Rosas Couldn’t Resist Call to Pitch In as Santa Ana Quarterback : Football: Teammates persuaded quarterback to return to the sport after he had given it up to concentrate on baseball.

Sitting in the training room at Santa Ana High School, alternating an ice pack between his left ankle and right shoulder, quarterback Jesse Rosas talked about why he didn’t want to play football last year.

“I was worried that I was going to get injured,” he said, then looked at the ice pack and smiled. “Like this.”

Rosas is still concerned about injuries, such as his twisted ankle and bruised shoulder. He doesn’t want anything to affect his baseball career. Especially injuries to his right arm, which can throw 85 mile-per-hour fastballs.

After being the starting quarterback for the Saints’ freshman and sophomore teams, Rosas briefly walked away from the sport as a junior. But destiny, not to mention some not-so-subtle pressure from teammates, coaches and Santa Ana fans, brought Rosas back to the football field.

Baseball might be the future, but football is the present.

“Baseball is still my first love and I didn’t want to take any risks,” Rosas said. “But I couldn’t get away from football. I tried, but none of the guys would let me. Besides, they really needed me.”

Now more than ever. The Saints, known for their grind-it-out, tackle-to-tackle running attack, have had to lean more and more on Rosas’ right arm.

Three weeks ago, Santa Ana tailback Garner Hicks went down with a knee injury. Hicks had gained 680 yards rushing through the first six games, and his absence left a big void in the offense.

Rosas stepped in with five touchdowns passes in the past two games, equaling his total through the first six. Rosas rarely throws more than 13 passes in a game, but his numbers are impressive.

He has completed 53 of 98 passes for 780 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Tonight, the Saints play Foothill at 7:30 at Santa Ana Stadium in a key Century League game. Both teams are tied for first place with Santa Ana Valley and Villa Park.

Hicks is questionable tonight, so Santa Ana will need yet another big game from Rosas.

“We’ve leaned more and more on Jesse’s passing this season,” Santa Ana Coach Dick Hill said. “When Garner got hurt, we didn’t have anyone ready to step in. Jesse became the most important part of the offense.”

Rosas has taken the responsibility in stride. He hasn’t deviated from his happy-go-lucky attitude.

On Tuesday, Rosas came to school dressed as girl for a Halloween contest. That afternoon, he arrived at practice still partially attired in his costume.

“He had his shoulder pads and jersey, but was wearing a skirt and a wig,” fullback Dan Tuioti said. “We were all laughing at him, even Coach Hill. That’s just the way Jesse is, he’s funny.”

Hill has tried to get Rosas to take a more serious approach to the game, but he has had little success. “I get on him about some of the stuff,” Hill said. “But it’s hard to yell at a kid when you’re laughing at him.”

And Hill would rather have Rosas, gags and all, than the alternative.

“Obviously, Jesse adds another dimension to our offense,” Hill said. “We haven’t seen too many eight- or nine-man fronts this season. People have to respect the pass.”

The Saints had a strong team in 1988, featuring tailbacks Estrus Crayton, who is now at Rancho Santiago College, and Hicks. Their defense also was strong, with several returning starters. However, one ingredient was missing--the forward pass.

When summer practice began, Rosas was a no-show. He wanted to concentrate on his pitching.

As a freshman, Rosas struck out 13 batters in a game against Santa Ana Valley. He was used mostly in relief as a sophomore, but was 7-3 last season with 62 strikeouts, including 12 in a game against Canyon.

With Rosas working on his baseball, Tuioti was pressed into service as quarterback, a position he hadn’t played since the eighth grade. Although he was a strong runner, Tuioti’s throwing abilities were lacking.

“Everyone really missed Jesse, especially me,” Tuioti said. “I would rather run with the ball than throw it. I didn’t want to play quarterback.”

So, he went to work on Rosas. Tuioti took every chance to remind Rosas he was letting his friends down. Others who had played with Rosas on an undefeated freshman team also applied pressure.

To Rosas it seemed as if Tuioti, Hicks and Oscar Wilson were taking turns working on him. “They really made me feel guilty,” Rosas said.

But the worst times were when he attended games. Fans, some of whom Rosas didn’t even know, would tell him he should be on the field.

Finally, Rosas relented. After the third game of the season, he told Hill he wanted to play.

“We had to find just the right moment to work Jesse into the lineup,” Hills said.

The decision was made by the El Modena defense. With the Saints trailing the Vanguards, 6-0, in fourth quarter of their first league game, Tuioti left with a knee injury.

“I was standing on the sideline, talking to this guy, and I hear Coach Hill say, ‘Rosas, warm up,’ ” Rosas said. “I was so nervous, I could barely grip the ball.”

The Saints drove from their 39 to the seven on 11 consecutive running plays. Which was fine with Rosas, who said he was feeling a little uncomfortable.

But with 34 seconds left and the ball on the El Modena seven, Hill called for a tight end delay. Rosas hit Julio Vargas for the touchdown.

Santa Ana won, 7-6, and went on to win the league title. With Tuioti out for the season, Rosas finished the year at quarterback.

Rosas completed 35 of 66 passes for 569 yards and four touchdowns. He also guided the Saints into the second round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs.

“The biggest favor I ever did Dick Hill was knocking Tuioti out of that game,” El Modena Coach Bill Backstrom said.

Rosas has been the quarterback since Day One this season. At times, he has looked unspectacular. The Santa Ana offense uses few up-field passes, so Rosas throws mainly sideline passes and screens.

However, in times of need, he can rise to the occasion.

As a freshman, he drove the Saints to a winning touchdown against Foothill, which decided the league championship. He threw a 30-yard scoring pass on the final play of the game for a 17-16 victory.

This season, he drove the Saints to a touchdown in the final two minutes of the first half against Canyon. He threw a seven-yard scoring pass to Gus Valencia with 55 seconds left to break a 14-14 tie.

“I really didn’t feel comfortable last season,” Rosas said. “I wasn’t with them from the beginning, so it was hard for me to feel bad when we lost. This season, I’m part of the family again.”