Scholar, Athlete

For James Bethea, there was never a question what he would do after high school.

There was a master plan.

Bethea was groomed by his paternal grandparents, who are his legal guardians, to attend a university, perhaps on an athletic scholarship.

Academics came first, athletics second. Always in that order for nearly every day of the 17-year-old’s life.

So when Bethea was offered a scholarship to play football for California, his grandparents weren’t the least bit surprised.

“That’s what we had planned for all along,” said Gracie Bethea, James’ grandmother. “As long as he kept his head on straight, he would get a scholarship.”

Under his grandparents’ watchful eyes and strict discipline, Bethea, who earned a qualifying score on the SAT as a sophomore, rarely disappointed in the classroom or on the playing field.

Bethea, who will compete in the CaliFlorida All-Star football game Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, graduated from Cleveland High with a 3.4 grade-point average and earned seven varsity letters in football and track.

Although the 5-foot-10, 180-pound speedster will play cornerback at Cal, most of his experience is at running back.

The All-City selection helped Cleveland earn a share of its first league title since 1977. He rushed for 31 touchdowns, nearly 2,000 yards and averaged 8.8 yards a carry. He also ran legs on two City Championship relay teams as a senior.

Bethea, who has an easy-going, low-key demeanor, earns high marks from coaches for his versatility.

“It’s nice to have him because he can do a lot of things,” said Gene Vollnogle, coach of the California all-stars.

Vollnogle said Bethea will start at cornerback and play a lot at slot receiver, a position in which he has minimal experience.

“We’re going to put the ball in the air and he can catch the ball,” Vollnogle said. “He has very good hands, good speed. He’s a threat.”

He’s also a quick study who learned from his mistakes, his grandmother said.

“Once you got on him for one thing, you very seldom had to go back on him a second time,” Gracie Bethea said.

While Bethea’s grandparents rarely missed one of their grandson’s athletic events, they never allowed Bethea’s athletic ambition to surpass his academic achievement.

They asked him more often about homework than football practice.

“That’s one thing his grandfather always told him, ‘You can play football and get hurt and that’s it, it’s over. But what you have in your head or brain nobody can take away from you,’ ” Gracie Bethea said.

James Bethea grew up on a steady diet of axioms from his grandfather, who two months ago died of a heart attack after battling lung cancer.

His grandfather’s words of wisdom provide Bethea with a road map. No longer is it his grandfather stressing the importance of good grades, a college education and success in life. It’s Bethea.

“I am the essence of his creation,” he said.

Unlike many talented high school players, Bethea doesn’t dream of an NFL career.

He’s more excited about getting an education to prepare him for the future.

“Whatever makes the most money. That’s what I want to major in, making money, as much as possible,” he said.

“What would make me happy is to be able to provide for my family. That’s how my grandfather was. He made sure that I had everything I could possibly want.”

Bethea, who was born in Hawaii, moved in with his grandparents in San Fernando when he was 3 months old. His parents met while they were students at the University of Hawaii and relinquished custody of their son in order to continue their college careers.

Bethea has little contact with his mother, but he frequently sees his father, who lives in Sylmar.

Bethea’s father, also named James, played running back at San Fernando High and then for Hawaii from 1980-81.

Because of their family history and proximity to the school, Bethea’s grandfather assumed his grandson would attend San Fernando.

But after attending First Lutheran in Sylmar from kindergarten through eighth grade, Bethea told his grandfather he wanted to attend Cleveland in Reseda.

“He said, ‘Why do you want to go to a losing school?’ ” Bethea recalled.

At the time, Bethea was thinking more of his schooling and his track career than football.

He excelled immediately in track, running legs on the varsity 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams as a freshman.

He joined the varsity football team three games into his sophomore season, soon after his 15th birthday, and started at cornerback.

“That’s like my only real cornerback experience ever,” he said.

After he gained 1,020 yards and scored 11 touchdowns as a junior for a 2-8 team, Bethea contributed to the Cavaliers’ worst-to-first turnaround last season.

He rushed for 282 yards and three touchdowns in 30 carries in Cleveland’s 28-26 upset of Taft in the final West Valley League game to give the Cavaliers a share of a title.

“It doesn’t get more exciting than that,” Bethea said. “Unless something happens at Cal, that’s probably the most exciting game I’ll have ever played in.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

* WHAT: California vs. Florida All-Star football game

* WHEN: Saturday

* WHERE: Rose Bowl

* KICKOFF: 7 p.m.

* PLAYERS TO WATCH: Patrick Norton of Hart (fullback/linebacker); Manuel White of Valencia (tailback); Matt Cassel of Chatsworth (quarterback); Scott Vossmeyer of Crescenta Valley (quarterback); James Bethea of Cleveland (defensive back); Keary Colbert of Hueneme (receiver); John Wall of Birmingham (kicker); Adrian Ayala of St. Bonaventure (tackle); Steve Nevarez of San Fernando (guard); Gregg Guenther of Taft (tight end).

SEE ROSTERS FOR CALIFORNIA AND FLORIDA ON PAGE 15