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When it became clear that Trestin George was a full contact player playing a non-contact sport, he fled the baseball diamond and found refuge on the gridiron. It took exactly one tackle at age eight for George to realize his passion for football. 

It was while playing a Pop Warner game for the Berkeley Cougars that George first hit an opposing player without suffering the consequences of illegally taking out a middle infielder. 

“When I was younger I played baseball,” George said. “I would run around the bases and push every guy out of the way until I made it home.” 

That’s when his mom thought her son might be better suited for football. 

“One day we lined up to hit and I hit this guy and didn’t get in trouble for it,” George said of his early days in a helmet and pads. “I’ve been in love with football ever since.” 

Now a senior tailback at St. Mary’s, George is a four-year starter for one of the Bay Shore Athletic League’s top teams. Most recently against El Cerrito, George showcased his quickness and power as he carried the ball 23 times for 161 yards and scored three touchdowns to help the Panthers upend the Gauchos 28-27. 

And that could be considered a below-average game for George, who ran for more than 1,300 yards and scored 27 touchdowns in seven outings last season.  

“He’s been a huge part of our program ever since he got here,” St. Mary’s head coach Jay Lawson said. “It’s even more so this year and not just by how he carries the ball, but also by being more of a leader.”  

As a secondary coach during George’s freshman year, Lawson took a chance on the young player, starting him at cornerback on the varsity team midway through the season. 

The gamble paid of in his first game against Richmond, as George intercepted a pass. After playing just five games, the freshman finished the season tied for the team lead with four interceptions. 

During George’s sophomore year, St. Mary’s running back Eddie Smith got knocked out of the lineup with an injury and George stepped in to lead the team’s ground-dominated offense, running for at least 200 yards in five of the last seven games. 

But it’s not just his ability on the field that separates George from other high school running backs. It’s also George’s work ethic and spirited demeanor that gains him the respect of teammates and coaches, Lawson said. Training to be the best is something that the 5-foot-9, 187-pounder takes seriously. 

“If I’m not working out, that guy in Florida is working out and he’s competing for the same scholarship I’m working for,” George said. “I may be watching TV and that guy’s in the weight room.” 

As his mother says, “If you do things people won’t do, you’ll end up doing things people can’t.” 

George began working out regularly with a personal trainer last summer, often escaping to the family’s garage for some late-night exercise. His mother learned to live with weights clanking at midnight and the shower running at 2:30 in the morning. 

“She’s my critic as well as my manager,” George said of his mother. “When I have a bad game she’ll say I need to hit the hole lower. She’s been learning the game the way I have.”  

Recruiters from schools such as the University of Washington and USC, as well as the rest of the Pac-10 Conference, have taken notice of George’s stringent training regimen and impressive on-field performance. George, who was born in Pasadena and moved to Berkeley when he was 5 years old, said he’s leaning toward Washington but his mother’s pushing for USC. “Whatever I decide, she said she’d support me,” he said. 

Between friendly sessions of Playstation, an athlete from a local Pac-10 program attempted to lure George to his school. Cal freshman Lorenzo Alexander, formerly a star lineman for the Panthers, has tried to convince his former teammate to play for the Golden Bears.  

“I tell him I’ll look into it,” George said with a smile.  

Despite George’s dedication to football, the well-rounded student-athlete still manages to save time for his interests off the field. 

“I like to write poems and short stories,” he said. “I like to expand my imagination.” 

When considering which college to attend, George said he’s looking for a program that will let him train for a career in business, possibly marketing or management.  

“Football will take care of itself once I get into college,” he added. 

In addition to anchoring the St. Mary’s football running game, George also competes on the school’s track team and was ranked as high as 10th in the state in the triple jump during his sophomore and junior years, Lawson said. 

But it’s on the football field that George really demonstrates his talent.  

“He runs hard, is extremely explosive and never gives up,” Lawson said. “That kind of attitude carries over to everyone else.”