carson high

First in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Chris Fields III, Carson quarterback.

If you want to motivate quarterback Chris Fields III, doubt his skills. He’ll respond like an underdog boxer delivering a knockout punch. Just when you least expect him to step forward, he’ll find a way to produce.

Last season for Carson High, he was one of the best multidimensional quarterbacks in the Southland, passing for 2,031 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 958 yards and 13 touchdowns in leading the Colts to the City Section Open Division championship.

He’s 6 feet 1, which some consider a roadblock to playing at the highest level, but it’s Fields’ intangibles that separate him.

He has spent most of the summer in the weight room, making himself a 205-pound, Marvel-like character capable of super strength.

“Goals don’t get accomplished skipping days,” he said of his training routine.

Every morning, he engages in deep stretching exercises. At night, there are ice baths. Taking care of his body for a season that could reach 14 games is one of his most important priorities.

He trusts his faith and his mother, who has raised him as a single parent. She’s so heavily involved in his football activities that she watches and breaks down film with him and comes to practices to support him.

“She could put on shoulder pads and a helmet and tear up a defense any day,” Fields said. “I’ve been through everything with mom.”

He remembers the days when the family struggled to pay for food and a place to stay.

“We came from the bottom,” Fields said. “We were heavily impoverished. If my mom has nowhere to sleep and she’s having to work multiple jobs while going to school to provide for me and my sister, I should be able to pay her back by doing well.”

So whatever anyone thinks, Fields’ drive is to make his mom proud, whether it’s in the classroom, on the field or by being respectful to strangers.

“If you’re at our games, you’re going to hear her in the crowd,” Fields said.

One of Fields’ strengths is to improvise. He understands how to make split-second decisions, and many involve whether to stay in the pocket or take off and run with his speed.

“When I determine that I’m going to run, it usually comes from pre-snap read knowing where my guys are,” he said. “If I feel the rush, I try to hang in there, try to extend the play but will do whatever is needed. I feel my legs are just as valuable as my arm.”

And his arm is pretty good — like, throwing a spiral 67 yards good.

He’s tough with the kind of leadership skills that inspire teammates to rally around him.

It’s another season of quality quarterbacks with the class of 2029 particularly strong after terrific freshman seasons by such players as Thaddeus Breaux of L.A. Hamilton, Ford Green of Westlake, Marcus Washington of Cajon, Jonah Tuaniga of Long Beach Millikan and Steven Moore of La Sierra. Add Evan McCalister of Valencia, Ezrah Brown of Orange Lutheran and Jeremy Mellalieu of Chaminade and you have the makings of a stellar sophomore class.

Fields said he understands the college recruiting grind. Everyone has their own idea of what kind of quarterback fits their offense.

“With schools who don’t typically have mobile quarterbacks, I always encounter, ‘I have to see the person,’” he said. “But I’ve never heard, ‘You’re too small.’ It’s all a perception. It comes down to whether they like you or not. I really want to play at the highest level of college football. If God has other plans, I’m willing to be humble and walk that path.”

During the summer, Fields committed to Georgetown, where academics and athletics can lead to a great future.

Wednesday: Gardena Serra running back AJ McBean.

Quarterbacks to watch

Thaddeus Breaux, L.A. Hamilton, 6-5, 225, So.: Has physical skills to be national prospect

Brady Edmunds, Huntington Beach, 6-5, 225, Sr.: Ohio State commit has been three-year starter

Chris Fields III, Carson, 6-1, 200, Sr.: City player of the year committed to Georgetown

Jack Hurst, Laguna Beach, 6-4, 190, Sr.: Passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns as a junior

Jaden Jefferson, Corona Centennial, 5-10, 170, Sr.: Hawaii commit is dangerous passing or running

Koa Malau’ulu, St. John Bosco, 6-2, 180, Jr.: Will have blockers needed to have MVP season

Ryan Rakowski, Palos Verdes, 6-0, 180, Sr.: Nevada commit is one of the most accurate passers

Russell Sekona, Mater Dei, 6-3, 230, Jr.: Big adjustment moving to Trinity League

Taylor Lee, Oxnard Pacifica, 6-2, 185, Sr.: Record-setting junior season for Portland State commit

Dane Weber, Chaparral, 6-1, 210, Sr.: California commit passed for 3,645 yards and 41 touchdowns and ran for 14 touchdowns

At the state track and field championships, Jayden Rendon of Carson was in the lead of the 300 intermediate hurdles on Saturday when he struck the final hurdle and fell to the ground. So ended his opportunity to repeat as state champion.

Did he pout? Did he lose his composure? Did he blame something or someone?

Absolutely not.

“You live and learn,” he said. “It does no justice dwelling when I can do so much more.”

He’s headed to USC, and what a student athlete he will become. He was honored on Tuesday, receiving a $1,500 scholarship from the City Section for his academic and athletic commitment. He wrote an essay on how schools in the Southern Section were trying to convince him to leave Carson.

He said absolutely not.

“Growing up in the track world since I was 8 years old, I watched many of my friends and teammates make a decision to attend schools outside of their community,” he wrote. “Their reasoning was based around sports because they believed that the CIF Southern Section schools were more competitive and would give them more opportunities for success. When I was in middle school, my family moved to Long Beach from Carson, which made my home school Long Beach Poly. The majority of my youth team friends decided to attend LB Poly, and I was often questioned on why I chose to stay in Carson instead of following the crowd. My parents and I were told that I would never reach my full potential in the City Section.

“My decision to stay in Carson and compete for the City Section was not just about competition, but about connection. While preparing to compete in the multi-events at the Junior Olympics, when I was 10, I had to run the hurdles. Coach Jojo coached hurdles at Carson so my mom asked him if he would be willing to train me in the summer. I grew a bond with Coach Jojo and developed a love for the hurdles. Both my mother and grandmother went to Carson but it was Coach Jojo who showed me what it truly meant to be part of the Colt family. Besides my family, he was my biggest supporter, he believed in me and made me feel like I belonged to something bigger: a legacy. I didn’t care what anyone said, I knew that if I had Coach Jojo by my side and if I set my mind to it, I could be successful.

“I never would have believed that from the start of my freshman year, the sport that I love, would hit me with life: In January 2023, just a few months before my first high school track season began, I lost Coach Jojo to cancer. After being a pallbearer for my beloved Coach Jojo, I made a promise to him to finish what we started. The way I saw it, I had two choices, I could feel sorry for myself or I could push through the pain and stay focused on my goals of becoming a USC Trojan.”

Rendon fulfilled his promise to his coach and community.

“I wanted to stay in the City Section,” he said. “It was my roots. I wanted to be the hometown hero. I didn’t think I needed to move to be great.”

He was right again.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.