CORONA DEL MAR - Corona del Mar High senior Mike Hayes, a
first-team All-Pacific Coast League fullback last fall, has signed a
national letter of intent to play football at Cal Poly in San Luis
Obispo.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound two-year starter, also played several positions
on defense for the Pacific Coast League co-champion Sea Kings.
Expected to be a leading receiver out of the backfield heading into the
season, Hayes broke his thumb in the preseason scrimmage, hampering his
pass-catching much of the year.
He missed the first two games as a senior and played with a cast for
about a month when he returned. He finished with 320 yards and six
touchdowns on 49 rushing attempts. He also caught 11 passes for 102 yards, though his primary impact came as a lead blocker for senior
tailback Grant Estabrook, who amassed 1,043 rushing yards.
Hayes, also recruited by Fordham, Holy Cross and Georgetown, receives a
half scholarship to play fullback at Cal Poly, where he joins former Sea
King Tim Thurman, an incoming junior tight end from Golden West College,
and former Newport Harbor High standout Brett Baker, who started at
safety for the Mustangs as a sophomore last fall.
Hayes plans to major in business and construction management.
-- by Barry Faulkner
