DRIVE SO SUCCEED JAUREGUI DAILY TREK WORTH IT.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

It's hard for most people to understand Chris Jauregui.

He lives in Valencia but voluntarily commutes more than an hour to Loyola High of Los Angeles when a perfectly good football program - Hart High - is down the street.

He scored a 1,330 on the SAT but takes it again.

And despite a 4.06 grade-point average and a resume that sparkles as you print it out, he still feels it's necessary to spend his winter break volunteering 85 hours at the Lowman Center for Special Education in North Hollywood.

The answer to why Jauregui pushes himself so hard is embedded in his accomplishments, which he said is par for the course at Loyola, an academically rigorous private school that sends dozens of graduates to Ivy League colleges each year.

``There are so many kids at Loyola that are going above and beyond,'' said the 6-foot-2, 235-pound defensive end/offensive lineman. ``The environment there holds you to higher standards and pushes you to go above and beyond to see your potential.

``It's definitely worth it. I love it at Loyola. (The drive) is not that big of a strain, and hopefully all of it will pay off in the long run.''

In that long run, Jauregui hopes to earn a degree in economics and pursue a career in business or marketing. He's applying to the prestigious Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University in Rhode Island, Carnegie Mellon in Pennsylvania and Columbia University in New York.

But if his load of four advanced-placement classes, football practice six days a week, community service and the hour-plus commute from Valencia every morning puts any strain on Jauregui, his teammates say it's indiscernible.

``I live little ways away from Loyola, but his commute makes mine seem like I'm down the street,'' said Loyola quarterback Scott Deke, who has committed to play football at Virginia next season. ``But he never complains about it. We have offseason lifting three times a week at 6 a.m., and he's never once missed it or been late for it. That shows you how dedicated he is. He's really got his stuff together.''

But still, the question remains: Why Loyola?

Jauregui's family lived in Los Angeles and he attended middle school at St. Brennan's, which feeds into Loyola. When his family moved to Valencia before the start of high school, Jauregui planned to enroll at Hart, whose football program needs little promotion.

But all his life, Jauregui had dreamed of going to Loyola. His brother, David, had gone there. So when he was accepted, he figured he at least owed it to himself to visit the campus.

``I just fell in love with it,'' he said. ``I heard so much about it, and when I visited I just fell in love with it.''

His freshman year, he commuted with Ian Wilson, whose family lived in Frazier Mountain at the time.

``We both commuted that first year and helped each other fit in,'' said Wilson, who now lives in Burbank and is a starting receiver and defensive lineman for the Cubs. ``He's always been there for me.''

At Loyola, Jauregui has blossomed as a student and an athlete. He plans to play football in college but said if it doesn't happen, he'll be fine just focusing on his school work.

``His biggest strength as a football player is how he leads by example,'' said Deke, one of four team captains for Loyola along with Jauregui, Wilson and Mark Gray. ``Off the field he is quiet and polite, but he's one of the meanest guys on the field. In practice I always have to know where he is. ... I'm very confident with him protecting me (at quarterback). He's saved me a few times.''

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Chris Jauregui, a co-captain on the football team at Loyola High, stays busy with a difficult course load and plenty of extracurricular activities.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News