Grayes’ Area

Kyion Grayes sits in his football coach’s office and answers questions about the team and its season. It’s a rare opportunity to catch Grayes in one place for any length of time.

Grayes, a senior at Troy High, is noted for his speed--for being able to sprint past pursuing linebackers and cornerbacks. “He’s probably the fastest guy we’ve had here,” Troy Coach John Turek said.

Grayes is fifth in the county with 1,198 yards rushing this season and averages 7.5 yards per carry. He has scored 19 touchdowns.

He will be the point man in Troy’s attack when the Warriors (4-4, 2-1) meet La Habra (7-1, 2-1) in a Freeway League showdown at 7 tonight at Fullerton High.

But Grayes’ best move did not take place on a football field.

Grayes, 18, grew up in San Bernardino, and his life was headed down a dangerous path. During his freshman year at San Gorgonio High, he said he was being enticed to join a gang.

“I had started hanging out with the wrong crowd,” Grayes said. “I was a follower.”

Grayes’ parents are separated, and while his five sisters live with their mother, Elaine, in San Bernardino, he moved with his father, LaGary, a truck driver, to Fullerton in 1995, before Grayes’ sophomore year.

“He got me out of there before I got into some real trouble,” Grayes said.

The Troy football coaches soon discovered a talented athlete had been dropped on their doorstep.

Assigned to the junior varsity as a sophomore, Grayes played one game before being promoted to the varsity.

He finished the season at linebacker, where he has played since. Last season, after senior running back Larry Montgomery was injured in the second game and missed the remainder of the season, Grayes became a two-way player.

“They tried others at running back, but finally Coach [Turek] told me to go out there,” said Grayes, who rushed for 591 yards and nine touchdowns in 97 carries.

Turek met with Grayes before the start of the 1996 season and told him he would have to carry the Warriors.

Grayes has responded. Only twice this season has he been held to less than 100 yards--by Rancho Alamitos in the season opener and by Sunny Hills last week. His biggest efforts have come against Whittier La Serna (242 yards) and Fullerton (235 yards).

“When we can give him some cracks in the line, he does real good things with the ball,” Turek said. “He’s more of a slashing type back and depends more on speed than Larry Montgomery. I thought Larry had eyes in the back of his head because he always knew where everybody was on field. Kyion just outruns you.”

“This year I came in with goals as a running back,” Grayes said. “One of them was to get 1,000 yards. Last year, I expected mainly to play defense, but Larry got hurt. This year, I’ve been more confident about running and I think I’m reading the blocks better.

“I feel I’m a big part of the team. If I have my head down, the others guys will be down; when I’m up, they’re up. I caught on to that quickly.”

What has pleased Turek most is how Grayes has developed as a person.

“Outside of his pure athletic ability, I think he is a good example of how athletics can be a positive influence,” Turek said. “He’s gotten better each year here, never missed a practice. He really loves playing the game, a pleasure to be around.

“I had no preconceived notions about his past. I didn’t learn about it until later. But he has become a team leader. Everybody reads about his offense, but the last three years he’s been a real mainstay on defense.”

La Habra Coach Rick Milhizer does not need any reminders of Grayes’ prowess. Last season, in a 27-18 loss to Troy, Grayes rushed for 149 yards in 18 carries against the Highlanders.

“Is Grayes better this year? Yeah, he’s definitely better,” Milhizer said. “He’s bigger, stronger and has more balance. From what we’ve seen on film he’s tough to knock down.”

Grayes hopes to repeat last season’s effort against La Habra to help Troy break out of the gridlock in the Freeway League race. Troy, La Habra, Sunny Hills and Buena Park have 2-1 league records entering tonight’s games. Only the top three teams earn automatic berths to the Southern Section playoffs.

“The Freeway League is a crazy one,” Grayes said. “No one is dominating. I can’t make any prediction about this game, but we better remain focused, go out and do what we have to.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

LA HABRA VS. TROY

Featured Game

When: 7 tonight.

Where: Fullerton High.

Records: La Habra 7-1, 2-1; Troy 4-4, 2-1.

Rankings: La Habra is No. 7 in the Southern Section Division VIII rankings; Troy is unranked.

Noteworthy: A moment of truth for both teams. La Habra has had a good season but needs a victory tonight and next week, plus a loss by Buena Park, to win its first league title since 1988. Troy, as usual, is making a postseason bid after a difficult nonleague schedule. With four Freeway League teams entering tonight’s games with 2-1 league marks, the loser will be hard-pressed to reach the playoffs.