The self-confident senior has drawn attention from numerous scouts, ranging anywhere from the Mountain West to the Pacific coast. And for good reason. He's a very active free safety, often being compared as a poor man's Rodney Harrison of the New England Patriots.

You might have seen Washington's work on TV. During a season-opening win over Jordan that was televised on KJZZ, Washington hit a Beetdigger so hard his helmet flew off.

Washington is the perfect size for the position and plays it like a seasoned veteran. He flies to the football on run reads. He takes proper support angles and takes pride getting to the football as quickly as the linebackers - even from a deep alignment.

Along with Utah and BYU, UCLA heated up the recruiting trail last week with their Labor Day invite to Washington to come and watch the Bruins take on Tennessee at the Rose Bowl. The Philadelphia native is considering all options on the table, but admits his preference would be to stay nearby his parents and stay in Utah.

But even with all the potential distractions, Washington says his focus lies solely on the Knights. Not highly thought of in preseason polls, the safety says fans shouldn't overlook Northridge because, in his opinion, they are one of the most talented teams in the state. In fact, just one week shy of the regular season opener against Weber Sept. 12, Washington's already begun to size up the region competition.

"We're sitting pretty good [to win region] . . . Layton's not all it's cracked up to be. Viewmont's supposed to be good for some reason, but we'll have a chance to show them," he said. "Honestly, I don't think anyone can keep up with our position players."

Even with Washington's talents, he'll be the first one to say can't win football games alone. Fortunately, he's surrounded by a strong supporting cast.

On offense, Washington plays wide receiver, but he's certainly not the star of this show. That role is filled by Peni Maka'afi. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back is the Knight's lethal weapon. Whether it's his versatility (4.5-second 40 speed), or sheer power, the senior loves to frustrate defenses.

Washington calls his buddy the total package. Splitting the workload in half with Alex Froelich last season, Maka'afi still managed to have 100 carries with 1,200 all-purpose yards. In two games this season, he's gone for 154 yards in the Knights new spread offense. It's no wonder BYU locked him up for next season.

Like Washington, Maka'afi's said his focus is on this season. A humble guy, Maka'afi was underrated heading into the preseason. So he wasn't surprised a bit when the Knights took down a talented Jordan team 41-37 in the opener.

"[Jordan's] game plan was to come out and stop me and our running game," Maka'afi said. "That helped our passing game get going, our [quarterback Junior Cole] played very well. That's what makes our offense so dangerous, if you try and take one thing away, we'll beat you with something else."

The Knights will be tested again tonight against unbeaten Mountain Crest. Maka'afi and Co. should continue their explosive ways as the Mustangs are giving up nearly 25 points per game. But Northridge's defense will be put to the test. Mountain Crest is averaging just over 30 points per contest behind quarterback Alex Kuresa and receivers Ethan Rassmussen, Mitch Jessop, and Chandler Smith.

It'll be a busy night for Washington in the secondary.

Keep an eye out for flying helmets.

Northridge's intimidator

* Safety Chris Washington continues to intimidate opposing receivers with his aggressive style of tackling.

* Chris Washington still is wavering between local and out-of-state universities.

* Northridge is 1-1 heading into tonight's last preseason game vs. Mountain Crest.