Just Preps : Get Shorty : There Is a Place in Football for the Undersized, as Long as the Heart Is Big Enough

Robert Levy had 50 football helmets left and 100 underclassmen who wanted them.

So, as he always does, the Belmont High coach chose the biggest and best players. The rest were sent packing.

One turned away that fall was Fabian Villa, who as a 14-year-old freshman was 5 feet 5 and 145 pounds. He was shy and quiet then and had never played a down of organized football. Levy said he was easy to pass over.

“Since we only have a certain amount of equipment to go around, the guys who are small and don’t speak up usually get looked over,” Levy said. “It’s impossible for me and my staff to know every new kid who comes out for the team, so you do the best you can.”

It’s easy to overlook the little guy.

Football, by nature, is for the big and strong. Those who aren’t, often have to work twice as hard to get half the recognition.

No one has to tell that to Villa, who grew up playing football in the street and on the church playground. He looked forward to high school and his first opportunity to play on a team. He never imagined his size would sideline him before he started.

Levy said most of the students who don’t get equipment never come back. Villa is an exception. Being passed over made him more determined.

“I remember going home that night and the terribly disappointing feeling I had,” Villa said. “I didn’t want to sit in front of the television every day after school. And I didn’t want to watch practice, since I couldn’t play. I wanted to be out on the field.”

To ensure his second shot at football was more successful than the first, Villa started lifting weights. He went out for spring ball and ran on his own.

When he went out for the team as a sophomore, Villa got in the front of the line and demanded a helmet. The first time he strapped it on, several coaches noticed he could play. Villa eventually became a starting linebacker and was voted the most valuable player on the junior varsity.

That was two years ago. He’s 5-6 and 160 pounds now and a standout on the varsity. He has been moved from linebacker to running back, and despite usually being the smallest player on the field, he has rushed for more than 700 yards. Belmont is undefeated in City Section Northern Conference play.

“My size doesn’t bother me because I act like I’m a big guy,” said Villa, who was also the school’s most valuable player as a junior. “Opponents don’t make fun of me because they’re either running away from me or tackling me. Heart and ability says a lot more than height and weight.”

There have been successful small players, but in the established programs it’s a rarity. They are usually running backs or receivers who rely on speed almost as much as size.

As a 5-5 freshman at Antelope Valley in Lancaster, Jermaine Lewis wasn’t getting much attention from the coaches. But once they saw him sprint, they made him a running back.

Three years later, Lewis is only 5-7, but he’s going for his second consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season. He bench presses 315 pounds and squats 420.

“I think I can play Jermaine at just about any position on the field,” Antelope Valley Coach Brent Newcomb said. “He’s one of those special utility players.”

At Hawthorne, 5-7 senior Herb Shedd was faring well as a receiver, but when he was moved to quarterback three weeks ago he started to turn some heads.

He directed the Cougars to two victories and nearly led an upset of undefeated Palos Verdes Peninsula last Friday. Facing a defensive line that averaged 6-2, 210, Shedd threw a 25-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds to play that pulled Hawthorne within one point.

His two-point conversion pass was low. He wasn’t fazed.

“You just sort of go out there and play your game and forget you’re looking up at everybody the whole day,” Shedd said. “Actions speak the loudest.”

Occasionally, an undersized player finds a home on the line. Thanos Panagopoluos has started on the defensive line every game for Beverly Hills this season, though he is 5-4, 150 pounds.

Beverly Hills Coach Carter Paysinger said his offensive linemen dread going against Panagopoluos because he’s quick, strong and difficult to block.

“Thanos comes out of a four-[point] stance, and that makes it hard for the linemen to get that far down,” Paysinger said. “It’s one situation where being small has some advantages.”

Becoming a starter has been a challenge for Panagopoluos. As a 5-3 freshman, he was too slow for a skill position, so the coaches put him on the defensive line. But he didn’t play and almost quit.

A friend talked Panagopoluos into returning, and he started every game on the sophomore team. He moved to the varsity as a junior but went up against teammate Andrew Klein, a 6-4, 280-pound lineman, in practice all season.

“I just got whipped all year and thought many times it just wasn’t worth it,” Panagopoluos said. “But I had something to prove to my team and myself. I always get ribbed about being small, and I didn’t want anyone to think it was a handicap.”

Alhambra Coach Gil Ruedaflores has had his share of small players and sees a common characteristic.

“They accept that they’re not average size and have to do a little more to get noticed,” he said. “They tend to be extremely dedicated in the weight room and in conditioning to be as competitive as possible. They are often more courageous and dedicated than the bigger guys.”

Ruedaflores speaks glowingly of senior Tom Steidle, a starting offensive guard and reserve linebacker who is 5-5, 150. Steidle has been with the team for four years and is one of its leaders.

Arroyo Coach Don MacKinnon is also a fan of the undersized.

“I look for attitude first in a player and size second,” he said. “Athletic ability doesn’t mean a thing if a kid’s head isn’t in it.”