Amazing Feet

Everyone who has seen Kenny Pritchett carry a football seems to have a favorite story.

Jesse Busta, a teammate on the Crescenta Valley High football squad, recalls a play last year when Pritchett appeared to be stopped at his five-yard line.

Falling sideways, a defender’s arms wrapped around both of his ankles, Pritchett somehow escaped, regained his balance in time to juke another opponent, then outran a pair of other defenders on his way to a 95-yard touchdown.

“Everyone was in shock,” Busta said. “I couldn’t believe he was even on his feet.”

Linebacker Chris Oliver recalls another play when Pritchett put a move on Anthony Kelly and left Muir’s preseason All-American defensive end looking silly.

“It’s almost like magic,” Oliver said. “Kenny’s got moves that will make your head spin.”

And, for Pritchett’s next trick, he will attempt something never before accomplished in his generation: lead Crescenta Valley to a victory over Pacific League nemesis Muir.

The Falcons (8-0, 3-0 in league play), who have not defeated the Mustangs since 1978, play host to Muir (6-2, 3-0) Friday night at Glendale High in a game that should determine the Pacific League championship. A victory would clinch at least a share of Crescenta Valley’s first football title since it joined the Pacific League in 1978.

Much of the Falcons’ hopes are pinned on Pritchett, who has 1,322 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in eight games.

“He’s the guy who has to go off,” Coach Alan Eberhart said. “He has to say, ‘Climb on my back, everyone, and I’ll get you there.’ ”

That’s the sort of thing Pritchett, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior, likes to hear.

“I love playing with pressure on me,” said Pritchett, who adds to his school career rushing record with every yard.

Pritchett has gained 4,164 rushing yards and scored 46 touchdowns in his three-year career. “I honestly feel my better games come when I am facing better competition.”

Muir, with touted running back Sultan McCullough, is as tough as they come.

The Mustangs have won five consecutive Pacific League championships.

The heavily-recruited McCullough has rushed for 1,458 yards and 17 touchdowns this season and is commonly mentioned along with Notre Dame’s Justin Fargas as the state’s best running back.

Pritchett, who has a recruiting trip scheduled for UCLA in January, is not generally considered in the same class as McCullough or Fargas.

Earlier this week, a Pasadena-area newspaper referred to him as Kevin Pritchett.

“It doesn’t get me down,” Pritchett said. “I know I can play with those guys and other people are going to think whatever they want to think.”

Busta, for one, believes Pritchett is as good as anyone in the region.

“I don’t think he gets the respect he deserves,” said Busta, an All-Pacific League linebacker. “Some people think of him as second-best, but I believe he is just as good as those guys. He has great natural talent.”

Said Eberhart: “He’s the best we’ve ever seen. Kenny is not on the top 100 lists around the country, but a lot of that is because of what we do as a program. We have asked Kenny to sacrifice, and he has.”

Eberhart moved Pritchett to quarterback last year in an effort to get the ball into the hands of his best athlete.

Seth Santoro and Ryan McKnight have been Crescenta Valley’s quarterbacks this season, allowing Pritchett to return to his natural position and the Falcons to become less predictable.

“Pritchett’s value is he makes everybody else on the team better because, when other teams are watching him, it opens up everything else,” said Glendale Coach Pete Smolin, whose team yielded five touchdowns to Pritchett last week in the first half of a 54-6 Crescenta Valley victory.

“While teams are watching him, bang, they give it to [Jesse] Busta for 10 yards up the middle or pass it to [Nate] Barber for a bunch of yards.”

If that system continues to click against Muir, Pritchett can lay claim to the only thing he covets more than recognition as one of the region’s premier backs.

“I want to beat Muir and win a league championship bad,” he said. “That would probably go a long way toward putting me and our team on the map.”