Harris, Oatis to Team Up

They met in a hotel lobby early Sunday evening and were best buddies a few hours later. Will Harris and Shawn Oatis, defensive backs who will attend rival universities this fall, discovered quickly, courtesy of a video football game, that Trojans and Bruins can play together nicely.

On Saturday they will line up alongside their public-school teammates for an all-star showdown against their private-school counterparts in the 54th annual Shrine Classic at Mt. San Antonio College at 7 p.m.

Harris, who is headed to USC, is a free safety from Covina Charter Oak. Oatis, who is headed to UCLA, is a strong safety from Chino.

“It’s funny,” Harris said of his new friend, “between him and me, there’s no problem. We’re just playing video games, talking about how we’re going to beat each other next year.”

When they arrived at the team’s hotel in Covina a week before the game, they discovered they had been assigned the same room. That suited eachjust fine.

“A lot of USC players hang out with UCLA players,” said Oatis, who was offered a scholarship by every Pacific 10 Conference school except USC. “On the field is one thing, but off the field it’s a whole other game.”

Harris, at 6 feet 2 and 200 pounds, could be a starting cornerback next season for the Trojans. “I believe I have a great chance of starting,” he said. “That’s what they’re telling me.”

Harris is such an impressive athlete that basketball and track highlights were included in his football recruiting tapes. He cleared 6-8 in the high jump, leaped 22-8 1/2 in the long jump, and was most valuable player of the basketball team the last two years.

“The best thing about him, he played both ways for three years at the varsity level,” Charter Oak Coach Lou Farrar said. “He’s probably the best pure athlete I’ve coached, and I’ve been doing this 35 years. The guy played a sport every day of his high school career.”

Harris played every offensive position except interior lineman, caught 32 passes for 501 yards last season, and was a devastating hitter on a team known for its defense. He claims his heart is his greatest asset. Farrar says Harris’ only weakness is that “he doesn’t have an off switch.”

Farrar added, “At the next level, he’s going to have to learn to control that, or he might find some guys taking advantage of his aggressiveness.”

Like Harris, Oatis (6-0, 215) was named to The Times’ All-Star team. With a 4.0 grade-point average, Oatis is a big hitter with few flaws.

“He’s a complete young man,” Chino Coach John Monger said. “He’s very modest, and I love the way he competes.”

Oatis, who was Sierra League defensive player of the year as a junior and league MVP as a senior, anchored a unit that didn’t allow an opponent more than 24 points, and nine times in 12 games held opponents below 21.

On Saturday, he’ll be doing his best to shut down the likes of West Hills Chaminade quarterback Chris Turner (Maryland) and Orange Lutheran receiver Brandon Rohr (Air Force).

“You always want to be the best, you want to be the guy who comes up with the big interception or the big play,” Oatis said, noting the pressure he will be putting on himself for the game. “None of these guys would be here if they took plays off.”