Football: Scholarship should be elementary for Watson
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He piled up 2,644 passing yards and 19 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He went 3-0 against highly touted counterparts Josh Nunes and Richard Brehaut. He led his team to a 13-0-1 record and a Southern Section Central Division title.
Yet for Greg Watson, there is no escaping this number: 5 feet 9.
That’s the height of the Rancho Cucamonga senior quarterback who is possibly the most overlooked player in Southern California. He is being recruited but has no scholarship offers.
‘I believe that just because I’m on the short side as a quarterback, I could still play at the next level because I work harder than anybody,’ said Watson, a dual threat who also rushed for 884 yards last season. ‘Nobody is going to stop me from getting what I want.’
Watson will also play free safety this season in the Cougars’ dime package, giving college recruiters a taste of how he might fare as a defensive back at the next level.
‘There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to get a scholarship,’ Rancho Cucamonga Coach Nick Baiz said. ‘I don’t know if it’s going to be in the Pac-10 or the Mountain West or where, but he’ll get something. He can run and he can catch. He’s just an athlete. And he just turned 16. He should be a junior age-wise. So he’s going to keep growing.’
It might not seem worth the tradeoff, but being overlooked has its advantages.
‘For me it’s great because he’s so hungry right now,’ Baiz said. ‘He wants to prove to people that he can play at the next level, and there’s no doubt in my mind he can.’
Said Watson: ‘No matter what, I’m going to try to be the best. It does drive me a lot harder.’
--Ben Bolch