Barons’ Medley Is a Dangerous Combination

Inspiration can come from anywhere.

For some, a message or slogan does the trick. For others, it takes an act of selflessness or vitriol.

For Andrew Medley and his Fountain Valley teammates, it was the blue pants--specifically, the new blue football pants worn by the Barons this season.

Fountain Valley hosts defending Division I champion La Puente Bishop Amat at 7:30 tonight at Orange Coast College in the first round of the Southern Section playoffs. The Barons were expected to challenge for the Sunset League title this season, and a 3-0 start appeared to validate those expectations.

But consecutive losses, in particular a 31-0 blasting by Santa Margarita, started to fragment the team. Medley, a senior, could see the same seeds of dissent that hurt Fountain Valley last year being sown again.

“We had started pointing fingers at each other--’Oh that guy’s not good’--instead of ourselves,” Medley said.

Before the game against Marina to start league play, Fountain Valley Coach George Berg talked about the Barons’ blue pants.

“Coach Berg talked about what it meant to wear them,” Medley said. “It wasn’t fiery, kind of mid-tempo. But it got everyone’s attention. After that, we started progressing. We went on to beat Marina and got rolling.”

The Barons (7-3) lost only one other game this season--to Los Alamitos, 31-21--and they led that one, 21-0, before a bunch of turnovers turned the tables. They put a stamp on their season with a 29-22 upset of Esperanza that earned them a share of the league title with the Aztecs and Griffins.

Medley, a running back and linebacker, has been a major reason for Fountain Valley’s success.

On offense, sharing the tailback position with John Sanders, Medley has rushed for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has caught 14 passes for 175 yards and another two touchdowns.

On defense, Medley has made 52 tackles, 21 of them unassisted. He had six tackles for losses, five sacks and two pass deflections. He also has forced two fumbles and recovered another.

Fountain Valley’s offensive coordinator, Hank Cochrane, said he has not been caught unaware by Medley’s shining senior season.

“We’ve known of his capabilities since he was a freshman,” Cochrane said. “It’s been a matter of our needs and his ability to handle the load of learning offense and defense.

“I’d call him a ‘power’ back. He’s pretty physical, and yet has enough speed to accelerate past tacklers as opposed to just running into people. He also has good vision.”

Medley is the first to share his success. “I never imagined a 1,000-yard season. I give all the credit to my offensive line,” he said in typical running back fashion.

Two plays by Medley against Esperanza were the difference between the Aztecs going through the Sunset League unbeaten, and Fountain Valley getting a share of the league title for the first time since it won it outright in 1988.

Esperanza took a 22-14 lead to start the second half after a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Marcus Mullens. On the next drive, Medley broke loose for a 70-yard run, and eventually scored on six-yard dash. A two-point conversion tied the score.

After forcing a punt, Medley and the Barons came right back down the field. On a third and goal from the 18, Medley caught a screen pass from quarterback Mike Lamar and broke two tackles before crossing the goal line for what proved to be the winning score.

Medley finished with a career-best 165 yards in 15 carries against Esperanza. He carried the ball nearly all of the second half; Sanders was sidelined with an injury.

“The coaches told me I had to carry the ball the rest of the game,” Medley said. “I thought, ‘I’m tired,’ but it’s a big game and I have to step up to the occasion.”

Edison Coach Dave White was not surprised by Medley’s heroics. Not after watching him score a touchdown against the Chargers this year despite being hit by four defenders.

“I think Medley is the most valuable player in our league because he plays both ways and plays well both ways,” White said. “Without him there’s no way they are league champs.

“He is probably as good a runner as there is in the league, and as good a linebacker as there is. The only thing that hurts him: When he’s tired, he’s not the same player. But he is definitely one of county’s top players.”

Berg said he and his staff believed from the start they had something special when Medley was promoted to the varsity as a sophomore.

“He came in with a lot of enthusiasm as a sophomore, and we played him just for his enthusiasm, especially on kickoff teams,” Berg said. “As a junior, we had a situation where we lost two starting linebackers to injuries early, so even though we wanted to play Andrew on offense, we felt we couldn’t risk getting him hurt there because he was such an impact player on defense.

“Now, after we improved that depth at linebacker, he’s back on offense and defense. We try to give him a few plays off. The two positions he plays are high impact. He’s done a very good job of carrying those two loads.”

Medley, who was a first-team, all-league selection last year at linebacker, has a chance to make the offensive and defensive teams this year. Washington and Arizona State are considering him for scholarships as a defender--which is all right with him.

“I’d rather give out the hits than take them,” said Medley, grinning.

He definitely wants to mete out some punishment to Bishop Amat tonight.

“What impresses me is their speed,” Medley said. “They have a lot of speed. But I think we have a good shot. It’s not like they’re some pro team. They’re just different from teams we’re used to seeing.”

Be careful. Bishop Amat wears blue pants too.