A MARKED MAN WHO CARRIES ON.Byline: Lee Barnathan Daily News Staff Writer A football player, especially a running back, often finds himself scarred scar 1 n. 1. A mark left on the skin after a surface injury or wound has healed. 2. A lingering sign of damage or injury, either mental or physical: , nicked, cut, scraped and bruised bruise v. bruised, bruis·ing, bruis·es v.tr. 1. a. To injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of (part of the body) without breaking the skin, as by a blow. b. from the punishment he takes from defenders. Saugus High School's Sean Stoddard wears his marks proudly. His forearms are covered with scratches and scabs. Most of the nicks aren't very big. Ditto the ones on his legs and back. ``My shins are really bruised,'' he said. ``They bothered me the last two games. The last two games (against Burbank and Canyon) have been the hardest. They're the ones I got beat up the most.'' Stoddard, however, refuses to quit. He knows the difference between being injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. and playing hurt. So far, Stoddard has made quite a mark for the Centurions. After starting the season as a backup, he emerged as the starter in week four and has rushed 107 times for 716 yards and eight touchdowns. On a Saugus team that is 2-6, Stoddard has been one of the bright spots this season. ``He'll be in the middle of a pile, but he never stops running his feet,'' Saugus coach Ron Hilton said. ``If you don't tackle and drop him, he'll break the tackle. He's done that against everyone: Pasadena, Burbank and Canyon.'' Stoddard, a 5-foot-8, 150-pound junior, never played football until high school. He said he tried baseball when he was younger but found it too slow and with too little contact. He ran the ball well on the freshman football team. And he earned a spot on the sophomore team last year but had his season interrupted in·ter·rupt v. in·ter·rupt·ed, in·ter·rupt·ing, in·ter·rupts v.tr. 1. To break the continuity or uniformity of: Rain interrupted our baseball game. 2. when he hurt his knee and was out five weeks. Stoddard managed to return for the last two games of the regular season, but his confidence had dropped. He was afraid of further damaging his knee. He played tentatively against Valencia but gained 130 yards against Hart and scored a touchdown, earning him a promotion to the varsity for the playoffs. Although he still felt uneasy about his knee, Stoddard accepted the challenge. He ran on the scout team In sports, the scout team, also referred to as a practice team or practice squad, is a group of players on a team whose task is to emulate future opponents for the featured (or starting) players. and got hit plenty of times. When his knee didn't worsen wors·en tr. & intr.v. wors·ened, wors·en·ing, wors·ens To make or become worse. worsen Verb to make or become worse worsening adjn , he regained his confidence. ``They hit me hard, but I had fun,'' he said. ``It got me used to playing faster.'' Stoddard impressed Hilton this summer, and Stoddard got his chance when starting tailback tail·back n. Football The back on an offensive team who lines up farthest from the line of scrimmage. tailback Noun Brit a queue of traffic stretching back from an obstruction Brandon Hartwell got hurt. Stoddard was nervous against Quartz Hill, his first start, but turned it on the next week against Pasadena, gaining 197 yards and scoring four times in the team's 32-15 win Oct. 10. It was Saugus' first win of the season. ``I love running the ball,'' he said. ``I want to get as many yards as I can.'' Not even the marks on his body stop him. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Saugus High School Saugus High School may refer to:
v. bat·tered, bat·ter·ing, bat·ters v.tr. 1. To hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows. 2. To subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse. 3. and bruised - but he considers his injuries badges of honor. David R. Crane / Daily News |
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