Catching Up

Michael Brignac juked the safety into a free fall and was headed to the end zone when he heard the familiar sound pulling him back to reality.

Every day he heard the sound, a coach’s whistle, and every day it served as a hook that yanked him offstage, away from the limelight and onto the practice field for an eternity, it seemed.

For Brignac, last year was a season in purgatory.

He practiced every day, torturing Westlake High defensive backs as a receiver, stopping only when the play was blown dead.

He worked out with the team, watched film with the team, was a member of the team.

Until game days.

He put on his football pads and game jersey, but his skills never left the bench. He was forced to sit out his junior season because the Southern Section ruled he illegally transferred from Reseda.

The well-documented sanction decreed Brignac’s transfer involved “undue influence,” apparently backing up allegations by Reseda administrators that Brignac was enticed to transfer to be with his longtime friend, quarterback Zac Wasserman of Westlake.

Not true, Brignac said.

“No one recruited me at all,” Brignac said. “A person has his choice to go wherever he wants. It’s a free country. Zac is my friend. I’ve known him since seventh grade.”

Nonetheless, Brignac was marooned on the sideline during the Warriors’ loss last season to Newbury Park. And their unexpected tie against Thousand Oaks. And their truly unexpected first-round exit in the playoffs.

“It was rough,” Brignac said. “All my life, I’ve been on the field. Sitting out was torture. I saw my team lose in the first round and I couldn’t help. I felt like a bench-warmer.”

Brignac has returned to the field with a vengeance for Westlake (10-1), which hosts Camarillo in the Southern Section Division IV quarterfinals on Friday night.

He has scored 14 touchdowns--11 receiving and three on punt returns--and has 57 receptions for 872 yards. There are no whistles holding him back this season.

He had a shaky start in the opener against Buena, dropping the first pass thrown his way and deflecting another to a Buena defender for an interception.

Brignac atoned, however, scoring on a 23-yard touchdown reception.

“He’s an integral part of all three of our teams--offense, defense and special teams,” said Coach Jim Benkert of Westlake.

“We didn’t know if he was going to be physical, if he could play both sides of the ball. We had a lot of questions going into the season. At one time, we thought he was just going to be an offensive player. What has occurred is that he has been the type of player who probably plays more football than any other kid on our team.”

On-field obstacles aren’t all that Brignac has overcome. He has not spoken to or seen his father, Jeffrey Wheelock, in nine years.

When Brignac was in third grade, he lived with Wheelock in Oakland. His father coached a Little League team, Brignac played on it. Not much else developed between the two and Brignac returned to Southern California to live with his mother, Linda Boullard.

He has no regrets.

“I don’t really think about it that much any more,” Brignac said. “It’s just me and my mom. That was [my father’s] decision. He has to live with it, not me.

“My mom is mostly the father. She’s tough sometimes. She’s a very neat person. Everything has to be nice and tidy.”

The chief concern in Brignac’s life these days is college. Sitting out last season cost him untold exposure. He hoped recruiters would sniff out his trail of touchdowns, which has started to happen.

Wisconsin dropped by practice on Monday. California and Fresno State called on Tuesday.

“I think in the next few weeks, schools that need skill players, are going to have Brignac’s name high on their list,” Benkert said. “Most of their seasons ended last week, so now they’re getting around to recruiting. During the next few weeks, I think he’s going to be hot.”

Said Brignac: “I thought it was going to be tough to get into college because junior year is when you get established and get into condition. I’m trying to work through that. Practice harder. Play harder. Work out harder.”

As he always has.