by Brian Smith
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| Scott Salinas |
September 21, 2010 - Many of the best Louisiana high school football programs reside in or near Baton Rouge. Of those prominent programs, Baton Rouge (Catholic) certainly holds a reputation as one of the best high school football programs in the area, if not the state. Aside from the great Catholic teams, former running backs such as Warrick Dunn and Travis Minor played for Catholic before attending Florida State and playing in the NFL. Former Catholic quarterback Major Applewhite enjoyed an excellent career at the University of Texas before becoming an assistant college coach. Indeed, Catholic earned its football reputation, but it's not all about the superstar players that entirely make up the formula for success.
This year's Catholic team began the season 2-1. One of the biggest reasons why, fullback Scott Salinas. "So far I've got two touchdowns," Salinas said. "I had like sixty-three yards receiving and fifty-two yards rushing against Istrouma."
The 6-0, 205-pound senior knows tougher games lie ahead. "We beat McKinley 35-0. We start district this week against Denham Springs.” The lone loss came against a tough opponent, but Salinas did not make excuses. "St. Thomas Moore beat us 56-23," Salinas admitted. "We just didn’t make the right adjustments. It was just an all-around bad game for us.”
Next up for Salinas and his Catholic High School teammates, the district schedule.
"We start district play this week against Denham Springs. It's a road game." It's always important to start of district play on the right foot, so Catholic will likely be tested from the outset of the match up with Denham Springs because it's just as important for Denham Springs to win as it is for Catholic to win.
When asked to describe his style of play, Salinas provided a humble answer while also showing that he's not just a blocking fullback. "Hard style of running, good hands, definitely can catch," commented Salinas of his basic skill set. "Blocking does need improving. I run a 4.59; I can get up and move," he proclaimed.
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| Scott Salinas (#37) |
To enhance any player's football talents, time and effort within the weight room must be a priority. Salinas put in his time. "I power clean 285-pounds, bench 275-pounds, and squat 435-pounds."
Salinas does not yet know where he will attend college, but he's probably going to stay down South and likely within Louisiana. "LSU, Tulane, mostly schools within Louisiana. I'm looking at ULL, ULM, schools like that."
As for continuing his football career, that too, will be decided at a later date. Salinas did very well to date within the classroom. He recorded a 3.7 GPA and scored a 25 on the ACT. "I want to major in Sports Medicine," Salinas said about his future college major.
The Catholic High School Football program will continue to prosper. With young men like Salinas making strides on and off the field, current and former Bears should be quite proud.
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