Above: Adam Ross (No. 44) and Joel Bryant (No. 5) are leaders on and off the field at Flintridge Prep High School. (Staff Photo/Keith Birmingham)
Team always comes first
Bryant, Ross keep proper perspective at Flintridge Prep
By Miguel A. Melendez
Staff Writer
LA CAADA – Sure, football is their passion.
But for Joel Bryant and Adam Ross, it’s just a small piece to the everlasting puzzle we call life.
Bryant and Ross are running backs at Flintridge Prep. The Rebels didn’t have the best of starts this season, but Bryant and Ross, who have taken on the leadership role this season, are not concerned.
Bryant, who is as cool, calm and collected as an athlete can get, calmly explained how he gets his teammates to keep it together despite Flintridge Prep heading into Week 7 with a 1-5 overall record.
“I go into every game expecting we can win,” Bryant said. “Records are deceiving. They don’t define a team.”
Call them Thunder and Lightning.
Ross is a thundering back who would rather go through you than around you. Bryant is a lightning-quick back who is elusive and can avoid defenders with his quickness.
Ross is the workhorse who accounts for much of the Rebels’ yardage and leads Flintridge Prep down the field on long drives.
Enter Bryant, who finishes the job getting into the end zone.
“They blend as one complete running attack,” Rebels coach Perry Skaggs said.
“If you put us together we’re Reggie Bush,” Ross joked.
Ross finished with 12 touchdowns and 860 yards rushing last season to Bryant’s eight touchdowns and 428 yards.
Bryant has nine touchdowns to Ross’ six this season, but Ross shrugs it off.
What Skaggs will miss in Bryant and Ross when they leave for college are their personalities. They are two good players who are even greater people and shined because of who they are rather than what they do on the field.
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