Daily Pilot Player of the Week, Billy Clayton: Finishing strong

Barry Faulkner

Just more than a week after Billy Clayton put a finite limit on his

football playing days, the Newport Harbor High senior showed how he

intends to extend his career expiration date.

A three-sport star, who will graduate with eight varsity letters in

football, basketball and volleyball, Clayton choose volleyball as his

collegiate sport on Nov. 4 when he elected to accept a scholarship from

Stanford University.

But the 6-foot-5, 195-pound receiver and safety hopes he doesn’t have to

walk away from his fall athletic passion until after the CIF Southern

Section Division VI title game, the second weekend in December.

“I was trying to decide whether or not to play football in college,”

Clayton said. “Football coaches were calling and it was taking away time

from my schoolwork. Now, I know which sport I’m going to play in college.

Hopefully, I’ll have four more (football) games left and I want to make

the most of them. Coming into high school, I always looked forward to

playing football. I hoped that would be the highlight of my high school

career. Winning CIF (Southern Section Division I) last year in volleyball

was an amazing experience, but football is special.”

Clayton, who missed nearly four nonleague games with a severe quadriceps

injury, said Friday’s Sea View League finale at Aliso Niguel High was the

first time he felt 100% since getting hurt in the season opener.

He took advantage of his return to health by catching four passes,

including touchdowns of 10 and 17 yards, as well as hauling in the

game-clinching interception in the Sailors’ 14-7 win.

The performance helped wrap up Newport’s outright Sea View title and

capped the third unbeaten regular season (9-0-1) in the program’s

69-season varsity history. It also made Clayton the Daily Pilot Player of

the Week.

“I had the opportunity to make some plays and I was able to step up and

do it,” said Clayton, an All-Newport-Mesa District receiver last fall who

was first-team all-league on defense. “I had come back from the injury to

start league, but I really felt like (the injury) was holding me back.

The part of the game I enjoy is making athletic plays. Jumping up and

catching a ball in the air has been a strength, but it wasn’t when I came

back. I felt like my vertical (leap) was about half what it was, until

just last week.”

Clayton made the most of his renewed leaping ability on one touchdown

catch, fully extending to haul in a Chris Manderino pass in the end zone.

“When I got up after that one, I was yelling and screaming,” Clayton

said. “I was totally excited. Part of why I play football is to do things

like that.”

Despite missing time, he has 14 receptions for 245 yards and six

touchdowns this fall, after posting 25 catches for 485 yards and two TDs

as a junior.

A three-year starter at safety, Clayton said he is comfortable on either

side of the ball.

“I hadn’t played football at all until high school, but now I really feel

like I understand the game,” he said. “I can read defenses and make

conversions on routes, and I can just go out there and fly around on

defense. I understand team concepts and I’m able to go out there and

play, instead of worrying about what I’m doing.”

Clayton’s abandon is best displayed when a ball is airborne in his

vicinity.

“As long as the ball is in the air, I’m having fun on offense or

defense,” said Clayton, who is also among the fastest players on the

team, according to Coach Jeff Brinkley.

“He’s a good athlete, a good competitor and (against Aliso) he turned it

up a notch,” Brinkley said. “We needed someone to make big plays and he

stepped up. He’s feeling healthier and he’s playing with more confidence.

He’s got his college decision behind him, so he can focus now on

finishing off his senior season the way he wants to.”

Clayton would love to add a CIF crown in football and the Sailors are the

No. 2 seed as the Division VI playoffs begin this week.

“My main goal, right now, is a CIF championship,” Clayton said.