A Familiar Name at Servite Is Now Across the Line : Prep football: Rob Petko was a ball boy for the school where his brother Mike starred. Friday, he’ll be at quarterback for Valencia against the Friars.

PLACENTIA — They were big, confident and successful. Rob Petko looked up to them, as only a 10-year-old ball boy can.

He got to hobnob with all those players on the Servite High School football team in 1987. Guys like Derek Brown, Pat Blottiaux and Jason Frank--all future college players--would actually talk to him and treat him like an equal .

Heck, even Mike Petko, his older brother, would acknowledge his presence. Yeah, Rob was a little guy, but a big shot.

“I’d hang out in the locker room, run errands and just be one of the guys,” Rob Petko said. “I used to imagine myself scoring touchdowns for Servite. I dreamed about wearing the black uniform.”

Funny how things work out. One day you have dreams about Servite, the next you have nightmares.

Petko, a junior, is the starting quarterback for Valencia, which plays his once-beloved Friars Friday night at Cal State Fullerton. The last thing he wants to see is one of those black uniforms with “Servite” printed across it. That would be bad.

In a strange twist, Petko shunned Servite--where bloodlines are thick--for the opportunity of etching his own legacy. Instead of being “Mike Petko’s little brother,” he wanted to carry his own baggage.

“When I was the ball boy I had a jersey with No. 99 on it, my brother’s number,” Petko said. “That’s the way it would have been if I went to Servite. I didn’t want to be in Mike’s shadow.”

How far would Petko go to stand in his own light?

How about down to Mater Dei, where he spent his freshman year. Not exactly the place you usually find someone of Friar ancestry.

How far would Petko go to be his own man?

How about to the point of demanding jersey No. 1, to be as far from No. 99 as the football jersey would allow. It didn’t matter that Valencia didn’t have a jersey with No. 1 at the time.

“I love my brother, but we’re totally different people,” Petko said. “My dad always said Mike had a defensive mentality and I had an offensive mentality.”

And the ability to match.

It’s unlikely that Petko will roll up big numbers at Valencia this season, or even next. The system won’t allow it.

Tiger Coach Mike Marrujo rates his quarterbacks by one thing: winning. Valencia beat Villa Park, 38-21, last week in Petko’s first game.

“Rob played well,” Marrujo said. “He didn’t make mistakes.”

But, when given a chance, Petko can show that his skills extend beyond error-free football.

Valencia gained 324 yards rushing in last week’s 38-21 victory over Villa Park. Petko did make the most of a conservative offensive scheme by completing four of seven passes for 84 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Mike Mebane that broke a 14-14 tie.

“Rob took command,” running back Chris Draft said. “He was screaming and yelling. He went a little crazy. Rob was ready.”

Petko is doing these things for Valencia and not Servite because he made a tough choice. He had fully intended to go to Servite. Heck, he had even became close friends with Brown, now a standout running back at Nebraska.

But the idea of following his brother, who also went to Nebraska, began to lose its appeal. That Mike Petko reputation was tough to duplicate.

“Mike is just Mike,” Rob Petko said. “He was home a couple weeks ago and it was the first day of our practice. He said, ‘Come on, let’s head butt.’ He put my helmet on me and slammed my head. It was the hardest hit I’ve ever taken.”

Mike Petko was a terror for the Friars, on the field and off. At times, the latter didn’t please his teachers.

“We didn’t want the football coaches going, ‘Oh great, another Petko,’ and the teachers going, ‘Oh no, another Petko,’ ” said Dave Petko, their father.

Mike Petko left Servite and went to Katella for his final semester. There, his grades improved and he received a scholarship to play for the Cornhuskers.

Petko didn’t always speak fondly of his experience at Servite. He even accused the school of using him for football and then discarding him after his final season.

Rob Petko and his parents said they don’t hold any grudges toward Servite. They also said Mike Petko’s experience didn’t enter into the decision to send Rob to Mater Dei.

“I’m not saying what Mike said was inaccurate, but everything turned out great,” Dave Petko said. “Mike did have a couple of things to say. But we have a lot of good friends there. We don’t have anything against Servite.”

Well, except on Friday.

“We’ll be torn, but Servite is in the past,” Dave Petko said. “Now we want Valencia to kick Servite’s fanny.”

But he said sending his younger son to Mater Dei, Servite’s bitter rival, was not a slap at the Friars.

“It was just a matter of letting Rob be Rob,” he said.

Rob Petko established himself immediately. He played running back on the freshman team and, in his first carry, went 70 yards for a touchdown. He played quarterback in the final game of the season and threw two touchdown passes.

But his athletic ability was exceeding his academic growth. Petko got a D in algebra and decided to retake the class during the summer.

He went to Valencia because it was close to the family home. He liked being at school with friends with whom he grew up and decided to transfer.

“We were paying $4,000 to $5,000 in tuition and Rob got C’s and a D,” said Cathy Petko, his mother. “Valencia was so close and Rob really liked it. It made sense.”

His grades have since improved.

He won the starting job on the junior varsity and was called up to the varsity during the playoffs.

He also began lobbying for jersey No. 1.

“Rob bugged the equipment guy almost every day,” Draft said. “We didn’t have a No. 1, but Rob kept on him. One day (the equipment manager) said, ‘All right, I’ll order No. 1.’ I think he got tired of hearing about it.”

No. 1 will certainly be in Servite’s sights come Friday. Rob Petko has already beaten the Friars once, a 34-0 victory as a freshman at Mater Dei. He threw a touchdown pass in that game.

So although Petko has few friends remaining at the school, he knows the Friars will remember his name.

“Yeah, they may try to come at me,” Petko said. “They remember my brother for sure. I just want to win. This isn’t a revenge thing for me. I still love Servite.”