Remember the name: Palmdale QB Myles making his mark
By ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
Oct. 13, 2015
PALMDALE — As a newborn, he went without a legal name for weeks. His dad just nicknamed him "Poppy."
"Eventually they gave me 'Nathaniel,' but 'Poppy' just stuck with me since," said Nathaniel Myles, Palmdale's senior starting quarterback.
But whether they call him Nathaniel or "Poppy" isn't what matters to the three-year starter. What the senior cares about is making sure no one ever forgets his name once he's departed.
"I just want to be remembered," Myles said. "I don't want my name to be forgotten."
As the featured player on a Palmdale team full of talent, Myles - whose nickname doesn't have any significance behind it - has gotten off to a great start in making 2015 an unforgettable season for the Falcons, although it's come in a bit of an unorthodox way.
At 6-0, the Falcons have remained unbeaten mostly by way of one unreal comeback win after another, their latest taking place on Oct. 2 at Eastside.
Trailing by 12 with 2:30 to go in the fourth quarter, the Falcons scored twice to beat the Lions 26-25, with the final dagger coming on a Myles' touchdown rush from two yards out with only three seconds to go.
It was the third time in 2015 Palmdale rallied from fourth-quarter deficits. The first came on Sept. 4 against longtime nemesis Valencia, which was 7-1 all-time against the Falcons entering the game. The next comeback took place a week later at Sylmar.
"We were talking about that as a staff, we could very easily be (2-4) instead of (6-0)," Palmdale head coach Jeff Williams said. "They have a never-die attitude."
As the "engine of the team," Myles has played a huge role in keeping his team's record unblemished. Against the Spartans, it was the senior throwing the game-winning touchdown with 17 seconds left.
Three weeks later, Myles' clutch two-yard scramble broke all of Eastside's heart while allowing the Falcons to escape with their 27th consecutive Golden League win.
"I haven't lost a (league) game since I was a freshman and I don't plan on losing to anybody out here," said Myles, who plans to continue to play football at the next level.
Much like in all of Palmdale's rallies, the one against the Lions took place after "Poppy" and his teammates struggled for the majority of the game before coming through when it mattered most.
The late-game rallies have made for quite a memorable season so far, although Williams said those aren't "good for the heart."
"It'd be a lot easier if we didn't make those mistakes and came out and played two good halves of football," Williams said. "It'd make the game a lot easier."
Added Myles: "We don't like coming out like that."
With four Golden League games left on the schedule before the playoffs arrive, Myles' quest for remembrance is more than halfway to reaching an important point. In the past 11 years, only one team has finished 10-0 in the regular season - the 2012 Falcons.
That team, however, lost in the first round of the CIF playoffs. Quarterbacked by Myles, the Falcons have won a playoff game each of the last two years, but nothing more.
That's where the true glory lies for Myles, who also plays defensive back, and Palmdale. They want to beat everyone on their way to that ever-elusive CIF championship.
"It's like, 'When are going to make it past the second round?'" Myles said. "Palmdale hasn't made it past the second round in a long time. I just keep it in my head I want to be the first one to give Palmdale their first ring, their first championship."
As a sophomore and a junior playing with gifted athletes who have gone on to play at important Division I programs, Myles was an important part of the offense. As a senior, he's the man.
"I think it took a little getting used to for him to be real honest," Williams said. "Because we have had some great leaders on this team the last three, four, five years and he's been able to watch all those guys grow.
"One of the things with him being an underclassman all those years is it really did not afford him the opportunity to show that he had some leadership skills. This year he's kind of been thrust up in there, so it's taken him some time to feel comfortable in that role."
With comeback win after comeback win, it's one he's thriving at on and off the field. Nathaniel "Poppy" Myles Jr. has already made a name for himself at Palmdale.
All that's left to see is just how far he can carry it. His legacy is still being built.
"That's all I really live by," Myles said. "Just hoping everybody remembers me and never forgets my name."
Oct. 13, 2015
PALMDALE — As a newborn, he went without a legal name for weeks. His dad just nicknamed him "Poppy."
"Eventually they gave me 'Nathaniel,' but 'Poppy' just stuck with me since," said Nathaniel Myles, Palmdale's senior starting quarterback.
But whether they call him Nathaniel or "Poppy" isn't what matters to the three-year starter. What the senior cares about is making sure no one ever forgets his name once he's departed.
"I just want to be remembered," Myles said. "I don't want my name to be forgotten."
As the featured player on a Palmdale team full of talent, Myles - whose nickname doesn't have any significance behind it - has gotten off to a great start in making 2015 an unforgettable season for the Falcons, although it's come in a bit of an unorthodox way.
At 6-0, the Falcons have remained unbeaten mostly by way of one unreal comeback win after another, their latest taking place on Oct. 2 at Eastside.
Trailing by 12 with 2:30 to go in the fourth quarter, the Falcons scored twice to beat the Lions 26-25, with the final dagger coming on a Myles' touchdown rush from two yards out with only three seconds to go.
It was the third time in 2015 Palmdale rallied from fourth-quarter deficits. The first came on Sept. 4 against longtime nemesis Valencia, which was 7-1 all-time against the Falcons entering the game. The next comeback took place a week later at Sylmar.
"We were talking about that as a staff, we could very easily be (2-4) instead of (6-0)," Palmdale head coach Jeff Williams said. "They have a never-die attitude."
As the "engine of the team," Myles has played a huge role in keeping his team's record unblemished. Against the Spartans, it was the senior throwing the game-winning touchdown with 17 seconds left.
Three weeks later, Myles' clutch two-yard scramble broke all of Eastside's heart while allowing the Falcons to escape with their 27th consecutive Golden League win.
"I haven't lost a (league) game since I was a freshman and I don't plan on losing to anybody out here," said Myles, who plans to continue to play football at the next level.
Much like in all of Palmdale's rallies, the one against the Lions took place after "Poppy" and his teammates struggled for the majority of the game before coming through when it mattered most.
The late-game rallies have made for quite a memorable season so far, although Williams said those aren't "good for the heart."
"It'd be a lot easier if we didn't make those mistakes and came out and played two good halves of football," Williams said. "It'd make the game a lot easier."
Added Myles: "We don't like coming out like that."
With four Golden League games left on the schedule before the playoffs arrive, Myles' quest for remembrance is more than halfway to reaching an important point. In the past 11 years, only one team has finished 10-0 in the regular season - the 2012 Falcons.
That team, however, lost in the first round of the CIF playoffs. Quarterbacked by Myles, the Falcons have won a playoff game each of the last two years, but nothing more.
That's where the true glory lies for Myles, who also plays defensive back, and Palmdale. They want to beat everyone on their way to that ever-elusive CIF championship.
"It's like, 'When are going to make it past the second round?'" Myles said. "Palmdale hasn't made it past the second round in a long time. I just keep it in my head I want to be the first one to give Palmdale their first ring, their first championship."
As a sophomore and a junior playing with gifted athletes who have gone on to play at important Division I programs, Myles was an important part of the offense. As a senior, he's the man.
"I think it took a little getting used to for him to be real honest," Williams said. "Because we have had some great leaders on this team the last three, four, five years and he's been able to watch all those guys grow.
"One of the things with him being an underclassman all those years is it really did not afford him the opportunity to show that he had some leadership skills. This year he's kind of been thrust up in there, so it's taken him some time to feel comfortable in that role."
With comeback win after comeback win, it's one he's thriving at on and off the field. Nathaniel "Poppy" Myles Jr. has already made a name for himself at Palmdale.
All that's left to see is just how far he can carry it. His legacy is still being built.
"That's all I really live by," Myles said. "Just hoping everybody remembers me and never forgets my name."