Orange County Catholic

MEET JSERRA’S CONOR O’BRIEN

Football is synonymous with the O'Brien family and playing for Coach Hartigan is a family tradition

BY JENELYN RUSSO     JULY 19, 2015

PHOTO: SARAH REID

Football is synonymous with the O’Brien family, and Conor O’Brien has been around the gridiron all of his life.

“As soon as I could walk, my dad got a football in my hands, and [he would play] with me and my brother out in the yard,” says O’Brien. “Ever since then, it’s been a passion and love of mine.”

The JSerra Catholic High School senior plays under the Lions varsity football head coach, Jim Hartigan, and the ties between Hartigan, the Trinity League and the O’Brien family run deep. O’Brien’s father played football at Mater Dei High School when Hartigan was the Monarchs’ linebackers coach, and his uncle played for Santa Margarita Catholic High School when Hartigan coached there.

Hartigan now coaches O’Brien, along with his younger brother Riley, and the two-way starter for JSerra is impressive both on and off the field.

“Conor is a tough kid with a relentless passion to be the best at whatever he does,” says Hartigan. “He’s respectful, compassionate and extremely hardworking. And his parents have done a magnificent job instilling in him and his brother the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As both a safety and receiver for the Lions, lining up on both sides of the ball suits the 18-year-old just fine.

“I love getting the ball in my hands. I love tackling and I love hitting,” says O’Brien.

While JSerra’s football team may often be perceived as the league’s underdog, O’Brien enjoys the role and views it as a challenge to prove their opponents wrong each week. He admits the commitment to the sport is demanding, but the life lessons learned have been worth the hard days.

“Football has taught me perseverance. It has been a tough three years,” says O’Brien. “It teaches me that every day it’s going to be hard, but it’s going to make me a better person.”

To assist in keeping prepared for the rigors of the football season, O’Brien has turned to the track, becoming JSerra’s first official varsity 110-meter high hurdler, an experience that O’Brien says has been both surprising and beneficial.

His commitment to his campus extends beyond athletics, as O’Brien serves on Link Crew, a mentorship program that pairs upperclassmen with incoming freshmen. Additionally, O’Brien was selected to be a member of Caritas Christi, a faith-based leadership group that represents the school within their community.

The San Clemente resident has his eyes on playing football in college, possibly at the United States Naval Academy, a goal that he’s striving for with the support of his parents.

“They are the backbone to our family. They push us in every way—academically, athletically,” says O’Brien of his mom and dad. “And [my dad], he’s our biggest critic and our biggest fan. Football is our life, and he gets us through all the hardships. He’s really my motivation.”

http://occatholic.com/meet-jserras-conor-obrien/

Adidas Tourney June 2015

O.C. teams tested in Adidas passing tournament 

June 22, 2015 1:41 AM 

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BY OSCAR TERRONES 

STAFF WRITER

CARSON – The best coaches recognize an opportunity when they see one, and that’s how some of Orange County’s top coaches used the Adidas 7on7 Passing Tournament at the StubHub Center on Sunday.

Events like this are often an excuse for powerhouse teams to show off their talent to the other top dogs. Santa Margarita coach Rick Curtis took advantage of the tournament by gauging how his team stacked up against top competition.

“Our defense played really well,” Curtis said. “When you hold the ball for four seconds, it’s tough to play defense for four seconds. The offenses obviously have the advantage in this tournament. Again, I think our defense played really well.”

Narbonne of Harbor City won the tournament, defeating Chaminade of West Hills in the final.

“I think (the event) builds character,” Curtis added. “I think it builds a uniformity for the team. ... It’s not our whole team. The lineman aren’t here, and we only have 20 kids. It’s fun to win, but we know this is not really a team aspect about (the game).”

The blistering heat wasn’t able to slow down the Los Alamitos offense, which jumped all over opponents in the first round of the tournament. Coach John Barnes gave a smirk to go along with his short evaluation of the first round.

“It was fun,” Barnes said. “They’re all fun.”

Los Al was without several key playmakers from last year’s team, something Barnes didn’t seem bothered by.

“We’ve got good players,” Barnes said. “We’ll be fine. We’ve got a great receiver in (Jacob) Gasser and a couple others in (Keynin) Charbonnet and (Holden) Edmondson. We’re fine there. Our QB isn’t here today. We’re using our second guy, and he’s pretty dang good.”

Santa Margarita topped Los Alamitos in the knockout round, 13-12.

JSerra fell a game short of the semifinals after making the semis last year at the Edison passing tournament in Huntington Beach. Coach Jim Hartigan thought his team looked solid despite not playing for the last three weeks.

“I thought we got a lot of good work in,” Hartigan said. “Which was what we wanted. We brought some incoming freshman that we thought might be able to help us as early as this year. We gave them a chance to compete and they made some plays.”

With the quarterback job up for grabs, Hartigan said neither Riley O’Brien nor Matthew Robinson did anything to gain a leg on the QB spot.

“I really have to look at the film and make a decision on that,” Hartigan said. “I think probably Riley at times looked good. I thought Matt (Robinson) at times did some things well. We brought a freshman and he did some things well. If anything I think we gained some more depth at the QB spot.”

Hartigan said it might take all summer and maybe even a few regular-season games to see who’s separating themselves from the others. Whatever he takes, Hartigan said he’s in no hurry to make a decision.

“If it happens we’ll make (a decision),” Hartigan said. “I don’t want to eliminate anybody from the race yet.”

FAMILY DUO

Riley and Connor O’Brien of JSerra were all over the field, playing multiple positions for the Lions on offense and defense.

“(Riley and Connor O’Brien) were solid today,” Hartigan said. “Those two guys are going to be big-time players for us, as they were last year.”

BY THE HORNS

Several players caught the attention of their respective coaches, and this could be sign of potential breakout seasons.

Curtis called Grant Calcaterra the team’s “go-to guy” at wide receiver, while also signaling out cornerback Darian Fernandez for an excellent tournament.

Hartigan said cornerback Nate Bowman was impressive, along with the entire receiving corps.

INJURIES

Injuries left significant mark on the event. The most gruesome came in a game between Warren and Cathedral, where two players collided, forcing paramedics to rush to the field.

Warren's Mason Marquez took the worst of the collision with a cut to the back of his head. He was placed on a stretcher and rushed off in an ambulance.

Santa Margarita receiver Dylan Crawford, a transfer from St. Francis, only played in the Lions' first game due to a foot injury. The Eagles were also without standout linebacker Maxx Lewis who was out with a pulled groin muscle. 

http://www.ocvarsity.com/articles/teams-79481-tested-tournament.html