Ricky Town is ranked as the top quarterback in the nation amongst juniors, and he's committed to Alabama. That's sure to grab him plenty of attention everywhere he goes, including this weekend's Honor Bowl.
File photo by Kevin Charbonneau
It's more than reasonable to expect plenty of high-profile players in attendance at this weekend's Honor Bowl in Oceanside, Calif., a two-day event featuring games between some of the premier programs in Southern California and also honoring America's military forces.
The marquee names will be many, make no mistake.
Don't be surprised to see
Ricky Town steal some of the spotlight and emerge as the headliner, though. The junior from
St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.) is familiar with the pressures of being well-known. Not only in the Golden State, but on the national level too.
The added attention, in fact, does not figure to bother Town. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound quarterback has been up to the challenge in the not-so-distant past. Chances are, he will be ready for Centennial (Corona, Calif.) and the 8 p.m. PST kickoff on Saturday.
Town and St. Bonaventure have an extremely toughtask as they face state Open Division runner-upCentennial (Corona).
File photo by Ian Tennant
"Everything is happening so fast lately, and sometimes, you have to take a step back, think about what's going on around you and evaluate the situation," Town said. "Do I think I have a target on my back? Yes, you could say that. It's OK with me, too."
Town does indeed have a target on his back. It's something that simply comes along with territory when you're considered as one of the country's top prospects. In the
247Sports Rankings, he is the nation's No. 1 player at his position from the Class of 2015.
Given his resume, Town was once thought of as one of the more sought-after recruits around.
Then he committed to Alabama on Aug. 5. Prior to the decision, he had scholarship offers from close to 20 programs, including UCLA and USC.
Town did nothing to tarnish his growing reputation in the opener last week, a 42-14 nonleague victory over Garfield (Los Angeles). No knock on the Bulldogs, but Centennial is in a different league. The Huskies (1-0) won't go down without a fight.
"Town is a great quarterback, we've seen him and know what he's capable of doing," Centennial coach coach Matt Logan said after Town & Co. won last year's game between the teams, 40-35. "He had his coming-out party against us. He owes us a thank you."
"There's a reason Town is talked about so often. Our guys hear it. They know what's going on, probably pay more attention to things than I do. It does not change our philosophy. Ricky is going to play well. Our job is go out there and try to limit his effectiveness."
Believe it or not, the Huskies might actually be catching Town and the Seraphs (
ranked No. 12 in the MaxPreps Southern California Rankings) at just the right time. Longtime coach Todd Therrien is no longer with the team after recently being relieved of his duties at St. Bonaventure despite a storied past with the program.
Town and the Seraphs are going to battle with a newcoach this season.
File photo by Louis Lopez
Therrien was either an assistant, coordinator or head honcho on nine of 10 Southern Section title teams. Furthermore, he was the coach during a pair of CIF State Division III championship runs. That said, perhaps Town and his teammates are somewhat vulnerable.
"Todd is on a different path now, he's a good coach, he'll be fine, we wish him well," said John Muller, the interim coach at St. Bonaventure, a former offensive line coach for the Seraphs and current athletic director. "Nothing changes around here. We're ready to go."
Visit the MaxPreps Los Angeles metro site"As for Ricky, he knows what's expected. Even though he's young, he has been down this road before. Give him credit too, Ricky has done a good job with all the hype that surrounds him. He's a marked man out there, but that hasn't stopped him from delivering."
Focus will undoubtedly shift to Town once he takes the field. And that's saying something, as the Honor Bowl will also feature nationally ranked teams like Centennial and Serra (Gardena, Calif.), plus California state title game alumni Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.), Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) and Oceanside (Calif.), plus Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Upland (Calif.). FBS commits will abound.
When all is said and done, however, Town could end up in the limelight.
"When there is a lot at stake in games, I think that's when I play my best," he said. "I have goals this season, we want to accomplish things as team as well. You can never get too high or too low."
No sense in arguing, the approach has worked well thus far.
