HS FOOT: Saugus' Hamilton proves to be a natural

"I like getting interceptions, and I've had a lot of good coaching that's helped me out," Hamilton said.

He's only 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, but Hamilon has emerged as one of the Foothill League's brightest young talents. He has 46 tackles (37 unassisted), three fumble recoveries and three pass deflections.

"I think Scott has an uncanny ability for hunting the football," Saugus coach Jason Bornn said. "Other teams look at him and think he's too short or maybe he's too slow, but he's a tremendous athlete. It's his first year playing football, and he's done with hoops. No hoops anymore."

Saugus is averaging fewer than 300 yards total offense for the season but has yet to allow a Foothill League opponent to score more than three touchdowns in a game thanks to an opportunistic defense that has forced 20 turnovers; Hamilton is a big part of Saugus' success.

"I think we're pretty good. We have a chance to go far," Hamilton said. "We can keep winning if we all play together because we've got heart."