Running back Tray Boone carried the Narbonne Gauchos to their first ever outright Los Angeles City Championship this past Friday night, running for an astounding 301 yards while scoring six touchdowns on the way to a 48-32 victory over local rival Carson.
Boone, small in stature but big in heart, cut around defenders and slashed his way to countless extra yards, potentially putting himself on the radar for playing at the next level. While he has only had preliminary talks with Bowling Green and Sacramento State, and lacks a scholarship offer, Boone’s play in the widely seen championship game could start to allow him to gain traction in terms of recruiting ahead of February’s Signing Day.
But despite the local fame that carrying a team to a championship brings to a high school senior, in talking with Tray Boone, it’s clear that staying humble and motivated is the number one priority.
“I felt as if it was a fairytale Friday night and I was in a dream, but it was real life,” said Boone when asked about his final game at Narbonne. “I couldn’t think of a better way to finish my high school career.”
While the game brought the end of high school days for Boone, a vast majority of his highly touted teammates, such as quarterback Troy Williams, will remain at Narbonne for not only a chance to repeat as City champions, but improve their stock in the recruiting war. Tray Boone doesn’t have that luxury, which stresses the importance of his 301 yard swan song, and his 649 total rushing yards in the City Section playoffs.
“I mean, I can only hope and pray that my last performance of my high school career will help me get to a Division-1 school, but I do feel that it should at least help a little,” said Boone.
The game has already started to pay dividends for the running back, getting attention in the LA Times, ESPN Los Angeles, and scoring a television interview on top of that. Plus, despite the setbacks that Boone has, such as his size(listed as 5’8″, 170 lbs.), you can look no further than the Oregon Ducks’ LaMichael James for proof that size at tailback isn’t a roadblock.
He can bring not only speed and quickness to the college game, but an attitude and humility that Division-1 coaches dream of. A self-proclaimed “hard working and dedicated player,” Boone emphasized while interviewing him, that he would be the ultimate team player in college.
“I’m pretty much an ‘athlete’, [but] I’ll do whatever it takes to win and if that means playing defensive tackle, I’ll do it,” said Boone. “I can bring a lot of excitement to the college I go to.”
Boone’s determined to get to the next level, citing his lifelong goal of playing for the Florida Gators or the Ohio State Buckeyes as his motivation. But, despite the individuality that recruiting emphasizes in players, scouts and college coaches, for Boone it’s nothing but a team game. In times like these in college football, when so many players are set on the NFL and coast through the NCAA, for a player like Boone, college is the goal right now, and the word “team” is more than just the vehicle.
When asked about Narbonne changing its name to “Narboone” after the legendary game he had in the championship game, Boone answered like nothing more than a humble champion. “It’s a thoughtful suggestion and it would be pretty cool. But I’m no superstar. I’m just another football player who loves the game and his school.”
In less than two months, Tray Boone is bound to make someone happy, as he’s more than deserving of a shot as Division-1 football.
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