Saddleback High Senior Likes the Hard Contact : Glenn Campbell Destroys Defenses Like his Hero, Earl

For the past three seasons, the Saddleback High School football team has been bullish on Glenn Campbell.

A 6-foot 1-inch, 205-pound senior linebacker and tailback, Campbell has run all over opponents while leading his team to two consecutive Sea View League co-championships.

Campbell’s hard-charging rushing style is similar to that of his hero, past Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell, who was last seen romping through the Los Angeles Rams’ defense for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Saddleback’s Campbell admires the pro Campbell so much that he even wears No. 34, the same as his idol.

The comparisons don’t end there. Glenn Campbell’s career rushing statistics are such that Campbell has left most of his competitors in pieces.

Campbell, who has a school-record 1,332 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, has the Roadrunners just one game away from the Central Conference championship round.

Saddleback will play at La Habra in a semifinal playoff game Friday night, and the winner will meet the Newport Harbor-La Quinta winner for the conference championship.

The Roadrunners beat La Habra, 34-0, in a preseason game in September at Santa Ana Stadium. But to hear the folks at Saddleback tell it, you would think that it was La Habra that won that meeting by five touchdowns.

You’ll never get Saddleback Coach Jerry Witte to say anything remotely bad about an upcoming opponent, and his players are the same way.

Campbell was no exception. A soft-spoken and thoughtful young man, Campbell spoke reverently of La Habra.

“We played them 2 1/2 months ago,” Campbell said. “So they’re coming into the game with a new team, and this time we have to play them at their stadium, too. We know how tough they can be. We respect them.

“It’s a whole new ballgame. What you have is two brand new teams facing each other. That (September) game won’t count here.”

The Highlanders certainly remember Campbell. He was one of the few players this season to outrush their formidable running back, Chuck Weatherspoon, in head-to-head competition.

Weatherspoon finished the regular season with 1,478 rushing yards (Campbell had 1,212). But in their September meeting, Campbell gained 148 yards in 12 carries; Weatherspoon had 137 yards in 15.

La Habra Coach Bob Rau was impressed with Campbell.

“He’s a great running back,” Rau said. “He’s got good acceleration and he’s really strong. . . . We couldn’t tackle him, that’s for sure.”

Campbell has played tailback this season, but he played fullback during his sophomore and junior years, often blocking for Roadrunner speedster Earl Jones. Campbell also has made his mark at linebacker.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team out,” Campbell said. “Offense is fun because you score touchdowns, but on defense it’s just as much fun stopping a team when it’s third-and-one or fourth-and-one and they’re going for the first down.”

On offense, Campbell still gets much of his yardage between the tackles, but he is also able to turn the corner on sweeps and option pitchout plays with quarterback Myron Butler.

“Myron and Glenn work real well together,” Witte said. “They’ve only had a couple of bad pitches the whole season. They keep a good relationship between each other on the option, and many times Glenn will stay right on Myron’s hip after Myron has turned downfield with the ball.”

Valencia found that out in last week’s quarterfinal playoff loss to the Roadrunners. Saddleback beat the Tigers, 28-9, behind a nearly flawless performance by the Roadrunners’ backfield.

Campbell ran for three touchdowns in that game, and the Roadrunners didn’t turn the ball over once, in spite of the soggy field.

Butler and Campbell were recently named to the all-Sea View League first team, but that came as no surprise to some of the league’s coaches.

Costa Mesa’s Tom Baldwin: “Saddleback seems to have more balance this season between Butler coming on as a passer and Campbell’s running. Campbell’s a big, strong kid and a good linebacker, too.”

Former Estancia Coach Ed Blanton: “Campbell intercepted a pass against us on a play over the middle of the field and returned it about 54 yards for the touchdown. He looked like a defensive back on the play. He’s really an exceptional athlete.”

Glenn Campbell / Saddleback High School Career statistics

1983: 35 rushes, 265 yards, 7.5 average, 1 touchdown, 6 points scored.

1984: 109 rushes, 687 yards, 6.3 averaage, 13 touchdowns, 78 points.

1985: 191 rushes*, 1,332 yards*, 6.9 average*, 20 touchdowns*, 120 points*.

Totals: 335 rushes, 2,284 yards*, 6.8 average*, 34 touchdowns**, 204 points scored**.

*Saddleback school record--season.

**Saddleback school record--career.