Keith Pompey: Low-key Darden VFMA's hottest athlete

The hottest athlete at Valley Forge Military Academy does not wear a helmet, shoulder pads or have an attitude.

The hottest athlete at Valley Forge does not know much about Larry Fitzgerald, Julian Peterson, Chris Doleman or Aaron Beasley. They are four of the 16 former postgraduate cadets who went on to play football in the NFL.

But, like them, he is making the private military boarding school proud.

And, at times, the hottest athlete at Valley Forge seems unbeatable.

At a place where former cadets turned-NFL-standouts have their jerseys hanging on the Trainer Hall wall, the hottest athlete is high school hurdler Toddrick Darden.

The 17-year-old senior has the nation's 11th-fastest - and tops in the state - high school time of 54.17 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, according to Dyestat.com. The North Brunswick, N.J., resident also has the state's second-fastest time (38.96) in the 300 hurdles.

But you won't know any of this unless you've seen Darden compete.

Soft-spoken and low key, the Rutgers University recruit doesn't have the mannerisms of a stereotypical hot-shot athlete.

"I've been here 38 years," Valley Forge athletic director Col. D.P. "Mick" Lorusso said. "I've been blessed to see some of the Larry Fitzgeralds, the Chris Dolemans, the Aaron Beasleys and all those kids. He's right up there with them. . . . He does it on the track, in the barracks and in the classroom."

That success is why Darden is no longer upset that his mother, Carolyn, shipped him to VFMA. Darden now calls it a welcome, life-altering experience.

That's because Darden was known for two things as a freshman and sophomore at North Brunswick High: his speed on the track and slacking off in the classroom.

He said he believed athletics alone would open doors. So if Darden didn't want to turn in his homework assignment on time, he wouldn't. If Darden wanted to daydream in the classroom, that's exactly what he did.

Tired of her son's ways, Carolyn Darden looked into sending him to Valley Forge. He began classes at VFMA as a junior on Aug. 26, 2007.

"I didn't like it here," Darden said. "I just didn't want to leave home."

Initially, the 5-foot-10, 155-pounder planned to rebel by not speaking to others. Darden would follow the school's strict guidelines not because he wanted to but because he hoped his mother would see his progress and allow him to go back home after a year's time.

Instead, Darden began to realize the benefits of structured setting. He learned that his teachers and coaches were there to help him mature.

"Being here made me a better person," said Darden, who carries a 3.6 grade-point average. "My grades skyrocketed. The structure and discipline made me push myself more."

And who knows? In time, Darden's picture may just hang close to Fitzgerald's jersey on the Trainer Hall wall.