Booker Caps Remarkable Season, Career

Lorenzo Booker, the senior tailback from Ventura St. Bonaventure High has capped his high school football career by being selected The Times’ back of the year.

In his final season, Booker gained 2,870 yards and scored 50 touchdowns in 228 carries.

At 5 feet 11 and 185 pounds, he scored 330 points, including 15 two-point conversions.

In Booker’s three seasons at St. Bonaventure, after he transferred from Oxnard, where he played on the freshman team, he set Southern Section and state career records for yards rushing (8,502), touchdowns (137), touchdowns rushing (131) and points scored (882).

“Lorenzo the football player is irreplaceable, but I’ll miss Lorenzo as a person and as a leader even more,” Coach Jon Mack said. “He’s raised the level of standards here.”

Behind Booker, the Seraphs went 42-0 and won three consecutive Southern Section Division XI championships.

He rushed for 100 yards or more in 41 games, including 28 in a row after gaining 91 yards in a 22-15 victory over Ojai Nordhoff in the 1999 division title game.

Booker was selected the Gatorade national player of the year, and he is considering scholarship offers from Washington, Florida State and USC.

“I ended my career exactly the way I wanted--42-0 with three straight championships,” Booker said.

“I felt like it was a storybook ending.”