Look of a Winner : James Farley’s Intensity Has Helped Mater Dei Earn Chance to Face Loyola for Championship

At Mater Dei, if you drop an easy pass, loaf on a tackle, or are consistently confused about your blocking assignments, you will get The Look.

This laser-beam stare does not come from Coach Bruce Rollinson or his assistants, but senior running back James Farley. Most of his teammates have received The Look at some time, from linemen to offensive stars such as Rod Perry Jr. and Nick Stremick.

“Oh yes,” Perry said, laughing. “There’s nothing like ‘That Look’ from James if you’re messing up. It’s a look of pure intensity.

“Don’t get me wrong; he’s a fun guy, one of the most playful guys on the team. But on the field it’s a 180-degree turn; on the field he is all business.”

Rollinson, whose 13-0 team faces 12-1 Los Angeles Loyola tonight at the Coliseum for the Division I championship, also has seen the effect The Look can have on his players.

“He’s not a vocal guy, he’s a body-language guy,” Rollinson said. “When he gets upset or unhappy with the team’s performance--practice or games--James gets very physical and starts glaring. People get the message, because they also know James has a low B.S. threshold, and he does not back down.

“There’s another thing about him: people here know that every game and every practice James comes to play, and that they can count on him.”

The 5-8, 180-pound Farley laughs softly when asked about his optical intimidation.

“It’s not something I try to do; it’s all natural,” Farley said. “Every time something goes down wrong, people come up and say, ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ I’m not a perfectionist but I do like things to be done right.”

Farley is also known for doing the right thing when it comes to the team.

After rushing for 1,027 yards and nine touchdowns in 156 carries last season, it would have been proper for Farley to come into this season expecting to be the leading ball carrier.

But when it became evident that fullback Mike McNair had tremendous potential as a runner, Farley didn’t hesitate to make room in the backfield.

Now the Monarchs have a pair of 1,000-yard runners. McNair has rushed for 1,083 yards and 19 touchdowns in 165 carries, and Farley has 1,018 yards and 16 touchdowns in 140 carries.

“I think James has easily sacrificed 500-600 yards and another 50-75 carries for Mike to get the ball,” Rollinson said.

It was no-brainer to Farley. “His talent was obvious. But for him to mature as a runner he had to get experience.”

Perhaps even more critical to the Monarchs’ success this season was Farley’s play at free safety, which Rollinson said solidified a defense that has three shutouts and allowed only 134 points.

“Our original intention was to use James as a backup cornerback and a ‘situation’ defender,” Rollinson said. “But we had a player [Alex Romero] transfer, so we decided to move Rod to corner and put James at safety.

“Even then we thought it was a temporary move. But James played there so well and didn’t want to give up the position.”

Rollinson pauses, making sure he finds the right words.

“James is the ultimate team player. That he willingly sacrificed stats and the glory that comes with them to contribute to the defense is a tribute to him. There is no way we could have gone 13-0 without him.”

Farley said he did not think it was a difficult decision.

“I have a love for defense,” Farley said. “I looked at this as an opportunity to shine in both. and I love being on the field; I didn’t want to come off.”

Loyola is making its second consecutive appearance in the division final and last won the title in 1990. The Monarchs are here for the second time in three years; they won the title in 1994. Both teams are playing in their fourth final in the ‘90s.

Watching Loyola on film was a lot like watching Mater Dei, Farley said.

“I see a very disciplined team. They remind us of us,” Farley said. “They have a lot of class from what I see. I expect a great game; I think it will come down to who makes the last mistake.”