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  • El Toro's Dominic Collins is Orange County's all-time leading receiver...

    El Toro's Dominic Collins is Orange County's all-time leading receiver with 239 catches, but he's going to Saddleback College after Division I schools ignored him.

  • El Toro's' Dominic Collins goes high for a first quater...

    El Toro's' Dominic Collins goes high for a first quater reception over La Habra's Noah Massman at Trabuco Hills High School.

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HUNTINGTON BEACH – As far as catching passes goes, El Toro’s Dominic Collins doesn’t discriminate.

Throw a ball at his feet and he’ll fetch it. Throw one high and he’ll go get it. Make him dive and he’ll still come up with it.

Collins recorded 106 catches, 1,328 receiving yards, and 15 touchdown receptions this past season with the Chargers. The senior was selected to the Register’s All-County first team after being on the second team as a junior, when he caught 82 balls for 1,022 yards and 11 scores.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Collins will carry those gaudy statistics with him into the Brea Lions Orange County All-Star Game on Thursday night at Orange Coast College.

He will also bring a healthy chip on his shoulder.

Despite those eye-popping numbers, colleges weren’t lining up at Collins’ door. So the county’s all-time leader in receptions – 239 over three seasons – is headed to Saddleback College in the fall with a plan.

“I’m going to show that I am the best,” Collins said. “I want to be the best … every opportunity I get, I’m never going to stop proving that.”

Collins has shown an ability to move forward after suffering setbacks, and this one is miniscule compared to what he went through last year.

His mother, Robin Jones, died just a few days before El Toro’s season opener against La Habra. Jones spent 10 days in the hospital before passing after suffering a stroke and a brain aneurysm.

Collins responded with 11 catches for 141 yards against the Highlanders, offering a glimpse of what was coming for the rest of the season.

Collins honored his mom by switching his number to 41, which was her age.

“She’s the one who put the ball in my hands,” Collins said. “I’m never going to let that go.”

It’s hard to comprehend how the most prolific pass catcher in county history could get so little attention from colleges. Collins can’t come up with reasons, either.

“I really can’t answer that,” Collins said of why his recruiting process unfolded as it did. “You’d have to ask them (the schools).”

El Toro coach Robert Frith thinks a few years at Saddleback will be beneficial to Collins.

“This will allow him to be close to home while he focuses on his academic and football future,” Frith said.

Given Saddleback has a reputation for sending players to elite football programs, this will likely be just a detour for Collins’ ultimate goal of playing for a four-year university.

But first, Collins wants to display his playmaking ability in Thursday’s all-star game. The South is loaded with quality receivers, such as Huntington Beach’s Maurice Barber and Newport Harbor’s Quest Truxton and Cory Stowell, each of whom posted 1,000 receiving yards this past season.

Huntington Beach coach Eric Lo, who is leading the South All-Star team, hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to coach against Collins.

“A lot of times, you just hope the ball is overthrown,” Lo said.

“He’s pretty fast, but he’s got great ball skills. (When the) ball is in the air he can turn his body and catches everything with long arms. He’s just explosive.”

South All-Star defensive end Jack Bares of Tesoro has his own opinions of Collins after playing against him the past few seasons.

“The guy is insane,” Bares said. “(Playing against El Toro) it was, ‘Dominic Collins is the pass game.’ He was probably the dominant receiver, in my mind, in our league.”

Collins’ drive to dominate is only stronger now. He is determined to show the college coaches and scouts he can catch any pass as well as overcome any setback.

“I’m always going to hold that with me,” Collins said of having a chip on his shoulder. “That’s what makes great players great.”

Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com