VALLEY / VENTURA COUNTY SPORTS : LION HEART : Dedicated and versatile Patrick Norton has shown he can play just about anywhere on the football field.

See him once, and it appears Patrick Norton of Hart High was destined to play linebacker.

He plays the position with wild abandon, seemingly gaining strength and energy with every crushing blow he delivers.

“My dad always told me that when you’re on the field, no one is your friend,” Norton said. “And I kind of take that to the next level.”

One of the duties for Hart’s coaches is to keep the excitable Norton in check.

“We have to settle him down every so often so that he gets his [defensive] reads right,” Coach Mike Herrington said. “For him, it’s seek and destroy.”

Still, Norton’s talent allows him to play more than one position.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior has played offensive and defensive tackle, defensive end, linebacker and fullback. He earned All-Foothill League honors as an offensive lineman as a sophomore and as a defensive lineman as a junior.

UCLA coaches recruited Norton as a fullback.

“He could play almost anywhere,” Herrington said.

Norton, rated the No. 3 fullback prospect in the nation by SuperPrep magazine, doesn’t mind wearing different hats.

“I always say whatever gets you to that next level,” Norton said.

Norton, who transferred from Saugus after his freshman year because he “needed a different environment,” was successful last season playing fullback for the first time.

Limited to short-yardage situations in Hart’s single-back, run-and-shoot offense, Norton rushed for 126 yards and seven touchdowns in 28 carries, and caught seven passes for 38 yards and five touchdowns. He scored about every third time he touched the ball.

After scoring in bunches as a junior, Norton can hardly wait to set up in UCLA’s backfield. But he knows where he is needed at Hart.

“I like playing fullback, but linebacker is where I fit in,” he said.

Last season, Norton started Hart’s first six games at linebacker before being moved to defensive tackle for the Burroughs game to help the pass rush.

“He did such a great job there, we kept him there,” Herrington said. “He didn’t like it much, but he’s such a team player, he stuck it out.”

With Norton at defensive tackle, Hart won its final eight games, including a 17-14 victory over St. Paul in the Southern Section Division III championship game.

He finished the season with 89 tackles and five sacks.

Norton’s versatility is not lost on Herrington.

“The only weakness he has is he doesn’t want to play offensive line anymore,” Herrington joked.

Despite playing out of position last season, Norton wasn’t overlooked by college coaches.

Although recruiters lined up to watch quarterback Kyle Boller, receiver Jerry Owens and linebacker Scott Hunt, they couldn’t help but notice the big, powerful junior with surprising quickness.

“There was a lot of pressure taken off me, but I knew there were scouts there and that I had to make an impression,” Norton said.

He did just that.

On the first day of the signing period in February, UCLA Coach Bob Toledo sent a hand-written scholarship offer to Norton.

“My parents framed it,” said Norton, who accepted the offer a few weeks later.

With his future mapped out, Norton’s motivation is simple this season. He wants another Southern Section championship ring.

“I’m just excited about getting on the field,” he said. “As long as I get to hit somebody and make an impact, I’m happy.”

SNEAK PEEK

Fourth in a nine-part series. Today: Defensive linemen. Travis Johnson of Notre Dame

Aug. 25: Quarterbacks. Fabulous Foursome

Aug. 26: Running backs. Manuel White of Valencia

Aug. 27: Offensive linemen. Steve Nevarez of San Fernando

Aug. 28: Wide receivers. Keary Colbert of Hueneme

Aug. 29: Will Svitek of Newbury Park

Wednesday: Defensive linemen. Travis Johnson of Notre Dame

Linebackers. Patrick Norton of Hart

Friday:: Defensive backs. Michael Washington of Paraclete

Saturday: Kickers. Drew Thomas of Westlake