There are few high school football players in Southern California who have made a greater impact for their team than junior Jaden Walk-Green of Corona Centennial.
Playing strong safety, he has eight interceptions, with four returned for touchdowns. He returned a fumble for a touchdown. He’s also the kicker, punter and return man for kickoffs and punts. He has returned one punt for a touchdown. He can play receiver, running back and quarterback if needed. He’s also the starting center fielder for the baseball team.
Growing up, he played ice hockey, lacrosse, basketball, soccer, golf, football and baseball, plus he can ski.
“Why not?” he said. “Try everything. It’s good to get away from your main sport.”
He has so much sports equipment and so many shoes in his closet from all the sports he’s tried that he could put on a garage sale.
Centennial coach Matt Logan was nice enough to show World Series games on the school’s videoboard during football practices so Walk-Green could keep track of the Dodgers.
“You intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani four times in one game. That’s respect,” he said.
After finishing his regular-season finale football game against Chaparral, he was up Saturday morning to play in a fall baseball game and went two for three. He’s improved his speed and strength, so look for more steals as Centennial’s leadoff man this spring.
He’s 5 feet 11, 185 pounds and got to face first-round draft pick Seth Hernandez of Corona last season. The thing is Hernandez refused to show him his 101-mph fastball.
“He went curve and slider,” Walk-Green said of his first at-bat. “The next at-bat, he hit me. They knew not to throw me a fastball.”
Walk-Green’s focus on versatility can be traced to his father, Keith, who played two sports at St. Monica and wanted his son to enjoy many sports while not specializing until he learned what he was best at. His mother, Dorshay, was a dancer at St. Monica and also endorsed the multiple-sports experiment.
Now that Walk-Green has become so good in football and baseball, he’s going to have many options for college. He’s only 17 and enjoying his life as someone who can play any position and any sport. You want to play pingpong, ask him. You want to see him skate on ice or blacktop, ask him.
Corona Centennial opens the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs on Friday as the No. 2 seed, hosting No. 7 Servite. The Huskies are the last team other than Mater Dei or St. John Bosco to win a Division 1 title in 2015.
“We have a good team to make a run,” Walk-Green said.
Logan trusts Walk-Green, putting him in the middle of the field on defense so he can observe and use his instincts to intervene, just like he does as a center fielder for the baseball team.
“He can play any position on offense,” Logan said.
Well, except on the offensive line, but don’t think he couldn’t adapt.
“Never fear anything,” Walk-Green said.
