Burns Is Taking a Vacation From Interceptions

For Rick Burns, Santiago High School quarterback, success seemed only to be a matter of taking a shorter vacation.

After each of the past three school years, Burns, who also plays basketball and baseball, has taken most of the summer off to visit his grandparents and take a break from sports. But last summer, he traded Jackson, Mich., for Garden Grove, spending but two weeks, instead of the usual two months, at his grandparents.

Instead of tossing rocks into a lake during the summer, he was tossing passes into zone coverages.

Burns has seen the results of his work. Santiago is unbeaten after five games and the three-year varsity starter is ranked among Orange County’s best quarterbacks though he has thrown for more than 200 yards in a game only once. He has completed 44 of 75 passes for 730 yards and 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He threw for only three touchdowns last season. Interceptions were Burns’ biggest problem during the last two seasons. He threw 18 as a junior and 21 as a sophomore.

“In some games, it was like I was playing in a twilight zone or something, we would get behind and I would be passing all the time and the other team would be rushing me a lot,” Burns said.

Ten of his 18 interceptions came in two games last season. He had six against La Mirada and four in one half against La Quinta.

During the summer, Burns went through a passing league and became more comfortable with the wishbone set Santiago uses. The offense features a running back moving onto the wing, which gives Burns a back in the flat if his downfield receivers are covered.

“The passing league really helped me,” he said. “I learned to look over the field better and I gained even more confidence in myself and the receivers.”

Seeing the field is easier for the 6-foot 3-inch Burns than for many prep quarterbacks. He has no trouble seeing over his line, either.

Also, his line has protected him as he has been sacked five times in four games, an improvement over last season when he often was forced to do the dodge, duck and throw on the run routine. Santiago was 3-5-1 in ’84.

Burns’ interest in the game also has improved.

“His attitude was never really bad, it was just that he missed a lot of the summer program my first year,” Coach Fred DiPalma said. “It was tough for me, as well as him. We had to get to know each other in a short period of time.”

Burns’ decided to take football seriously once he was challenged last spring by senior Tim Reynolds.

“It started a few weeks after football ended last year,” Burns said. “I kept hearing from everybody that I was not going to be the starting quarterback . . . I knew coach would want his quarterback to be there in the summer. So I was.” DiPalma said, “The coaches wanted everybody to compete for the starting jobs, nobody was assured of playing just because they did last year.”

Burns did not find out he would start until a few days before the opener against Orange, but he made the most of his chance.

And indications of Santiago’s fortunes changing were illustrated on Burns’ first touchdown pass. The pass went through the arms of an Orange defender into the hands of running back Jim McGarrh for a 39-yard scoring play.

When asked about the play, a smile came to Burns’ face as he said, “As it happened, I was thinking it’s about time things started to go our way. Our team deserves a little luck sometimes.”

Reynolds, who was once competing for Burns’ job, is now catching passes from him. He also has seen the improvement.

“He is throwing with much more confidence and poise this year than last,” Reynolds said.

His defensive play is better, too. As a free safety this season he is tied for the team lead in interceptions with three. He credits starting both ways as another reason he has decreased the number of interceptions.

“Playing defense keeps my concentration in the game,” Burns said. “It does not allow me anytime to go to the bench, hang my head and sulk like last year. I would go off and throw a temper tantrum on the sidelines, that was one of the things coach did not like about me.”

Some coaches might be nervous about risking their quarterback on defense, but not DiPalma who has only 27 players on the varsity.

“We put him back there because he’s the best guy,” DiPalma said. “I like to play the best 11 guys I’ve got both ways.”