Safety Is First for Ware

Freshmen learn many things from seniors. Such as how to use your head, even when it feels fuzzy.

Matt Ware lay in bed Friday night and flashed on the image of Marques Anderson leaving Spaulding Field in an ambulance because of a concussion. Then he thought about the headaches he’d been experiencing for four days.

On Saturday, Ware, a freshman defensive back from Loyola High, watched morning practice and an afternoon scrimmage from the sideline alongside Anderson, a senior safety. Ware went to trainers, who diagnosed him as having a concussion.

“I don’t want to miss practice, but I don’t want to be out there playing and just drop because I wasn’t smart enough to tell somebody,” he said.

Anderson’s concussion occurred Thursday, but he didn’t tell anybody until midway through practice Friday.

“I really didn’t think about telling anybody,” he said. “[Friday], everything that touched my head caused pain and I thought, I really can’t do this any more.”

Neither player was wearing one of the light helmets that several Bruins began wearing last year.

“I would never mess with that,” Ware said.

Anderson and Ware probably will return to practice early next week, Coach Bob Toledo said.

Strong performances by freshmen running backs Tyler Ebell, Wendell Mathis and Jason Harrison highlighted the afternoon scrimmage at Drake Stadium before 1,500.

Ebell, who set a national record with 4,495 yards rushing at Ventura High last season, gained 99 yards in 11 carries and scored on runs of 34 and six yards.

Mathis scored on a 30-yard run before spraining an ankle and Harrison had 39 yards in nine carries.

Senior DeShaun Foster, sophomore Akil Harris and redshirt freshman Manuel White are the top three tailbacks, but Toledo said one or more of the freshmen might not redshirt.

“That decision hasn’t been made,” he said. “I like those freshmen. They did a good job. They are all on special teams and who knows what can happen with injuries?”

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Foster was one of several starters who played sparingly or not at all.

“I just put the blinders on him and walked him around the track,” Toledo joked about his star running back.

The crowd cheered three interceptions early in the scrimmage, prompting an usher to comment, “I guess people are happy to see a defense.”

The quarterbacks eventually got untracked. Starter Cory Paus completed five of nine, including a 47-yard touchdown to Craig Bragg. Scott McEwan was six of 11 and Ryan McCann was seven of nine.

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Freshman Spencer Havner and redshirt freshman Tim Warfield played well filling in at strongside linebacker for Marcus Reese and Brandon Chillar, who were sidelined because of minor injuries.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Roman Ybarra quit the team after the morning practice and will transfer to Palomar junior college.

Ybarra, a walk-on from Vista High, was impressive in camp but was behind Paus, McEwan and McCann on the depth chart.

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Practices will be closed to the public beginning Monday.

“I’m tired of people writing stuff about my team on the Internet,” Toledo said.