Blackledge Finds Success After Labor

D.J. Blackledge was in North Carolina, spending his days in the sweltering summer heat.

He was there to take engineering courses at North Carolina A&T;, but one thing troubled him more than any mathematical problem--his performance last season for the Buena High football team.

Most running backs would be satisfied with 912 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. Not Blackledge.

He lifted weights daily over the summer, and when classes ended for the day, he went jogging.

The hard work paid off.

Blackledge, a senior, doubled his 1998 production, finishing with 1,779 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns this season.

He broke the 150-yard rushing mark five times, including a 220-yard, four-touchdown performance against Camarillo, and helped lead the Bulldogs (10-2) to their third consecutive Channel league championship.

Blackledge is The Times’ Ventura County offensive player of the year.

“Everything I pretty much did was to help me get better, from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep,” Blackledge said of his summer regimen. “I was actually disappointed in my performance last season, but [the summer] had a great impact.”

Opposing coaches noticed.

“We saw enough of him to last a lifetime,” said Coach Carl Thompson of Camarillo. “He’s a very hard-driven player. He’s got great vision and seems to always be looking down the field, past the first tackler.”

Blackledge ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns in the opener against a stingy Westlake defense.

“He was a tough guy to tackle because he had good speed and he shifted gears real well,” said Coach Jim Benkert of Westlake. “He sets up his blocks and he does a great job of accelerating. He’d cut and, boom, he’d go.”

Blackledge saved his best performance for the Bulldogs’ most important game, rushing for 171 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-28 victory over cross-town rival Ventura in a showdown for the Channel title. Ventura was 9-0 at the time.

Blackledge and backfield mate Freddy Keiaho, who rushed for 1,176 yards, were the main reasons why the Bulldogs averaged 34.3 points per game.