Every so often, there is a student-athlete that comes out and 'wows' everybody that watches him. This time, that player is Su'a Cravens of the Vista Murrieta Broncos that has the entire high school football world buzzing. When you watch him play, it's easy to see why.
Most players to one thing and do it well. Cravens does multiple things and could be a 5-star player at any of those positions including wide receiver, running back, linebacker, safety or returning kicks. No matter where Cravens lines up on the field, he is a threat to make a huge impact on the play.
For Cravens, though, this is an accolade that was earned because of everything he does, not just on the field, but off of it as well.
On the field, he has helped lead his Vista Murrieta Broncos to a 13-0 record to this point and will play the CIF North Coast Section Division I final against Centennial High tonight. He has 84 total tackles, four sacks, three interceptions, two punt blocks, 20 catches for 325 yards and eight touchdowns, 15 carries for 168 yards and five touchdowns all while earning a athletic scholarship and verbally committing to play football at USC next year.
Off the field, he is a model figure in his community, volunteering on behalf of the Special Olympics and as a youth football coach. He also maintained a 3.40 GPA.
Cravens is an absolute monster on the field, but he's as humble as they come. He is the Gatorade California Player of the Year, but he wants to make sure credit goes where credit is due, saying "Just want to give all the credit to God and my family. It's been a roller coaster and I couldn't have done it without them and my coaches at Vista Murrieta."
While Cravens does have a lot of focus on his game tonight and this accolade is a great accomplishment, he received the news yesterday of USC's defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin resigning yesterday. When he was asked who his main recruiters were and if this affected his commitment to USC, Cravens said "Coach Cregg and Polamalu (were my recruiters)...It doesn't affect me one bit (on Monte leaving)."
As the Gatorade Player of the Year in California, Cravens joins the likes of recent winners Zach Kline, Cody Kessler, Malcolm Jones, Ryan Kasdorf and Matt Barkley.
As for his recruitment and fans worrying if Cravens is wavering at all after USC's 7-5 season, Su'a had just one thing to say, "Fight On!"
