Totino-Grace turns to its star time and again

With less than a minute before kickoff in last week's Class 4A semifinal, an assistant tapped on the shoulder of Totino-Grace head coach Jeff Ferguson. There was a problem: Star senior running back John Crockett had just been seen sprinting off the field and into the bowels of the Metrodome.

The assistant was quickly dispatched to find Crockett. He was in the locker room, in front of a mirror, psyching himself up for the big game against Mankato West. Fetched just in time, Crockett scored all five Eagles TDs with 264 combined yards rushing and receiving in a 35-0 rout.

"He plays football like he lives his life. He's all over the place, and he has boundless energy," said Ferguson, who could almost be pictured shaking his head as he spoke over the phone. "But he makes you smile, too."

Indeed. Some things in life have come much easier to Crockett than others. He was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) years ago, which has contributed to challenges in the classroom. He lived much of his junior year with the family of teammate and best friend JD Pride when his mother, Jackie Martin, was hospitalized after a stress-related breakdown.

But football has always come easy. It was his sanctuary when times got really tough.

"I was always using sports as a getaway, but I always kept a smile on my face," Crockett said. "Nobody really knew what was happening. I didn't use it as a crutch. I used it as a motivator."

From the beginning

Crockett, who is from Minneapolis' north side and still lives there, enrolled at Totino-Grace as a freshman. His mom has always tried to give him the best of everything, Crockett said, and to the family that meant sending him to the private school in Fridley. Annual tuition tops $10,000, but there is need-based aid.

"Some families are very wealthy that have no problem paying tuition," Ferguson said. "And we have some that are extremely needy."

Ferguson then pre-emptively waded into touchy waters and said there is "no such thing as athletic scholarships." Virtually every private school that has athletic success hears accusations of recruiting top talent, but Ferguson described Crockett as "a scrawny freshman who just showed up at our school."

That, of course, is not the case now. Crockett is 6-1, 180 pounds -- a dangerous mixture of strength and speed. He showed off both with a pair of tough short TD runs against Mankato West, followed by a 63-yard TD catch and an 81-yard TD run during which he simply outran defenders who appeared to have an angle to stop him.

The game put Totino-Grace into Saturday's Prep Bowl against Sartell-St. Stephen, where it could win its fifth Class 4A title in seven years. But just a couple of days later, Crockett was back to the grind in school. His grades dipped to a point where he had to attend mandatory study hall during the day; he's had to fight and focus just to keep them high enough to avoid missing practice time. College recruiters have shied away.

"Talentwise, he could play for anyone in the country, in my opinion," Ferguson said.

The difference a year makes

Crockett and Pride have been best friends since fourth grade, when they met at a sports tryout. When Crockett's home life temporarily crumbled last year, his landing point was only natural.

"I'm an only child, and I always considered him my brother because he's my best friend," Pride said. "It was easy having him live with us."

Pride, a Gophers recruit who transferred from Cretin-Derham Hall to Totino-Grace before both players' junior year, says the charismatic Crockett never really showed that the family upheaval was wearing him down. But Crockett acknowledged that it was a "really, really tough stretch." Last year was tough all-around for the Eagles: Pride was hurt for much of the season, and Totino-Grace lost in the section finals.

This season has been a 180-degree turn. Crockett's mother is healthy and employed, and he's back living with her. On the field, he has more than 2,000 combined yards and 36 touchdowns rushing and receiving.

Life is a mixture of good and bad. Turns out Crockett figured that out a long time ago. The stare-down in the mirror before games is a ritual, as it turns out. He doesn't usually cut it as close as he did during the semifinals -- both he and Pride laughed about that -- but he does have a very good reason for doing it.

"That's actually what I do before the game. I let myself remember what I had to go through to get to where I am," Crockett said. "And I'm not going to let anybody come between it."