Talk about a quick study.

Kevin Buchanan played football for the first time when he was a junior at St. Joseph High School last school year. As a senior this year the 6-0, 205-pounder is "getting the job done for us on both sides of the ball," says third-year St. Joseph coach Barney Eames.

Buchanan, a tight end-defensive end will be one of the key players tonight when St. Joseph takes on Morro Bay at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph/s Al Maguire Field.

The game this evening is the Los Padres League opener for both squads. Both teams are 3-0-0. St. Joseph is ranked second in the CIF Southern Section Division X. Morro Bay is rated fourth. Two-time defending champion Lompoc is ranked first.

Buchanan anticipates a tight game, such as the one St. Joseph won last year when the teams tangled at Morro Bay.

The Pirates of Morro Bay "are a lot like us," Buchanan says. "They do a lot of what we do. Whoever gets more physical than the other team is going to win."

Both teams have fine running backs, Corey Stollmeyer for Morro Bay, and Brad Escobar and Philip Adam for St. Joseph.

Both squads have good quarterbacks, Robert Ellithorpe for Morro Bay and Casey Cathcart for St. Joseph. Both defenses have been sturdy for the most part.

Speaking of sturdy, Buchanan has been a rock for the Knights ever since he donned a football uniform. As a tight end last year, he was a formidable blocker who developed into one of the best receivers in the area. Buchanan helped St. Joseph get to the CIF Division X semifinals.

This year he/s picked up where he left off on offense. In fact, he caught the winning touchdown pass as the Knights rallied past underdog Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara, 33-26, at Santa Barbara College/s La Playa Stadium last Friday night.

Meanwhile he/s one of the Knights/ leaders on defense, at defensive end.

Not bad for a guy who/s first love still is baseball and had not even put on a pair of pads until 2003.

"I/d played baseball every summer," for years, Buchanan says. He did take last summer off from the sport to train for football.

A football novice as his junior year began, Buchanan quickly took to playing tight end. This year he has contributed big in a hurry at defensive end.

"It took me awhile to get comfortable there," Buchanan acknowledges.

He got comfortable quickly enough for Eames. Besides the art of tackling, Eames says Buchanan has his responsibilities as a defensive end, from pass rushing, to containment on opposition end sweeps, to pursuit angles, down.

"He knows all his responsibilities," Eames says. "He/s very athletic, he works hard and he/s a quick study. He/s got those long arms 7 he/s a natural."

Football coaches can be adept at spotting potential untapped talent on campuses, and that was the case with the first Eames-Buchanan connection.

"I spotted him in one of my P.E. classes and asked him if he/d like to come out," Eames says.

Buchanan accepted Eames/ invitation and then took a liking to football. "I like the physical part of it," Buchanan says. "I like it that if you prepare well in the off-season, you can do well."

Eames says there was a simple reason the Knights coaching staff decided to make Buchanan a two-way player 7 numbers, or rather, lack thereof.

"To be honest, we were short (on) players," Eames says.

Buchanan plays basketball too. He was a reserve on a Knights team that won the CIF Division IV-AA championship. St. Joseph lost by a point to traditional power Verbum Dei of Los Angeles in the Southern California Regional Final of the state tournament.

However, "Football and baseball are what I focus on," he says. Buchanan, a rangy third baseman who can hit for power, wants to play baseball in college. "I don/t know where yet."

He says this season is probably it for him as far as football goes.

"I/ve played for the San Luis Obispo Rangers on weekends," Buchanan says. "Their coach/s going to try to help me as far as finding some colleges," that might be interested in using Buchanan/s baseball talents.

In the meantime, Buchanan has some business to take care of before he hangs up the football pads for good.

Oct. 1, 2004