Ex-Sailor navigates busy schedule

Rick Devereux

While many of his former classmates are able to relax and enjoy the

first few days of summer, recent Newport Harbor High graduate Trevor

Theriot has been sweating under the sun in Hacienda Heights and Las

Flores.

Theriot has been shuttling between football practices for

tonight’s Shrine game as well as the Orange County All-Star game held

July 8.

The Shrine game, which pits the stars from public schools against

standouts from private schools, kicks off at 7 at Mt. San Antonio

College.

The public school stars practice at Wilson High in Hacienda

Heights while Orange County’s South squad practices at Tesoro.

The Shrine game has held two practices a day plus team meetings

this week. The South has had practices at the same time. The busy

schedule has made Theriot unable to attend two South practices, but

the UCLA-bound linebacker will meet with coaches tomorrow to go over

what he missed.

While all-star games usually have reduced playbooks with

restrictions on what type of offensive and defensive schemes teams

can run, learning a new playbook, no matter how watered down, in a

matter of weeks can be difficult. Added to the effort is the task of

learning offense and defense for the South team, as Theriot will

start at running back as well as outside linebacker.

“It’s just a matter of studying and knowing the plays,” Theriot

said. “I’m going to meet with my [South] coaches [Sunday] to catch up

on things I might have missed.”

Theriot, who was the Newport-Mesa Player of the Year after rushing

for 1,328 yards on 222 carries for a 6-yard average, will start at

outside ‘backer for the public schools in the Shrine game.

“I think the Shrine game is going to be memorable because it is a

bigger game and the talent there is so deep,” said Theriot, the CIF

Southern Section Division VI Co-Offensive Player of the Year. “There

are going to be a lot of big names. Almost everyone on [the public

school defensive unit] is going to a big [collegiate] program.”

Theriot, a preferred walk-on at UCLA, said he enjoyed the

off-the-field activities the players participated in during the week

leading up to the Shrine game, which raises funds for child burn

victims.

“We went to a hospital and interacted with the kids, which was a

lot of fun,” said Theriot, the Sea View League Male Athlete of the

Year.

The Shrine players for both teams stay in the same hotel and are

shuttled to practices, meetings and hospital visits. But the squads

interact when the schedule eases in the evening.

“It has been cool to hang out with everyone at night,” said

Theriot, the Sea View League Co-Offensive Player of the Year.

Orange Lutheran, which defeated Newport Harbor in the CIF Division

VI title game last fall, has five players on the private squad.

While Theriot said he has gotten to know many of the opposing

players, he hasn’t forgotten his final game with the Sailors.

“I have a lot of respect for those guys as players,” Theriot said.

“But, at the same time, they took my [championship] ring away from

me.”

The schedule, while hectic, is getting Theriot assimilated to his

future experience at UCLA.

“I’ve been living [at the hotel] for a week, and all I’ve been

doing is playing football and studying,” Theriot said. “I think this

is how it’s going to be in college.”

Another aspect that resembles his near future in Westwood: he is

getting to know public school safety Shawn Oatis from Chino High, who

is also headed to UCLA.

“I’ve been hanging out a lot with Shawn,” Theriot said. “I’m real

excited to play with him in the game.”

All-Star games are about forging friendships and playing one last

football game while representing your high school. The atmosphere

surrounding the games is usually light, but Theriot said he wants to

go out on top.

“I want to have fun, but I really want to win,” Theriot said.

“Because we hang out all the time, everyone is friends. And the game

is really about the kids, but I want to win.”