Preston King was an All-County caliber wide receiver. He also baffled teams with his returns on special teams. But his biggest play for Tesoro arguably came at cornerback.

With just seconds left in the first half against Mission Viejo, he intercepted a pass and returned it 58 yards to give the Titans a two-touchdown lead.

Tesoro opened the second half with another score and went on to post a 31-14 victory. It was the South Coast League opener for each team, but the result meant something more to the Titans.

"That (game) was pretty much everything," King said. "It definitely opened up a lot of eyes and opened up a lot of our minds and told us that this could be our year."

The 2008 season turned out to be just that for Tesoro. With King locking down a critical spot for an aggressive defense, the Titans won the South Coast League and reached the Pac-5 Division final. For his efforts, the senior is The Register's defensive player of the year.

A 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior, King tied with teammate Brett Gudim for the county lead in interceptions with nine. King returned three interceptions for touchdowns, including two in the playoffs.

King also had 83 receptions (tied for the county lead) for 1,208 yards and 12 touchdowns.

On special teams, he returned a punt for a touchdown against El Dorado and produced vital return yards against Long Beach Poly in the Pac-5 final.

"I thought he was a tremendous playmaker," said Orange Lutheran coach Jim Kunau, whose team lost to Tesoro in the Pac-5 semifinals. "He combines great intelligence with those natural instincts."

And for Tesoro's defense, he was a perfect fit.

King and fellow cornerback Gudim gave the Titans the confidence to liberally blitz a talented group of linebackers. The high-pressure scheme helped create a wave of turnovers, which propelled Tesoro to its first Pac-5 final.

Tesoro had 27 interceptions in 2008. The Titans had six as a team in 2007.

"He was just huge (for our defense)," Titans defensive coordinator Matt Poston said of King. "Having that kind of security knowing that you've got such an outstanding player out there (at corner), allowed us to do some of the things that we like to do, along with the pressure and sending people."

King wasn't beat for a passing touchdown and finished as the Titans' fourth leading tackler with 65.

But King was quick to credit his teammates and the Titans' defensive scheme for his much of success.

"This year, the job of the DBs was 10 times easier because the pressure our D-line and linebackers put on the quarterback," he said.

King and Poston also are quick to acknowledge the impact of Gudim. Because Tesoro had two gifted cornerbacks, opponents couldn't shy away from King.

"That's one of the things we kept saying during the year, 'Why are people still throwing at Preston when he's making these plays?'" Poston said. "It's because you're kind of picking your poison."

King brought plenty of his own ability to the equation. He started his junior season at free safety, but Poston moved him to cornerback to help the Titans make more stops on third-and-long.

King said he dedicated himself in the offseason to studying his play at cornerback and the moves of receivers.

The homework paid off with big plays and respect from opponents.

"He has a great football IQ," Kunau said.

Case in point: the Mission Viejo interception.

Poston said King had been studying Mission Viejo receiver Kevin Chandler on film and picked up a tip that helped him anticipate that pass.

"He said that he noticed that when Chandler runs that out, he rises up just a little bit before he breaks," Poston said of King. "He said he saw that one that particular play and jumped it."

From there on, King and Tesoro were tough to beat.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com