Quick Batts swings game in favor of Crusaders

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

B.J. Batts of St. Louis scans the field during this 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that extended the lead to 20-6 at the time. Batts slipped three attempted tackles on the return. Batts scored three times. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

But in last night's Chevron State Football Championship game at Aloha Stadium, Batts was the one guy nobody could catch.

Batts rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, caught three passes for 31 yards, and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown that helped give the Crusaders a 20-6 lead just 51 seconds before halftime. Castle had closed the margin to 14-6 just 15 seconds earlier on Ethan Gonzalves' 36-yard field goal.

But after Batts' return, the Knights never got closer than two touchdowns and lost, 34-15.

"That was a very pivotal play," Castle coach Nelson Maeda said. "We still felt pretty good about where we were, down just two touchdowns. But if we went in down only 14-6, we might have changed some strategy."

On Gonzalves' first kickoff, following a 25-yard field goal earlier in the second quarter, he launched the ball into the south end zone for an automatic touchback. On the second kickoff, however, Batts was able to field it at the 1.

"I was hoping, praying I could catch it," Batts said. "Once I caught it, I didn't think about it. I just ran."

In St. Louis' 31-21 loss to No. 1-ranked De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) on Sept. 21, Batts was unable to return any kickoffs because the Spartans forced six automatic touchbacks. Maeda said he was hoping Gonzalves could do the same thing.

"He's been pretty consistent getting it into the end zone, and he boomed the one before," Maeda said. "We thought he could do it again so we decided to kick it deep, but he came up just short."

Batts fielded the ball at the 1, ran straight up the middle, then bounced outside. He broke a tackle at about his own 30, then eluded and shook two would-be tacklers near midfield. After that, he outran all pursuers down the right sideline for a record that won't be broken under current high school rules, which do not allow players to run back kickoffs from the end zone.

"I noticed that on (the Knights') kickoff coverage, everybody was tight," Saints coach Delbert Tengan said. "I told B.J. if he could take it right up the middle, he would draw everybody tight and he should look for a seam to get outside, and that's what he did. I knew if he could get outside, they wouldn't have anybody there to get him."

Tengan said Batts is not someone whose speed should be measured by a stopwatch.

"He's a jitterbug, and when he gets that adrenaline going, he runs a little faster," Tengan said. "When you talk about guys who have 'game speed,' he's definitely one of them."

Maeda agreed.

"There were a couple of our guys who normally would run him down," Maeda said. "But they couldn't catch him on that one."

Since Batts is just a junior, opponents will have to chase after him for one more season. But Batts said last night's victory was for this year's players.

"This was for the seniors," Batts said. "For us juniors, we've still got next year."