Small Fits In With Rest of Terrific 22 Area Players

To some, the inclusion of senior Errol Small among the top 22 players in the Southland in a recent poll of college recruiting services seemed odd.

The Notre Dame High tailback rushed for 471 yards in 84 carries during his junior year. Three backs in the Valley gained more than three times as many yards last season. Small’s yardage--most of which came against Division VII opponents--didn’t even place him among the top 20 Valley-area running backs. This was one of the Terrific 22?

Small posted a resounding rebuttal Friday at Alemany, scoring on runs of 57, seven, and 89 yards and intercepting two passes. He also ran 75 yards for an apparent score in the second quarter, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty. In all, he gained 213 yards in 14 carries--a 15.2-yard average.

“I’ve never seen one individual have such a great game on both sides of the ball,” Notre Dame Coach Kevin Rooney said.

The Alemany defense was not baffled by the Knights’ offensive strategy--14 of Notre Dame’s 32 plays were runs by Small.

“We had guys at the point of attack but we didn’t tackle well at all,” Alemany Coach Pat Blackburn said. “You’ve got to take him on and wrap him up. A lot of our guys were diving at him and if you do that, he’s going to run right through you.

“Those guys at running back are about five dollars a dozen instead of a dime. They’re a rare commodity. It isn’t too often you find a back like that.”

Small likes to think of himself as more bash than flash. He uses his 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame to steamroller defenders.

“I’ve learned to deliver the blow instead of take it,” he said. “I’m using my defensive mentality on offense. Before coming up to the tackle I used to slow down and cover up. Now, I’m just full speed ahead and take what they give me. Try and make some room. Go through someone.”

Teammates nicknamed Small “E-rock” because taking a shot from him is tantamount to smacking into a granite slab at full tilt. Alemany sophomore Brian Brison experienced the sensation Friday night. After catching a six-yard pass over the middle, Brison found himself between E-rock and a hard place and was leveled.

Said Notre Dame tackle John DiSante of the hit: “Looking at Brison was like, ‘Hey, this is varsity.’ Errol pretty much told him, ‘This is my house. This is Notre Dame defense. This is the way we hit and you better get used to it tonight.’ ”

Small’s offensive hit parade began on his fifth carry. After opening with gains of two, three, five and eight yards, he took a pitch from quarterback Greg Andrachick at the Notre Dame 43-yard line with 4:05 to play in the first quarter and darted untouched up the right sideline for a score.

With his team leading, 14-0, midway through the second quarter, Andrachick found Guillermo Eguez on a 40-yard pass down the middle to put the Knights at the Alemany seven. On the following play, Small juked his way into the end zone.

Alemany answered with a six-play, 45-yard drive that Small squelched from his strong-safety position when he made a diving interception.

On Notre Dame’s second possession of the third quarter, Small made his only blunder of the game, fumbling the ball away.

With 7:31 to play and Notre Dame at its 11, Small took a handoff and broke several tackles at the line of scrimmage. Maintaining his footing, he stumbled through the secondary, regained his balance and raced 89 yards for the game’s final touchdown.

Alemany made its last extended drive of the game--a seven-play march to the Notre Dame 22 that ended when Small picked off a pass in the end zone.

Small, who was named player of the week by the San Fernando Valley chapter of the National Football Foundation, hopes to attend USC and eventually study psychiatry.

“I’ve always thought about that career as a kid,” he said. “I just like to see what makes people run.”

For Small, all it takes is a football.