Numbers don’t lie. And for Bryant Cid, they lead to roaring accolades.
For his standout performance during the second annual Severance Bowl on Nov. 10, the Christopher High senior is being recognized by the San Jose SaberCats as the high school Iron Man of the Week at the Arena Football League team’s home game April 6 against the San Antonio Talons at HP Pavilion in San Jose.
In the Cougars’ 63-34 victory over crosstown rival GHS, the safety/wide receiver covered the Garcia-Elder Sports Complex turf from end zone to end zone and sideline to sideline.
He corralled four interceptions, had five catches for 171 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown reception, and nine tackles.
In an effort to emphasize the positive in local prep athletics, a newly formed program was introduced this year and, at each home contest, the SaberCats will honor three football players for their achievements during the 2011 season.
“Bottom line is that we want to build a bridge between these outstanding athletes and the SaberCats. We want to reach out to the community and honor the work ethic of these individuals,” said Mike Carrozzo, the community and youth program manager for the SaberCats. “We will do whatever we can for these kids to get their moment in the sun.”
Highlights of Cid, along with Offensive Player of the Week Garret Zeiter and Defensive Player of the Week Ray Anaya, will be shown at halftime and each player will receive a plaque as part of an on-the-field presentation.
“People might want to head to the concession stands prior to halftime so they don’t miss it,” Carrozzo said with a chuckle.
Zeiter, a senior running back for Los Gatos, hit pay dirt four times and rushed for a jaw-dropping 306 yards on 39 carries in the Wildcats’ 28-21 win over Pioneer in the Central Coast Section Division II championship game.
Anaya, a senior defensive lineman out of Gunderson High, had eight sacks in an Oct. 7 triumph over Westmont.
Cid ( 6-foot, 180-pounds) was also recently selected to play in the 38th annual Silicon Valley Youth Classic Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football game in July.
“We scoured hours of game film, talked to a lot of coaches and researched statistics,” Carrozzo said of the selection process. “Bryant did a helluva job in that game. He put up monster numbers.”
Cid was also given four free tickets to the game, and discounted tickets for friends and family to attend the special evening are available at sabercatspecial.com.
“This has turned into a pretty neat event,” Carrozzo said.
Kickoff on April 6 is slated for 7:30 p.m.
The trio of Leland senior quarterback Jason Habash (Offensive Player of the Week), The King’s Academy junior safety Jatniel Espinoza (Defensive Player of the Week) and Live Oak sophomore running back Trevor Bearden (Iron Man of the Week), were the first batch of athletes to garner the distinction.
After the Talons contest, the SaberCats have seven more homes games.
