Growing up in a football family meant that Riley O’Brien was destined to find his way to the Friday night lights.
“I’ve always had a football in my hand,” says O’Brien. “I started playing football at a very young age. It’s always been a part of my life and part of my family’s life.”
The JSerra Catholic High School junior is one more player in a line of O’Brien family members who have a history on the gridiron in the Trinity League—all under the direction of the Lions varsity football head coach, Jim Hartigan. O’Brien’s father played for Mater Dei High School, his uncle for Santa Margarita Catholic High School and his older brother, Conor, is his current teammate on JSerra’s squad.
For the 17-year-old from San Clemente, there’s not much that compares to the brotherhood that comes from sharing a passion for the game.
“What I love most about football is the camaraderie,” says O’Brien. “It’s always having that brother to lean on.”
The two-way player fills the role of quarterback as well as defensive back for the Lions. And no matter which side of the ball he’s on, O’Brien is looking to be a game-changer.
“I always like having the ball,” says O’Brien. “I like being a big factor for the team.”
Hartigan knows that wherever O’Brien is on the field, he can count on him to make an impact.
“Riley is a tenacious player,” says Hartigan. “He trains and plays with a 100 percent effort every day.”
And for Hartigan, it’s a bonus to coach the brother duo.
“It’s tough to talk about one without talking about the other,” says Hartigan of the O’Brien brothers. “They both play very well off of each other and both bring a wonderful skill set to our team.”
Each spring, O’Brien also represents the Lions on the track as a sprinter, competing in the 100-meter and 200-meter events, as well as the 4 x 100 meter relay.
“It gets me better for football, but it also gives me a break from football,” says O’Brien about the dual benefits of running track.
With a goal of playing football at the collegiate level, O’Brien often turns to the support of his father to help him navigate the grind of the game.
“He’s always been that football role model,” says O’Brien. “But he’s also there to build me up when I’m down…when I need that extra motivation to keep going. He’s a huge part of my life.”
Grateful for the chance to grow up with football, O’Brien soaks up all he can from the sport.
“Football has taught me…to never give up,” says O’Brien. “Life is going to be a struggle. Keep fighting, because you’re always going to fail, but how you come back from that failure is how you’re going to succeed.”
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO The picture gazes down from a perch near the entrance to the cavernous weight room, an unofficial greeter for JSerra’s football team.
In the photo, about 25 of the school’s players, all dressed in Navy SEAL fatigues, have locked arms as they step into a dark ocean while an ominous wave approaches. Added to the photo are four words in bold, red letters:
MENTAL TOUGHNESS + RESILIENCY = GRIT
If JSerra’s football team needs a reminder about how to handle the challenges that are rolling its way, this prized lesson from Navy SEAL camp should work. In March, members of the Lions’ team took part in an all-day training session in San Diego with the special operations unit. The experience lives on within the JSerra program.
“Hardest 12 hours of our life,” said Conor O’Brien, a senior wide receiver and safety.
“We had to lean on each other and focus on getting each other across the finish line.”
MENTAL TOUGHNESS
A poster-sized display of the Register’s final Orange County football rankings from 2014 jumps into view as players leave JSerra’s underground weight room.
Outlined in bright red, it’s a constant reminder for the Lions (10-2) about the strides they made last fall. They reached the CIF-SS playoffs for the first time. They won their first playoff game. They beat Trinity League rival Mater Dei for the first time. They finished No. 1 in the county for the first time.
“I’m trying to teach the kids that there are a lot of things that are still out there that we can accomplish,” JSerra coach Jim Hartigan said.
The offseason ushered in murky personnel questions for 2015 due to graduation and high-profile transfers.
Graduation sent All-County quarterback Nick Robinson to Georgia as a preferred walk-on, and All-County defensive lineman D.J. Bailey to Harvard. There were five other seniors on last year’s team that earned first-team all-Trinity League status.
The transfer news broke during the spring. All-County running back Edward Vander left JSerra to return to Paramount, the school he played for in 2013. Two-way starter Isaiah Diego-Williams, a cornerback/wide receiver who had a strong track season, later transferred to Serra of Gardena.
The loss of so much talent could have created a distraction, but the Lions remain confident.
“A lot of people say JSerra was a fluke (last season),” O’Brien said. “But we’re going to be just as good this year.”
O’Brien said the Navy SEAL training strengthened the players’ mental toughness.
Under the supervision of active and retired SEAL members, the players were put through a series of grueling tasks, which included beach exercises at 4 a.m., carrying heavy logs and carrying 270-pound left tackle Luke Wattenberg on a stretcher.
And there was “The Murph.”
“We ran back from the beach to the (SEAL) training facility and everybody is thinking we’re done … and we’re going to get lunch,” O’Brien said.
“They push us right back into doing the ‘Murph’ workout. Basically, it’s 300 squats, 200 push-ups and 100 pull-ups.
“And before that, you have run a mile and after finishing the squats, and the push-ups and the pull-ups, you got to run another mile. … Everybody’s legs are cramping, but we had to push the big guys through. It was probably the most memorable thing.”
RESILIENCY AND GRIT
JSerra doesn’t need to search far for lessons on resiliency.
O’Brien said last season’s seniors showed the dedication and spirit needed to succeed in one of the toughest football leagues in the nation.
“(It’s) the attitude” he said. “It’s a lot of perseverance because Coach Hartigan is a tough guy. We’re out here grinding every single day.
“We got to work a lot harder than the other teams because they have physically more athletic players, but we have to get through the hard times … the conditioning and weight room.”
The Lions’ resiliency turned to grit in 2014. They showed determination by beating Santa Margarita and Mater Dei by just a touchdown in each game and defeating Orange Lutheran by four points.
Wattenberg credits the seniors on the team for the success. Individually, he praised Bailey, his practice opponent, for helping him improve.
“They definitely set a very, very high standard for us,” said Wattenberg, a three-year starter. “Practicing against good players makes a good team.”
For this upcoming campaign, the team’s pyramid of success includes winning Trinity, Pac-5 Division and state titles. On their way to the weight room, the players pass a mural with those goals on it.
The Lions plan to replace Robinson – a three-year starter -- with O’Brien’s brother, Riley, or Robinson’s brother, Matthew.
Avery Williams, a transfer from St. Francis of La Canada, could fill Vander’s spot at running back. Williams also plays safety and Riley O’Brien plays cornerback.
JSerra returns only three starters on defense - the O’Brien brothers and middle linebacker Kyle Adams.
“That is what’s got me on edge,” Hartigan said of so many new starters in this year’s lineup. “There’s unknown. … but it’s a team game.”
The Lions don’t return any starting defensive linemen, but they could boast the best offensive line in the county. Wattenberg (6-5, 270) and center Nick Harris (6-2, 275) have committed to Washington. They team with guards Shane Avera (6-3, 275) and Zelan Tupuola (6-3, 283) and promising sophomore Jake Parks(6-4, 275) at right tackle.
While the Lions’ situation might appear somewhat daunting in such a difficult league, so was the Navy SEAL training. That was an experience picked by Hartigan specifically for this team.
“We talk about mental toughness and being resilient (and) gritty,” said Hartigan, the Register’s coach of the year last season. “We came from a beginning (as a program) where we were getting hammered by everybody. We all got sick of it. … We don’t want to go back there.”
CARSON – The best coaches recognize an opportunity when they see one, and that’s how some of Orange County’s top coaches used the Adidas 7on7 Passing Tournament at the StubHub Center on Sunday.
Events like this are often an excuse for powerhouse teams to show off their talent to the other top dogs. Santa Margarita coach Rick Curtis took advantage of the tournament by gauging how his team stacked up against top competition.
“Our defense played really well,” Curtis said. “When you hold the ball for four seconds, it’s tough to play defense for four seconds. The offenses obviously have the advantage in this tournament. Again, I think our defense played really well.”
Narbonne of Harbor City won the tournament, defeating Chaminade of West Hills in the final.
“I think (the event) builds character,” Curtis added. “I think it builds a uniformity for the team. ... It’s not our whole team. The lineman aren’t here, and we only have 20 kids. It’s fun to win, but we know this is not really a team aspect about (the game).”
The blistering heat wasn’t able to slow down the Los Alamitos offense, which jumped all over opponents in the first round of the tournament. Coach John Barnes gave a smirk to go along with his short evaluation of the first round.
“It was fun,” Barnes said. “They’re all fun.”
Los Al was without several key playmakers from last year’s team, something Barnes didn’t seem bothered by.
“We’ve got good players,” Barnes said. “We’ll be fine. We’ve got a great receiver in (Jacob) Gasser and a couple others in (Keynin) Charbonnet and (Holden) Edmondson. We’re fine there. Our QB isn’t here today. We’re using our second guy, and he’s pretty dang good.”
Santa Margarita topped Los Alamitos in the knockout round, 13-12.
JSerra fell a game short of the semifinals after making the semis last year at the Edison passing tournament in Huntington Beach. Coach Jim Hartigan thought his team looked solid despite not playing for the last three weeks.
“I thought we got a lot of good work in,” Hartigan said. “Which was what we wanted. We brought some incoming freshman that we thought might be able to help us as early as this year. We gave them a chance to compete and they made some plays.”
With the quarterback job up for grabs, Hartigan said neither Riley O’Brien nor Matthew Robinson did anything to gain a leg on the QB spot.
“I really have to look at the film and make a decision on that,” Hartigan said. “I think probably Riley at times looked good. I thought Matt (Robinson) at times did some things well. We brought a freshman and he did some things well. If anything I think we gained some more depth at the QB spot.”
Hartigan said it might take all summer and maybe even a few regular-season games to see who’s separating themselves from the others. Whatever he takes, Hartigan said he’s in no hurry to make a decision.
“If it happens we’ll make (a decision),” Hartigan said. “I don’t want to eliminate anybody from the race yet.”
FAMILY DUO
Riley and Connor O’Brien of JSerra were all over the field, playing multiple positions for the Lions on offense and defense.
“(Riley and Connor O’Brien) were solid today,” Hartigan said. “Those two guys are going to be big-time players for us, as they were last year.”
BY THE HORNS
Several players caught the attention of their respective coaches, and this could be sign of potential breakout seasons.
Curtis called Grant Calcaterra the team’s “go-to guy” at wide receiver, while also signaling out cornerback Darian Fernandez for an excellent tournament.
Hartigan said cornerback Nate Bowman was impressive, along with the entire receiving corps.
INJURIES
Injuries left significant mark on the event. The most gruesome came in a game between Warren and Cathedral, where two players collided, forcing paramedics to rush to the field.
Warren's Mason Marquez took the worst of the collision with a cut to the back of his head. He was placed on a stretcher and rushed off in an ambulance.
Santa Margarita receiver Dylan Crawford, a transfer from St. Francis, only played in the Lions' first game due to a foot injury. The Eagles were also without standout linebacker Maxx Lewis who was out with a pulled groin muscle.
