Fargas Watches as He Loses Ground

The Notre Dame High fan wore a white, long-sleeve T-shirt and a gold necklace.

He was on the field before the Knights’ game against Valencia, then he took a seat in the stands next to his father, Antonio. And, with that, Justin Fargas found himself in an unusual role--watching his former high school team from the bleachers.

Fargas, who rushed for 6,352 yards in his career at Notre Dame and is now at Michigan, was in town for the Thanksgiving holiday. At a Notre Dame game for the first time since he played in 1997, Fargas gave a speech to the Knights before the game.

Fargas told the players that the only thing that mattered was winning a championship.

“In the long run, all I can think about is the [Southern Section] championship I didn’t win,” he said.

Ironically, Fargas watched Manuel White of Valencia pass him for fifth place on the state all-time rushing charts.

White ran for 52 yards in a 26-21 victory Friday over Notre Dame and now has 6,381 yards in his career.

“Records are nice to have,” Fargas said. “But they’re really unimportant in the long run. I played for the experience of the big game, not to get records.”