UPDATED: Duarte coach Jason Martin called to clarify a comment earlier reported about Scoby practicing with the team. Scoby, who is on spring break, was at Duarte Monday morning training with soon-to-be teammate Denzel Talifero because both are involved with B2G. The workout consisted mostly of agility drills and was not a team practice. Duarte’s does not start practice until May 7.
Kurt Scoby, who was the leading rusher at Charter Oak last season, is “in the process” of enrolling at Duarte High School where he’s expected to be fully checked in by next Monday, according to Falcons head coach Jason Martin.
Scoby is the area’s leading returning rusher after running for 1,572 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore. Rumors of Scoby’s impending transfer out of Charter Oak popped up shortly after the 2011 season ended. Some guesses had him going to Bishop Amat, others to Duarte or Monrovia.
“It’s more like a homecoming and he just knows he’s going to be taken care of here,” Martin said. “Academically, this is the best place for him to be. He was having issues over at Charter Oak and this is a better home for him.”
According to Martin, Scoby will be enrolled at Duarte next Monday. The school is currently on spring break.
“Having them here, with their leadership, the sky’s the limit for us,” Martin said of Scoby and Talifero. “It really helps us. I feel blessed just to have these two walk through the door.”
Prior to high school, Scoby was a standout for the Duarte Hawks youth football team. He played a big role with Charter Oak his freshman season and was one of the area’s top backs as a sophomore.
Charter Oak officials would not confirm whether Scoby had checked out of school when contacted on Monday.
“It’s the policy of Charter Oak and most public schools that we can’t talk about student affairs,” Charter Oak coach Lou Farrar said.
Aram’s take: Great get for Duarte! Coach Martin has injected life into the program and this could be one swift turnaround considering that two offseasons ago school officials were worried about even fielding a team. Scoby will certainly find the going easier in the Montview League and presumably the Northwest Division. All I heard about last season was how Martin, then an assistant coach at Duarte, was focusing on keeping all the Duarte Hawks home for high school. In recent years, the Hawks program has been bankrolling other cities with top-notch talent. Those days appear over and now Duarte is looking good. Watch out, Azusa! The reign might be over.
Aram’s take II: If you’re worried about Charter Oak, don’t be. Losing Scoby is a blow. He’s a fantastic player, but the Chargers have a very capable replacement in fellow sophomore Donavin Washington, who is a different kind of runner than Scoby, but can also produce big plays.
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