Tesoro’s King is making big contributions

Forgive me, but I’ve found a favorite player to root for this weekend when 15 high school football championship games are played across the Southland.

Preston King, 5 feet 10, 175 pounds, is a two-way starter at Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro. He’s the leading candidate for Pac-5 Division player of the year even though he has no college scholarship offers. He’s having an MVP season, with nine interceptions at cornerback and 12 touchdown receptions at receiver going into Saturday’s Pac-5 final at Angel Stadium that matches Tesoro (13-0) and Long Beach Poly (13-0).

He’s an inspiration for every kid who was ever told not to play football because, “You’re too small.”

“I kind of use it as a motivational thing,” he said. “Everyone says it’s about big kids going out and playing. I really think if you have the passion, you should be able to do it. My big thing is proving people wrong, and not in a disrespectful way.”

There probably hasn’t been a game this season in which an opponent didn’t wonder whether King really was as good as his statistics indicated. But afterward, skeptics turn into believers because he’s one of the toughest competitors on the field.

Bumps, bruises, nicks -- he wears them as badges of football honor.

“I love it,” he said. “I’m one of those kids on offense, I won’t run out of bounds and all my coaches get mad at me, ‘You need to conserve your body.’ I can’t. I’d play defensive line if I could. I like to be in the action.

“Defense is the same way. I like to come up on the run and stick my nose in there.”

Tesoro is in position to pull off a once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

How many schools in Southern California football history could say they defeated Mission Viejo, Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran, Long Beach Poly and possibly Concord De La Salle in the same season?

Only the Titans have a shot at making it happen. Much of it has to do with Brian Barnes, the Titans’ 29-year-old second-year coach, who has used organization, hard work, a positive personality and passion to put Tesoro on the football map.

“The best thing about him is he makes everything fun, and I can argue we are probably one of the hardest-working teams condition-wise,” King said. “As much as we hate it, we know it’s something that’s going to help us in the end. All the kids have bought into the program.”

If there’s one ingredient that has carried Tesoro this far, it’s chemistry.

“I’ve been playing football since I was 5 or 6, and when I was playing, I was playing with many of these same exact kids,” King said. “You learn you can take chances, trusting the kid next to you.”

And Barnes has learned to place his trust in King, who keeps delivering.

“He’s by far the best player in [Orange] County, and the further we go the more people see it,” Barnes said. “He’s such a competitor and such a great athlete. The will to win and the will to be great are there.”

Either this week or next, King’s football season is going to end, but there has to be a college coach somewhere smart enough to see that King can play at the next level.

He has a 3.3 grade-point average, runs 40 yards in 4.6 seconds and returned an interception for a touchdown against USC-bound Matt Barkley of Mater Dei.

“It’s one of those things,” he said about his lack of a scholarship offer. “It’s hard, but it’s a good way of building character. We’ll see what happens.”

When football ends, King said he could see himself becoming a coach or sports reporter.

If Barnes needs a new assistant, King would be an easy choice. He’s already something of a team spokesman. And John Madden beware. King is smart, outgoing and articulate.

King as a television announcer? Boom!

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eric.sondheimer@latimes.com