CENTURY LEAGUE FOOTBALL PREVIEW : Worthem Weighs In With a Hefty Goal

Jaime Worthem, junior tailback for Orange High School, gave a sheepish smile and finally ‘fessed up to his goal. It’s a biggie.

“Well, if 2,000 yards will help the team win, that’s what I’ll do,” Worthem said. “I certainly wouldn’t pass on it.”

OK, Century League coaches, get to the nearest bulletin board. Tack up that quote for all to see. Fire up your team with the hasty words of an opponent.

There’s really nothing brash or rash about Worthem. He doesn’t boast or strut to liven up his image.

Oh, he can toss the trash with the best of them. But he never lets it interfere with the business at hand.

Two thousand yards? A pipe dream, maybe. But to Worthem it’s just part of being focused.

“He’s a very determined kid,” Panther Coach Buddy Bland said. “He sets goals, then works hard to achieve them. I just wish he wouldn’t say that he wants 2,000 yards.”

Sorry coach, a goal’s a goal.

“Actually, I just like to kid around about that,” Worthem said. “It makes Coach nervous.”

Bland is not the only one. Other Century League coaches are a bit antsy over what Worthem might do this season.

A year ago, he was a wanna-be quarterback, forced into the role of understudy at tailback. Today, he’s the soon-to-be center of attention in the Panther backfield.

He gained 985 yards and scored six touchdowns in 1991. Now, he’s beefed up and looking for more--about 1,000 more.

“Last year, Jaime was this little sophomore kid,” Bland said. “We weren’t sure what he could do. This year, I’m really looking forward to watching him run.”

Bland will likely be seeing a lot of that. With a sophomore at quarterback and three returners up front, Worthem figures to get a lot of work.

To prepare for that responsibility, Worthem worked out during the off-season. In between playing for the basketball team and running for the track team, he lifted weights and lifted weights and lifted weights.

He even made the Panthers “800 club,” a honor normally reserved for linemen. It requires lifting a total 800 pounds in three categories--squats, power clean and bench press.

As a result, Worthem is 6 feet 2, 200 pounds, nearly 30 pounds heavier than last season. No one is about to kick sand in his face.

“Jaime could barely do a push-up as a freshman,” Bland said. “Now he’s walking around without a shirt and looking at himself in the mirror. He’s really proud of what he’s accomplished.”

The growth in Worthem as a player was equally impressive.

He was a quarterback who couldn’t throw as a freshman. Not exactly the quality you look for at that position. But he could run and move.

Bland, looking for someone to back up senior Nathaniel White, watched Worthem run--and throw--and made one of those coaching decisions.

“Coach came to me and said, ‘We need a tailback and you’re it,’ ” Worthem said. “That was the end of the discussion.”

Worthem was apprehensive at first. He had never run from the tailback spot. Furthermore, his chances of seeing playing time were slim. White, a gnat-like runner, was entrenched in the position.

But, when White needed a breather in the first game against Newport Harbor, Worthem got his chance. On his first carry, he bludgeoned two defenders on a 12-yard run.

“We all looked at each other and said, ‘This guy’s OK,’ ” Bland said.

Worthem gained 118 yards against Saddleback the next week and has been the starter ever since.

“The first time you see him run, he doesn’t look that fast,” El Modena Coach Bill Backstrom said. “Then, all of a sudden, he’s in the clear and running away.”

Backstrom knows all too well. Worthem gained 147 yards in 19 carries against the Vanguards last season.

He even clinched Orange’s 28-14 victory with an 18-yard touchdown, on which he hurdled two defenders, juked two others, then plowed through two more at the goal line.

“When Jaime gets mad, he starts running over people,” Orange fullback Aaron Tavernier said.

Bland would like to see Worthem get mad a lot this season. He just doesn’t want him to raise the ire of other teams.

Did someone mention 2,000 yards?

Said Worthem: “Well, all I really want to do is help the team win.”

But, if that takes 2,000 yards, so be it.