Running back Houston Thomas emerges as key weapon for Servite football
Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now
ANAHEIM — There was no mistaking the emotion on Houston Thomas’ face that afternoon in early August. His father and football coach stood behind him during introductions at the Trinity League football media day, firmly placed a hand on his shoulder and praised his work ethic.
The Servite running back had received that type of affirmation privately from his dad — Friars coach Troy Thomas — but his eyes welled and his posture stiffened as he listened to the words on a public stage.
Houston said the moment of recognition, which his father also repeated with a few other teammates, still stirs his heart.
“I’m trying not to tear up right now,” he said before practice earlier this week. “He’s had so many great players and just the way he thinks of me just means a lot. I’m a very emotional guy.”
And for an emotional week, he is just the type of the player the Friars need.
Servite (8-0, 3-0), ranked second in Orange County and eighth in the nation by MaxPreps, plays long-standing rival and No. 1 Mater Dei (6-0, 3-0) at Santa Ana Stadium on Saturday at 8 p.m. for first place in the Trinity League. The game will air live on Bally Sports West.
Tickets for the clash sold out in minutes Monday. The game has even attracted an ESPN film crew to document the rivalry and rising Monarchs quarterback Elijah Brown.
One of the key matchups for the showdown centers on Houston, a hard-charging senior who has backed up his father’s preseason praise to become a breakout performer.
In his first season as the Friars’ No. 1 back, the 5-foot-8, 170-pound Houston has rushed for a Trinity League-leading 678 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those are impressive numbers for a balanced offense that faces a defense that is difficult to run against.
“A really pleasant surprise,” national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins of 247Sports and Bally Sports West said of Thomas. “Really tough kid. Not a big back but runs very hard and has a burst.”
Arizona-committed quarterback Noah Fifita and emerging sophomore Hoi Hansen also are part of a Servite ground attack pitted against a Mater Dei defense holding teams to an average of 32.3 rushing yards per game.
Duncanville of Texas has been the only opponent this season to run the ball successfully against Mater Dei. The Panthers netted 155 yards but were ultimately too one-dimensional in a 45-3 loss.
Servite’s offense has the potential to be more balanced thanks to Fifita, a cast of receivers led by Oregon-committed Tetairoa McMillan and a strong offensive line featuring Mason Graham, Oskar Madrigal, Josiah Laban, Matthew Toilolo, Nicholas Flores and Vaka Hansen.
But will Servite be able to run the ball Saturday and perhaps slow the Mater Dei blitz?
“Stopping the run is one of our priorities and the Thomas kid will make it difficult,” Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. “He’s a low-to-the-ground, powerful running back who has the vision to make the cut at the right time and is not afraid of the physicality of the game.”
Houston also knows what the Mater Dei-Servite rivalry means to the schools and players.
As a youngster, he hung out at practices during his father’s first tenure at Servite and admired standouts such as Troy Niklas, Matt Inman and Butch Pauu. The trio are links to a time when Servite last defeated Mater Dei — 2009-11.
Mater Dei has won the game nine straight years.
“Servite and Mater Dei games have been wars in the past,” Houston said. “Recently, it hasn’t been a war and we want to try to make it a war again.”
Houston said he was excited when his father returned for his second stint at Servite in the winter of 2018, just a few months before he started high school.
He knew only a few fellow freshmen at the time but soon discovered more friends and passions.
Houston has participated in track and field, wrestling, rugby and basketball. He also maintains roughly a 4.3 grade-point average and recently joined a weekly bible study organized by senior tight end Ty McDowell.
“I’m just very passionate about everything in my life,” said Houston, whose brother Maddox will be a freshman at Servite next year.
Troy credits coaches and teachers, along with his wife, Stacey, for inspiring his son but he also has been a constant with Houston at Servite. They’ve been carpool buddies for four years, talking about school, nutrition, and listening to podcasts. But most of all, they’ve grown closer.
“It’s pretty special,” Houston said of his relationship with his father. “I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else. He’s definitely molded me into the player that I am today. Most people think it’s hard playing for your dad, and at times it has been, but I think it’s been pretty easy.
“Growing up with him and being around his teams, I kind of know what he expects,” he added. “My dad is a great guy. I love him.”
This post first appeared on ocregister.com
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue82erqxnoqq7r7XNoGSbmZOgeqm71KyrqKZdqbWwucCsZJ6llae0pr%2BMmqpmo5WuerixwKmmp2WWpL9uv8SrraKslWKzsLvTm5ilpF8%3D