Reviving the Highland Fling : Unassuming Fien Arrived at Royal 2 Years Ago, Turned Around the Football Team and Turned Himself Into a Heavily Recruited Quarterback

Scottish Highlanders could be a nasty lot. Widely feared as ferocious fighters, these warriors of yore were known to put opponents to rout with their bloodcurdling screams alone.

They celebrated successes on the battlefield with the Highland Fling, a traditional victory dance.

But the Highlanders of Royal High in Simi Valley have been a more passive clan. Victories have been few and far between. And when the bagpipes played, there was no dancing.

Then a not-so-wee lad named Ryan Fien migrated from 100 miles south, bringing with him a strong arm. He was shy and likable. And could this Highlander fling a football.

Within two years, they were dancing again at Royal High.

A cold, damp fog hung over the field like adversity that night in Arroyo Grande, Calif. Ryan Fien (pronounced FEEN), only a sophomore, was warming up along the sidelines, pausing occasionally to steal a glance at the huge players across the field.

He was about to make his first start as quarterback of the struggling Royal football team, which had not had a winning season since 1983. Fien was talented; he had thrown nine touchdown passes in two games at the sophomore level.

But the Highlanders also were desperate, willing to scrap their option offense--three games into the season--in favor of a pro set formation that could utilize Fien’s arm.

Fien kept throwing. He was excited at the prospect but thought he was only there temporarily in an effort to shake up starter Charlie Snyder.

“Man, those were some big guys out there,” Fien recalled. “Six-five. Six-six. Big ol’ cornfed boys.”

By the end of the game, they also would have a spoonful of Fien. He had shown promise, completing 11 of 17 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns, and Royal had hung tough before dropping a 19-12 decision. But Fien finished the night on his back in a hospital, the recipient of a concussion.

“I remember being on the bus and not feeling very well,” he said. “My head really hurt.”

Fien since has been a headache for Royal’s opponents.

He led Royal to an 8-2-1 record last year--the best in school history--and guided the Highlanders into the playoffs for the first time since 1983. This season, Royal is 8-0 and ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section Division II, another first for the Highlanders.

Fien has thrown for a school-record 4,149 yards in his 27-game career and his 48 touchdown passes are the most ever in the Marmonte League. This season, he has thrown just one interception in 154 passes and is one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks in the nation.

Fien is 6-foot-4 and can throw a football 60 yards. Yet perhaps most impressive is his comportment. Fien remains reserved despite the attention thrust on him by a mob of recruiters.

“He goes to watch the Shrine Game last year and is most impressed with the food spread in the press box,” said Hank Fien, Ryan’s father. “I plead with him, ‘Ryan, would you please get a little excited?’ ”

Not just at the moment. Fien is too busy helping turn around a program that had won only 13 of 50 games from 1984-88. When Gene Uebelhardt became coach in 1988, half of the team’s helmets were in such poor condition they were illegal. The school did not have a full set of jerseys.

Before the 1989 season, the Fiens moved from Corona. Eyebrows were raised when the lanky new kid threw nine touchdowns in two games for Royal’s sophomore team.

A story circulated that he threw seven touchdown passes in one game. “That’s a myth,” Fien said. “I threw five.”

There was nothing mythical about Fien’s ability. Royal immediately promoted him to the varsity and scrapped its option offense.

“We knew we had a future NCAA Division I quarterback,” Uebelhardt said. “We spent that year getting used to our new offense, and it was difficult because we knew we’d have to take our lumps for a while.”

Royal won only two of its remaining eight games, but Fien finished with 1,176 passing yards. He was put under the tutelage of assistant Bob Mead, the head coach at Royal from 1981-83 who had worked with Ken Lutz. Lutz set the school record with more than 3,000 passing yards.

“He was making improvements every game,” Mead said. “Rather than scramble and try to bail out, he was hanging in there.”

Fien, a starting forward on the basketball team last season and a two-year track letterman, grew two inches last year. Royal became a surprise contender for the Marmonte League title, finishing second to Thousand Oaks, and Fien finished with 1,646 passing yards and 19 touchdowns.

He spent the off-season attending camps at USC and UCLA. He ran the stairs at Moorpark College in an effort to build his once-frail legs. Fien even consulted a physical therapist for exercises that would strengthen his arm.

And finding Fien without a football nearby is like trying to find a Highlander without a kilt.

“You won’t find a harder worker,” Uebelhardt said. “He’s willing to do everything it takes.”

This season, Fien has not thrown as often because Royal has discovered a potent running game. But he has still managed to complete 94 of 154 (61%) for 1,327 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“As long as we win, it doesn’t matter how much I throw,” Fien said. “My job is to lead the team. I won’t trade any wins for stats.”

Recruiters call constantly. Fien, who has scored better than 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, will visit Notre Dame, UCLA, USC and Washington.

Fien has two file boxes full of recruiting letters. But many remain unopened. “Nobody on the team has ever seen his letters,” Hank Fien said.

Ryan becomes visibly irritated when his father brings out a family photo album. “It’s better to have all the attention than not have it,” Fien said. “But I feel like I’d be bragging. I’m just one of the guys on this team. Everybody has worked very hard to get where we’re at.”

Royal certainly has been blessed with talented players. Free safety Tim Ross signed a letter of intent with Colorado last season. Defensive end Jason Evans is an All-Southern Section player. And 6-foot-5, 255-pound tackle Jason Wendland is being recruited.

But they don’t call Ryan ‘Fien-nom’ for no reason.

“I don’t know if we’d be where we’re at without him,” Uebelhardt said.

The crowds at Highlander games have increased from a sparse 200 from two years ago to the standing-room-only 8,000 that is expected tonight at 7:30 at Moorpark College. Royal, which has not won a league title, will meet second-ranked Thousand Oaks (7-1), which has won the past three league titles, in a game that likely will determine the league champion. Each team is 5-0 in league play.

“All the success and attention is nice, but I’ve just been lucky to have such talented players around me,” Fien said.

“One thing that’s missing is a league championship. That’s what everyone is aiming at, and we won’t be satisfied unless we get it.”

And if they do, you can bet your kilt they’ll be dancing.