Plemons Is Motivated by Brotherly Love

When he isn’t occupied with opposing defensive linemen or studying for his master’s degree in clinical psychology, Will Plemons, a guard on the Cal Lutheran football team, works up to 50 hours a week in what he calls “the best job I’ve ever had.”

Plemons, 22, is a behavior specialist at Casa Pacifica, an emergency shelter and residential treatment home for abused and neglected youths in Camarillo.

Plemons was inspired to work with young people by an accident that happened when he was in the fourth grade. His younger brother, Johnny, then 2, nearly drowned.

Johnny Plemons was in a coma for about a year, and even when he regained consciousness he suffered physiological problems and needed years of facilitated care before he was able to return home for good.

Johnny, 15, still experiences involuntary tremors and is unable to walk, although he attends high school classes in a wheelchair.

“He has problems, but he understands that,” Plemons said. “He’s the toughest guy I know.”

Oh brother II: The brother act was broken up, but only temporarily. Topi Sanchez has returned to the Cal Lutheran football team after spending a day and a half of practice last week gauging his motivation.

Sanchez considered quitting because he was concerned about aggravating a previous knee injury.

Sanchez, who rushed for 1,943 yards as a St. Bonaventure High senior in 1995, joins his brother Teohua, a freshman quarterback, in the Kingsmen backfield.

Battling Scott: J.K. Scott, a freshman from Burroughs High, is in a three-way battle to back up quarterback Brock Huard for Washington, the nation’s fourth-ranked team.

Scott and freshman Marques Tuiasosopo pulled even with sophomore Jon Minter following Minter’s unimpressive showing at a scrimmage last week.

Washington opens the season Sept. 6 against Brigham Young at Provo, Utah.