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LOS ANGELES TIMES 1994 : ALL-Ventura / County Football Team : Back of the Year : Hawkins’ Feats Spark Interest

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Nordhoff High football Coach Cliff Farrar claims that no single player has been able to bring down running back Josh Hawkins in full-contact practice in the past three years.

And the Rangers are a very good tackling team.

But Hawkins has been more than a very good ballcarrier, having gained an area-best 2,454 yards while scoring 36 touchdowns (32 rushing) in leading Nordhoff to the Southern Section Division IX championship game for the first time in school history.

“He’s so fluid, it doesn’t look like he’s moving,” Farrar said. “So many times I’ve seen kids think they have an angle on him--and then they don’t.”

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The 6-foot, 180-pound senior has rushed for a school-record 4,620 yards in three seasons and caught the interest of Cal, UCLA, USC, Washington, Oregon, Penn State, Iowa, San Diego State, San Jose State and Missouri. He plans to take recruiting trips to Colorado State and Nevada.

“I have a great line in front of me and I just go all out on each play,” said Hawkins, who has carried 288 times this season for an average of 8.52 yards per carry.

He has provided many highlights along the way:

* Two rushing touchdowns, a long kick return and a fumble return for scores in Nordhoff’s season-opening 48-15 victory over Fillmore.

* 269 yards and four touchdowns in 22 carries in a Frontier League-opening 41-0 victory over Calabasas.

* 270 yards and four touchdowns in only 13 carries the next week in a 42-15 victory over Santa Clara.

* 13 games in which he rushed for more than 100 yards.

* 831 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in four playoff games, including 256 yards in 15 carries in a 35-6 quarterfinal victory at St. Anthony.

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In Nordhoff’s 30-19 victory over Santa Ynez in the section semifinals, Hawkins erupted for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

The performance included two 88-yard dashes to the end zone. The first one, in which he took off over left tackle and darted up the Nordhoff sideline, was called back because of a holding penalty. Two plays later, Hawkins ran the same play over right tackle and streaked up the Santa Ynez sideline for the score.

He also had 11 receptions for 263 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a total yardage count of 2,717 for the season.

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