Calling the Shots:

In just two weeks one of the top college football teams in the nation might start a true freshman at quarterback.

USC won’t lose confidence either if Matt Barkley is starting under center against San Jose State. He’s the real deal, the Trojans believe.

USC Coach Pete Carroll realized that when the Newport Beach resident starred at Mater Dei. That’s mainly why Barkley went to the private school in Santa Ana, for the national exposure.

He lived in the Corona del Mar High boundary, but never attended there after being a standout in the Newport-Mesa Junior All-American program.

Aside from reasons for national attention, why did this happen? One of the best football players in this area never attended the high school in his community.

Last week, I wrote a story about the mentor program that Costa Mesa Pop Warner is instituting for its young players. The high school players from Costa Mesa and Estancia help coach the youth.

Yes, it takes a community to help the young players stay local. But it doesn’t guarantee they will stay. Some players are always going to leave. The local coaches relatively accept that, but to their credit they are still willing to work with the local youth football programs and hold out hope.

Yet in Newport Beach, some Newport-Mesa Junior All-American coaches want a better relationship between their program and the local high schools, Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar.

“We would like to see them to at least participate in a visibility standpoint,” said John Genova, the head coach of the Junior Pee Wee team of the Newport-Mesa Junior All-American program. “Come out. See the kids. Let the kids know their program. Our kids have no connection to those schools, if they don’t have an older brother or sibling at those schools.

“My oldest son [J.C.] is going off to Mater Dei and he had no connection to CdM whatsoever. He didn’t even know about their program, didn’t follow it because no one was around.”

Genova, also the athletic director of the Newport-Mesa youth football program, didn’t sound completely upset when he told me this at the Dick’s Sporting Goods at Fashion Island last month. I was there to cover the grand opening that featured Ronnie Lott. Genova was there to peddle his program, sitting in front of a table, trying to get kids to sign up for the Seahawks.

He let me know that his son, J.C. and teammate Chris Johnstone were two of the top players for the Junior Midget squad, made up of mostly eighth graders, playing their last season before entering high school.

Genova did acknowledge that CdM’s program has changed under Coach Jason Hitchens, who is entering his second year. When he first came on, Hitchens made it a priority to try to keep the players who live in the area at CdM. But like all coaches, they must adhere to undue influence rules and not come into contact with the players.

He can only build his program that kids would want to stay and play for him. The same goes for Jeff Brinkley at Newport Harbor, actually for all Newport-Mesa coaches in every sport. We know this issue is not only prevalent in football, it just seems to be the more apparent, especially in the case of Barkley.

Though Brinkley also believes in making his program attractive for the young players, he doesn’t turn away youth football.

“We certainly want to support youth football,” said Brinkley, who is entering his 24th season with the Sailors. “Those guys do a great job ... Realistically for us, we hope that the district has that our school will become open for eighth graders.”

Brinkley, who said he is more than willing to also advise youth football coaches, is also hopeful for other things for his program. The main hope: a new artificial turf at Davidson Field.

“Someday when they turf the field, hopefully we can get [the Seahawks] over there, at least playing at our school,” he said.

Having a strong relationship with the nearest youth football program certainly doesn’t hurt, but again, it takes a community.

I’ll tell you this, it doesn’t hurt that Estancia has a new football stadium. Just in its second year, Jim Scott Stadium has been a strong source in helping keep the young players here. The results are yet to be seen, but there has been progress already.

It may only seem like it’s just turf, but it goes a long way.

This is why Davidson Field needs new turf, the modern kind, the good stuff. It’s long overdue.

Newport Harbor has a solid program and it competes in the Pac-5 Division. But there are steps the school must take if it’s ever going to consistently compete in the CIF Southern Section’s top division.

It seems as if all the other pieces are in place: a coach who has built a strong tradition at the school, great support from the community and the school is in an affluent area.

Newport Harbor wouldn’t be the only school using the field. Corona del Mar would be there too.

I understand that it wouldn’t totally keep players from leaving the area and going to a different school. But it would at least make for a stronger option than the one available now.