Scholarship Search Is Punctuated by a Dash

Gary Wellman has a busy schedule in the weeks ahead.

The Westlake High senior, who scored 23 touchdowns as an all-purpose back for the Warriors’ football team this season, is going through the college football recruiting process.

Wellman has already visited the University of Colorado and will soon be leaving for Stanford, Arizona, California and USC on recruiting trips.

Between junkets he’ll be running down to the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Jan. 17 to compete against some of the state’s fastest high school football players in the Sunkist Invitational track meet’s “Football 60-Yard Dash.”

Wellman, who ran a 10.56 to finish seventh in the state last year in the 100 meters, will be going against J. J. Flannigan of Pomona and Terry Rodgers from Sweetwater High in San Diego. Rodgers is the son of Johnny Rodgers, the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner at Nebraska.

“I’ve never run indoors before,” Wellman said. “This will be new for me. It should be a lot of fun being down there with everyone.”

The event will precede the main events of the Sunkist meet, which features many Olympians and world record holders.

Wellman has been working out daily with Kenny Burke, the 1984 state high jump champion from Westlake. Burke, who will compete for Texas A & M in the spring, is also entered in the Sunkist meet.

“I’m trying to get back into track form,” Wellman said. “It takes a while to get the track muscles stretched out.”

But, as his 4.36 time in the 40-yard dash attests, it doesn’t take long for Wellman to get down the track.