Senior Nick Utley named MVP in the El Camino league
When it comes to football, senior Nick Utley goes the distance — and a whole lot more. The 6–foot–1 running back won the title of El Camino league MVP as well as varsity football team MVP at the Football Awards Night on Sunday Dec. 6. As a senior, Utley put up incredible numbers with fourteen touchdowns and averaging 7.75 yards per carry. He also scored the most points in the league with 84 points and a grand total of 1390 yards.
"To be honest, I had no clue it was coming. There were a couple of guys I saw in the league we played that were really good players. I didn’t expect that I was going to get it," Utley said.
Although Utley focused solely on his running back position in his previous three years, this year he got the chance to improve in other offensive positions. Utley managed to earn a total of 320 yards as a wide receiver.
According to coach Jeff Mueller, Utley’s game improved each year, but he remained humble. On the field, Utley was a quiet leader who led his team through his outstanding plays.
"In his junior year, he was kind of overwhelmed," Mueller said. "But in his senior year, I had a talk with him and I said ‘I know you have a second gear, it’s time that you show it’, and that’s when he started running away from people."
Teammate senior Kalon Zandbergs also praised Utley for his outstanding performance on the field every single game night. Utley was also voted team MVP by his teammates.
"He let his play speak for himself," Zandbergs said. "He ran hard and didn’t take plays off."
For the future, Utley is hoping to compete at the collegiate level, looking at colleges such as Chapman University to run with.
"Even though [Chapman] is not offering scholarships, I want to continue playing football," Utley said.
