Boese Thriving in Big Time Atmosphere

Joey Boese had expected to be playing college football on the West Coast.

“I thought sure that was where I wanted to be when I started the recruiting process,” he said.

But things change.

Boese, who played in high school at Mater Dei, decided on Wisconsin, and said he’s happy he made that decision. He was a standout on special teams last season as a freshman for a Badger team that beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl, and is sharing time at one of the cornerback spots this year.

“During my senior year, we had a couple of Thursday games, so I was able to make a couple of trips back to the Midwest to see games, and I was really impressed with the Big Ten,” Boese said.

Boese, a three-year starter at Mater Dei, said Washington State, Arizona, California, Oregon State, Colorado and Iowa offered him scholarships, along with Wisconsin.

“I went to the Iowa-Purdue game, then I went to Washington State for a game not long afterward, and there was no comparison between the crowds at the two games,” Boese said. “I made the trip to Wisconsin, and I liked it and felt comfortable.”

The Big Ten has been everything Boese expected it to be, but it still was an adjustment at first at Wisconsin.

“It was mainly that I was away from home for the first time,” Boese said. “It was a matter of getting used to being away from my comfort zone.”

Boese, 5-11 and 161 pounds, also found out quickly how tough the competition for playing time is in the Big Ten.

“The overall talent on our team is incredible,” Boese said. “There’s very little difference between the players at most of the positions, so you feel like every practice is like a game and that you have to prove yourself.”

Boese played particularly well last season on special teams. He was recognized by the coaching staff as the top player on that unit in the game against Ohio State. He recovered a fumble on the punt coverage team.

“Being on the special teams helped me feel my way through my freshman year, and it gave me an opportunity to show the coaching staff what I can do,” Boese said. “It was great to be on such a good team, and I was fortunate to be able to play in the Rose Bowl as a freshman.”

Boese has had more playing time in the secondary this season, and had a season-high six tackles in the Badgers’ 21-16 loss to Michigan.

“I’m playing a lot in the nickel defense, which they use a lot here, and I’ve been playing on every special team except the kickoff return team,” Boese said. “I didn’t get to play as much last week against Ohio State as I have been because they play a fairly conservative offense and don’t pass that much.”

And Boese is optimistic that he will get even more playing time the next two seasons.

GEHLKE GOING STRONG

Volleyball player Roberta Gehlke is having an outstanding season for UC Santa Barbara.

Gehlke, a former Mater Dei standout from Huntington Beach, ranks second in the nation in kills with an average of 6.02 per game.

The senior outside hitter played particularly well in recent matches against Long Beach State and Pacific. Both those teams, along with Santa Barbara, are ranked among the nation’s top 10.

Gehlke had a school-record 38 kills, along with 22 digs, in the Gauchos’ four-game loss against the defending national champion 49ers. She followed that with 27 kills, 20 digs and a .420 hitting percentage in UCSB’s sweep of Pacific.

Gehlke, who leads the Big West in kills and digs, has moved into third place among the conference’s career leaders in kills.

NOTEWORTHY

Ryan Reilly of Yorba Linda, who played at Valencia High, is in his second season as a starting defensive tackle at Arizona State. Reilly had 40 tackles last season and has 13 this season after four games.

Three Orange County players--Jaclyn Maag of Lake Forest, Adrienne Allen of Orange and Anna Benington of Huntington Beach--are playing for the Westmont College women’s soccer team that is third in the NAIA national rankings this season. The Santa Barbara school is 10-1 after a 2-0 victory over Chapman and plays at Azusa Pacific, the NAIA’s No. 1 team, on Wednesday.

If you have an item or idea for the Alumni Report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at ocsports@latimes.com