Barbato returns to CdM
Sutty Barbato spent most of last year in the press box, sitting next to Corona del Mar High’s assistant coaches. He was another set of eyes for the Sea Kings, scanning the football field.
Barbato wasn’t another coach in the booth. He said he sat there because of multiple concussions he suffered during his sophomore and junior years playing for CdM. The sport that Barbato had played since he was 7 years old turned him into a spectator.
Barbato watched his older brother, Barrett, stand out at safety, the position he planned to back up as a junior. In the third game of that season, during a junior varsity game, Barbato said he suffered a concussion against El Toro. The concussion, Barbato said, marked his third in a span of a year, causing him, his family and his coaching staff to worry about Barbato’s health.
“I actually wasn’t sure if I wanted to play again because of that reason,” Barbato said, referring to the concussions.
One of the coaches Barbato parked next to in the press box on Thursday and Friday nights last year was Dan O’Shea, the defensive coordinator. O’Shea said he never pictured seeing Barbato play another down for CdM. O’Shea said he didn’t want him to because he was concerned about Barbato’s future.
O’Shea expected Barbato to be in up in the press box this season, yet Barbato is down on the field, where O’Shea is these days in his first year as CdM’s head coach.
“In the off-season, it was a coin flip whether he would play,” O’Shea said. “I had a lot of conversations with the parents, [Vince and Kim], who love him to death and who are obviously most interested in his health, and that’s our No. 1 priority, too. We were encouraging Sutty not to play. As we got through spring practice, we said, ‘Sutty, you can come out, but I know you’re probably not going to play. Maybe make a decision at the end of spring.’ We got to the first day of summer and he was still unsure. He goes, ‘Coach, can I go through the summer [program] and just see where I’m at after that.’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’
“Our position, along with the parents, was that it needs to be Sutty’s decision. As a young man, he’s very mature, he’s very conscious of his brain, and the need to be in complete health for the rest of his life. We put the following conditions as a coaching staff once he made the decision [to play], with the blessing of the parents. He would never tackle or have contact in practice. He would wear a skull cap, [the] kind NFL guys wear, under his helmet, we then would require him to wear a guardian cap, [an outer-helmet shell made of closed-cell material], on top of his helmet. So far, we’ve been OK. We cross our fingers every game that he comes out healthy.”
Going into Thursday’s game against Tesoro, Barbato said he hasn’t suffered any setbacks. The senior safety is a big reason why CdM went into the nonleague contest with a 3-1 record and ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division poll.
Without Barbato, O’Shea said the Sea Kings don’t beat Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay rivalry game for the third straight year. Barbato broke up two pass plays in the red zone late in the first half last week, forcing the Sailors to settle for a 22-yard field goal and ensuring the Sea Kings went into halftime with the lead.
Barbato and the Sea Kings never allowed Newport Harbor to score again, as CdM won, 24-3, at Orange Coast College. Afterward, Barbato celebrated with his teammates. He said he felt a part of the team, unlike last year’s win against the Sailors. He missed the Back Bay contest last year because he suffered his third concussion the week before.
The season ended for Barbato. For him to return to football, he had to change how he tackled.
“I used to kind of just throw my head in because I didn’t know the consequences, and it was obviously a lot of fun,” Barbato said. “I just got to keep my head up.”
The transition from leading with his helmet up, instead of down wasn’t easy for Barbato. The CdM staff couldn’t change Barbato’s tackling approach his first three years. O’Shea understood why.
“It is really hard, because ever since Pop Warner, he was cheered, revered and applauded for being a hitter,” O’Shea said of Barbato. “What we’ve asked Sutty is to change and be a tackler with maximum safety and security.”
The safer approach hasn’t prevented Barbato, who’s a 5-foot-11, 175-pounder, from making tackles. Through the first four games, Barbato’s 20 tackles rank second on the team, six behind his best friend Taylor Damron’s total.
The two safeties are the last line of defense for CdM, which went into Thursday allowing only 9.2 points per game. Last year’s defensive unit gave up 9.8 points per game, and with no starters back, many suggested there would be a drop-off with CdM’s defense.
“I think a lot of people kind of doubted us,” Barbato said. “We knew we were going to show these people that we can play football.”
Barbato said he’s happy to be playing again. He’s performing at a high level.
Barbato said he doesn’t really think about the possibility of suffering another concussion. O’Shea said he does every day.
“I love this kid as a son,” O’Shea said. “I admire him as much as any young man I’ve coached. When you love and care about someone, you want to make sure they remain healthy.”
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Sutty Barbato
Born: July 1, 1998
Hometown: Newport Beach
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 175 pounds
Sport: Football
Year: Senior
Coach: Dan O’Shea
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite movie: “Wedding Crashers”
Favorite athletic moment: “Playing with my friends every week.”
Week in review: Barbato finished with four passes defensed, breaking up two in the red zone, and he made three solo tackles in the Sea Kings’ 24-3 win against Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay rivalry game.
