Centennial senior Tre Watson has rushed for more than 3,400 yards and 48 touchdowns this season, ranking him third in the country. He leads the No. 23 Huskies against No. 3 St. John Bosco Saturday in a Southern Regional Bowl Game game final at Cerritos College.
Photo by Rob Carmell
On a mammoth roster of 144 players,
Centennial (Corona, Calif.) senior
Tre Watson surely stands out.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound tailback is third in the country and No. 1 in California in rushing yards with a school record 3,498 yards rushing and 48 touchdowns for the nation's No. 23 team.
The Cal-bound back broke the school single-game rushing mark twice, the first time carrying the ball 37 times for 466 yards and seven touchdowns in a 69-55 win over St. Bonaventure on Sept. 7.
Tre Watson, Centennial
File photo by Ted Aguirre
Then on Nov. 29, in a Southern Section Inland semifinal 86-56 win over Upland, he carried 40 times for 519 yards and six touchdowns.
Those two game totals: 77 carries, 985 yards and 13 scores. A pretty nice season-total for most backs.
But Watson always wants to do great things — and look good doing it.
He'll need to be great Saturday when his Huskies (12-2) play the nation's No. 3 team
St. John Bosco (Bellflower) (14-0) in the Southern California Open Regional Bowl game. The winner plays in the state championship.
"He's very outgoing and charismatic," said Centennial coach Matt Logan. "He loves the camera and the kids really like him."
And well they should, Logan said of the team co-captain.
"He's the complete back, like all the great ones," he said. "He's powerful and has great elusive moves and great vision. He does it all. Most of all he plays with great desire and he's a great leader."
You have to in order be the premier back in Centennial's one-back spread attack. The Huskies, who have reached the State Bowl finals four times, winning once in 2008, often feed their backs 30 to 40 times a game and up to 300 or more a season.
Consider some of their go-to backs since 2004.
*
Brandon Minor (2004) — 382 carries, 2,714 yards, 50 touchdowns.
*
Ryan Bass (2005) — 255 carries, 2,137 yards, 34 TDs.
* Bass (2006) — 294 carries, 2,351 yards, 36 TDs.
* Bass (2007) — 345 carries, 2,608 yards, 47 TDs.
*
Arthur Burns (2008) — 296 carries, 1,886 yards, 29 TDs.
*
Barrington Collins (2010) — 241 carries, 2,427 yards, 42 TDs.
*
Romello Goodman (2011) — 296 carries, 2,758 yards, 44 TDs.
Last season, Watson, 15 pounds lighter, split time with then senior
Austin Renken. It was almost an even divide, with Watson carrying 163 times for 1,483 yards and 22 scores and Renken (170, 1,234, 20).
"Honestly, we didn't know if Tre had the durability or strength to be an every down back," Logan said. "The guys sort of teased him about it. I did too."
They don't tease any more. In fact, Watson often gets the last word at practice, which sorts of drives Logan crazy.
"He likes to talk a lot at practice and sometimes he talks to much," Logan said with a laugh. "Both sides talk a lot of trash to the point I have to quiet them down."
The defense the other day was giving Watson a hard time because he really stood out — he wore a yellow noncontact jersey, to make sure he doesn't get hurt. And, with 371 carries already this season, he deserves a little break.
Not that he wants one.
Tre Watson, Centennial
File photo by Ted Aguirre
"When they teased him (about the yellow jersey) he tried to take it off," Logan said. "We made sure he kept it on."
He'll be a marked man against one of the most talented teams in the country Saturday.
Logan said Bosco has up to 15 Division I recruits, which is even a large number by Centennial standards.
The Huskies have had their fair share of elite athletes, including linebacker Vontaza Burfict (Bengals), quarterback Matt Scott (Jaguars), quarterback Taylor Martinez (Nebraska) and defensive tackle Will Sutton (Arizona State), a two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
"They have no weakness," Logan said of Bosco. "They're so dang talented. They're loaded. And they do a good job coaching them up. It's a huge task to say the least."
Watson, a 3.7 student, hopes to lead the charge.
He told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that his goal this season was to double his output from last season. He's done that and more.
Logan said beyond his numbers he'll be remembered most for his humility, charisma and leadership. What does Watson want to be remembered for?
"As a great leader on and off the field," he told the newspaper. "And for being the best back to ever come here."
