Daily Pilot Football Player of the Week: Brian Gaeta

Barry Faulkner

There was no athletic guidance counselor steering him away from the

rigors of the sport, but Newport Harbor High senior Brian Geata can’t say

his body hasn’t dropped a few hints that it would prefer shin guards and

knee pads to a helmet and shoulder pads.

Yet, rather than listen to feedback received in the form of painful

knee and ankle problems, or the well-meaning advice of those who simply

don’t understand, it is Gaeta’s heart and soul which have led him to his

personal sporting truth.

For this former three-sport athlete, for whom stardom was projected in

soccer and volleyball, football has become his love.

“When I was a freshman at Edison, (Chargers varsity football) coach

Dave White said football would become my niche,” Gaeta said. “At the

time, I didn’t really think it would, but, after last season, I fell in

love with it. I think it brings out the best in me as an athlete and as a

competitor.”

Few courtships, however, have endured such rocky starts.

Playing through tendinitis in both knees, Gaeta caught 62 passes,

third-best in the program’s single-season annals, and had six

interceptions, en route to All-Sea View League and All-Newport-Mesa

District recognition.

But, not long after the Sailors lost to Irvine in their second

consecutive CIF Southern Section Division VI title game -- Gaeta’s two

field goals of 38 and 36 yards helped the Tars win the 1999 final against

Irvine -- He underwent surgery in both knees to try to correct problems

with patellar tendon irritation.

Still recovering from those surgeries, which sidelined him for the

entire volleyball season, Gaeta ruptured ligaments in an ankle early in

the Tars’ season opener against Orange Lutheran.

What followed was agonizing weeks of rehabilitation that did not

compare to the discomfort he experienced watching from the sideline as

his senior season slipped away.

“It was the most painful experience of my life,” Gaeta said. “To have

to sit and watch your best buddies playing their senior year and not be

able to be out there with them ... “

Gaeta finally returned in Week 7 against Laguna Hills, but it wasn’t

until the final week of the regular season that he displayed the type of

two-way presence he did last fall.

“(Friday’s nonleague game against Westchester) was kind of my

coming-out party,” said the Daily Pilot Player of the Week, who caught

eight passes for 135 yards and one touchdown and also played well on

defense. “I felt good mentally and physically.”

At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Gaeta provides a rare physical presence on

the perimeter, even more so after adding nearly 20 pounds of muscle last

offseason.

“I have really noticed the difference,” Gaeta said of his enhanced

strength. “It has helped a lot in man-to-man coverage. It’s much easier

to separate at the line, and also when the ball is in the air.”

A self-described possession receiver, Gaeta’s ability to separate

helps make him a valued option for two-year starting quarterback Morgan

Craig.

But Gaeta’s ability to get open also has to do with the precision

route running Harbor receivers have come to be known for.

Gaeta also credits Craig for his 79 career receptions, which rank

fourth on the Sailors’ all-time list (he needs 14 to pass George

Greenwalt at No. 3, while Danny Pulido (142) and Mark Craig (131) appear

out of reach.

“Morgan is throwing the ball great this year and I thought he threw

the ball well last year, too,” Gaeta said. “We have a very good

relationship and he puts the ball in a good spot all the time.”

Gaeta is now back in his preferred spot -- starting at receiver and

cornerback -- and he’s looking forward to helping the Tars make a run a

their third straight CIF title game.

“Having him back has been a real positive,” Newport Coach Jeff

Brinkley said. “He caught the ball real well the other night and the kids

definitely look to him as a leader.”

Gaeta said he tried to contribute leadership while rehabilitating his

ankle injury and noted his unexpected stint as an “assistant coach”

helped him ease the torture of not competing.

He hopes to compete at the collegiate level and reports recruiting

interest from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the University of San Diego and

Ivy League schools, including Dartmouth.