`HE'S THE TOUGHEST KID I'VE EVER SEEN' INJURY, ILLNESS CAN'T STOP VALENCIA QB CAREY.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

VALENCIA - The defense had just stopped Palmdale midway through the second quarter, and Valencia coach Brian Stiman began to give sideline instructions to his quarterback, Colin Carey.

``I was calling the play and I looked up and I said, `Where's Colin?' '' Stiman said. ``Our offensive line coach said, `Coach, he's vomiting right now.' I stopped for a second and then I thought to myself, `OK, is he done vomiting, or will he have to do it right next to me while we call the next play?' ''

Stiman's thought process never included the use of a backup quarterback, even though Carey was so ill with flu symptoms last Friday that he says he can't remember most of the second half of the Vikings' victory over Palmdale in the Southern Section Division III semifinals.

Carey hopes to make some lasting memories Friday, when the Vikings play for the championship against Hart of Newhall at College of the Canyons at 7:30 p.m. Carey is the rare roughneck quarterback, tough enough to not only play through the flu but also a separated shoulder suffered midway through the season.

That's why Carey is the unquestioned leader of the Vikings and has the respect of every teammate and coach, even if they're careful about standing next to him on the sideline.

``Simply pitching the ball was difficult, let alone running and throwing,'' Stiman said. ``The fact that he was even out there was amazing. People said, `Do you want to switch and put somebody else in?' Well, he's the toughest kid I've ever seen, and we were better off with a sick Colin Carey than making a change in the CIF semifinals.''

Carey, a senior listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, has a resilience built from pedigree. His father, Mike, earned letters as a safety at USC in 1976 and 1977, and his older brother, Nick, played three years on the varsity at Valencia and is now a reserve linebacker at UCLA.

``My coaches have always told me that toughness is one of the greatest compliments you can receive, so to hear that definitely gives me pride,'' said Carey, coming as close as he's capable of boasting about his talents.

Carey didn't think much about sacrificing his body until he actually did.

He took a particularly hard hit late in the fourth quarter of an Oct. 12 game against Saugus. Four days later, he was diagnosed with a separated right (throwing) shoulder, but he wasn't about to miss that Friday's Foothill League game against cross-town rival Hart.

``There was never a doubt, not in our minds, his mind or his parents' mind,'' Stiman said. ``The thing about a separated shoulder is that it's not a severe injury, but it can be extremely painful.''

Carey completed just 8 of 26 attempts and Valencia was shut out, but there was certainly no finger-pointing in the Vikings' locker room afterward.

``All I remember is that throughout that week of practice, he was in a whole lot of pain,'' senior fullback/defensive lineman Brandon Fuselier said. ``In the game, he gave it all he had. We lost, but he played hard. I could see it in his facial expressions. I knew he was in pain, but he's a fighter and he didn't give up.''

Carey missed the next week's game against last-place Burbank but returned to start the second half of the following week's game against Burroughs. He missed just six quarters but returned as a different quarterback.

The pain in his shoulder forced Carey to alter his throwing motion - ``Coach Stiman jokes that getting hurt was good for me'' - and get more of his power from the rotation of his lower body, rather than just his arm.

Carey led the Vikings to a regular-season-ending victory over Canyon, then playoff victories over highly-regarded Leuzinger, Crescenta Valley and Palmdale, setting up a rematch with Hart, a team the Vikings have never beaten in seven tries.

``He's a tough kid so we knew he would tough it out,'' offensive lineman Dan Firestone said. ``Our line respects him, probably more than anybody on the team, because when something good happens, we're the first ones to get congratulations from him, and if something bad happens, he will hold us accountable. He always treats us fairly.''

Carey, who has a 4.5 grade-point average and a 1260 on the SAT, likely will continue playing football in the Ivy League, which comes as no surprise to Stiman.

``Someday he's going to come back and visit me and he's going to be doing something special,'' Stiman said. ``Maybe a surgeon who is highly sought-after, or somebody who is in politics, but it will be something really special. It's going to be very gratifying to watch him as time goes on.''

CAREY FILE

--Name: Colin Carey.

--School: Valencia.

--Year: Senior.

--Position: Quarterback/strong safety.

--Vitals: 5-foot-11, 195 pounds.

--Notable: Carey has rushed for 623 yards and six touchdowns on 126 carries (4.9 yards per carry) and completed 87 of 202 attempts for 1,112 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions.

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK

Southern Section Division III

Hart (12-0) vs. Valencia (11-2)

Friday, 7:30 p.m., College of the Canyons

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

(color) no caption (Colin Carey)

Box:

(1) CAREY FILE (see text)

(2) CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK (see text)