By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
VENTURA, Calif. - If Southern California's greatest football win steak was going to end then a Super Hero performance might as well been the one to foil it.
Darrell Scott, who has never worn a cape but dazzled on-lookers his entire high school career, put on perhaps his finest performance considering the stage.
He rushed for 246 yards on 27 carries and five touchdowns leading St. Bonaventure-Ventura to a terrific 41-33 win over defending state D-III champion Oaks Christian-Westlake Village on Friday night.
Before about 8,000 fans at Larrabee Stadium, the physical and fleet 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior scored on runs of 8, 30, 6, 65 and 51 yards as the Seraphs (4-0) not only avenged a 59-13 loss to Oaks Christian last year but they ended the Lions' 48-game win streak.
To boot, Scott, the team's punter, helped clinched the win with a remarkable 47-yard punt that was downed at the Oaks Christian 2 with 2 minutes, 55 seconds remaining.
Two plays later, Lions' quarterback Chris Potter (20 of 24, 286 yards), who led his team back from an improbable 34-7 deficit, was intercepted by Chad Kurz and the Seraphs, ranked second in the state according to calhisports.com, ran out the clock.
Despite outgaining St. Bonaventure 450-390, Oaks Christian couldn't overcome Scott, the nation's No. 2 recruit at any position according to CSTV's Tom Lemming.
"It's hard not to be impressed with a guy who is big, strong and fast like (Scott)," Oaks Christian coach Bill Redell said. "But I was impressed with him before the game started and now I'm equally impressed. He didn't do anything we didn't think he could do."
Except he did it in a different jersey while fighting off a nasty virus.
Scott was sick all week and raced off the field and headed home for bed before reporters could even speak with him.
Now that's fast.
He also wore No. 21 instead of his usual No. 2 because according to first-year St. Bonaventure head coach Todd Therrien, it was either stolen or misplaced.
"It's probably being sold on Ebay right now," Therrien mused. "That was a pretty amazing performance considering he wasn't 100 percent. But we've learned in a short time he's a pretty amazing kid."
Scott transferred from nearby Moorpark for this his senior year.
He has now rushed for 200 or more yards 16 times, including the last three. Last week against defending state D-I champion Canyon, he had 301 yards on 37 carries and four TDs in a 28-17 win.
In four games, he has 823 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns.
Teammate Vaughn Dotsy, a 6-5, 350-pound senior tackle, said he wasn't surprised at Scott's output even being ill.
"He was sick all week but I know Darrell and he's a game-time player," Dotsy said. "I knew he was going to show up and be Darrell. No doubt.
"The thing is, there's so much he's supposed to do every week and yet every game he shines. He's just an incredible player. I've never played with anyone like him before."
Even with the Scott's superlative effort and down 34-7, Oaks Christian never gave in behind Potter, an undersized (5-10, 180) senior who has committed to Boise State as a receiver.
He was one of Jimmy Clausen's top receiving threats last year, but has seamlessly made the transition to quarterback.
"I'll take a loss like this any day," Potter said. "The streak may be over but I think we showed so much heart and guts to come back. I couldn't be prouder of my guys. That was a great St. Bonny team we could have been buried by. We never gave in."
He overcame two turnovers early - Oaks Christian had four overall - and at one point completed 12 straight passes.
None of his passes were particularly pretty, not like those of Clausen, the starting quarterback now at Notre Dame in South Bend, but they got to the receiver, in particular Stanford-bound Christopher Owusu, who had 10 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown.
Potter also rushed for 66 yards on 18 carries (including sacks) and a 6-yard TD to give Oaks Christian some momentum just before halftime, trailing 34-13.
"He's going to be a receiver in college but right now he's a very fine quarterback for us," Redell said. "He's a resilient kid. The next play to him is the best play."
Potter led scoring drives of 80 and 66 yards in the third quarter, culminated with a 12-yard TD reception by Chris Coyle and a 13-yard run by super sophomore Malcolm Jones (17 carries, 98 yards).
That cut the deficit to 34-27 when Scott answered.
He cut an outside run straight up the middle for a 51-yard touchdown sprint. He got a pair of excellent backside blocks, including one from Dotsy, one of four offensive linemen for the Seraphs who weigh at least 265 pounds.
"We do what we can and let Darrell do the rest," Dotsy said.
The TD run came just two plays after Scott fumbled near the Oaks Christian sideline. It looked like the Lions' defensive back Zach Stout came out with the ball but after the referees conferred, the ball was awarded to St. Bonaventure.
"I think the referee made the right call," Redell said. "My assistants don't but I think he got it right."
Once again, the Lions wouldn't fold as they responded to Scott's final TD with an 80-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard TD run by Jones on fourth down. A 41-yard completion to Owusu keyed the drive.
The point after was blocked, leaving St. Bonaventure up 41-33 with 5:25 remaining.
"Jones looks like Scott to me when he was a sophomore," Redell said.
The Seraphs managed one first down but on 3rd-and-1 from the Oaks Christian 47, Scott was tripped up for a two-yard loss by Cassius Marsh. Scott would then make the Lions pay with his perfectly placed punt.
"Is there nothing that kid doesn't do?" Redell asked rhetorically.
Evidently not interviews.
He was letting his legs do the talking early as he carried five times, including the last four on an 80-yard scoring drive capped by an 8-yard TD, giving St. Bonny a 7-0 lead with 8:44 left in the first quarter.
An interception and 32-yard return by Patrick Hall set up a 1-yard TD sneak by Tony MacArena making it 13-0 with 3:27 left in the first.
"We wanted to send a message early that last year was done and this is this year," Dotsy said.
Scott finished off a 76-yard scoring drive with a nifty 30-yard TD run before he capitalized on another Lions' turnover with a 6-yard TD run making it 27-0 with 8:02 left in the half.
"We might have been a little nervous," Redell said.
Owusu, a state finalist sprinter, wasn't nervous throughout and hauled in a tipped Potter pass and turned it into a 43-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 19-7.
But Scott quickly erased that two plays later when he broke left, cut right at the sideline and busted off a 65-yard TD run, making it 34-7 midway through the quarter.
This looked like a rout, but Oaks Christian made St. Bonaventure earn it.
"I was happy with the win but not happy at all how we finished up," said Therrien, who replaced Jon Mack, who retired after 17 seasons and seven section titles. "We let them off the hook and you can't do that against good programs like that. Honestly we should have doubled their score."
Redel seemed more upbeat than Therrien afterward.
"We're not happy with loss, believe me no one takes a loss worse than I do," he said. "But you have to be proud of how we came back, coming back from 34-7 against a team as strong as that."
Dotsy said a combination of things contributed to the comeback.
"I noticed they had a lot of fight in them the second half," he said. "They've been a dominant team and we should have known they weren't going to lay down. I think we kind of underestimated them the second half.
"But we got the `W' and that's all that matters."
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
