{"id":2968,"date":"2009-10-30T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2009-10-30T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/sports\/the-resiliency-of-millikan-s-qb-rb-db-alden-darby\/"},"modified":"2009-10-30T06:01:00","modified_gmt":"2009-10-30T06:01:00","slug":"the-resiliency-of-millikan-s-qb-rb-db-alden-darby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/the-resiliency-of-millikan-s-qb-rb-db-alden-darby","title":{"rendered":"The Resiliency Of Millikan’s QB\/RB\/DB Alden Darby"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Photo By Bill Sampson<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

Alden Darby is becoming arguably the best athlete in the talent-rich Moore League football scene.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>However, the journey and courage he’s exhibited to become the player and person he is today far exceeds anything he’s accomplished on the football field.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The 17-year old Millikan High School senior plays quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back and returns kicks.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>Darby\u2014 the name he’s referred to by even more than his first name\u2014 had led a Rams team that was voted last by Moore League coaches in a preseason poll to a 6-2 mark, including a victory last week over Poly that got Millikan into the CIF Pac-5 Top 10.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Darby has completed 37 of 78 passes for 452 yards and six touchdowns, but he’s done his damage on the ground with 565 yards on 98 carries and nine touchdowns.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>He’s also caught 14 passes for 149 yards when first-string quarterback Paul Slater was completely healthy, and has picked off three passes while playing in the Rams defensive backfield.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

What almost nobody (including his teammates) knows about the Millikan standout, however, is that he’s spent most of his high school life without the presence of his biological parents.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>Darby has never had a consistent place to call his own, but because of his high character, he’s never wanted people to feel sorry for him and has kept it essentially a secret.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Darby has not always been the responsible, even-tempered person he is today, and he gives credit to his stepfather, Eric Johnson, for helping him grow even in the worst of conditions.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson, the father of Alden’s sister, saw Darby spend much of his youth alone and decided to take an interest in his life when he realized Darby’s mother was not going to.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlden had problems with his temper and didn’t always treat his coaches with respect as a young kid, but I couldn’t be more proud of his growth and the fact that he is making the right decisions\u2026 when others around him put him in a situation where it would have been easy to go down the wrong path,\u201d an emotional Johnson said this week.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>\u201cI wish people knew what a courageous person he is and what he’s had to go through to get to this point.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Darby has slept at his grandmother’s place, and former teammates have taken him in as well, but this week he reflected on what he’s missed most about not having a steady home life. <\/span> <\/span><\/span>\u201cI know my step dad would take me in if I asked, but he’s got a lot going on\u2026 the thing I wish I could do most that my other friends are able to do is just the ability to come home to a safe house and put my head down on a pillow.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s that reality and the way he’s handled it that makes Darby such a lovable kid.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlden doesn’t like to talk much about his past, but we know a little about it and it\u2019s amazing what a great friend and person he is,\u201d says quarterback Paul Slater. \u201cHe\u2019s the best high school football player I have ever seen and is someone that everybody on this team looks up to.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

On the field, Darby is tied with Wilson’s Ezell Ruffin for the ML lead with 66 total points, and his talent has not gone unnoticed by opposing coaches.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlden Darby is a dynamic athlete that plays with a lot of passion,\u201d says Lakewood coach Thadd MacNeal of the player his defense will have to key on Friday night. \u201cHe\u2019s everything for their team and is probably the best athlete in our league.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Darby wouldn’t ever come off the field if it were up to him.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>\u201cI like putting up big numbers, but I am much more interested in our team winning games, and I love doing everything I can to help us do just that,\u201d says Darby. \u201cWe have so many playmakers and I would be nothing without the great play of our offensive line.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Darby said all of his teammates have brought him strength and a brotherhood he will never forget, especially Aamil Muhammad, Silver Vaifanua, Derek Mireles, Jerrell Bradford and Paul Slater.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe all look up to Alden and anytime we need a big play, we know he’s going to make it for us,\u201d running back Silver Vaifanua said.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Living close to Atlantic Ave.,<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>Johnson recalls the time when he and Darby decided it was going to be Millikan he played for and not Poly, because Johnson wanted to see Darby make a name for himself at a school that wasn’t known for their football prowess, as Poly obviously is.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Said Johnson, \u201cI told Alden I wanted him to go to Millikan and earn his way onto the team, and that he was going to work so hard and one day they would beat Poly. Last week when I walked off the field with him after he fulfilled everything we’ve worked for in that win over Poly, I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of someone in my life.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn’t just the drama of a 35-34 double-overtime victory that had Millikan players, coaches and fans going crazy, it was that Darby had thrown for three touchdowns, rushed for another and picked off a pass.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve been coaching for 31 years and Alden is the best leader I have ever seen,\u201d Millikan coach Kirk Diego said this week.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>\u201cHe is a true champion and you’ll never see someone work harder than he does.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The biggest game of their season was a blueprint of what exactly Darby brings to this football team, a unit that resembles the Millikan baseball team of last year that surprisingly won the Moore League behind coach Scott Glasser.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Slater, a starter for both teams, echoed the similarities, saying \u201cWe are just a group of smaller guys who go out there with people not expecting much from us, but because of our hard work, coaching and the way we play together, we have shocked a lot of people.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Darby has had interest from USC, Oregon, UCLA, Washington, Iowa State and Northern Arizona, and a lot is hinging on his SAT scores that he’s preparing for.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>But the beauty of this kid isn’t just his strength, speed, athleticism and leadership\u2014 it\u2019s his heart.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>Despite being let down time and again by adults in his life, Darby wants to make it big so that he can help others.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to have a career in football, because I want to be able to take care of my family the way a family is supposed to take care of each other,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

For his stepfather, the path to today wasn’t always easy, but it has more than been fruitful.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>\u201cI worked hard to help Alden in every way I could, but this couldn’t have been done without great men like (coach) Kirk Diego, Paul Slater, Aamil Muhammad, Silver Vaifanua, Derek Mireles and Jerrell Bradford being a part of his life.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>If I could thank God for blessing Alden, it wouldn’t be for his physical skills, I would say thank you for giving him such a great heart.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The games continues tomorrow when the Rams take on high-flying Lakewood, but the season won’t be measured on what happens then.<\/span>  <\/span><\/span>Millikan has and will continue to surprise people until the last whistle, and Alden Darby will of course be leading the way.<\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s a story of disappointments, courage and triumph, and it’s the story of Millikan senior Alden Darby. The Rams are running to the playoffs, and they couldn’t do it with out this amazing leader.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":16953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-2968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2968"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=2968"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}