Austin Scott took the sweep right, darted inside the last defender and was off.

He reached the end zone, pumped a fist and handed the ball to the official.

It looked all too simple and was all too fitting and played all too well to the people who had come expecting to see him do just that.

How many times do you get exactly what you want? Scott, on Saturday night in front of 9,600 people, was instant gratification at its finest.

On the first play of the PIAA class AAAA championship, the Penn State recruit showed off the two things that set him apart from your typical high school back: speed and vision. Those traits sound like running back clichés, sure, but there's more to it and an explanation is coming in short order.

Scott's 61-yard touchdown run put Parkland ahead of Woodland Hills by the score of 6-0, but more than that, sent the No. 3 team in the country reeling. Guess they weren't expecting a guy that finished with 3,853 rushing yards in one season to be that good.

That year-end total yardage ranks Scott fourth in the history of high school football. It is also 764 yards more than the previous record set by the Indianapolis Colts' James Mungro. His 52 touchdowns are also a new state record.

Saturday, Scott went on to run for 251 yards and five touchdowns on 28 carries and the Trojans won the game 34-12.

The ultimate lesson of the night was that no high school team in Pennsylvania, and probably the country, is capable of shutting down Scott.

Woody High's defensive linemen were, on average, two inches taller and 40 pounds heavier than the players trying to block them.

It's not like Scott was running through big open lanes. He was simply too fast. Like 4.3 in the 40 fast.

The real question for Penn State fans is how well Scott's talents will play on the fields of the Big Ten.

After all, this Larry Johnson character everyone is talking about won't be back next season.

Sure, there is a whole hoard of guys waiting to try to replace him. Mike Gasparato was nothing if not admirable in the playing time he saw this season. True freshman Tim Shaw, the player of the year in Michigan last season, is a big bruising back. There are other names, too: redshirted freshman Donnie Johnson, Pete Gilmore, Aric Heffelfinger.

Penn State also has a verbal from another tailback, Georgia prospect Jason Evans, although his conviction on that seems to be wavering.

Oh, and there's also the chance that Tony Johnson, who all along has claimed to be the best runner in the family, could move to the back of the I-formation.

So, there are plenty of options, none of which anyone is sold on.

But after watching Maurice Clarett dominate in his freshman season for Ohio State, it doesn't seem absurd to think Scott could do the same.

Scott isn't as heralded as Clarett was. Two years ago, Scott set the Pa. record for yards by a sophomore (also previously held by Mungro). A knee injury sidelined him during his junior season, and many colleges backed off.

Except for Penn State.

All because of that speed and vision.

The Lions may have gambled with the speed. There's always the chance a knee injury could cause a player to slow down. Scott didn't.

Either way, the vision was going to be there, and that was the selling point.

When Joe Paterno talks about why Larry Johnson wasn't the featured back until this year, he often mentions patience. He's really talking about vision.

It wasn't until this year that Johnson learned to wait for holes to develop and then use his speed to get through them.

Scott, it seems, has a general sense of how to do that already.

He's got plenty to learn. On a third and one in the first quarter, Scott took a handoff and tried to go off tackle to the left. Instead of bursting ahead for the first down, he bounced outside, hoping for a bigger gain, and was stopped for a loss.

Ryan Mundy, Woody High's blue-chipper who will probably sign with Michigan or Notre Dame, returned the ensuing punt for a 51-yard touchdown to give the Wolverines a 12-6 lead, their only of the game.

Scott also fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line later in the game.

By and large, though, you can't argue with Scott's performance. At times he was also called upon to lock up with Mundy on defense. He also threw a 36-yard halfback pass -- a perfect spiral, of course.

As the Wolverines exited the locker room, many fans stood by and cheered.

One, wearing a Woody High jacket and a Penn State hat, put it all in perspective.

"I hated him today, and I'm going to love him for the next four years."