L.A. Times high school football back of the year: Deven Bryant, St. John Bosco

There are higher profile and higher ranked players on the powerful defense of CIF Open Division champion Bellflower St. John Bosco High, but no one was more valuable and more versatile than senior linebacker Deven Bryant.

One particular play comes to mind in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game against Santa Ana Mater Dei. Monarchs quarterback Elijah Brown started to roll right. Bryant was following him everywhere on the field, acting as the Braves’ spy. Bryant made the decision to immediately run down Brown with an all-out sprint and ended up sacking Brown before he could throw the ball away.

The speed, aggressiveness and instincts of Bryant provided a clear indication why he was so successful this season, leading the Braves in tackles while roaming from sideline to sideline being ready to contribute wherever he was needed.

Committed to Washington, the 6-foot, 215-pound Bryant is The Times’ back of the year.

Defensive coordinator Chris King said, “He is a three-year starter and a coach on the field. He comes ready every day to work and does whatever it takes to get the job done. He takes pride in his craft from the weight room to the film room to the field.”

Bryant ran track last spring and seemed to have an extra step this fall.

“I feel if you look at a lot of the NFL guys, most say they ran track, and I feel track helped me play sideline to sideline and improve my overall game in terms of getting to the ball, coverage and all that good stuff,” Bryant said.

Added King, “He was never slow, but the speed development took his game to a different level.”