Green means go for Vallejo
Vallejo, Calif., should be one of the top teams in the Bay Area in 2006 and one of the biggest reasons why is a small running back by the name of Lavonte Green.
The 5-foot-8, 185-pound all-purpose back was quite impressive at the Palo Alto NIKE Training Camp and now he's working hard on impressing college coaches.
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"I'm a power runner, but I also can be a speed guy," said Green, who clocked an electronic time of 4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash at NIKE. "I ran for 550 yards last year and got injured and only played in five games. It was a high knee sprain in my left leg. I'm a 100 percent now.
"I'm ready to help my team win some games and hopefully I'll get the college coaches to look at me even more."
He will, no question.
Despite the injury in 2005, Green rushed for 521 yards and averaged 7.4 yards a rush. He is also a sprinter on his track team and his best 100-meter time was 11.1, but he was still working hard to get back to 100 percent after the injury.
"I know I can do better in everything," he said. "I know I'm faster than that, and I know we have big expectations on the football field. We were 5-5 last year, and we're going to be better."
Green got May calls from Cal and Idaho. He said the Idaho coaches mentioned a scholarship might be available this summer, but at this point he's not gotten anything official.
"They talked about an offer, and the coach was really nice," Green said. "I'm also getting regular mail from Washington State and Oregon. I'm going to enjoy the process some."