Romines Latches On to Everything in Sight : Simi Valley Senior With Nose for Ball Sets School Records for Receptions, Interceptions

Stan Quina arrived at Simi Valley High last season with a run-and-shoot offense that was short on targets.

So the coach screened his talent and came up with Dave Romines, a junior tailback who had never played wide receiver and, as a seventh-grader, was an offensive lineman.

Nineteen games later, Romines has set seven school records--five on offense, two on defense--and has played a prominent role in the turnaround of a program that historically has floundered.

It was a well-received move, the first of many jukes Romines had in store.

Last season, Romines caught 39 passes for a school-record 436 yards. This season, he has 38 receptions for 929 yards and 11 touchdowns, the latter two categories both school records.

The easy-going Romines has helped Simi Valley (7-2, 5-1 in Marmonte League play) earn its first playoff berth since 1985. The Pioneers have an opportunity to win a share of only their second Marmonte title in school history when they meet cross-town rival Royal (9-0) tonight at 7:30 in a league finale at Moorpark College.

This season, Romines has averaged 24.5 yards a catch and 8.8 yards a carry with 158 rushing yards in 18 carries. In addition to his records for receiving yardage and touchdowns in a season, he has set school records for receptions in a career (77), yards in a game (198) and in a career (1,365). Romines needs four receptions to tie Brian Balleweg’s school single-season record of 41 receptions, and with a yards-per-catch average of 24.5 he is on a pace that would give him another season record.

“He didn’t really understand the position at first,” Quina said. “He was naturally a tailback. But, with the run-and-shoot, you really need one of your best athletes at receiver.”

Romines quickly became one of the Pioneers’ best receivers. In his first game, he caught eight passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. And he has been a difficult catch since. At 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, Romines is quick and elusive, often turning what appears to be a five-yard reception into a 30-yard gain.

“The guy has an uncanny ability to weave his way through traffic with the ball in his hands,” Quina said. “He has exceptional speed and strength and is very elusive. When you combine his athletic ability with his tremendous desire, he is very lethal.”

Yet Romines’ potential still has not been realized. He concedes that he is “still learning what to do.”

Romines cited Simi Valley’s 17-8 win over Camarillo in which he dropped four passes and finished with a season-low one reception for minus-three yards.

“That bugged me all game, but it helped my defense,” he said.

Romines takes his frustrations out on the other side of the line of scrimmage. In his first season as a starting defensive back, Romines has intercepted a school-record nine passes. He set a school record with four interceptions in a 21-7 win over Channel Islands on Nov. 1, then intercepted three passes in a 34-20 win over Westlake last week.

“I like to hang back and look where the ball is going, then go for it,” Romines said. “I think the last couple of teams we’ve played have thrown deeper more than the other teams, and that’s given me more opportunities for interceptions.”

His success in the secondary is perhaps even more surprising than his success as a wide receiver.

“We didn’t even consider him for defense this season,” Quina said. “When we realized we needed some help we put him back there, really hoping just to kind of spot-play him. We wanted him to be sort of a center fielder, to make sure that nobody threw deep and, if they did, we had somebody who could run them down and tackle them.”

Yet, Romines has become a defensive force, amassing 70 tackles and delivering some of the hardest blows of any Simi Valley defender. He is a multiple threat who also returns kicks and punts and seldom leaves the field.

“As far as production, Dave has meant a ton to this program,” Quina said. “He is such a powerful weapon.”

Romines also is well-liked by his teammates and doesn’t seem to get caught up in his accomplishments. Of his four interceptions against Channel Islands, he said “Four? Hey, I’ll take that.”

Romines takes the ball any way he can get it, and usually takes it a long way down the field.