Star high school quarterback from hip Southern California high school is sought after by every major college football program in the country. After sifting through more offers than a Harvard business school graduate, the golden boy settles on Stanford.

The head coach there, who has won more championships than he can count, is in the twilight of his career, but before he retires, he wants to win one more title. This is where the plot thickens.

Old coach has to leave before realizing his final dream. Instead of riding off into the Bay Area sunset with old coach, holding a Heisman Trophy in one hand and national championship honors in the other, disillusioned quarterback is left on the sidelines, facing real adversity for the first time.

To spice up matters, he and new head coach are at odds, forcing star quarterback to seek his football fame and fortune in the least likely of places -- Hawaii.

It's here, in the last chance cafe, that star quarterback reacquaints himself with disciples of old coach, who are chasing after some elusive dreams of their own. Together, they learn more about themselves than they thought possible as they lead a team, that for years has been the laughing stock of major college football, to the promised land.

Music up with a swell, roll credits and here are some scenes from next week's show.

OK, so Carey has to deliver a few key lines from now to December before he gets his star outside Mann's Chinese Theater, but he is fully prepared to do just that.

"Four years ago, I never would have imagined that I'd be ending my career in Hawaii," Carey conceded, "but this was the best chance for me to play considering the circumstances. Sure, the transition to Hawaii was tough, but I think I'm really starting to fit in here and having a good time.

"Sitting out and just watching the season go by like last year was real hard, especially when I was really looking forward to competing at Stanford, and being the starting quarterback."

Carey's confidence in himself is not unfounded. After all, four years ago, the Los Alamitos (Calif.) High graduate had more options than a wishbone quarterback. Not only was he rated the No. 2 signal caller on the West Coast behind California's Pat Barnes, but he was ranked among the top 10 prep quarterbacks nationwide as well.

Carey settled on Stanford University because the guru of the West Coast offense, Bill Walsh, was the commander-in-chief.

Most of the first two years for Carey were spent watching Steve Stenstrom throw the football all over the lot. But after Stenstrom was sidelined with a broken finger, Walsh turned to Scott Frost, not Carey.

It was one of the first signs for Carey that things might not go as planned. The picture blurred even more after Walsh decided the 1994 season would be his last.

Frost, who wasn't exactly enamored with Stanford in the first place, decided to transfer back to his home state of Nebraska. Carey also was left in a quandary.

Alabama offensive coordinator Homer Smith, who had coached at UCLA and knew Carey, almost convinced him to join the Crimson Tide program. But Carey elected to remain with the Cardinal.

That's because new head coach Tyrone Willingham wanted to stay with the famed West Coast offense. With Frost gone and Stenstrom graduating, Carey believed he had a legitimate shot at realizing his dreams.

He and senior Mark Butterfield competed hard in the spring and fall camps of 1995 for the starting job, with Willingham eventually selecting Butterfield. Carey accepted this disappointment and waited patiently in the wings.

"The following spring I took nearly every snap and thought the starting job was mine," Carey said. "Chad (Hutchinson) and I competed in fall camp, but I never thought Coach Willingham would go with him.

"When he made the decision, he told me he wanted me to stay and I wanted to stay, but he didn't give me any attractive options. This was my senior season we were talking about.

"I didn't think I could afford to take a few snaps and watch my eligibility run out. I had put a lot of time into the program and felt I deserved something for that."

A couple of days passed with Carey finally deciding to transfer to Hawaii. He knew UH head coach Fred vonAppen and assistant Guy Benjamin from his early days at Stanford. They told him to come, but no promises were made.

"I actually tried to convince him to stay there," vonAppen said. "I told him we were happy with our quarterbacks and that it was a big gamble for him. We're glad to have him because he gives us a dimension we didn't have before, but he still has to compete hard for the starting job."

The proving ground begins again for Carey on the last day of the month. His main competition in spring football will be sophomore Hunter Young and junior Dan Robinson.

"I haven't approached this spring any differently," Carey said. "In past springs, I've gone in the right way, just focusing on myself. And not the competition. That's what I'll do this spring."

Carey will be dealing with the same quarterback coach in Benjamin, but a different coordinator in Wally English. Granted, the West Coast isn't toast, but there is definitely a new offense in town.

"A lot of the plays Coach English uses are the same because there's only so much you can do, but the verbiage is different," Carey said.

As for how Carey and vonAppen hope things turn out, well, a happy ending would be nice. But because life has thrown a few curves at Carey, he won't take anything for granted.

"When I was a freshman in high school, I never thought I would be playing football at Stanford because baseball was my first love," said Carey, who major-league scouts liked as a pitcher. "But by the time I was a senior, football was the only sport for me.

"I learned then that you kind of have to go where life takes you. And if it doesn't work out here like I hope, I'm still happy with what I've done with my life. All you can do is your best, and wait and see what happens next."