State Leader Toohey Takes Pain in Stride : Prep football: Newbury Park senior split end racks up 55 receptions despite having sustained three severe blows to his left collarbone.

Nothing is too good for the state’s leading receiver. And that includes a set of shoulder pads shipped special delivery from Texas.

The cargo is expected to be delivered in time to be fitted around the delicate left collarbone of Newbury Park High’s Jason Toohey before Friday’s Marmonte League game against Agoura.

“They’re supposed to have extra padding,” Toohey said.

He will need it. One more bad blow to the bone and Toohey’s season might be finished. The injury already has ended Toohey’s plans of being a multisport athlete.

“I’m going to have to sit out now,” Toohey said with a sigh. “I need to rest it. It’s started hurting again.”

Toohey, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior split end, has caught more passes--55 for 794 yards and five touchdowns--than any receiver in California. That includes teammate Leodes Van Buren, whom Toohey surpassed last week with 10 receptions in a 14-9 victory over Royal. Van Buren is second among state leaders with 52 catches.

Newbury Park (6-1, 4-0 in league play) has passed for 2,084 yards, second to Hart among area teams.

Toohey also has collected three painful blows to his collarbone, beginning on the first play of summer passing league, when he suffered a broken collarbone against Hueneme.

The injury appeared healed by the time the season began. However, Toohey took two more high-and-tight hits against San Marcos and Thousand Oaks that aggravated the injury.

For weeks, he has played in pain, and the bone has become swollen to the point that a thimble-sized lump has developed beneath the skin.

Doctors have told Toohey the lump is a calcium deposit that has developed around the point of fracture. For a while, surgery was a possibility. It has not been ruled out.

“The doctors said all I need is a couple of weeks off without catching a hit and it’ll be OK,” Toohey said. “But I catch hits every Friday night.”

They aren’t likely to stop. While the speedy Van Buren is the team’s deep threat, Toohey runs the majority of his patterns over the middle, where linebackers and free safeties roam, and helmets sometimes emerge out of nowhere.

The job description calls for more receptions--at a price. “Against San Marcos, I caught a helmet right there,” Toohey said. “They thought I broke it again. I was in a lot of pain.”

Toohey, however, rarely drops a pass. While Van Buren has been touted as among the best receivers on any field this season, Toohey, Newbury Park Coach George Hurley said, might have better hands.

“He still catches everything in sight,” Hurley said. “(The injury) hasn’t slowed him.”

Still, Toohey has been overshadowed by Van Buren. While Van Buren, only a junior, already has drawn the attention of college recruiters, Toohey has received minimal interest from Division I schools. Toohey has made unofficial recruiting visits to Colorado and Western State in Colorado.

“I think Toohey should get a lot more credit,” said Keith Smith, the team’s quarterback. “A lot of people think it’s just Leodes, but I could throw deep to Toohey. He has great hands and he gets open all the time. He’s a great all-around receiver.”

And a good all-around athlete. Toohey was most valuable player of the school’s sophomore basketball team, averaging 20 points a game. Last spring, he lettered on the varsity baseball team, playing sparingly. He also played varsity soccer.

But because of the need to rest after the season, Toohey has decided to forgo other sports. He plans to lift weights and make himself more physically attractive to college recruiters.

“I do get overshadowed a lot on my team because of Keith and Leodes,” Toohey said. “But it’s kind of good for me because other team’s don’t scout me as much or pay attention to me. I’ve been open all season.”