Prep Friday : Division I Football Championship : Fountain Valley’s Powe Shows He Has More Than Speed

Kedric Powe, Fountain Valley High School tailback, has always been fast. He rarely lost a race as a youngster and displayed breakaway speed early in his football career on the school’s freshman team.

But when Powe arrived on the varsity level last year as a kick returner, opposing coaches talked more about the one quality the multi-talented Powe seemed not to have: toughness.

Dave White, Edison football coach, recalled a junior varsity game last season in which Powe started at tailback after a varsity game in which he did not play.

“He had the talent to stand out in a junior varsity game, and he didn’t,” White said. “The word was that all you had to do was hit him once and he would quit.”

Beginning this season, Powe carried that burdening label that has been the downfall of some fine athletes: great potential.

“He could be as good as Willie Gittens,” Mike Milner, Fountain Valley coach, said at the time, referring to the Fountain Valley running back who was Southern Section large school player of the year in 1978. “He’s only scratched the surface of his potential.”

So entered the 1988 season with a reputation as a potentially outstanding running back with good speed who avoided contact. Well, the critics were half right.

Powe’s quickness has enabled him to gain 1,250 yards and score 16 touchdowns going into tonight’s Southern Section Division I championship game against Bishop Amat in Anaheim Stadium. He has also caught 40 passes for 2 touchdowns.

Toughness? Powe, 5 feet 9 inches and 185 pounds, has fumbled only three times in 220 carries. If there were any doubters concerning Powe’s mental makeup, witness Fountain Valley’s semifinal game against Servite last week.

Late in the second quarter, Powe dropped a short pass and was sandwiched by two Servite defenders. He fell backward, his head pounding hard to the turf and was knocked out.

“He didn’t get his bell rung, he got stoned,” Milner said.

Powe was helped off the field, but said it took several minutes before he knew what had happened.

“The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the bench,” Powe said. “My father said he came down to the bench to talk to me, but I don’t remember talking to him.”

Powe sat out the remainder of the half and said he was a little dizzy in the locker room at halftime. But he returned to play in the second half as Fountain Valley won, 10-7, to reach the title game for the second consecutive season.

“I’ve watched the play on film several times and it looks funny to me,” Powe said. “You see things like that happen on TV, but you figure that won’t happen to you.”

White was among the spectators in Santa Ana Stadium watching when Powe was knocked out.

“He took a hell of a hit and came back in the second half,” White said. “I don’t think he had the mental toughness to do that last year.

“He’s a completely different player this year. I think Kedric Powe is one of the big reasons Fountain Valley is in the championship game. He gave that team the added dimension of a running attack, so teams can’t key on (quarterback David) Henigan.”

Powe’s transformation into a top tailback didn’t come easily. There were the constant reminders by Milner of his potential for success and the challenge to work diligently to achieve the success.

“Kedric is a very low-key individual and there have been times when he takes a low-key approach to the game,” Milner said. “Sometimes, I wondered if he knew how good he could really be. But he’s grown up a lot this year.

“Kedric has worked hard to become a more physical runner. He’s learned when to accelerate. He’s not as fast as (Servite’s) Derek Brown, but he is quick, and he’s used that quickness to become a breakaway runner. His instincts and vision have greatly improved.”

Milner said there have been times when his patience was tested by Powe. He admitted he wondered if Powe had the desire to become a good player.

“Kedric is not a real emotional player,” Milner said. “He doesn’t get excited before a game. If he gained 500 yards against Bishop Amat, he wouldn’t get excited. He’s a low-key kid, and sometimes that’s difficult for a coach to deal with.”