Lediff Proves He’s Worth the Wait for La Habra’s Football Team : Delay Game: His parents wouldn’t let him play on the varsity as a sophomore, a decision that helped the lineman prepare for stardom.

The waiting was the hardest part for Dan Lediff.

Blocking and tackling had become routine by the time Lediff reached his sophomore year at La Habra High School. After all, he had played on four championship teams in La Mirada’s Junior All-American football program.

But imagine Lediff’s disappointment when his parents decided he was too small to play varsity football as a sophomore, electing to have him participate on the junior varsity team.

“My husband and I felt Dan wasn’t big enough (190 pounds) to play varsity football,” said Lediff’s mother, Tanya. “He was our first son to play football and we were a little leery. It turned out to be the right move because Dan had a lot of success on the JV team.”

The family’s decision was not what La Habra varsity football coach Bob Rau wanted to hear. Rau, who now coaches at Duarte, sensed that Lediff would develop into a very good player and hoped to persuade Lediff’s parents to allow him to play on the varsity team.

“He was a good kid who was committed to the game,” Rau said. “He was real raw and technically wasn’t very good, but he was strong and liked to work. I wanted him on the varsity.”

Rau, who can be very convincing, arrived at the Lediff home one evening after dinner and spent about an hour talking to Lediff’s parents.

“When he showed up at the front door, I figured this is it, I’m going to be playing on the varsity,” Lediff said. “But my mother had her mind made up, and even Coach Rau couldn’t change her mind.”

As it turned out, both Rau and Lediff’s mother were right. Lediff dominated play and was named the most valuable player on the JV team. Since then, he has blossomed into one of the premier linemen in Orange County, playing offensive guard and defensive tackle.

Lediff, now a 6-foot-3 1/2, 230-pound lineman, leads La Habra, which meets Sunny Hills at 7:30 tonight in a Freeway League game at Buena Park High, with 56 tackles and 12 sacks.

Offensively, he anchors a line that creates the holes for running backs Mark Brown and Jeff Besinaiz. Lediff says switching positions is not unlike switching personalities.

“You change your whole perspective each time you move from offense to defense,” said Lediff. “You have a lot more responsibility playing offense, and you have to be mentally prepared.

“I love playing defense because I have more freedom. I can move around a lot more and use my hands a lot more.”

Lediff admits he’s sore and dead-tired after playing 48 minutes.

“A lot of the guys will go to a party after the game, but I usually go home and sleep,” Lediff said. “I wake up Saturday mornings pretty stiff and sore. But so far, I’ve been lucky and haven’t had a major injury playing football.”

Lediff spends hours watching films of opposing players, studying their moves, strength and quickness. He’ll face some formidable opponents tonight when he’s matched up against tackle Pat Marshall (6-0, 230) or linebacker Brian Pizula (5-10, 195).

“I know all the guys on Sunny Hills’ line, and I look forward to the challenge of going up against them,” Lediff said. “We know we have to play our best game to win. Our coaches have been telling us all week, ‘We don’t have to beat Sunny Hills, they have to beat us. We’re the league champs until somebody beats us.’ ”

This has been an inconsistent season for defending league champion La Habra (3-3), but Lediff’s play has impressed some major colleges.

“Dan is the best college prospect I’ve coached, and the best prospect this school has had since Dan Owens (starter at USC),” said Jack Nicholls, La Habra’s coach. “He’s extremely strong (bench presses 375 pounds) and very quick (4.9 in the 40). He’s the hardest worker on the team.”

Lediff’s wants to become a fireman. He has maintained a 2.6 grade-point average after a near-disastrous start in his freshman year. Lediff’s mother credits Rau for pointing her son in the right direction.

“Coach Rau was a wonderful motivator who got Dan interested in his school work,” she said. “He had some long talks with Dan about his potential and what he needed to do to go to college.”

Rau said Lediff was struggling and hated school when they sat down and discussed his academic future.

“I basically told him that no matter how good he was on the field, the first thing a recruiter would ask for was his grade transcripts,” Rau said. “If he didn’t have the grades, he wasn’t going to college.

“I’ll give the guy credit. He had enough self discipline to turn things around. Academics have become important to him.”

Lediff has learned some of Rau’s motivating methods. This year, he persuaded his parents to allow his younger brother, John, to play varsity football. John Lediff, 6-1, 190, lines up next to his brother on the defensive line.

“We felt he was qualified,” Tanya Lediff said. “Besides, I had no choice. This time, it was three (Dan, John and her husband) against one.”