O'Brien staying on plus side
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Positive thinking helps Santa Margarita quarterback beat his biggest negative
Sean O'Brien likes to dim the lights in his bedroom, flop down on his bed, listen to classical music and just think.
"Sometimes I just need to be alone to think things through," said O'Brien, Santa Margarita's senior quarterback.
Before the season, O'Brien went into private meditation.
"I laid there thinking about what kind of quarterback I wanted to be this year," O'Brien said. “I knew the coaches were expecting leadership out of me. I decided I wanted to be a positive leader. I wanted to keep everyone up. I decided I wasn't going to get down on anyone."
O'Brien set the guidelines for his own maturing process.
“I'm a teen-ager," said O'Brien, 17. “I know what teen-agers want to hear and what they don't want to hear. The last thing they want to hear is someone being negative all the time."
Being negative was part of O'Brien's problems as a junior.
"I used to really get down on myself when I made mistakes last year," O'Brien said. “I don't know how I made it through the season. I'd get so mad, yell and cuss, and then everything went downhill. I knew I had to show the team I was in control this year."
Santa Margarita was predominantly a running team last year behind senior tailback Josh Ireland, who rushed for 1,446 yards and 22 touchdowns. O'Brien completed 74 of 141 passes for 1,035 yards.
O'Brien knew the Eagles would be passing more this year, but he never imagined it would come to this.
O'Brien nearly surpassed last year's yardage by the fifth game. O'Brien has completed 165 of 262 passes for 2,412 yards and 20 touchdowns.
O'Brien's learning process has been slow but sure.
“The biggest difference in Sean this year is his maturity," his coach, Jim Hartigan, said. “Last year I would do all the talking and Sean would do the listening. This year he has things to say and we listen."
O'Brien started the season as an option quarterback. He threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns in a season-opening 42-6 victory over St. John Bosco and also rushed for 84 yards and one touchdown. After four games, O'Brien had gained 336 yards rushing.
"That first game really gave me confidence in our passing game," O'Brien said. “We slowly passed more and more."
O'Brien's season passing high is 337 yards against Tustin in a 35-21 victory. He passed for 320 yards in Santa Margarita's 28-7 victory over Glendora in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs. Santa Margarita (9-2) plays Foothill (7-4) in the quarterfinals on Friday at Tustin High.
"Mechanically, the true strength of Sean is his ability to run four different passing actions," Hartigan said. “He can do a quick three step drop with a quick release. He can throw the play-action pass well. He has the ability to sprint out. And he can throw on a five-to-seven step drop back. That's quite a variety for a high school quarterback."
O'Brien, 6-2, 220 pounds, spent one night in his bedroom contemplating his future.
The college recruiters from schools like USC, Colorado and Cal were interested in him as a linebacker or tight end. He wondered why he was wasting time and energy at quarterback.
"Now some of those schools are talking about keeping me at quarterback," O'Brien said. "It feels good that I've proved them wrong. I've overcome the odds."
Overcoming odds might be a genetic trait. O'Brien's uncle, Coley O'Brien, was a backup quarterback for top-ranked Notre Dame in 1966.
When starting quarterback Terry Hanratty injured his shoulder in the first quarter against second ranked Michigan State, Coley O'Brien rallied the Irish from a 100 deficit to a 10-10 tie. The next week, he led the Irish past USC, 51-0, handing the Trojans the worst loss in their heralded series.
Coley O'Brien is in town this week to be honored before the Notre Dame-USC game. Every time O'Brien sees his uncle, he admires the 1966 national championship ring.
"I've got to see that ring one more time," O'Brien said. "I want to get fired up for the last few games here. I want a championship so bad, I get excited just talking about it."
O'BRIEN'S NUMBERS
Career statistics for Santa Margarita quarterback Sean O'Brien:
| YEAR | RUSHING | PASSING | TOTAL |
| 1991 | 291 | 1,035 | 1,326 |
| 1992 | 466 | 2,412 | 2,878 |
| Totals | 757 | 3,447 | 4,204 |
By John Rezell
Wednesday, November 25, 1992
The Orange County Register - D1
