TIMES ORANGE COUNTY ALL-COUNTY FOOTBALL TEAMS : Recognizing a Job Well Done : Griffin Back Hartley Has Flair for Playing, but He Stays Modest

The Times Orange County’s back of the year looks every inch the athlete--all sleek and sinew on a 6-foot-2, 191-pound frame with hands that could juggle fire hydrants and enough energy to light up the state.

There’s one thing missing from Los Alamitos receiver/defensive back Tony Hartley: the braggadocio; he’s content to let you catch his act on the football field rather than talk about his abilities.

“I was real fortunate to be able to play in such a program like we have at Los Alamitos,” Hartley said. “It’s too bad we had to cut the season one week. But I’m really grateful for the opportunities they gave me.”

Hartley, 17, would have many reasons to celebrate his fabulous season with the Griffins (11-2), who reached the semifinals of the Division I playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Starting with his four receptions for 100 yards in the 44-0 season-opening victory against Saugus to the 208 yards he collected on 11 catches against Los Angeles Loyola in the 37-34 semifinal loss, Hartley hauled in 86 passes for 1,687 yards. That smashed the county record of 1,388 yards set by another Griffin receiver, Robby Katzaroff, in 1985. The 86 receptions ties Hartley with Capistrano Valley’s Dave Poltl (1990) for second behind Katzaroff’s record 93.

Hartley also scored 13 touchdowns and had six interceptions as a defensive back.

Hartley said The Times award capped a career during which he caught 160 passes for 3,178 yards and 31 touchdowns. The yardage total also is a county record, surpassing Brad Melsby’s career mark of 2,979. The 160 receptions is sixth-best in county history.

“I didn’t really set a goal for myself this year,” Hartley said. “I just wanted to play in the [championship] game. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, but the record makes me feel good from an individual standpoint. I really didn’t think I could get that. But it’s one of those rewards that goes with hard work.”

At Los Alamitos, wide receivers are plentiful. In the last 10 years alone, the lineage from Katzaroff to Tyler Cashman to Melsby to George Sagen has left cleat marks all over the county record books.

“I used to watch the receivers at Los Al before me,” Hartley said. “They weren’t really fast, didn’t have the 4.3 or 4.4 speed, but they were always open. That was a tribute to their great pass routes. So I tried to use my routes with my speed. So far it’s worked pretty good together.”

In Coach John Barnes’ eyes it has worked magnificently.

“In my 17 years here,” Barnes said, “if Tony’s not at the top of the list, where he’s at there isn’t much room.

“What made him good was an incredible work ethic, and being a very tough kid mentally. You can never get him to break. I think he believes he can do just about anything on the football field when it comes to catching the ball and making plays. He’s not cocky--I’ve never seen him with an attitude--but very confident.”

You might say Hartley was born to be a receiver. His dad, Tony Sr., and grandfather Joseph Hartley, both played the position in high school. They did not continue in college, but Tony will. Already leading the stampede of recruiters to his home are coaches from Michigan, Notre Dame, Kansas State and Oregon.

Los Alamitos quarterback Kevin Feterik will accompany Hartley on trips to Kansas State and Notre Dame. The two began playing football together in Pop Warner.

“If Coach Barnes said I could call the plays, almost all would go to Tony,” Feterik said. “He always seems to get open somehow, some way. If he’s covered, he’ll jump over the guy and catch it. And he was a lot of our offense this year. He’s a terrific athlete.”

Esperanza Coach Gary Meek said his team beat Los Alamitos and won the Sunset League title this season primarily because it kept Hartley from making the big scoring plays.

“It’s tough to stop their passing attack because Los Al always has two to three guys to throw to,” Meek said. “You can try double coverage, but you can’t do it all the time. You have to pick and choose.

“But with Hartley’s ability, I always felt he was the first guy we had to stop. Even when they had Brad [Melsby], I felt Hartley was the bigger threat because he was a more big-time player. He is one of the better receivers to come out of the county in a long time.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The First Team

OFFENSE

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Pos. Name School Hgt. Wgt. Yr. QB Kevin Feterik Los Alamitos 6-2 192 Sr. RB Eric Shine Savanna 5-9 165 Sr. RB Murle Sango El Toro 5-8 160 Jr. WR Trevor Insley San Clemente 6-0 165 Sr. WR Tony Hartley Los Alamitos 6-2 191 Sr. TE Kevin Cooper Brethren Christian 6-6 247 Sr. OL Joel Sugg Irvine 6-6 265 Sr. OL Reed Diehl Mater Dei 6-4 245 Sr. OL Matt Mason El Toro 6-4 260 Sr. OL Joe Khamis Edison 6-3 245 Sr. OL Brad Baker San Clemente 6-2 280 Sr. K David Bell Western 6-1 200 Sr.

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DEFENSE

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Pos. Name School Hgt. Wgt. Yr. DL Sean Jarne Esperanza 6-5 262 Sr. DL Brad Williams Mater Dei 6-6 255 Sr. DL Tyler Brickell Fullerton 6-4 215 Sr. LB Ryon Holland Mater Dei 6-0 210 Sr. LB Damian de Beaubien El Toro 6-1 215 Sr. LB Matt Paul Servite 6-3 215 Sr. LB Brian Bachhuber Esperanza 6-3 225 Sr. DB Garrett Sabol Kennedy 6-0 185 Jr. DB Ryan Wilkins Esperanza 6-0 180 Sr. DB Sean Kolmer San Clemente 5-10 175 Sr. DB Bryant Geary University 5-11 175 Sr. P Chris Culbertson Capistrano Valley 6-2 200 Sr.

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