By BRIAN WHITEHEAD, OC Register
Football comes and goes faster than any other high school sport.
Garden Grove High quarterback Alejandro Ceja, right, led the Argonauts to the CIF Southern Division championship this fall, scoring more rushing touchdowns in 2014 than any other quarterback in Orange County. (OC Register)
Scarcity is what makes football spectacular. Ten games isn’t many, and that urgency adds drama to a sport often won or lost by slim margins.
High school football fields are landmarks these days, with parents, students and fans filling stadiums to capacity every week in the fall. Friday nights have become spectacles in Orange County.
Players graduate, and coaches change. But football programs will always remain. Whether it’s Garden Grove High, Rancho Alamitos High or Westminster High, tradition exists on campus, living through every player in uniform.
A new batch of student-athletes will embark on the same journey next fall. It’ll be another campaign fueled by hope, perseverance and passion.
What’ll ultimately separate next year’s troop from this year’s is how it pursues greatness.
We can’t wait. See you in 2015.
Player of the year: Garden Grove High
Alejandro Ceja
Position: Quarterback, defensive back
Year: Senior
What didn’t Ceja do this season? A receiver-turned-quarterback, Ceja took the reins of coach Ricardo Cepeda’s offense and rode Garden Grove into the sunset. Ceja completed 63 percent of his scant pass attempts, but made big throws when big throws were needed. His legs made him a viable contributor to the rushing offense, and he finished with 1,165 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. Defensively, Ceja spent Friday nights chasing opposing receivers around the field. Opposite ballhawk Reily Hoalton, Ceja intercepted three pass attempts. He also finished with 68 tackles. Outstanding two-way players are a dime a dozen, and very few have the chops to play a position as mentally- and physically-taxing as quarterback. Ceja is a rare breed, the latest in a long line of great Garden Grove football players.
Other notable players: Jordan Antunez, RB (207 carries, 1,515 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns); Reily Hoalton, WR/DB (159 receiving yards, 72 total tackles, seven interceptions)
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