Sylmar’s Gable Has All the Right Moves

C.J. Gable of Sylmar is a humble, soft-spoken All-City running back who averages 11.1 yards a carry and is so explosive that his coach, London Woodfin, says, “It’s hard to use the word incredible, but it comes out every time I see him run.�

In a City Section quarterfinal, Gable had a 75-yard touchdown run, a 69-yard touchdown reception, a 72-yard interception return and a 50-yard kickoff return.

USC and UCLA would gladly sign him to a letter of intent today if they could.

“He’s just a big play waiting to happen,� Woodfin said.

For those who want to know what it’s like to collide with Gable, football official Randy Stoller tells the story of his close encounter with the 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior.

It happened in a game against San Fernando. Stoller didn’t see Gable coming across the field trying to make a tackle. With no warning, Gable slammed into Stoller at full speed.

“I call it being hit by a Mack truck,� Stoller said. “I got hit so hard I couldn’t breathe.�

Stoller was on the ground for 20 minutes, bleeding from a cut in his mouth. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital and received three stitches. For weeks, the left side of his chest ached from bruised ribs.

As for Gable, he was fine except for concern for Stoller.

“I didn’t even see him,� Gable said. “I was in shock. I was getting scared because he was shaking. I thought I had killed him.�

In each of the last two seasons, Gable has rushed for more than 2,000 yards, which at most schools would qualify him for Hall of Fame status. But at Sylmar, his credentials only allow him to be mentioned in the same breath as Jerome Casey, Tobaise Brookins, Tyrone Crenshaw and Durell Price, the running backs who turned Sylmar into a City Section football power.

Casey was offered a scholarship to USC in 1990 but failed to qualify academically. Brookins went to Washington, Crenshaw to Michigan State and Price to UCLA. None fully lived up to their high school potential in college.

And that’s where Gable has the chance to separate himself.

“All the [college] coaches are licking their chops,� Woodfin said. “He’s got speed, he’s got hands, he’s got quickness, he’s got toughness. He’s such a competitor that it’s going to drive him to the top.�

Gable doesn’t care if he’s a tailback, receiver, cornerback or safety in college. He just wants the chance to play.

“It’s about seizing your moment of opportunity,� said Woodfin, a defensive tackle at UCLA from 1990-94.

Said Gable: “I never talk about myself. You’ll never hear me say, ‘I’m the best.’ Anybody can say that. You have to show it.�

Gable has improved each year of high school.

As a sophomore, he’d pick up yards straight ahead, rarely putting on moves. As a junior, he began to let his talent take over, combining speed and athleticism with brute power. This season, he says, “I put it all together.�

Woodland Hills Taft Coach Troy Starr is one of the growing legion of Gable admirers.

“He has a unique running style,� Starr said. “He’s a hard guy to get a clear shot at because he’s elusive and has great vision.�

The only two unbeaten teams left in the City Section, Sylmar (12-0) and Taft (12-0), will play Friday night at Taft in a semifinal playoff game. It will be almost a neighborhood reunion for Gable because he knows so many of the Taft players from their youth football days.

“Everybody wants to see this game,� said Gable, who is ready to turn on the speed and do whatever it takes to help the Spartans reach next week’s City final at the Coliseum.

He and his friends used to tease each other who’d win a game between Sylmar and Taft.

“Man, if we play, we’ll beat you,� they’d say.

“Yeah, right,� was the response.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at [email protected].