Gwaltney's run just the beginning
November 28, 2004
Once a kid runs more than four miles, as Jason Gwaltney did for four years on a high school football field, it's only natural to wonder: Where's he off to? And the only answer anyone can come up with is: Someplace.
Someplace special is most likely, although nobody knows for sure, not even when you're good enough to evoke the mention of Long Island's most famous former high school player, a guy named Jim Brown.
Dozens of frustrated Garden City High School tacklers might argue the future can't possibly be more slippery than Gwaltney, not after their Class II championship game. But there are no guarantees in life, and a crystal ball can't be manipulated like a football.
The best you can do is follow the clues that Gwaltney dropped along the way in a historic career at North Babylon, which ended pretty much the way it started. The first time he ever carried a football in a game, he went 82 yards and scored. Yesterday afternoon, the final time he carried, he went 11 yards and scored.
In between, there were 7,707 more yards and 133 more touchdowns and a gazillion love letters and romantic phone calls from major colleges, all tripping over themselves to sign a kid who's tougher to bring down than a helium balloon on a blustery day.
His crowning achievement was saved for last, when he did it all for North Babylon in the Bulldogs' 43-14 championship victory over Garden City.
He intercepted a pass on the game's first play, sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble, ran for 237 yards, rushed for four touchdowns, caught a touchdown pass, ran for a two-point conversion, punted twice and also was the holder for extra points. He was a running back/linebacker/receiver/punter/holder. There weren't these many slashes in "Seed of Chucky."
It was more than enough to cause a 65-year-old veteran of the Long Island sports scene to shake his head.
"He's one of the two or three best backs I've ever seen," said Garden City coach Tom Flatley, who has grainy memories of watching Brown play at Manhasset back in the '50s. "He's got some of the power that Jimmy Brown had."
Gwaltney plays as hard as he grew up, the main reason why he holds all the important rushing records on Long Island. Every team knew he was getting the ball. No team could stop him from doing something with it. That's the truest sign that he's worth all the fuss. That's why USC coach Pete Carroll has Gwaltney's cell phone number.
"I think God has blessed me," Gwaltney said.
Let's hope the blessings keep coming and Gwaltney keeps going.
Teenagers with his talent often do. A good many end up at the finest schools, enjoy productive college careers and help fill football stadiums every Saturday. They maximize the gifts they're given and make names for themselves.
That's something Gwaltney began dreaming about as soon as he left the field yesterday.
"On Tuesday," he said, "I start preparing for Division I football. There's no 'stop' in me."
He hasn't stopped since he made the decision to leave his mother's house to live with his father several years ago. This is the best clue yet about which direction Gwaltney's going. Every year, dozens if not hundreds of high school football players can't cope with the college lifestyle and course load. But Richard Berry has far fewer fears about his son now than he did before.
"He's changed," Berry said. "He went through some rough times at first. It was all about improving his social behavior, getting along with teachers, other kids, other adults. He had some problems. He would act defiantly toward other adults. But eventually, because of football, he saw what was at stake. He saw what he could lose. One day I told him, 'Be a knucklehead or be straight.' He chose the right one.
"What I want most from him is an education," Berry said. "Anything else is extra."
There are other factors to consider. Gwaltney will notice a change in the level of competition, for one. He'll compete against players from Florida and Texas and California, all high school football hotbeds.
Most of the Long Island kids who have tried to tackle Gwaltney won't set foot on a major college field, unless they're holding a tuba at halftime. There's also the chance of injury or a better player coming along. Remember, almost everyone in Division I was a high school star somewhere, just like Gwaltney.
At least the historians will tell you they've seen only a few like him around here. One is in the Hall of Fame. The other, Amos Zereoue, is in the NFL.
The next one is on his way, going somewhere. Maybe West Virginia, where he gave an oral commitment that is not binding, or Ohio State or to Carroll.
Jason Gwaltney officially ran away from Long Island yesterday afternoon. Where he's headed and how far he'll travel is anyone's guess. But he is holding a football. That's a hint.
