ESTANCIA MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR:Morley can’t put football to bed

Perhaps the moment will come when the national anthem is playing and Tim Morley is about to buckle his chin strap this fall for Wesleyan University.

Or maybe the moment for Morley will be the first whistle, or the opening kickoff or actually his first collegiate tackle for the Division III school in Middletown, Conn.

Whatever it will be, Morley’s football moment in the fall will more than likely serve as a reminder to what he said before posing with his Estancia High football jersey for a photograph last week. Playing in the fall will be assurance, letting Morley know that, yes, he does love football.

“The whole reason I’m still playing is because I’m not ready to give up being competitive,” said Morley, Estancia’s Male Athlete of the Year. “Bottom line: that’s what it is. I’m not ready to say, ‘I’m done with competitive sports.’ I can’t turn it off.”

While studying to become a pediatrician at Wesleyan, Morley also plans to play for the football team. As he tackles the work that comes with being pre-med, he’ll also do his best to gain playing time on the football field.

Three weeks after he arrives at Wesleyan, he’ll need to be ready to play in his first football game. That’s a short time to prove that he should play, but Morley believes he can do it.

“I feel like I have a mental step up on everybody else,” Morley said. “I’m coming from across the country and a lot of those guys are local guys. For me to go that far, I’m making it a personal goal to play this year as a freshman. I want to be on the field and not just standing on the sideline. I want to play. I want to get in. If I’m going that far, I’m not standing on the sideline. And, I’ll push myself until it happens.”

Morley, who also excelled in baseball at Estancia, is no stranger to pushing himself to reach his goals. He showed as much in his senior year, collecting several accolades while playing for the Eagles and with his brother, Mike, the quarterback. Morley, the three-year varsity player was named to the Daily Pilot Dream Team.

He also was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Orange Coast League as well as for Estancia. The outside linebacker, who was second on the team with 68 tackles, also earned All-CIF Southern Section Southern Division honors.

“He has great character,” said Brian Barnes, the former Estancia football coach. “One of the sayings I use is: The character you choose determines your destiny. His character says he’s going to be successful at whatever he does.”

Morley was certainly successful at Estancia, where he also made a name for himself on the baseball team. During his freshman season, he was called up to the varsity and continued as a letterwinner throughout his high school career.

As an outfielder this past season, he helped the Eagles win three league games, an improvement from the zero league wins the year before. Yet, perhaps more importantly, Estancia defeated cross-town rival Costa Mesa three out of four times to win the Paul Troxel Trophy for the first time since 2001.

The All-Newport-Mesa baseball player received first-team All-Orange Coast League honors after going 16 for 33 (.485) with 10 RBIs in league games.

He was also a leader for the Eagles.

“He definitely has some leadership in him,” said former Estancia baseball coach CK Green. “Not only that, he has a great fire in him as well. Off the field, he’s just an outstanding person.”

That’s what many people in Costa Mesa know about Morley, but in Middletown, no one will be familiar with those traits initially. Morley doesn’t mind.

“No one will know me,” Morley said. “I’ll know nobody. It will be like I’ll be starting from scratch. It will be like I’m remaking myself.”

Competing for an NCAA Division III football program played into Morley’s decision to choose Wesleyan over UCLA. Back in April, he battled with the decision because he has always been a Bruins fan.

But at Wesleyan he knew there were smaller class sizes and a more intimate setting. He also knew he would have the opportunity to play football.

That was too hard to pass up.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or at [email protected].