They Tackle More Than Just Athletics

In the first semester of his sophomore year at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High, Alex Puccinelli’s grade-point average plunged to a 1.5. The Cs and Ds on his report card left him feeling beleaguered.

“It was pretty bad,” he said. “I would try and try and try, and nothing would happen.”

Puccinelli had put his high school football career in jeopardy, let alone ever making it to college.

He was doing his homework and showing up every day to his classes, but his grades weren’t getting any better. He was diagnosed as having a learning disability, assigned tutors and given more time to finish tests. He rededicated himself to improving his grades.

“I got all this ability to play football and I didn’t want to screw it up by not getting the job done in the classroom,” he said.

Last semester, Puccinelli’s grade-point average was 3.3. He earned an NCAA-qualifying score on the SAT. Last month, he signed a letter of intent with Utah.

On Thursday in Granada Hills, Puccinelli will be recognized for having the most improved grade-point average at a banquet honoring the San Fernando Valley’s top scholar athletes sponsored by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

“I’ve learned so much about not giving up,” said Puccinelli, who had 23 sacks last season playing defensive end.

Top scholar athletes also will be honored by the Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley, Orange County, Los Angeles and Inland Empire chapters over the next two weeks. These are banquets executives from such companies as IBM, Disney and Bank of America should attend because they’ll be getting a sneak peek at potential future employees.

These teenagers will be the community leaders of tomorrow. They’re going to be politicians, lawyers, doctors, engineers, CEOs, teachers and writers. They have the GPAs to get into Stanford and Yale and possess the kind of resumes that make college admission officers’ day.

Josh Rodarmel of Mission Viejo is the top scholar athlete in Orange County. He has a 4.7 GPA, scored 1,370 on the SAT and plans to attend Yale. He was the quarterback for the Division II champions. Unfortunately, luck was not with him this season. He broke his collarbone in the opening game of the season and in the first playoff game.

“It’s part of the game and you learn to accept the good with the bad,” he said.

Rodarmel is interested in politics because he sees “a bunch of bureaucrats who try to control our lives, and I don’t like that.” He gained insight by spending a week helping to build houses in Honduras.

“It’s pretty amazing the things we take for granted,” he said.

Ryan Marrinan of Calabasas Viewpoint, who scored 1,490 on the SAT, is headed to Princeton. He might one day work for the State Department, considering his love of travel and ability to get along with anybody.

What other teenager spends a month working a summer job in France, starts at receiver for the football team, starts in center field for the baseball team, plays the saxophone and is president of his school’s surfing club?

And what exactly goes on at the surfing club?

“We watch a lot of surfing videos,” he said.

Marrinan hopes to earn a spot in Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. And he’s planning to bring his surfboard with him from Calabasas.

“Believe it or not, I think there’s some surfing on the Jersey Shore,” he said.

Dartmouth was the winner for multitalented quarterback Kyle Uebelhardt of Simi Valley Royal. Besides singing classical music, Uebelhardt is learning to swing dance. He met his girlfriend at a country western club in Thousand Oaks while taking swing dance lessons. He’s not afraid to take chances.

“I don’t like to say no unless I’ve done it at least once,” he said.

Brent Newhouse, an offensive lineman from North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, is headed to Stanford after scoring 1,530 on the SAT. He plays drums for the school jazz band and is going to college with the willingness to try anything.

“I’m pretty open-minded,” he said. “I’m ready to try some new stuff and see what seems fun and interesting.”

He has been volunteering at a Hollywood community center, where he tutors individuals who can’t read.

“It made the problem of literacy more clear to me,” he said.

Linebacker Alan West of Burbank Burroughs will attend Pennsylvania and wants to become a CEO. “I like being a leader,” he said.

Kicker Will Simons will take his 4.43 GPA and 1,470 SAT to Princeton. He learned all about pressure by converting a 35-yard conversion kick on the final play of Hart’s season opener against Los Alamitos, giving the Indians a tie.

“Pressure is pressure,” he said. “You can either deal with it or can’t. After Los Alamitos, I wouldn’t say making kicks got easier, but I said if I can make it under those conditions, I can make it any time.”

Simons is looking forward to receiving his scholar athlete award. “I know a lot of people can say they’re great athletes and others can say they’re great scholars, but it’s a rarity to excel in both,” he said. “I take pride in that.”

Everyone should take pride in the more than 150 scholar athletes who will be honored throughout Southern California.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Awards Banquets

What: Southland chapters of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will honor high school and college seniors and community college sophomores at Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquets.

San Fernando Valley: Banquet is Thursday, Odyssey restaurant in Granada Hills. Information: (818) 363-2203.

Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley: Banquet is Friday, Brookside Golf Club. (626) 441-3986.

Inland Empire: Banquet is Sunday at University of Redlands. (909) 793-5058.

Orange County: Banquet is Monday, Coast Anaheim Hotel. (714) 960-2759.

Los Angeles: Banquet is March 14, Radisson Inn in Culver City. (310) 316-4861.

Honorees: See lists in Scoreboard.