Boys’ Athlete of the Year: Record-breaking accomplishment for Burroughs football’s Bell
Chance Bell couldn’t hide and he didn’t try to.
On Sept. 16, 2016 Bell, the senior running back for Burroughs High, and his Indians football team were hosting Diamond Ranch in the third and final nonleague game of the season.
Bell carried the brunt of the Burroughs offense in the contest, rushing 34 times for 264 yards and two touchdowns. However, Bell fumbled the ball three times and blamed himself for a 35-17 loss.
Shortly after the game Bell took to Twitter: “I would like to apologize to my team and all the fans that came out tonight. I have no excuses for what happened. I’ll make up for it.”
“I have high expectations for myself and there are no excuses for what I did in that game,” said Bell. “I just felt that I owed it to the people there and my teammates to let them know that I will try my best to not let than happen again.”
Said Burroughs coach Mike Reily: “It didn’t surprise me when Chance did that; that’s just the kind of person he is. He is very reflective and he always wants to do well. ... He’s also a very modest kid.”
It was a senior season that was record-breaking and filled with fine accomplishments for Bell.
Along with becoming Burroughs’ second-highest ground gainer in a season, Bell cemented himself as the most prolific running back in school history, setting the all-time yardage mark. In addition, he was an All-CIF Southern Section first-team selection for the second straight season and was named the Pacific League co-Offensive League Player of the Year.
It is because of those accomplishments that Bell has been voted the 2016-17 Burbank Leader Boys’ Athlete of the Year.
Bell was a highly-touted running back and was sought after by several college heading into his senior season. As a junior, he was an All-CIF pick and was the league’s player of the year after scoring 23 touchdowns, carrying the ball 178 times for 1,378 yards and averaging 7.7 yards a carry and more than 125 yards a game.
On a team that finished 4-6 and 3-4 in the Pacific League for fifth place, missing the playoffs, Bell provided his share of highlights. He ran for 2,023 yards and 27 touchdowns, putting him second on the Indians all-time single-season list behind Zander Anding (2,686 in 2011). Bell also set the program’s career rushing record of 4,525 yards that was previously held by Anding (3,345).
Bell, who committed to San Diego State University prior to the campaign, realized he was going to be the focal point of the Burroughs offense as a senior, and he relished the opportunity. However, Bell’s workload increased substantially as the season progressed after the Indians had injuries at quarterback.
Bell was also hobbled by injuries, but he fought through them.
“I like getting the ball, making things happen and making the big plays,” said Bell, who also competed for the Indians track and field team. “But toward the end of season, it got a little hard taking a ton of carries a game and kind of the load that I was carrying. And getting some dings here and there didn’t help.
“I never wanted to complain about it, though. I knew I had a responsibility and I wanted to play the best that I could, not just for me but for the team. I just tried to fight through adversity because I would rather play with a few injuries than to have to sit out and watch.”
With Burroughs’ Bell-centric offense, it was not a surprise to opponents that the senior was going to get his share of touches during the game.
“I’m a coach who likes to pound the ball and establish the run, so that’s my philosophy to begin with,” Reily said. “So Chance was going to get the ball his share of times. But with our quarterback situation, it was no secret that we were going to give the ball to Chance and you better find a way to stop it.
“He was an individual who has what we call laser-beam focus. He had goals, he had things in mind that he wanted to accomplish and he worked very hard to make those happen. He is the type of kid where if the game was on the line and you had one play to run, Chance would be the guy who said, ‘Coach, you have to give me the ball; I want the ball in my hands.’”
Bell’s best effort came in October in a Pacific League game at Glendale. Despite just four carries in the second half, Bell scored six touchdowns and gained 332 yards in a 64-7 victory.
“Obviously, I couldn’t have done what I did without my line,” said Bell, who averaged 7.3 yards a carry and more than 202 yards a game. “Without those guys leading the way, I would have never been able to accomplish what I did. It is because of them and my coaches that I was able to be successful.
“The funny thing about what I was able to do when I look back is that I didn’t even know that I was going to be playing varsity football as a sophomore at Burroughs. I thought I would be on JV as a sophomore and move up to varsity as a junior. But the coaches gave me a chance and I’m so grateful for that.”
Bell is hoping to get the same chance at San Diego State, where he has already begun workouts as a freshman running back.
“It’s going really good so far, and I just want to get the opportunity to compete,” Bell said. “I’m just learning all I can, I’m starting to get the hang of things and getting to know how they do things here.
“Like in high school, I’m just hoping to get my chance and see what I can do with it.”
Twitter: @jefftsports
