Stepping Out From a Shadow : Prep football: Tim Manning received the spotlight at Trabuco Hills, but Rick Sparks gets his chance to shine in county’s all-star game.

For the first time in two years, Rick Sparks is getting the opportunity to play football for a team on which Tim Manning is not the star.

Sparks, who led Orange County in interceptions in 1988 and intercepted three more passes than Manning did over the past two seasons, always seemed to get second billing to his Trabuco Hills High School teammate. Manning set the county career interception record with 24 during three seasons.

“I think Tim kind of overshadowed Rick because Tim got a lot of publicity,” said Andy Anderson, Trabuco Hills defensive coordinator. “If Rick were somewhere else doing the same thing, he would be a big star.”

It’s doubtful Sparks will be the star of the 31st Orange County football all-star game, which will be played Friday at Orange Coast College. He has volunteered to line up as a receiver instead of at his strongest position, defensive back, where the South team is deep. But at least he won’t be eclipsed by Manning, who is passing on the county all-star game to play in the Shrine all-star game July 28. Manning, who played more quarterback than defensive back last season for the Mustangs, earned a football scholarship to California. Sparks will play at Saddleback College, but he bears his teammate no ill will.

“Manning did well,” Sparks said. “He got good grades. He did well in football and he went somewhere good. I’m happy for him. But some others have to work at it more than he does.”

Sparks said there never was a serious rivalry between the two, even during their junior season in 1988, when Sparks led the county with 11 interceptions and Manning had 10.

Anderson said that during that season the players were often used as safeties, with free reign to go after the ball. “Both Tim and he have good instincts to get to the ball,” Anderson said. “I was really fortunate to have two kids with that type of instinctive ability.”

It was an exciting season for Trabuco Hills fans.

“They were fighting it out for team supremacy,” Manning’s father, Doyle, said. “I remember a couple of times they went for the same ball. It was fun to watch.”

Said Sparks: “We always joked around about it. But it’s not like we were rivals. We didn’t really care who won (between us), we just wanted to win games. We wanted to win it all.”

Trabuco Hills did just that in 1988, winning the Southern Section Division XIII championship, and the Mustangs repeated the feat last season.

In 1989, Sparks intercepted six passes, lead the team in solo tackles with 53 and was the team’s second-leading receiver. Yet, he received only cursory interest from college recruiters. Representatives from Montana and Idaho State made inquiries, but he wasn’t offered a scholarship.

Anderson said recruiters typically look for archetypal types to stock college football teams. At 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Sparks isn’t considered big enough or fast enough. But Anderson says he has the athletic and jumping ability as well as the instincts to be a Division I defensive back.

“Both of them can play, it’s just a matter of them getting a chance,” Anderson said. “I think Tim will get his shot and Rick will (get one) eventually, but it’s going to take a longer process.

“I’m sure he was a little discouraged about it, but I think he is realistic enough to know that he is not fully developed physically. In two years, he may get bigger and a step quicker. If he starts two years at Saddleback, he should be able to get a ride some place.”