Sullivan’s Transfer to Laguna Hills Simple, Quiet : New team: Without fanfare, quarterback’s family moves to Orange County.

There were no Southern Section inquiries or front-page headlines when Casey Sullivan transferred to Laguna Hills High School last spring.

Sullivan, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback, arrived on campus with little fanfare after leaving St. Monica, a Catholic high school in Santa Monica.

That’s exactly the way he wanted it.

While Derek and Leland Sparks’ transfer from Van Nuys Montclair Prep to Mater Dei was big news this fall, Sullivan was quietly establishing himself as one of the top quarterbacks in Orange County.

Last April, Sullivan moved with his parents, Tim and Nancy, into a condominium near Laguna Hills High, enrolled in classes and joined the football team for spring practice.

Sullivan’s strong arm--he can throw the ball 60 yards with little effort--would have been a valuable addition to any county school. Yet his parents enrolled him in the first school they visited--Laguna Hills.

“I felt I could start at about any school in the area, even El Toro or Mission Viejo,” Sullivan said. “But I ended up at Laguna Hills because my parents came here, checked it out and liked it.”

Sullivan is ranked eighth in the county in passing, completing 31 of 63 passes for 561 yards, six touchdowns and one interception.

As a junior, Sullivan passed for 1,200 yards and led St. Monica to the Division VIII state playoffs.

Laguna Hills Coach Steve Bresnahan hadn’t counted on a strong passer this season. The Hawks’ starting quarterback had graduated and they already had an established rushing attack with running back Marwan Saba returning for his senior season.

Bresnahan first saw Sullivan play in St. Monica’s first-round playoff loss to Agoura last year. If St. Monica had won, it would have played Laguna Hills in the second round.

“If we would have played them, Casey would have caused all kinds of problems for us,” Bresnahan said. “I never thought he would show up here after I saw him play that day. But I’m glad he did. We needed someone to come in and start at quarterback.”

While growing up in Malibu, Sullivan developed his passing game in the youth leagues. He was coached by his father, who also was the offensive coordinator at St. Monica.

But Tim Sullivan, a consultant for several Orange County radio stations, decided to move to Orange County last spring. He was tired of commuting to his job.

“The drive from Malibu each day was too far,” Tim Sullivan said. “It was an hour or more on the freeway each way.”

But there were other reasons for Sullivan’s transfer.

“We were impressed with the academics at Laguna Hills,” Tim Sullivan said. The academics at St. Monica left something to be desired. We felt Casey had a better chance to be prepared for college.”

Casey Sullivan has a 2.7 grade-point average and will take his college entrance exam this winter. Among the colleges recruiting him are Fresno State, San Diego State and Northern Arizona, where his sister, Kelly, played volleyball.

“I just want to go somewhere where they pass the ball a lot,” Casey Sullivan said.

Tim Sullivan said his son has improved since coming to Laguna Hills, athletically and academically. Tim Sullivan has given up coaching his son, something he had done the past 10 years.

“It’s tough,” Tim Sullivan said, “but with my son playing at a level he’s at, it’s better that he’s coached by someone else. It was time I let go.”

Casey Sullivan said his passing game has improved after working with Bresnahan, a former quarterbacks coach at Cal State Long Beach.

Sullivan talked to Bresnahan the first day he was on campus. He told Bresnahan he was going to be the team’s starting quarterback.

“Prove it,” Bresnahan said.

It didn’t take him long.

By the end of spring practice, Sullivan had all but locked up the starting job.

“I had a pretty good idea where I fit in,” he said. “I knew there wasn’t too much competition.”

But the transition wasn’t entirely smooth.

“Transfers come in and don’t understand the system,” Bresnahan said. “But the toughest part is that the rest of the team has been together for three or four years, then this new guy comes in and he’s the quarterback, the team leader. But Casey’s a good guy and the team could handle it.”

Sullivan transferred to a team that was 6-6 last season and looked to Saba for leadership.

With Saba’s rushing complementing Sullivan’s passing, the Hawks are off to a 3-2 start and are among the favorites to win the Pacific Coast League title.

“He really opens up the passing game,” Sullivan said of Saba. “He’s a tough runner and he opens up the play-action stuff.”

Sullivan is glad he moved to Laguna Hills, yet photos of Sullivan and the rest of the St. Monica offense sit in the family’s living room.

“St. Monica wasn’t the greatest school in the world, but I still miss it,” Sullivan said. “I have a lot of good friends back there.

“But I like Laguna Hills a lot more. It would have been great to be here as a freshman.”