Tesoro QB Picazo is top offensive player

It's hard for Tesoro coach Brian Barnes not to gush over his quarterback, Robbie Picazo.

It's hard to find anybody that doesn't have great things to say about Picazo.

"Robbie is a one-of-a-kind-football player," Tesoro coach Brian Barnes said. "He is so special it's scary. Two years ago when I met him I thought he had a lot of great potential as an athlete. His smartness and skill have been just unbelievable. He has a 4.5 GPA and almost 2,200 on his SATs. He just doesn't make mistakes.

"He is an unbelievable team player, a great leader. He's just an all-around perfect kid. I would definitely adopt him as a son. I would be proud if my son turned out half as good as him. I don't have a son, yet, but if I did …"

Just for the record, Barnes is still in the dating world and doesn't have any kids. And Picazo's parents, Bob and Carolyn, don't plan to put him up for adoption.

Picazo was the consummate team leader, using his smarts, skills and ability to play mistake-free football to take Tesoro to its second consecutive South Coast League title and its first appearance in the Pac-5 finals before losing to top-seeded Long Beach Poly, 20-17, in the title game.

Picazo's performances in big games against the county's elite teams helped solidify Tesoro's status as the top team in the county for 2008. And that is why Picazo is The Register's 2008 offensive player of the year.

Mater Dei's Matt Barkley might be the better prospect coming out of high school than Picazo. Mission Viejo's Allan Bridgford might have thrown for more yards and more touchdowns than Picazo. Dana Hills' Sean Schroeder might complete passes at a higher percentage than Picazo. Los Alamitos' Clark Evans might be more physically gifted than Picazo.

But Picazo was able to lead his team to victories over all of those highly touted quarterbacks.

"I think he is still the most underestimated kid in the county," Barnes said. "You talk about the Barkleys, you talk about the Bridgfords, the Schroeders, and Evans from Los Al, and we played every one of those kids and Robbie outplayed every one of them. When it's all said and done, it's about being a winner."

This wasn't something that happened overnight for Picazo or Tesoro. The Titans won back-to-back CIF-SS Division IX titles from 2004-05 before moving into the South Coast League and the Pac-5 in 2006.

Picazo got thrust into the starting lineup as a sophomore after Tesoro's starter got injured, and it was baptism under fire for him in the new league. The Titans went 1-9 that season.

"I was a little bit shell-shocked at first," Picazo said. "I definitely wasn't used to the speed. I just remember the biggest thing from my sophomore to my junior year was seeing everything start to slow down to where I could actually see what's going on."

Barnes was hired in 2007, and the Titans went from doormats to league champions. Tesoro went 7-4 overall and the Titans were a perfect 5-0 in the South Coast League, which included a 28-24 stunner over powerhouse Mission Viejo. The 2007 campaign came to and end in the first round of the Pac-5 playoffs when they lost to Mater Dei, 28-24.

"I've been playing with all these guys since growing up in Pop Warner," Picazo said of his teammates. "We work well together. I had confidence our class would turn it around.

"We had good players. It was just a matter of playing well. Coach Barnes got us to believe in the system and really come together."

There were still those who questioned Tesoro heading into this season, but the Titans proved that their victory over Mission Viejo in '07 was no fluke by beating the Diablos, 31-14, in the league opener. They hung on for a razor-thin 28-23 victory over San Clemente and demolished Dana Hills, 56-26, to repeat as league champions.

Tesoro knocked off Los Alamitos, 23-7, Mater Dei, 38-35, and Orange Lutheran, 42-14, before running into Long Beach Poly in the Pac-5 finals.

Picazo, who also starts on the varsity basketball and baseball teams at Tesoro, completed 192 of 310 passes for 2,765 yards and 33 touchdowns with only six interceptions.

Picazo credits his stellar offensive line - which is comprised of Josh Cabral, Evan Finkenberg, Brad Handfield, Ty Vanderford and Silvarios Ajawara - for giving him the best pass protection in the county. He also threw to strong receivers such as Preston King, Brett Gudim and Zach Bevan. Picazo said running back Zach Mitchell and fullback Isaac Tago were outstanding rushers and great pass blockers.

Picazo, whose parents attended Stanford, has been offered preferred walk-on status by Stanford, which is his No. 1 choice. His fall-back schools are Harvard and Princeton.

No matter where Picazo ends up, he has left his mark at Tesoro and on Orange County football.

Contact the writer: carias@ocregister.com