MAKING PLAYS-Although his team has struggled to a 2-3 record this season, Royal junior linebacker Cameron Flye has played very well. He currently leads the Marmonte League with 70 tackles. Since he was 7-years-old, Cameron Flye has been watching film of Royal High's football games.

Now the other coaches in the Marmonte League are getting headaches from watching film and trying to figure out how to stop Flye.

So far, no offense has been able to stop the Royal junior from doing his job on defense. Flye leads the Marmonte league with 70 tackles in five games for an average of 14 takedowns a game.

Flye has been on a terror recently, collecting 17 tackles against Hueneme, 16 tackles against Ventura and 16 more against Westlake.

"His play speaks for itself," Royal head coach Gene Uebelhardt said. "He is not that tall, but that gives him perfect tackling angles. I'm most impressed with his knowledge of the game and his quickness. At this level, a small, quick guy is going to beat a big, tall guy every time. And that's what he has been doing."

Flye has his share of people helping him on the team, starting with his dad, Kevin.

The older Flye has been a defensive coordinator for the Highlanders for the last 10 years, and a coach on the team for the past 16 seasons.

Over the years, Coach Flye would bring home film from the past week's games. Soon enough, Cameron was watching the film with him, learning patterns and schemes from opposing teams and finding out what it takes to play football at Royal.

"I've pretty much been breaking down film with him since he was 7-years-old," Kevin Flye said. "I think he's a lot faster than I was at his age. I like his aggressiveness and the fact that he likes to hit people."

The film sessions were a big reason why the younger Flye wanted to play linebacker when he got older.

"I liked watching film with him," Cameron said. "I also liked all the stories my dad used to tell of him playing at Hueneme, Ventura College and Weaver State in Utah. I still watch film with him on Sundays. It helps a lot with knowing how to read the other team's linemen."

Uebelhardt knew many years ago that Flye would someday make a great addition to his team.

"When he was 8-years-old, he knocked out my middle son in a football game. My son was a year older than Cameron, so I kind of stepped back and said to myself 'I can't wait until he plays for us.'

"His dad is a great coach for us and knows a lot about the game and I think that has rubbed off. It would be just like if your dad was a math teacher. You're going to grow up being good at math," Uebelhardt said.

Flye started playing for the varsity team at the end of his freshman year when he was called up for a playoff game against San Luis Obispo.

Last season, he earned a spot starting full time on the varsity squad and didn't disappoint, collecting 98 tackles on the year, including 27 in his last two games with 14 against Moorpark and 13 against Simi Valley.

Flye still gets help on how to play his position from his teammate and longtime friend, senior Jared Debo. The two compliment each other very well on defense for the Highlanders, with Debo trailing only Flye among Marmonte League tackling leaders with 62 on the year.

"He's a great all-around player," Debo said. "I was very excited my sophomore year when he joined the JV team and excited again when he joined the varsity team my junior year. He has great speed and energy and never gives up on a play. I think he will definitely be a good leader on this team next year when I'm gone."

Although Flye leads the league in tackles, statistics are not something he thinks about when it comes to football at Royal.

"I just try to do my job and concentrate on making the plays," Flye said. "I don't really care about my stats. If we are winning and I'm doing my job, then that's all I care about."

Uebelhardt isn't surprised Flye has been playing so well this year.

"This year he came in 15 pounds heavier but also faster than the year before," Uebelhardt said.

"I think at this age, when you get older you get faster, and that

has really shown with him," he said. "Playing with Debo has helped him too, as the two of them are damn near clones out there on the field. So, no, I'm not surprised at how fast he has become a great player."