He’s Never Been One to Pass Up a Challenge

If there’s a challenge, Jeff Urton is up for it.

Starting at quarterback? No problem.

Playing national junior doubles beach volleyball? Finished fifth in the world in Sydney.

Winning a fourth consecutive Southern Section Division IV volleyball championship? It’s on his to-do list.

“It would be a disappointment if we don’t win,” said Urton, a two-time All-Southern Section player for the Santa Ynez High boys’ volleyball team. “We set our goals pretty high.”

The leadership of Urton, an outside hitter headed to UC San Diego, has been a critical component for the volleyball team’s amazing success.

The three-time defending section champion Pirates are 20-0 this season and No. 3 in The Times’ rankings heading into the volleyball playoffs. The pairings will be announced Monday and Santa Ynez, ranked No. 1 in Division IV, is expected to be the top-seeded team in the division.

Since his first day of varsity play as a freshman, Urton has been recognized as much for his physical ability as his engaging personality.

“His confidence stood out to me from the beginning, and physically, he’s amazingly quick,” Coach Chip Fenenga said. “He’s been around future Division I and All-American players, and even then there would be a little bright light around him.”

Urton, who was also a three-year standout goalkeeper for the Santa Ynez water polo team, provides positive reinforcement for his teammates, making sure everyone gets involved.

“Jeff will say, ‘Let’s go guys,’ those kinds of things, and when subs come in, Jeff will encourage them,” Fenenga said. “Some other kids [I’ve coached] hated to lose and would go after a kid no matter what, but Jeff is not that way. He’s pretty accommodating.”

When the Santa Ynez football team had a vacancy at quarterback, the 6-foot-4 senior decided to give up water polo and try out for the position, even though the closest he had come to football was watching it from the stands or on TV.

He split his time last spring between the football squad and the volleyball team, which was preparing for the playoffs.

After he helped the Pirates defeat Corona del Mar, 15-9, 15-5, 15-8, for their third consecutive section volleyball title, Urton dedicated himself full time to football and took the process of learning a new sport in stride.

“Learning the new plays was a new challenge for him,” said his mother, Linda Urton. “Jeff never gets frustrated or overreacts. In water polo, if he blocked a goal or let one get by he would always stay calm and in control.”

Urton took over full time at quarterback after leading the Pirates to their first victory, 21-7, over San Marcos in the fifth game of the season.

“He put on a performance that night, making a big play early on and opening it up,” football Coach Ken Gruendyke said. “His confidence grew immensely during that game.

“That was a key game for the team and a key game for him. He showed the kids that he was there to lead the team.”Though the Pirates finished 2-8 overall and 1-4 in the Los Padres League, Urton said all the hard work was worth it.

“I loved playing,” he said. “I was sad when it was over. It was enjoyable going out on Friday nights under the lights.”

In a few weeks his high school volleyball career will also come to a close, but the Urton legacy will live on at Santa Ynez, where his brothers, sophomore twins Nick and Nate, were members of the junior varsity this season.

Over the summer, Jeff will continue to play volleyball, participating in doubles tournaments at the beach and with his Club Santa Barbara team until he leaves for UC San Diego, and yet another challenge.