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St. Margaret's Taylor Freitas is playing for the South in the O.C. All-Star Football Game on July 8 at Orange Coast College.
St. Margaret’s Taylor Freitas is playing for the South in the O.C. All-Star Football Game on July 8 at Orange Coast College.
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OCVarsity is putting the spotlight on the players taking part in the O.C. All-Star Football Game on July 8 at Orange Coast College.

For this edition, we have selected … St. Margaret’s Taylor Freitas.

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PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: TAYLOR FREITAS

It’s easy to spot St. Margaret’s defensive back Taylor Freitas. Just keep your ears open.

Freitas always has a conversation going, whether it’s with the wide receiver across from him, a coach, his fellow defensive backs, teammates on the sideline or a reporter taking it all in.

None of this is a knock. It’s clearly all in good, competitive fun.

Freitas’ play has also done plenty of talking for him, too. He was named first-team All-CIF on defense in the East Valley Division and was selected All-Academy League. Freitas racked up 54 total tackles and was second on the Tartans in receiving yards.

Freitas also played basketball and lacrosse at St. Margaret’s, but he will continue on in football at Lake Forest College, a small Division III school in Illinois, in the fall.

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THE Q&A

Q: When you get the first call that you’re going to be an all-star, what’s that like?

A: Honestly, I was a little surprised. I’ve been playing safety my whole life. So Coach (Mike Maceranka) calls me and says, ‘Do you want to play corner for us?’ And I freak out. I’ve never played corner in my life, and I’m like, ‘Can I call you right back?’ And I talk to my coach (at St. Margaret’s, Stephen Barbee), and he’s like, ‘Are you kidding me? Of course you’re going to say yes to playing corner. You get the opportunity, you need to take it.’

And then I come out here and I love it. These boys are awesome. The camaraderie is automatic. Just being with a whole bunch of guys that just love to play football. Cornerback is fun as heck too.

Q: You played all over the field while you were at St. Margaret’s. Offense, defense, special teams. So is the position change anything weird? Do you prefer playing defense?

A: I prefer playing defense over offense for the sole reason if you’re playing receiver, you’re going 100 percent every single play and the chances of you getting the ball is like 25 percent if you’re playing with three other receivers. When you’re on defense, everyone bulldogs. Everyone gets to get a little taste of the action. Everyone’s going and hitting everyone. It’s fun, right? No worries, no worries.

Q: You talk about the camaraderie. You’re a talker. You like to talk a little bit.

A: Very much, very much.

Q: So what’s it like to come out here and you’re jawing with guys? Is it all just fun and games trying to mess with your boys?

A: It’s just a whole bunch of guys that love to compete. We come out here and we’re just cracking jokes. Yeah, we’re a little of ‘oh, I’m going to take you. Oh, I can beat you,’ but it’s all fun and games. We’re all good players at this level. We’re all competitors. If someone beats you on a play, you’re like ‘OK. Give me another shot. I’m going to get you on that next one.’

Q: Next year you’re going to Lake Forest College. What stood out to you and made you want to go there?

A: It’s a small school, 1,500 kids. Our headmaster at St. Margaret’s also went to Lake Forest. He met his wife there. I flew out and loved it. I’m already used to the small school experience, so when it came to transitioning to college, I wanted to keep that small school experience. You can make a name for yourself on a bigger level at a small school than you can with thousands and thousands and thousands of people. So that’s the biggest thing for me.

Q: You’re one of just a few small school players in this game too. What does that mean to you to one of the little guys playing up with a lot of the big guys?

A: Oh, it’s huge because I grew up with all these kids playing. All my friends went to Mater Dei and to JSerra. There’s a new level playing with guys this good because it steps you up. It makes you want to play just as hard. That’s one of the things that I lost the most because we didn’t have a lot of guys (at St. Margaret’s). So we have to practice against freshmen and sophomores who almost make you bring your play down a little bit. When you’re practicing, you practice as you play. So coming out here just makes me play harder and almost compete more.

Q: You played three sports at St. Margaret’s. You played football, basketball and lacrosse. Is football your favorite one to play out of the three?

A: Football is definitely my favorite. I wouldn’t have said that going into high school, but going to a small school too when basketball isn’t as big of a priority at the school, you tend to lean towards one sport that you just really love. And football, we were good at it. When you go to state championships (in 2014), you’ve got to love what you’re doing. Football is definitely my No. 1.

Q: St. Margaret’s has had a legacy-type program when it comes to small schools with a consistency of winning and CIF championships. What’s your career experience been like to be on a winning team for so long?

A: I love it. I grew up on a winning team when I played for the S.O.C. Patriots. We were always those little guys from South Orange County playing against all the L.A. teams. Just smash mouth football, right? So coming to a school that always has a winning tradition makes you want to play more. I want to say that’s one of the best parts about playing in high school. Being on a (bad) team, it’s really really hard to keep wanting to play. One of the biggest things about St. Margaret’s, I have to say, not only are they good football players, they’re smart kids. All of them. You’re not only coming there for the sports. You’re coming there for the whole academic experience.