Aztecs enjoy the history, people and food of Little Italy

San Diego Union-Tribune

March 21, 2017 7:30 PM PT

Dave Wood and Ted Koboch are here this week from Ann Arbor, Mich., in town for an iron workers convention.

Wood and Koboch just happened to be visiting Little Italy on Tuesday afternoon when suddenly the area was swarming with college football players.

The Michigan men didn’t know SDSU was coming on this day, although they were familiar with the back story that brought them here.

SDSU head coach Rocky Long got the idea recently after reading that Jim Harbaugh is taking his Michigan team on a nine-day trip to Italy next month.

“It was so ironic,” Wood said. “I was just complaining, ‘Why is Harbaugh taking the football team to Rome. What a waste of money.’ ”

“He’s catching hell over it from the alumni,” Koboch said.

“Rome’s not a football culture, that’s soccer,” Wood said.

When it was suggested that SDSU’s trip was more cost effective, Wood said, “Absolutely. I agree.”

He said Michigan should have purchased “some more weights for the weight room or something and come to San Diego.”

Long couldn’t agree more.

“Only a few people in the world can afford to take 200 people on an expense-paid, nine-day vacation,” Long said. “It’s all worked out. Our players are going to get to see a part of San Diego they’ve never seen before. And they’re always good for a free meal. ... We’re going to interact with the community, have a good time and realize what a neat place San Diego is. We don’t have to get on an airplane. We get to do it all right here.”

Minutes after buses dropped off the Aztecs on India Street, they posed underneath the Little Italy sign for a group photo.

Two tourists took the opportunity to get in on the shot, sitting down in the road in front of the Aztecs with a selfie stick. A photographer shouted at them for photo bombing the picture. All the players laughed.

And just like that, two women from Ecuador had become Aztecs for Life.

Asked if SDSU was their favorite football team, both women nodded in the affirmative (although they also nodded when they were asked what they’re here for).

The Aztecs then broke into five groups and headed their separate ways to breathe it all in.

One group went on a walking tour of the neighborhood, guided by Little Italy Tours. Another group listened to Italian music at the Piazza Basilone. It included a song called “We Will Win.” It’s possible that they tailored the song to their audience and added “I believe that” in front of the title, although there was not a translator present to find out.

Senior running back Rashaad Penny was part of the group that participated in a bocce ball exhibition staged by the Amici Bocce Club.

“I’ve played bocce ball,” Penny said on the walk over to Amici Park at the corner of Date and State streets. “I’m pretty good. I’m going to take on the professionals.”

Penny, who is ambidextrous, bowled left-handed. He had his moments, although teammate Kameron Kelly seemed to make the best throws among more than a dozen players participating.

Kelly either has supreme confidence, or has been practicing in his off hours. Before one of his throws, he said, “I gotta get ready. I’m about to do something special.”

Players took turns throwing softball-size red and white balls at a smaller ball called a pallino. The objective was to get as many of your balls closest to the pallino and lock the other team out.

Within moments, it became quite competitive. Which, of course, led to some smack talk.

Shouting across the court to sophomore long snapper Ryan Simmons, Kelly pointed to his heart and said, “Hey, Simmons. From in here! Dig down!”

On one throw, an SDSU player’s effort came up far short of the pallino.

“I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but my sister throws harder than that,” chided John Falcone, president of the Amici Bocce Club.

At one juncture, associate head coaches Jeff Horton and Bobby Hauck jumped in on the action.

“I can smell it, victory and pizza,” Hauck said as his throws collected three points and put his team a point away from a win.

“I feel hustled right now,” senior running back Tyler Wormhoudt said.

Moments later, a throw by redshirt freshman safety Parie Dedeaux clinched the final game.

Across the street from the bocce ball courts was Our Lady of the Rosary, where one group had gone to hear about the history of the church.

“It was beautiful in there,” redshirt freshman defensive lineman Forrest Hanlon said. “You definitely get a certain feeling in there. ... We learned a little history and things like that. I was really taken aback by how old the artwork was and everything.”

Hanlon was captivated by the stained glass windows, having worked in that medium himself during a middle school art project,

“I dabble a little bit,” he said with a smile.

Father Joe Tabigue said a prayer in Italian and also blessed the SDSU players who came into the church.

Long said it was the first time Tabigue had blessed a football team since the Denver Broncos were in town two years ago to play the Chargers, pointing out that the Broncos then went on to win the Super Bowl that season.

So they’ve got that going for them.

Behind the bocce ball courts, a group of Aztecs players did a clinic for several dozen children from Washington Elementary School.

At one station, redshirt freshman tight end Troy Artopoeus and senior defensive lineman Sergio Phillips played tackling dummies and were knocked down like bowling pins by kids who barely came up to their knees. At another station, junior quarterback Christian Chapman lofted passes to would-be wide receivers still trying to get their arms to work in sync with their brains.

All of the kids received SDSU T-shirts for the effort.

After the events, the players returned to India Street for their favorite activity — eating.

They dined at one of four Italian restaurants — Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Mona Lisa Restaurant, Cafe Zucchero or Sorrento Ristorante — before boarding the buses back to campus.

Two blocks away, Wood and Koboch were getting into their rental car to take off as well.

Wood had a black SDSU sweatshirt in his hands, a souvenir purchased while he was downtown. He held it up proudly before they drove off, perhaps pleased with himself that he didn’t have to go all the way to Italy to get it.

Aztecs