Strong is the face of Arizona State

Former Pierce star took down USC and is projected as a high pick in the NFL dra

Ethan Hanson Sports Editor

Down by 17 points against Santa Barbara City College going into halftime, Pierce was down to its third string and quarterback Mike Adens.

With the last play in the half Adens heaved the ball down the field hoping the one man that would lead them to the Patriotic Bowl in the 2012 season would make the play. Strong made the miraculous play on three defenders for a 70-yard touchdown and soon rumors of a talented six foot three wide receiver from Philadelphia were born.

Fast forward to Oct.5 and Strong would rise again to make nearly the exact same play he had made two years ago in Santa Barbara with much higher stakes on one of college football’s most hallowed grounds. With backup quarterback Mike Bercovici, he connected with Strong who yet again would go up and grab it no matter who was throwing the ball.

The Pierce College football legacy went head to head on Saturday when two former Brahmas met to face each other in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Both players are from South Philadelphia and played for the Brahmas. Yet, while one star was already made, a legend was born.

That legend is former Pierce College wide receiver Jaelen Strong who plays for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Strong caught the game winning Hail Mary touchdown to bring the 16th ranked USC Trojans and roughly 90,000 fans in attendance to their knees. The player he caught the ball against was former Brahmas safety, Gerald Bowman, who’s also been having a good season but still couldn’t manage to stop the kid whose legacy continues to grow.

For Strong the secret is officially out. Two years ago he was running rampant on teams in the Western State Conference and tearing up defenses. Adens was at the Coliseum to see his former teammate take down the Trojans defense.

“Just watching his growth and maturity has been amazing,” Adens said.

“He’s definitely now the best wide receiver in college football,” Adens said. “The same level of speed, strength and power that Strong had at the

JUCO [junior college] level is now on display for the NCAA.”

For Strong, it is not about the numbers which make him a contender for the Biletnikoff Trophy given out to the best wide receiver in college football

In the USC game, a team that is considered to have one of the greatest defensive in football, the