FULL-TIMERS

Nobody plays football more ways than Shaun Avalos of Sylmar High.

Avalos, Sylmar’s first four-year letterman, is a jack-of-all-trades.

Five players wrapped into one chiseled 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame, he rarely misses a snap.

“You can’t get him off the field,” said Darrell McIntyre, Sylmar’s offensive coordinator.

Avalos leads City players from the region with five interceptions, is second with 32 receptions and is third with 84 points.

He has scored six ways: touchdowns on pass receptions and an interception return, field goals, point-after kicks and two two-point conversions on a run and a reception.

Avalos, 18, starts at wide receiver and free safety, and handles the kicking and punting. He is also the short man on the punt-return team.

The only special team he isn’t regularly on is the kickoff return team.

“And he’s been asking to be on [that team],” Coach Jeff Engilman said. “But we try to save him a little bit.”

Avalos will play on the kickoff return team tonight against Canoga Park because Sylmar’s Terrance Brant is suffering after some dental work.

So what’s one more assignment?

“It’s tiring, very tiring,” Avalos said. “But it’s fun.”

As talented as Avalos is, coaches would rather have him playing--even tired.

“He’ll give me a hand signal [when he gets tired],” McIntyre said. “On first or second down, if he needs a blow, he’ll come out [of the game].

“But if we’re in a third-and-long situation, I want him in the game.”

Avalos rarely gives the hand signal. Maybe twice a game.

“I have to be in the best shape,” he said. “When you get tired, you get lazy and you don’t want to go full out. But to win, you have to.”

Avalos knew what to expect this season because he had the same assignments as a junior. To prepare, he spent long hours during the spring and summer running sprints and working on his endurance.

In the process, he lowered his 40-yard dash time to 4.5 seconds.

College coaches have taken notice. Coaches from Washington, Washington State and Arizona have called about him.

“Every coach would love to have a player of his caliber,” Engilman said. “He’s just gotten better and better.”

Engilman promoted Avalos from the junior varsity before he was even a student at Sylmar.

As a ninth grader at Olive Vista Jr. High--before Sylmar became a four-year school--Avalos had 15 minutes to walk a couple of blocks from Olive Vista to Sylmar for practice at 3 p.m.

Midway through Avalos’ ninth-grade year in 1994, Sylmar kicker Daniel Hernandez was injured and Engilman sent for Avalos, who had reservations about leaving his friends at the lower level.

“The guys were saying, ‘What is he doing up here?’ ” McIntyre said. “Then they watched him kick and he was putting it through the goal posts from the 30-yard line.

“They go over to talk to him and his reaction . . . he moved away because he thought they were [going to jump him].”

No longer is he intimidated.

At a recent game, several Grant players taunted Avalos with threats and derogatory comments. Avalos never flinched. Instead, he responded with three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Avalos is not a vocal player. He is quiet and speaks up only when he deems it necessary.

“When I have something to say, I’ll say it,” he said.

For most of his life, Avalos was the only child in the household.

Born and reared in the San Fernando Valley, Avalos moved to Sacramento to live with his mother at age 12.

Two years later, Avalos’ mother died after a lengthy illness and he returned to Sylmar and moved in with his older half-brother’s sister.

His father lives in Acton and gets to some of Shaun’s games.

In the past two years, Avalos has emerged as a primary weapon in Sylmar’s run-oriented offense because of his speed, soft hands and experience.

“We want to get the ball in his hands 10, 12 times a game,” McIntyre said.

“He makes a difference in the offense because he can come up with the big play. He keeps drives alive.”

Although Avalos wants to play wide receiver in college, some recruiters have courted him as a kicker and punter.

Avalos has converted 81% (144 of 178) of his extra points, improving his success rate each season. He is 29 of 34 (85%) this season and is averaging two touchbacks a game on kickoffs, Engilman said.

Avalos has played on one City 4-A champion, in 1994. He would like to end his career by leading the Spartans to another.

“I’ve been here a long time,” Avalos said. “Last year I was ready to leave this place and it was only my junior year.”