‘The Annihilator’ Moves Act to Much Larger Field of Battle

After starting his high school football career at Pioneer and El Camino Real,Alex DeHayward finished at Montclair Prep.

DeHayward, a 6-6, 240-pound outside linebacker, will emerge from the small pond at Montclair (250 students) and take the plunge into bigger waters at USC when he fulfills a life-long dream.

“Ever since I was young, I wanted to play in the Coliseum,” said DeHayward, who has signed a letter of intent with USC.

That dream seems as unstoppable as DeHayward pursuing a ballcarrier.

“Watching him chase people all over the field we were impressed with his quickness and ability to run,” said USC assistant coach Foster Andersen.

Although the Mounties’ defense was among the best in the Valley area, DeHayward still stood out and was hard to miss on special teams.

“A lot of players don’t like to be on the special teams,” Montclair Coach John Hazelton said. “But there isn’t a time when Alex doesn’t knock someone airborne. He’s always the first player down the field by five or six yards. He annihilates people.”

“I like hitting,” DeHayward said. “On defense, I’m always hitting someone. On kickoffs, when I get a running start, when I meet up with someone, it’s just an explosion.”

After receiving scholarship offers from Washington, Arizona and Nevada Las Vegas, DeHayward picked USC on the strength of its business school as well as its football program.

Andersen said he didn’t feel DeHayward would be a fish out of water at USC.

“Sometimes you’ll find a kid in a small school who gets overlooked, but can really develop,” Andersen said. “We think he’s a hidden nugget.”