All-Area Football Player of the Year: Scott shines for St. Francis

After the final score had been tallied and the Friday night lights dimmed, the tale to be told was unfortunately not one of jubilation for Daniel Scott and his St. Francis High football coaches, teammates and faithful.

But just minutes earlier, fate had seemingly already been decided until Scott made a near miracle seem plausible and very much put forth a performance emblematic of his excellence in the 2016 season; one of versatility, talent, leadership and flatout clutch play.

“I think clutch is the perfect word to describe Daniel,” St. Francis senior receiver/defensive back Gabriel Mathews says.

Scott was productive and impressive for the Golden Knights as a junior, but he needed to take on a far larger role as a senior.

“We needed him to be exactly what he was this year,” St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds says, “which was one of our best players on offense and one of our best players on defense.”

Scott and the Golden Knights had played valiantly against Palos Verdes, but with just more than two minutes remaining in their CIF Southern Section Division III first-round game and their season, something special was needed from the senior for St. Francis to stand a chance.

“There was no moment too big for him,” Bonds says. “And he wanted the ball in the big game with the money on the line. He wanted the ball.”

In a span of less than two minutes against a league champion and playoff foe, Scott dramatically intercepted a pass in one end zone and hauled in a touchdown pass in the other.

Triumph or tribulation, win or loss, it was a showcase of Scott’s abilities on both sides of the ball, his knack for the big play and a snapshot of the reason he was voted the 2016 All-Area Football Player of the Year by the sports writers of the Burbank Leader, Glendale News-Press and La Cañada Valley Sun.

“What more could you ask from a guy than everything he did for us?” Bonds says. “I can’t say enough good things about Daniel.”

What was asked of Scott was to be very much the cerebral captain of the defense at safety, along with a receiver on an offense capable of sustaining drives with clutch catches and also hauling in big plays.

That was exactly what Scott did.

“I just try to take on the role of being the clutch guy,” Scott says. “I want to have the ball in my hands when the game is on the line.”

St. Francis’ offense was a balanced one, with running backs Jace Harrick and Elijah Washington combining for north of 1,300 yards rushing and quarterback Michael Bonds spreading the ball around in the passing game, with 11 players catching at least a pass and five with double-digit receptions. It was Scott who proved to be the proverbial go-to guy, however, grabbing team-highs of 41 catches, 688 yards and 10 touchdowns. His five interceptions were also tops on the team and his 70 tackles were second.

Scott, who had a reception in every game of his senior season and 19 consecutive dating back to his junior campaign, was a returning starter, but Bonds was not. Yet, a quick chemistry blossomed between the incumbent receiver and the transfer quarterback.

“We had such a great chemistry on the field,” says Michael Bonds, who transferred to St Francis from Newport Harbor ahead of the 2016 season. “I think I could hit him with my eyes closed sometimes; we just had that connection.”

The defensive side of the field was where Scott’s leadership and intelligence shined through as much as his talents.

When Scott was voted one of St. Francis’ captains, he took on the role and the responsibility with vigor.

“He really embraced that from the time we made the announcement,” Jim Bonds says. “He wore it well.”

Says Mathews: “From junior year to senior year, it was a big jump. He led by example for the rest of the team.”

One manner in which Scott led by example was with his preparation leading into games.

“I watch a lot of film,” Scott says. “And I’ve learned so much from my coaches. They’ve taught me things I would’ve never thought on my own. I think that’s huge.”

On the field, Scott called coverages and knew his teammates’ assignments, rivaled only by his uncanny ability for knowing where the offense and the ball were heading.

“His football IQ was one of the best we’ve ever had and he’s a smart kid besides that. … He was a coach on the field,” Jim Bonds says. “There’s an instinct as a football player to know where the ball is going before it’s there and he has that. Daniel’s got it. Daniel knows where the ball is going to be, whether it was knocking down passes, intercepting the ball or making tackles, he was always around the ball.”

Scott’s interception with 2:06 left in the game against Palos Verdes gave the Golden Knights hope.

Seconds later, Scott hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Bonds.

“We knew the time was winding down on defense and we needed to get the ball. Once I intercepted that, I knew we had a chance,” Scott says. “We called [the play on the sideline] and I ran a corner post and Michael threw a great ball.”

St. Francis’ bid to win the game ultimately came up short when a two-point conversion attempt was batted away, Palos Verdes escaping with a 38-37 win and the Golden Knights’ season concluding with a 9-2 record. But there was more to the Golden Knights’ season than a dramatic first-round exit or a second-place finish in the Angelus League.

“I think this year what really helped us was we had a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun,” Scott says. “The last game didn’t really sum up the season for us.”

Statistically, Scott left his best game on the field against Palos Verdes, with career-highs of 10 tackles and eight catches for a season-high 105 yards receiving along with the touchdown and interception.

Since then, he’s garnered notice from a host of Ivy League schools such as Yale and Princeton and others like Hawaii and Fresno State calling.

From end zone to end zone, offense to defense, Scott shined. And now he’s get attention from coast to coast.

“I think Daniel Scott is one of the most underrated high school players around,” Michael Bonds says. “He’s starting to get his notice now, which is awesome.”