Football: Melton breaks out for Cedar Creek

By Phil Anastasia

Inquirer Staff Writer

Bo Melton believes his breakthrough came in the season opener, on his way to the end zone for one of his three touchdowns against Cedar Grove.

"I was running away from guys and I started thinking, 'Oh, I could do this all the time,'" said Melton, a junior at Cedar Creek.

Pirates coach Tim Watson believes Melton's big moment came before that, and not on the football field.

"It was a basketball game," Watson said. "He gets a dunk off the tap and he had never dunked in a game before. Then he gets another one.

"Since then, his confidence has been sky high and it's carried over to football."

Whatever the origin of Melton's emergence as one of South Jersey's most dynamic players, the evidence has been mounting on a weekly basis.

The 6-foot-0, 180-pound athlete has scored 17 touchdowns in leading Cedar Creek to a 6-1 record heading into Friday night's game at winless Pleasantville.

"I've kind of surprised myself a little," Melton said. "People have been telling me I could do it, that I need to use my speed and my strength. I've been waiting for it to come out."

Bo Melton is the son of former Absegami and Rutgers running back Gary Melton, who is an assistant coach for Cedar Creek. Bo Melton's brother, Gary Melton Jr., was a standout for the Pirates and currently plays defensive back for Delaware State.

There's another brother, too, as Malachi Melton is a eighth-grader who is likely to join the Cedar Creek program next season.

"That's going to be fun, me being a senior and him being a freshman," Bo Melton said. "I'll be showing him some stuff."

Bo Melton said he has been motivated by his family's success.

"My brother broke some of his dad's records," Melton said. "Now my dad tells me, 'You're bigger and faster than he was.' So I want to break all of his records."

Melton is a slot back on offense and cornerback on defense. His versatility and big-play ability have been instrumental to Cedar Creek's success.

Melton has carried the football 54 times for 455 yards (8.4-yard average) and seven touchowns. He has caught 23 passes for 725 yards (31.5-yard average) and nine touchdowns. He also scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery.

"I take pride in being able to run and catch," Melton said. "A lot of guys can just run the ball."

Melton has played his best in Cedar Creek's biggest games. He had 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a victory over defending Cape-Atlantic League National champion Buena and 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a victory over rival Oakcrest.

Melton has a scholarship offer from Old Dominion University but also has drawn serious recruiting interest from Rutgers, Boston College and Virginia Tech, among other programs.

"He's the first kid we've had where I've been telling college people, 'You're missing the boat on this kid,'" Watson said. "He's been phenomenal."

-- Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com

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