Fletcher Has a Handle on the Game

For running back Wes Fletcher of Placentia Valencia, football is a simple game.

“I run full speed every time,” he says. “The jets are always on.”

In less than two seasons of varsity football, Fletcher has rushed for 100 or more yards in 13 of 16 games.

At 6 feet 1 and 200 pounds, Fletcher’s profile is rising because of his growing self-confidence.

As a sophomore last season, he rushed for 1,968 yards but didn’t know how good he really was.

“Everyone was older than me,” Fletcher said. “I was intimidated by a whole lot of people. I was 15 and didn’t know what to expect.”

Said Coach Mike Marrujo: “He got better and better as the year went on. He’s 100% further along than he was a year ago.”

In Valencia’s season opener against Brea Olinda, Fletcher broke off touchdown runs of 73 and 98 yards in rushing for a career-best 298 yards. In his second game against Villa Park, despite a thigh bruise, he gained 145 yards.

He’s a member of an outstanding junior class of running backs that includes Darrell Scott of Moorpark, Milton Knox of Lake Balboa Birmingham and Ryan Bass of Corona Centennial. All are expected to be offered NCAA Division I-A scholarships.

There’s another part of Fletcher’s makeup that might give him an edge. He understands how important it is to take advantage of every physical gift.

His younger brother, Tyler, has been deaf since he was 6 months old. He’s a sophomore football player and wrestler at Irvine University, which has a special program for hearing-impaired students.

“My brother has taught me the lesson you can’t always judge anybody,” he said. “He’s a smart guy and a hard hitter. He’d beat my butt in wrestling.”

Fletcher helped Valencia finish 12-2 last season, and one of his greatest assets is he doesn’t fumble.

“It’s everything,” Marrujo said. “You turn the ball over, you lose. He just carries the ball tight to his body. Even when he’s running full speed, he doesn’t let the ball come from his body.”

Marrujo, in his 26th season as head coach at Valencia, seems to have made an indelible impression on Fletcher.

“I can never doubt him,” Fletcher said. “He’s a great coach, probably the best coach I’ll have in my life. I used to be way immature, and he’s taught me to be a man.

“I used to give up. He taught me my dad and mom won’t be on the field for me. He taught me to have a short-term memory loss. If you don’t get your way this time, you’ll get it next time.”

As Fletcher continues to pile up yards, Valencia figures to prosper.

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The senior running backs, led by USC-bound Marc Tyler of Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Brandon Johnson of Compton Dominguez, are off to a fantastic start too.

But no one has done better in his first two games than senior Stephen Gabbard of Huntington Beach. He rushed for 405 yards in 47 carries and scored five touchdowns against Long Beach Millikan.

“I was sore for a week,” he said.

Gabbard came back to gain 260 yards and score four touchdowns in 16 carries against Fountain Valley Los Amigos.

“He’s just a fast, strong kid,” Coach Mike Groscost said of the 6-foot, 205-pound 17-year-old who finished second in the Sunset League shotput last season.

Gabbard moved to the area from Northern California as a freshman. He was the Sunset League back of the year as a junior, and with a veteran offensive line, he figures to gain a lot of yards for the Oilers, who have been moved into the Sea View League.

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