But he used to be a handful in his early days as a student-athlete at Monterey Trail High School. This drew the ire of football coach TJ Ewing, who has a good pulse on what happens in those hallways and classrooms as the only head varsity leader since the school opened in the Elk Grove Unified School District in 2004.
So the coach ran Waffer hard in practices, coached him equally as hard, and patted him on the back when earned. Waffer grew and matured, stuck with football and has been a key senior cog for the surging Mustangs. On Friday night at Mark Macres Memorial Stadium, No. 11 Monterey Trail held off No. 3 Grant 35-34 in a Metro League thriller that will go a long way in deciding the championship.
It was quite a show to toast a festive homecoming night in front of a full house and scores of Mustangs alums in facing the defending CIF state Division 3-AA champions.
Waffer rushed for 197 yards with scoring runs of 5 and 43 yards, and he celebrated with everyone in Mustangs green when Grant was stopped inches shy of the goal line on a 2-point conversion attempt to win it with 1:14 left to play. The Mustangs ran out the clock from there, skipped and danced their way to the sideline and mobbed their coaches, who mobbed right back.
Ewing told his players it took everyone to win this one. He later spoke glowingly of Waffer.
“Vontrelle is a special leader, and we really challenged him here,” Ewing said. “We challenged him and he kept coming back. I’m super proud of his maturity. That man has made unbelievable changes since his freshman year. He’s just a great, great leader.”
This was the sixth consecutive win for Monterey Trail, which started the season 0-3 amid a brutal schedule with losses to Bee No. 1 Folsom and Bay Area powers Saint Francis and Pittsburg. MT’s Metro League record is 26-0 since being realigned to the league before the 2018 season. The school will be realigned back into the Delta League next academic year, which is where Ewing said the Mustangs have always wanted to be and where they belong, given that the league is full of nearby EGUSD programs.
Two players who know the Delta League well shined for Grant in stellar running backs Wayshawn Parker, formerly of Elk Grove High, and Devin Green, formerly of nearby Sheldon High. Both did their part on Friday in a showcase of backs.
Green, in his second game with the Pacers after a seven-week sit out tied to his transfer and appeal, rushed for 85 yards with a 17-yard TD run. Parker again ran with power, fury and burst, rushing for 172 yards, including TD runs of 54, 1 and 5 yards, the last one coming with 1:14 to play. He was stopped just shy of the goal line on the conversion attempt, something Ewing can appreciate as Pacers coach Carl Reed went for the win.
Ewing built a powerhouse at MT in part because he never shied away from a challenge. He has gone for two and the win numerous times, winning more than his share.
“Absolutely,” Ewing said, respecting Grant’s decision. “I mean, what do you play for? To win.”
You can view the original article by clicking HERE