Orange County Prep Review : Messersmith Strong-Arms His Way Into Starting Role at Servite

It came as quite a shock at Servite High School when it was announced that junior Jason Messersmith would be the starting quarterback for the Friars’ season opener against Colton Saturday night.

Many thought that Brett Caya had a lock on the starting position. He was a senior who had led Servite’s freshman and sophomore teams to 10-0 records. He was Tim Rosenkranz’ backup last year, just as Rosenkranz had backed up Eric Buechele the previous year.

What made the announcement that Messersmith had won the starting job even more surprising was that he was the fourth-string quarterback on the Friars’ sophomore team last year. And Messersmith didn’t call a play from the quarterback position until the final game of the season.

“Jason was a gangly kid who grew awfully fast from 15 to 16 years old,” said Jon Borowiec, a Friar assistant coach. “He was very slow on his feet and had a hard time adjusting to how quickly he grew.”

Messersmith, now 16, grew four inches and gained nearly 30 pounds last year. He developed into a bona-fide quarterback with the aid of a rigorous weight-training program devised by his stepfather, Bill Frank.

Frank helped develop major league baseball players Brian Downing and Lance Parrish into stronger hitters through weight training. His lastest project, outfielder Rob Deer of the Milwaukee Brewers, leads the American League in home runs.

“I designed a program for Jason that would help him become an athlete,” Frank said. “I’ve been his coach since he was 8 years old. The kid has been a winner on every level he’s played on. So, no, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s come so far, so fast.”

Borowiec said the progress that Messersmith has made in the Friars’ football program is nothing short of amazing.

“Jason has improved by leaps and bounds, both physically and mentally,” he said. “His statistics over the past five months earned him the starting job. When he walked on the field this summer, we didn’t recognize him.

“Once he started working with weights, he wasn’t the same athlete. His arm is very strong for a 16-year-old. All he lacks is game experience.”

Messersmith’s father, Andy, was a standout pitcher for Western High who later became a star with the Angels and the Dodgers. Jason showed he also has an arm when he threw a 47-yard pass on the fly to wide receiver Nick-John Haiduc against Colton.

“That’s nothing,” Borowiec said. “He can throw the ball 60 yards.” Messersmith completed 7 of 13 pass attempts for 143 yards and scored a touchdown in his debut.

Messersmith wasn’t the only impressive underclassman for Servite Saturday night. Sophomore running back Derek Brown made quite an impression in his first varsity game, gaining 150 yards in 15 carries and scoring 2 touchdowns in the 28-21 victory.

Brown, a 5-foot 9-inch, 165-pound speedster, also had a 62-yard touchdown run nullified in the fourth quarter because of an illegal block. He has played only one game, but he rates with Robert Lee of Santa Ana and Kaleaph Carter of Edison as the best in the county.

No wonder La Habra Coach Bob Rau was crying when Brown left the Highlanders’ program only four days before school started last year. Rau said Brown practiced eight days at La Habra before leaving.

“Derek Brown is so good, it’s unreal,” Rau said when he left. “He rates right there with Anthony and Chuck Weatherspoon at the same stage. It was a great loss, absolutely.”

Servite’s victory over Colton in Hanford Rants Stadium in Cerritos was an expensive one for booster Frank.

Frank paid $1.45 a minute to keep Servite Coach Leo Hand in touch with what was happening in the game. Hand underwent surgery Sept. 13 and was confined in Long Beach during the Friars’ season opener.

Frank had his mobile telephone in the press box and called Hand shortly after the kickoff. Hand relayed signals to Frank, who in turn passed them along to assistants Bob Walker and John Dimalante throughout the game.

The game took nearly 2 1/2 hours to complete, so Frank can look forward to a hefty phone bill. If the Friars had lost, perhaps Hand could have told everyone he got a wrong number.

Prep Notes Todd Blyleven, son of Minnesota Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven, is a freshman quarterback at Mater Dei. . . . Ian Long, 14-year-old son of former world record-holder in the shot put, Dallas Long, is a tackle on Newport Harbor’s freshman football team. Ian is 6-3 and 225 pounds. . . . Former Savanna and Santa Ana Coach Tom Meiss has joined Ken Swearingen’s staff at Saddleback College as an advance scout. . . . Foothill is looking for opponents for two freshman football games on Thursday, Oct. 23, and Thursday, Nov. 6. Anyone interested should contact Ted Mullen at Foothill. . . . Former Times’ All-County center Nick Gotovac of Esperanza is serving as a graduate assistant at the University of Cincinnati under Coach Dave Currey. . . . Andy Sinclair of Edison is the starting center at Stanford University. . . . Mater Dei’s 6-11 center, LeRon Ellis, visited the University of Kentucky over the weekend. He has trips scheduled to Georgetown, Syracuse and St. John’s in the next two months and will decide among those four schools, according to Monarch Coach Gary McKnight. The Monarchs’ basketball team is scheduled to play in the King Cotton Classic on Dec. 31-Jan. 4 in Pine Bluff, Ark. . . . Last year, El Dorado’s tight end was Barry Curtis, a transfer from Texas. This season, another transfer from Texas, Craig Parr, is on the Hawks’ roster and is listed as a tight end. . . . Former Canyon quarterback Todd French is attempting to make the Stanford University football team as a walk-on. . . . La Habra’s varsity football team will have a bye this week after California High of Whittier canceled its game against the Highlanders.