Fast rising SoCal OL on the march

One of the biggest surprise high school teams in Southern California, to everybody but them of course, is Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Tesoro who currently stands at 12-0 and will play in the CIF Southern Section semifinal against Orange County powerhouse, Orange (Calif.) Lutheran. One of the reasons for Tesoro's success is the unselfishness of fast rising offensive tackle Evan Finkenberg (6-5, 255, 4.8).

"Evan is a converted tight end," Tesoro coach Brian Barnes said. "We asked him to the offensive line about a week before the season because of injuries."

"It was a big move for him because we throw the ball a lot to the tight end," Barnes said. "He made the sacrifice and even bought into the move in about a day."

"Everybody who have come through here says wow, when they see Evan," Barnes said. "He is very athletic, has great feet and has the frame to carry another 50 pounds without losing a step."

"Every week, Evan is getting better as he becomes more comfortable playing the position," Barnes said. "He projects as a big time offensive tackle and has a lot of good football ahead of him."

Finkenberg also plays baseball and is an excellent pitcher who is getting D-I looks for his talents on the diamond, but he wants to play football.

"Evan has really taken in being an offensive lineman," Barnes said. "He just needs a good off-season working on technique. He had to learn the position on the fly this season and once he's in college he's only going to get better."

Washington State is ahead of the recruiting curve and has offered Finkenberg a scholie. Arizona State and UCLA have also been showing interest in him could end up getting offer from one or both.

Don't be surprised because of Finkenberg's upside if there aren't a few more Pac 10 teams jumping into the fray before February.