TODAY’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Crayton Shuns Spotlight, but Not Daylight

Estrus Crayton would just as soon not have his picture taken, be interviewed or talk about himself.

He says he’s shy, and those who know him confirm it.

“I’m (wound) up in a ball,” Crayton, 19, said. “And people don’t understand it . . . I would just rather be by myself at times. When it comes to all the publicity, (Sports Information Director) Dale (Ruhe) has to drag me to it.”

But all this is not to say that the Rancho Santiago running back doesn’t want to be noticed. On the football field, Crayton, who is 6 feet 3 and 200 pounds, is one of the best running backs in the state. El Camino Coach John Featherstone, whose team plays host to Rancho Santiago at 7 tonight, said Crayton is the second coming of another community college back: O.J. Simpson.

Crayton can find holes in the slightest cracks, leaving defenders in his wake.

He was a J.C. Grid-Wire All-American last season and a preseason pick this season. He rushed for 1,340 yards and set a Rancho Santiago scoring record with 126 points last season.

Flashy numbers indeed, but that’s not the only thing that stands out about Crayton. His hands do plenty to detract from his shy image as well.

On one, Crayton wears a ring that spans three fingers and bears his first name on a gold-colored plate. His name appears on a two-finger ring on his other hand as well. He also sports a ring with a dollar sign the length of his index finger.

Crayton also stepped past his shy image on the field last season. Some of the Rancho Santiago sophomores were wearing personalized towels with slogans such as “Catch Me If You Can,” worn by receiver Paul Peters.

Crayton, who didn’t want to be left out, designed one of his own. His towel informed would-be tacklers: “Now U C Me, Now U Don’t.” But as true as it was, such towels are no longer worn--Coach Dave Ogas banned them.

“Some of the sophomores were doing it,” Crayton said about the towels. “So I came up with something as well. It didn’t mean anything.”

Crayton came to Rancho Santiago from Santa Ana High School, where he was an all-Century League running and defensive back.

Crayton had split time in the backfield in high school but finally got a chance last fall to be the starting tailback.

He was part of a talented offense that included quarterback Scott Wood, fullback Paul Maund and receivers Royal Wilbon and Peters. But Crayton seemed to stand out, gaining 1,946 all-purpose yards. He was named co-player of the year on offense in the Central Division of the Mission Conference.

This season, Crayton returns as the “marked man” of the Dons’ offense, the only returning starter at a skill position.

He has been impressive in two games, gaining 238 yards on the ground and 149 receiving. He scored five touchdowns last Saturday in the Dons’ 37-16 victory over Mt. San Antonio and has eight so far.

Crayton needs only 206 yards to become the all-time leading rusher for Rancho Santiago, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. He is 422 yards short of a career 2,000.

“I know that other teams know me and want to stop me,” Crayton said. “But my teammates are good, too. They (other teams) just don’t know them yet.”

Other Mission Conference games:

Orange Coast (1-1, 0-1) at Grossmont (1-2, 0-1), 1:30 p.m.--OCC started the season with a 30-0 victory over Long Beach, but was less impressive in a 14-7 loss to Cerritos last Saturday. OCC will need an improved performance from quarterback Greg Angelovic who turned over the ball four times, twice on fumbles and twice on interceptions, against Cerritos.

Pasadena (3-0, 1-0) at Fullerton (2-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.--Fullerton is ranked fifth in Southern California and 13th in the nation; Pasadena is seventh in Southern California and 16th nationally. Fullerton is second in the conference in total offense, with 443 yards a game. Pasadena averages a ninth-best 361 yards.

Rancho Santiago (2-0, 1-0) at El Camino (3-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.--This will be the first meeting between the colleges, but the coaches sure know each other. El Camino Coach John Featherstone was the offensive coordinator at Rancho Santiago before accepting the job at El Camino in 1985.

El Camino comes into the game ranked second in Southern California and third in the nation. Rancho Santiago is fourth in Southern California and 11th in the nation.

San Diego Mesa (0-3, 0-1) Grossmont vs. Golden West (2-0, 1-0) at Orange Coast, 7 p.m.--The preseason prediction that this could be Golden West’s best defense has been strongly supported in the first two games. The Rustlers have allowed a two-game total of 23 yards on the ground to lead the Mission Conference in rushing defense. The Rustlers also lead in total defense, allowing 143 yards per game. San Diego Mesa could help the numbers stay low as the Olympians are 14th in total offense, averaging 210 yards per contest.

Southwestern (1-2, 0-1) at Saddleback (0-1, 0-2), 7 p.m.--After road losses to Santa Monica and El Camino, Saddleback hopes a home game means a change of fortune as well. Saddleback switched to quarterback Chris Bisgaard in the second half and moved the ball better in the 31-24 loss to El Camino. Southwestern averages 242 yards per game passing, second best in the conference.