Destinations Not Unknown, Just Unexpected : All-Orange County Athletes Are Headed to Locations All Over the Country

Compiling a list of destinations for The Times’ All-Orange County football, basketball and baseball teams for the 1984-85 season has shown that there are some obstinate athletes among the bunch.

Take Villa Park High School’s Brian Raum, for instance. He was named the all-county tight end after catching 22 passes for 363 yards and 4 touchdowns last fall, and he received scholarship offers to the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Cal State Fullerton and Wyoming.

But he turned them down to pursue a baseball career at Loyola Marymount. Spartan football coach Pat Mahoney, who tried to convince Raum that his future was in football, had a viable argument.

Raum, a left-handed pitcher, went 7-2 in his junior season but pitched in only five games this past spring because of an inflamed rotator cuff, which had the potential to be torn if not rested properly. But Raum doesn’t believe the injury will hold him back.

“A lot of the schools I talked to during my junior year lost interest in me, and the (professional) scouts said I should go to a junior college for a year to prove I could throw,” Raum said. “But I’ve rehabilitated my arm, and it’s 100 percent. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

And then there is the case of Adam Lockwood, the all-county basketball player from Estancia. Many thought Lockwood’s best sport was volleyball, and he even had a scholarship offer to play the sport at the University of Hawaii, but he turned that down for a chance to continue his basketball career at Chapman College.

Mission Viejo’s David Hill and El Toro’s Tim McLain, both all-county defensive backs, are simply determined to continue their playing careers.

Hill had arthroscopic surgery on both knees last year and feels that many colleges shied away from him because of the injuries, which he termed as minor.

“I was getting a lot of attention and letters before the injuries, but once my knees went out, everything just kind of slowed down,” he said.

But Hill thinks he’s ready to go. He said his knees aren’t bothering him, and he’s going to try to walk on at Oregon this fall.

McLain didn’t have any serious injuries--he just wasn’t recruited seriously by many major colleges. He still thinks he can play, though, and will try to make the team at UCLA as a walk-on.

John Schilling, all-county utility player on the baseball team, also will be a walk-on this fall, but not by necessity. The pitcher/first baseman had scholarship offers to Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Los Angeles, but he spurned those in favor of San Diego State, which didn’t offer a scholarship.

Baseball Player of the Year Bob Brucato has a similar situation. The Mission Viejo pitcher/outfielder could have gone to Cal State Long Beach on a scholarship, but he decided instead to attend Rancho Santiago College (formerly Santa Ana College) in hopes of transferring to Pepperdine after his freshman season. Brucato will play shortstop in junior college.

Steve Williams, an all-county football player from Valencia, has just as much determination to accomplish his goals, but those goals are a bit different.

The offensive lineman will redshirt at Fullerton College this year so he can continue to work at an Alpha Beta Supermarket--all so that he can maintain payments on his truck.

The three first-team, all-county pitchers won’t have to worry about college decisions or jobs for the moment. They have all signed professional baseball contracts.

Paul Abbott had signed a national letter of intent with Cal State Fullerton, but he signed with the Minnesota Twins and reported to their rookie-league team at Elizabethton, Tenn., on June 20, the day after he graduated from Sunny Hills High.

Pitching in the Appalachian League, the right-hander has a 1-1 record in three appearances with a 5.91 earned-run average and 14 strikeouts in 10 innings.

Canyon’s Leonard Damian signed with the Chicago Cubs and also is playing in the Appalachian League for the team’s affiliate at Wytheville, Va. Damian, a right-hander, is 1-1 in three games with a 4.26 ERA and 8 strikeouts in 12 innings.

Fountain Valley’s Bob Sharpnack, who helped the Barons to the Southern Section 4-A championship, was drafted on the second round by the Angels and is currently pitching for their rookie-league team at Salem, Ore., in the Northwest League.

The right-hander is 0-0 in four games with a 7.71 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Sharpnack’s teammate, Don Snowden, an all-county utility player, also benefitted from the Barons’ championship season. He was set to attend Orange Coast College when Jerry Kindall, of the University of Arizona, offered him a full scholarship following the Barons’ 3-2 win over Camarillo in the 4-A final, in which Snowden pitched a four-hitter and struck out 11.

FOOTBALL

Player School Pos. Mike Beech Newport Harbor QT Eric Buechele Servite QB Tim Byrnes Sunny Hills FB/LB Jim Farrell Esperanza RB Ken Felix Capistrano Valley OL Phil Garabedian Anaheim QB/LB Richard Garcia Fullerton LB Carl Harry Fountain Valley WR David Hill Mission Viego DB Steve Hingst Foothill OL Tom Holler La Quinta OL Earl Jones Saddleback RB Mike Lutz Sunny Hills DB Tim McLain El Toro DB Don Miller Esperanza OG Dan Owens La Habra T Keith Pontiflet Esperanza WR Brian Raum Villa Park TE Randy Sheets Western DL/LB Dave Swigart Fountain Valley RB Steve Williams Valencia OL Lance Zeno Fountain Valley T

Player College Mike Beech UCLA Eric Buechele Fresno State Tim Byrnes Cal State Fullerton Jim Farrell Colorado Ken Felix Oregon State Phil Garabedian Fullerton College Richard Garcia Fullerton College Carl Harry Utah David Hill Oregon (walk-on) Steve Hingst California Tom Holler Cal State Fullerton Earl Jones Fullerton College Mike Lutz Princeton Tim McLain UCLA (walk-on) Don Miller Nevada Las Vegas Dan Owens USC Keith Pontiflet Colorado Brian Raum Loyola Marymount * Randy Sheets Cal State Northridge Dave Swigart Golden West College Steve Williams Fullerton College + Lance Zeno Will be a senior at Fountain Valley

* Raum will attend Loyola Marymount on a baseball scholarship. + Williams will redshirt this season. Basketball

Player School Pos. Ricky Butler Ocean View F Tom Desiano Mission Viejo G Bob Erbst Katella C Bart Hakeman El Dorado G Tom Lewis Mater Dei F Adam Lockwood Estancia G Chuck McGavran Newport Harbor G Bryan McSweeney Dana Hills F Mike Mitchell Mater Dei F Kevin Walker Brea-Olinda C

Player College Ricky Butler Will be a junior at Ocean View Tom Desiano Saddleback Bob Erbst Will be a senior Bart Hakeman Fullerton College Tom Lewis USC Adam Lockwood Chapman College Chuck McGavran Orange Coast College Bryan McSweeney Stanford Mike Mitchell Fresno State Kevin Walker Will be a senior

Baseball

Player School Pos. Paul Abbott Sunny Hills P Bob Brucato Mission Viejo P/OF Leonard Damian Canyon P Bobby DeJardin Mater Dei SS Anthony Follico Mater Dei C Steve Milledge Canyon OF Troy Paulsen La Quinta SS Andy Ruscitto Valencia OF John Schilling Santa Ana P/Inf Bob Sharpnack Fountain Valley P Scott Shockey El Toro 1B Don Snowden Fountain Valley P David Tinkle Ocean View SS

Player College or Organization Paul Abbott Twins (Elizabethon, Rookie League) Bob Brucato Rancho Santiago College Leonard Damian Cubs (Wytheville, Rookie League) Bobby DeJardin Loyola Marymount Anthony Follico USC Steve Milledge Orange Coast College Troy Paulsen Will be a senior at La Quinta Andy Ruscitto Will be a senior at Valencia John Schilling San Diego State (walk-on) Bob Sharpnack Angels (Salem, Class-A) Scott Shockey Pepperdine Don Snowden Arizona David Tinkle Royals (Sarasota, Rookie League)