Wells Proud to Rub Shoulders With Big Boys

The helmets are packed away. The shoulder pads are in storage, too.

But if you think Cal State Fullerton’s last gasp in Division I-A football was Nov. 28, during a 33-16 pasting at Nevada Las Vegas, you probably thought two months ago that Fleetwood Mac was finished, too.

Let it be recorded that the Titans’ last moments in Division I-A football actually took place Jan. 8 or Jan. 9--depending upon whether you were in the United States or Japan.

The occasion was the Japan Bowl, and the participant was Fullerton’s Jason Wells, a first-team All-Big West nose guard.

“I thought about (being the last Titan in a Division I-A game) a little bit,” Wells said. “I was proud to be there for our team. You don’t get to see too many people from our school in situations like that.”

The all-star game didn’t turn out much differently than many of those in the regular season for Wells--his West team was a loser, 27-13. But regardless, that one week made the entire season worthwhile for him.

“It was great, man,” said Wells, whose mother, Brooke, accompanied him on the trip. “I’ll never forget it. It was one of the best times I’ve ever had.”

Wells and his mother left for Japan the Monday before the game, spent the week in Tokyo, then took a four-day side trip to Hong Kong afterward.

They went to Tokyo Disneyland (“It’s just like it is here,” Jason said), the Tokyo zoo (“Really neat--they have panda bears and some animals I’d never seen before. Weird-looking monkeys.”), nightclubs and a big dinner on the evening before the game featuring ice sculptures of football players and real sumo wrestlers.

But what Wells wasn’t expecting was that his teammates would be familiar with Fullerton.

“I thought a lot of those guys would be like, ‘Cal State Fullerton? Where’s that?’ ” Wells said. “But everyone knew where it was.

“And a couple of guys said, ‘Didn’t you guys drop football?’ ”

Wells, 6 feet, 260 pounds, sat through most of the first quarter and then played in the second, third and fourth quarters. He thought, initially, that Coach Barry Alvarez of Wisconsin was skeptical of his lack of size.

“The other inside defensive linemen were 290 or 300,” he said.

Sitting during the first quarter didn’t calm his nerves, either.

“Before the game, I was kind of scared,” he said. “These guys played in the SEC, and for national championships.”

Nonetheless, Wells said he was happy with his play. He said he just missed sacking Florida’s Shane Matthews and, later, just missed sacking Pittsburgh’s Alex Van Pelt.

“I was close to some plays,” Wells said. “I think the level made a difference. In our conference, I would have made those plays.

“The linemen weren’t any better than the guys I played against--just bigger. But I could really notice the skill position players--they’re a lot quicker.

“And on kickoff teams, I could really tell the difference in speed. (Syracuse’s) Qadry Ismail got the ball and moved--he had some serious speed.”

In a homespun touch, Wells pasted the numbers of six Fullerton teammates onto the back of his helmet: Dan Godfrey, Mike Gullo, Mike Allen, Mike Simmons, Lorenzo Hailey and Thomas Cale.

“I was really happy to be there,” Wells said. “All my life, I never dreamt I could get that far. In high school, I wasn’t that good. I was a late bloomer.

“This is something I’ll never forget.”

Even if Fullerton as a Division I team is now just a fading memory. . . .

Lost amid the schoolyard brawl that took place Saturday after the Titans’ 61-59 basketball victory over UC Irvine was the fact that it was a critical victory for Fullerton.

The Titans (8-4, 3-2 in the Big West Conference) have two monster road games this week, Thursday at Cal State Long Beach, and Saturday at UC Santa Barbara, so the importance of a victory in the first of three consecutive away games shouldn’t be overlooked.

And, the Titans played the ants to Irvine’s Anteaters--it wasn’t one of the their finer games--but still found a way to win. Good teams have a knack for escaping situations like that.

“It needs to be noted that we made two very good comebacks, down 10 in the first half and down 12 in the second, and shot only 39%,” Titan Coach Brad Holland said. “That showed a lot of character.”

Sean Williams, Fullerton’s 6-foot-10 senior center, is quickly closing in on the school’s blocked shot records. He has 35 already--11 in the last three games.

At his current pace, Williams will block 76 shots this season (not including the Big West tournament), which would easily give him the Fullerton single-season record:

1. Derek Jones (1988-89), 56

2. Sean Williams (1991-1992), 43

3. Tony Neal (1983-1984), 40

4. John Sykes (1988-1989), 38

5. Craig Fuller (1982-1983) 37

Williams’ 35 blocked shots this season is currently seventh on Fullerton’s single-season list.

Barring injury or the sudden cancellation of the Fullerton basketball team, Williams will be at least second by season’s end on the school’s all-time blocked shots list. Currently, he is third:

1. Tony Neal (1981-1985), 115

2. Derek Jones (1986-1989), 78

3. Sean Williams (1991-1993), 76

4. Ozell Jones (1982-1984), 61

5. John Sykes (1987-1990), 55

A third-grade boy last week asked a couple of Fullerton softball players if anyone on the team had tested positive for drugs.

It was a legitimate question, and heartily encouraged. And the answer was no.

The Fullerton softball team, you see, is winding down a barnstorming tour through about 10 elementary schools in Fullerton, Placentia, Yorba Linda and Anaheim. Assistant coaches Kathy Van Wyk and Chenita Rogers, along with two or three players at each stop, are attempting to drum up interest in the Fullerton softball program and in women’s sports in general with a 20- or 30-minute program at each school.

The sessions include a short demonstration, such as a pitching exhibition by two-time All-American pitcher Tiffany Boyd, a question-and-answer period and the distribution of Bobby Sox flyers and Fullerton softball coupons.

“We talk to them about how to become college athletes, their schoolwork, the importance of getting good grades, staying away from drugs and alcohol, taking care of themselves, eating right, things like that,” Van Wyk said. “It’s just amazing the questions they come up with.

“The little kids look up to them and afterward have been asking for autographs. And we leave with a good self-image.”

One fourth-grade girl asked if softball ever gets in the way of the players’ schoolwork. Another asked if they had seen the movie “A League of Their Own.”

The softball team, 45-20 last season and 25-11 in the Big West, may as well continue barnstorming considering all the rain in Southern California these days.

Besides, the Titans aren’t scheduled to open practice until Monday.

Titan Notes

Sophomore Dan Godfrey, a second-team Big West outside linebacker in 1992, confirmed that he will become the third Titan football player to transfer to San Jose State, joining junior offensive tackle John Cotti, also a second-team All-Big West pick, and junior offensive lineman Wally Bonnett. Godfrey, one of Fullerton’s more sought-after football players, also visited Texas El Paso and New Mexico State before choosing San Jose State. The other Titan football player to commit this week: running back Tim Ryan, who will play for Montana State. . . . The Titan women’s basketball team lost twice at Hawaii during the weekend, 87-65 and 85-68, but came away with two individual career highs: Heidi James, a senior guard from Mesa, Ariz., scored 20 points in Saturday’s game and Allison Jackson, a senior guard from Los Angeles, had three three-pointers in Sunday’s game.