George Can’t Stop Thinking About Future

Santa Margarita High’s Spencer George plays on a team that is ranked first in the county and has a chance to win its fourth consecutive Southern Section Division III title. On Friday, he will play in one of the most important games of his high school career--a showdown with fourth-ranked Mater Dei in the Serra League.

George knows he’s supposed to be enjoying the moment. But each day, he’s becoming more preoccupied with his future. George expected to be settled on a college by now. But with national letter of intent day only three weeks away, his situation couldn’t be more unsettled.

His second choice, Stanford, recently told him it was no longer interested. His first choice, UCLA, hasn’t called in more than two months.

“I’m starting to wonder what the heck is going on,” George said. “It’s hectic. This whole process has not really been that enjoyable. It’s been pretty frustrating.”

And it’s affecting his play.

“It’s in the back of your mind the whole time,” George said. “I want to play well. I want this team to play well. I want this to be my best year. But I don’t think I’ve really established myself.”

George, a first-team Times’ all-county midfielder last season, isn’t playing poorly. In 17 games, he has eight goals and 15 assists.

“It’s great to get assists, but it’s nicer to know you’ve dominated and done what you wanted to do,” he said. “I haven’t done that yet.”

It’s not as if George is being totally ignored by college recruiters. UC Irvine Coach George Kunz has been calling regularly and has attended some of Santa Margarita’s games.

“I like George a lot and I love the location,” George said. “I think it’s a good academic school. But I want to be at a winning program and I don’t know if [UCI] is the best place for me.”

But unless some other coaches start calling, it might be the only place for George, who thought his options were unlimited back in September. He took an unofficial visit to UCLA and assumed it was only a matter of time before an offer would come.

“UCLA was my first choice because of the soccer tradition,” he said. “I’d love to be a part of that.”

George’s brothers, Sam and Seth, were a big part of that tradition--each helping the Bruins win an NCAA title. Seth, who plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, has been giving his younger brother advice on how to cope with the highs and lows of the recruiting process.

One of the lows came when George had to wait nearly three months before realizing Stanford was no longer interested in him.

“They said I didn’t fit in with their style,” George said. “I wanted to blaze a new trail. It would have been a new challenge.”

The challenge now is to find a school that likes his style.

With a 1,350 SAT score and a 4.5 grade-point average, George said he will start considering Ivy League schools. He’ll also try to put college out of his mind when he’s on the field.

“This league is going to be so brutal,” he said. “Every game there’s pressure to be on and play well. If you’re not at your best, it’s going to be tough.”

LOOKING AHEAD

The race for two automatic playoff berths in the four-team Serra League begins Wednesday with Santa Margarita (13-1-3) facing Bellflower St. John Bosco (9-7-4) and Servite (15-3-3) visiting Mater Dei (19-3-1). “With everybody else so strong, Bosco might be the team everybody has to beat,” Spencer George said.

If you have an item or idea for the boys’ soccer report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at dave.mckibben@latimes.com