field running ability,'' Newcomb said. ``If he has a great season and shows good leadership and does the things he needs to do as far as far as getting his grades and test scores, I think he'll have his education paid for.'' Walker will have a strong supporting cast this season, starting in the backfield, where both Peters and senior fullback Sean Wallace return. The two combined to rush for more than 900 yards and nine touchdowns last season, even though Wallace suffered a calf calf (kaf) sura; the fleshy back part of the leg below the knee. calf n. pl. calves sprain sprain, stretching or wrenching of the ligaments and tendons of a joint, often with rupture of the tissues but without dislocation. Sprains occur most commonly at the ankle, knee, or wrist joints, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty in moving the involved joint. in the middle of the season. ``We know everybody back there can run with the ball,'' Peters said. ``We should be a little better because we're older, bigger, faster and have more experience.'' On the defensive side, Peters is being recruited by Arizona to play safety and should be the top area player at the position next season. The Antelopes also welcome back Frank Morin, who was an all-league selection at linebacker as a sophomore before injuring his knee and missing all of last year. This will be Newcomb's 25th season as the Antelopes' head coach, and another Golden League championship would give him 10 for his career. But the 60-year-old coach, who had hip-replacement surgery in March, has said he has no plans to make this his final season. He also suffered a heart attack in 1997. ``I'm just taking it one year at a time,'' Newcomb said. ``I still love the Friday nights.'' With Walker returning along with an experienced backfield, the Antelopes are the favorites to repeat as league champions. Their early-season schedule, with games against perennial perennial, any plant that under natural conditions lives for several to many growing seasons, as contrasted to an annual or a biennial. Botanically, the term perennial power Bakersfield and nationally ranked Loyola of L.A., is difficult. But Newcomb likes his team's chances in the league. ``We're the defending champions defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre , so somebody's going to have to take it from us,'' he said. ``I'd always bet on the Antelopes.'' AT A GLANCE Team: Antelope Valley High football Coach: Brent Newcomb (25th season) 2001 record: 8-4 League finish: First Playoffs: Lost to Hart High of Newhall in Southern Section Division III quarterfinals. Key returnees: Johnny Walker (Sr., QB/FS); Sean Wallace (Sr., RB); Kreig Peters (Jr., RB/SS); Josh King (Sr., OL); Frank Morin (Sr., LB); Danny Leist (Sr., TE) Top newcomer: Nate Thomas (Jr., OL/DL) 2002 SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Sept. 13 Bakersfield 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. 7 p.m. Sept. 27 Victor Valley7 p.m. Oct. 4 vs. Loyola at Santa Monica College Santa Monica College was first opened in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College. Current enrollment is 32,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. The college also has one of the largest international student populations of any community college in the US, with approximately 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Barstow 7 p.m. *Oct. 18 at Highland 7 p.m. *Oct. 25 Lancaster 7 p.m. *Nov. 1 Quartz Hill 7 p.m. *Nov. 8 Littlerock 7 p.m. *Nov. 15 at Palmdale 7 p.m. *-League contest CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) Johnny Walker ran for 1,135 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior last season, his first as Antelope Valley High's quarterback. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer Box: AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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