THE NEXT LEVEL:Peters’ big games start with Pirates

Kasey Peters doesn’t care what people think. He has no interest about what’s on the surface.

Some might have thought Peters looked like a quitter, transferring from Saddleback College to Santa Ana after breaking his forearm, with Neck Nelson taking over as quarterback for the Gauchos.

Peters doesn’t pay much attention to those thoughts, but the Newport Harbor High product wants to set the record straight.

As trite as it may sound, Peters said Saddleback wasn’t the right fit. He’s found everything he’s wanted with the Dons.

The injured forearm is in the past. The whispers that he could not compete at Saddleback are also behind him. But in times like these he doesn’t mind to listen.

Peters has had his eye on the following two Saturdays when he first saw the 2006 schedule. Today, Peters plays in a homecoming of sorts when he leads the Dons into Orange Coast for a game that kicks off at 5 p.m. Then next week, he will seek to exact revenge on the Gauchos.

“This is a big one,” Peters said of playing against the Pirates. “This is the two biggest weeks for me. There will be so many guys there from Newport [Harbor High]. It’s like I’m playing against my friends. I’m fired up about it.”

It probably would have made sense for Peters to transfer to Orange Coast.

He still lives near Newport Harbor, so the drive wouldn’t be as bad as it was to Saddleback in Mission Viejo.

But, then again, anything was better than that drive to Saddleback. Peters began to dread to play for the Gauchos. Last year, in the fourth week, he broke his forearm against Fullerton. Things weren’t the same after that.

“I didn’t think it was the best situation for me [at Saddleback],” Peters said. “I wanted to go to Santa Ana and play. I made a mistake by not going to Santa Ana in the first place.”

Peters also added that the forearm injury turned out to be a blessing, though there is still a metal plate that resides in that right throwing arm.

“I love the coaching staff and the players here,” Peters said. “I’ve just had a lot of fun this year.”

Peters’ “fun” began right when he set foot at Santa Ana, where there were three other quarterbacks vying for the starting spot.

“I’ve read before that [Peters] backed down from his competition at Saddleback,” Santa Ana Coach Geoff Jones said. “But, he doesn’t back down from anyone. He’s a real competitive kid.

After winning the starting job, Peters led the Dons to a 5-0 start, the first time Santa Ana achieved that feat since 1989.

“I had to compete against those guys,” Peters said. “And, they are all legit quarterbacks.”

Peters went up against Rory Schoonmaker, Casey Brown and Mark Iddins during the offseason before becoming the starter.

“I was apprehensive at first [with Peters] because at the time I was pretty set at QB,” Jones said. “I was unsure about having four guys. But I’ve never seen a group of more professional guys. They are into every practice and they pull for each other.”

The Dons have been in Peters’ corner and in turn he has delivered.

He has thrown for 17 touchdowns, which is tied for the lead in the Mission Conference. He’s third in the conference in passing yards, 1,528, and 12th in the state.

“It fires me up when people think bad about me,” said Peters, who also came back strong after collarbone injury suffered in his junior year with Newport Harbor. “The collarbone injury was worse because I missed out on high school playing time.”

The setback in high school played a part in Peters going to compete in the junior college ranks. A tough realization also led Peters to JuCo football.

Before, he thought he could have easily received a scholarship to an NCAA Division I program. But, reality set in that acquiring a full ride is much tougher that he thought.

“I read online somewhere that only five to eight quarterbacks from the JCs get Division I looks, that makes it a lot harder,” Peters said. “I have to make the best of it.”

Peters said he has gained interest from Idaho. But Peters knows a ticket to Division I can only become viable if he continues to produce for the Dons.

And, he’s hoping for that against OCC, today.

“I know some kids who play for Coast [Nate Barnett and Benjamin Soza], so this is a big one for me,” Peters said.