Confidence Now a Big Part of Fanti’s Game : Football: Rancho Santiago quarterback knows he will have to play well to attract scouts from four-year colleges.

Rich Fanti brings tons of confidence to the football field--and the classroom--at Rancho Santiago College this year.

He will be the starting quarterback for the second consecutive season when the Dons open their season at 7 p.m. Sept. 21 against San Diego Mesa in Santa Ana Stadium.

Fanti also is taking seven classes for a total of 21 units in order to graduate at the end of the fall semester. If he graduates, he’ll be able to enroll at a four-year college and participate in spring practice.

Of course, he will have to play well in order to attract college scouts, but he’s not worried.

“I already told Coach (Tom) Shine that if anything goes wrong this season, he can blame it on me,” Fanti said. “If the snap is fumbled, a pass goes off the receiver’s hands or I throw an interception, it will be my fault.

“It’s the same way in the classroom, the only one you can worry about is yourself. If you don’t study, you will not understand the material and get the grades you need to move on. I try to tell some of the other guys that, but they don’t understand yet that you have to have the classes and the grades or you’re not going anywhere.”

Fanti might seem overconfident, but he views this chance at Rancho Santiago as his second and final one. He had a promising future once but it vanished.

Fanti, 22, was a standout quarterback at Santa Ana High School and helped the Saints to the Southern Division title game in 1986. Santa Ana and Fanti had a poor night, and lost to El Toro, 26-10. El Toro, led by Bret Johnson who now is starting at Michigan State, finished 14-0 and was clearly the better team that night.

But after the game, Fanti said El Toro wasn’t that good and that if the teams played 10 times, Santa Ana would win nine.

Fanti never got the chance for a rematch as a senior, because he was academically ineligible that season.

After graduation, Fanti didn’t consider himself college material in the classroom, and went to work in construction. He spent the next 1 1/2 years working and trying not to be the “flake” he said he was in high school.

“Suddenly, there was no more glory, no more touchdowns and no more hurrahs,” Fanti said. “I was just a normal person getting up and going to work and coming home.”

Finally, Fanti took his father’s advice and went to school part-time, made an effort to study and build his confidence in the classroom.

He decided to return to football in 1988 at Rancho Santiago, but left after only a few weeks because he wasn’t ready to put in the time, he said.

So, when he returned to the football program in the spring of 1990, the coaching staff was skeptical.

“They were like, ‘Yeah, right. Are you going to stick it out this time?’ ” Fanti said.

But he attended all the spring drills, then brashly predicted he would be the starting quarterback for the 1990 season. Fanti faced the typical problems--he was rusty and out of shape--but overcame them in time to win the job.

“He’s got a rocket for an arm,” Rancho Santiago Coach Dave Ogas said. “He took some licks for us and we weren’t always sure if he was going to get up, but did. He has a big heart and is the heart of our team this season.”

Fanti was in an ideal situation when he returned to the field last fall.

Although he was the starting quarterback for the first time in four years, most of the offensive focus was on sophomore running back Estrus Crayton, who had been a J.C. Grid-Wire All-American the season before. Crayton was always a threat to break a long run, and that made things easier on Fanti.

“Everybody knew we were going to run,” Fanti said. “But I know this season teams will be working on trying to stop the passing game. But I figure it will make me more ready for when I move on.”

Crayton rushed for 1,112 yards last season and Fanti had a strong season as well.

He threw for 1,648 yards and completed a Mission Conference record 66.5% (119 of 179) of his passes.

He also set a Rancho Santiago record by completing 16 consecutive passes against Saddleback. For the season, Fanti threw 14 passes for touchdowns and had 10 intercepted.

Fanti went out for golf in the spring and was the team’s top player. He carries a two handicap despite never having taken a lesson. He started at age 7 and has played often since. He currently spends his afternoons at football practice, then heads for the golf course to get in as many holes as possible. Fanti hopes he also can play golf when he moves to a four-year college, but knows it is time to concentrate on football now.

“At first, things looked like they all were happening so fast on the field last season,” Fanti said. “But they started to slow down as the season went along. Now, this season, I can see things much better.

“It was like when I came out of high school, I could only see my future was like this when I went to work,” he said, holding his hands close together in front of his face. “Now, I can see much wider on the field and in my future.”