Five area athletes sign letters of intent
| Wednesday, Feb 03 2010 11:01 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Feb 03 2010 11:27 PM
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Tim Hartnett celebrates after John Oglesby signed a letter of intent to attend Fresno State on a football scholarship. Hartnett said he has sent eleven students to Fresno State during his career as a football coach.
Taylor Jackson, right, watches as her mom, Tracy, completes the letter of intent to compete in track at Fresno State after Taylor had signed. At left is Frontier High track coach, David Gaeta and Taylor's dad, Charle Jackson.
With his mom, Paula, and dad, Don Darr, at his side, Frontier High's Matt Darr signs to play football at Fresno State. At right is Frontier's football coach, Rich Cornford.
Forget USC and all of the prestige that comes with being a Trojan.
Forget the coaching change that was a rug pulled from beneath Matt Darr's feet.
Forget, even, the last-minute phone call -- of course there was another one -- Darr got from Duke University on Tuesday night.
The nation's No. 1 punter is going where he feels comfortable, and he's going where good Bakersfield high school football players usually go -- Fresno State.
"I'm just excited I've got this under my belt," said Darr, a Frontier senior. "... It can be a grueling process. I tried to get it over with (early), but little did I know I would have to start all over again and have it be just as stressful as it was back then."
Darr's saga has been well-documented. He verbally committed way back in May to Pete Carroll's staff at USC and was left unsure of his future when Carroll left the school for the Seattle Seahawks. He re-opened his commitment and chose Fresno State early this week, to the delight, chagrin or plain curiosity to internet message boards across the state.
"I don't feel like one of those guys who jumped ship," Darr said. "... I had committed to USC and Pete Carroll's coaching staff, and I had every intention of going there. But once things changed, I didn't find it dishonorable to re-look at things."
Darr chose Fresno State on Sunday night and told USC of his decision early Monday. But even that didn't completely settle things: He got a final call from Duke on Tuesday night.
"They wanted me to know that if I decided to change my mind, they had a scholarship," Darr said. "But they were too late."
Wednesday, he ended all speculation with a swift stroke of his pen, saying he simply felt comfortable with Fresno State's coaching staff and agriculture program.
"It's exactly where I belong," Darr said.
He'll join plenty of other Bakersfield natives at Fresno State, including Frontier's Taylor Jackson, who signed on for a track and field scholarship right next to him.
Jackson, a multiple Central Section champion in two hurdling events and a two-time state qualifier, chose the Bulldogs over a host of schools, including Washington State, Duke and UC Santa Barbara.
"My mind was always up at Fresno State since I was a junior," Jackson said. "I did have a lot of calls, but Fresno State is the choice."
Darr was eighth Bakersfield native on the football roster, and about an hour later, a ninth signed on: Highland defensive lineman John Oglesby.
Oglesby's recruitment contained a twist, too: If it weren't for Darr and his Frontier team, Oglesby probably would be headed somewhere else.
After Highland played at Frontier in October, Frontier's coaches sent a game tape to Fresno, hoping to get Darr and some other athletes noticed. Oglesby, who was considering San Jose State, Nevada and Sacramento State otherwise, is the one who caught the Bulldogs' attention. "I guess I had a pretty good game the game they chose to look at me," Oglesby said.
Oglesby is the third player in three years to sign with FSU from Highland, following receiver A.J. Johnson and linebacker Patrick Su'a.
"It's like a small piece of Bakersfield up there," Oglesby said.
Later Wednesday, offensive lineman Julio Regla shed his South High letter jacket to unveil a Sacramento State T-shirt in front of a standing ovation in the South library.
"This isn't a real common occurrence for us," South coach John Wren said. "We hope it opens some doors and shows kids what's out there if you work like Julio did."
Regla gave an emotional thank-you speech and signed his letter to be a Hornet before leading his Rebels teammates in one last "haka" -- South's pregame ritual dance -- in the middle of the library.
"Four years ago, I never pictured any of this," Regla said. "I just kept working hard, but there were times when I felt alone, like I was just going through the motions. Then I realized I had to get back to what God has given me. ... It's a dream come true."
Also signing Wednesday was Tehachapi linebacker Drew Howell, who will go Oregon to be a long-snapper. Howell, Scout.com's No. 5 long-snapper in the country, is the first Tehachapi football player to sign with a Pac-10 team.
"It just feels awesome," Howell said. "Being with the Ducks, that's the school I've always wanted to go to. "It's pretty unreal."
