Santa Margarita's reception loud and clear
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| Photo: Don Leach |
The tall, junior wide receiver at Santa Margarita High poses an obvious problem for defenses. He is 6-4 with good speed and great hands, a nightmare for any secondary.
But the real problem doesn't begin when he slices through cornerbacks and safeties toward a reception. That could be answered with double and triple coverage.
The real problem begins when his twin brother lines up as the opposite wideout. The rule book just doesn't provide for this much coverage.
Brian and Brad Finneran are identical twins. They are among county leaders in receptions and, with quarterback Sean O'Brien, they have led Santa Margarita to a 4-0 record.
And just in case any other team can supply twin towers at wide receiver, the Finnerans will be there to help. They play defense and each has an interception this season.
Although Brian leads the team in receptions with 21, Brad, with 14, is gaining.
Brad led the Eagles with four receptions Friday against Corona del Mar, and he returned his interception for a touchdown two weeks ago against Buena Park.
"To me, they are both pretty good football players," Santa Margarita coach Jim Hartigan said. “The thing we like about having two 6-4 wide receivers is that when we get in a pinch, we haven't seen too many teams who have two 6-4 corners.
"They both play safety and it's hard to pass against us with them roaming around back there. They are also good run support guys."
But the forte for these football players is catching passes. When it comes to building the perfect wide receiver, though, the twins disagree.
Brian opts for speed while Brad considers good hands as the passcatcher's greatest attribute.
Building wide receivers is not their job just yet. Their concerns are with grades and catching footballs, at which they excel.
Both students carry a 3.9 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).
“They have great grades and they are also smart players,” Hartigan said.
"You kind of have to be smart to get to the seam while running a pass route or reading the quarterback and receivers on defense,” Brad said.
Their competitive natures with each other make the twins concentrate harder on the field.
"I'm always teasing him about how many more catches I have over him," said Brian, who is the younger brother by four minutes. “But he always tries to go out there and try to catch more, like he did last week."
Brad, coming off a broken leg suffered in the playoffs last season, hopes to eventually equal his brother.
“We compete in everything," Brad said. “I don't let it bother me that he has more catches than me. But I would like to have as many catches as him by the end of the year."
Hartigan said he believes the Finnerans' competitive natures are a plus for the team.
"When they have equal games and one gets the player-of-the game (honor), the other one wants to know why he didn't get it," Hartigan said. “I'm sure they keep track of each other at home. One tries to beat the other out and that's good for us."
It has also helped the Eagles that the Finnerans grew up with O'Brien, who lives on a neighboring street.
“We have been together for a long time now," Brian said of their friend of 12 years. "We get to show what we've done together over the years on the field."
And what they are doing now has earned the team a No. 5 ranking in Orange County.
"Having a good team makes you work a lot harder," Brad said. “We feel like we can go further in the playoffs this year, and that's our goal as a team."
By Doug Padilla
Tuesday, October 6, 1992
The Orange County Register - D1
